Advertise here with Beacon AdsLET’S MAKE IT SIMPLE: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? (A sermon) Preachers could learn from TED / TEDx talks. Their motto: ‘ideas-worth-spreading.’ The world’s leading ‘thinkers and doers’ – like Bill Gates and Richard Branson, and a few hundred others – speak for 18 minutes or less. The talks are then posted daily, free, on TED.com […]
Category Archives: Spirituality
Dave Andrews, The Jihad of Jesus: The Sacred Nonviolent Struggle for Justice
Advertise here with Beacon AdsDave Andrews, The Jihad of Jesus: The Sacred Nonviolent Struggle for Justice, Wipf and Stock, 2015. Dave begins: I do not write this as an expert… [but] as a Christian, in conversation with Muslim friends This is for Christians who’ve been listening to too many crusading combative pastors, like Mark Driscoll, and for Muslims who follow […]
WAS JESUS A CHRISTIAN? (I doubt it)
Advertise here with Beacon AdsWAS JESUS A CHRISTIAN? (I DOUBT IT) Christians come in about 13 varieties. These varieties (or mindsets) can be found in all religions. You mustn’t judge any religion simply on its caricatures. My theses: Each mind-set makes part of Christianity the whole of it. There’s nothing wrong with the parts
BELIEFS/AUTHORITY/VALUES TOE (A THEORY OF EVERYTHING)
Advertise here with Beacon AdsThe question: ‘WHAT ARE THE BEST REASONS – IN WHAT ORDER – FOR SOMEONE CHOOSING TO BELIEVE IN [THE EXISTENCE OF] GOD? What’s your experience? Here are my rough notes on ten classic routes from non-theism to theism/Christianity. I’ve put them in the order I’ve experienced them (both in terms of time, and relevance). Yours? […]
Let’s amend 18C to say what it means
Section 18C should be amended to stamp out racial vilification while upholding freedom of speech even when people are insulted or offended. The bar should be set at the same level before the Human Rights Commission as it would be before the courts.
Man, Woman and Well
Women like the nameless ‘woman at the well’ prepare us to receive the astounding news that the saviour of the world will be seen not in a powerful male, but in a broken person upon a cross.
Indigenous Faith and Energy Activism
Link highlights | March 2017
Highlights of links to online news and opinion pieces for March 2017.
DIVISION & DECLINE: WHY STUDY II KINGS
Now all theses things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come — I Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)
It is not a happy story and there is plenty of heartbreak, yet the Book of II Kings is an important part of God’s Word. For in it, we learn the legacy and the lunacy of turning away from the LORD: division, decline, decadence, depravity, and dispersion. II Kings was written is for our benefit, so that we learn from the successes and failures of the people of God.
II Kings is the narrative of the Israelite nation divided into two competing kingdoms: Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Neither of them were faithful to the LORD and the result of such unfaithfulness is the challenge of invasion, conquest, and exile. Yet in the midst of the backsliding and inevitable judgment, there is the scarlet cord of redemption. Though Judah was chastened and exiled, by God’s grace, it returned from exile. Those who returned became known to the world as ‘Jews.’ We also get a front row seat to the stunning and spectacular prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha. When the night is darkest, the stars shine brightest.
II Kings begins with Ahaziah, son of Ahab, King of Israel, facing a rebellion from his vassal state of Moab and falling through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria. He sent his servants to inquire of Baal-Zebub, god of Ekron, if he would recover from his injury. The angel of God sent Elijah the prophet to rebuke Ahaziah, asking rhetorically ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Because of this affront, Ahaziah would die from his injuries … and he did. His story was a mini-version of the faithlessness we find in the rest of the book.
From this point, II Kings switches from the kingdom of Judah, to the kingdom of Israel, then back. While there were some bright stars in Judah, like Hezekiah and Josiah, for the most part the kings of Judah and of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. The results were frighteningly predictable: eventual yet furious divine judgment. It is like being an eye-witness to a car crash in slow motion. At the end, in Chapter 25, Jehoiachin king of Judah is released from captivity and treated with respect. He represented in proxy the grace that would to extended to his nation under the Persians.
HEBREW NAME
Melechim Beth or II Kings,
AUTHOR
Either the prophet Jeremiah or someone who lived the same time as him.
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
Christ resembles the ministry of Elisha: grace, hope, peace, and a double-portion of God’s spirit. Elisha did double the recorded miracles that Elijah did.
THEME OF II KINGS
Two backslidden kingdoms colliding towards captivity, with a hint of mercy at the end.
KEY VERSES
For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day — II Kings 17:22-23 (KJV)
And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there — II Kings 23:27 (KJV)
SUMMARY
David’s kingdom was divided into Judah and Israel because his son king Solomon had turned from the LORD. His successors did not learn the lesson, either. Both kingdoms continue to backslide. Judah had only 8 good kings out of 20. Israel had no good kings out of 19.
In the face of this apostasy, God graciously sent his prophets to the divided kingdom. To Israel came the prophetic ministries of Elijah, Elisha, Amos and Hosea. To Judah cam Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk.
Yet despite their sterling ministries, and the noble efforts of Judean kings Hezekiah and Josiah, none of their efforts averted judgment on Israel or Judah. In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom and deported the population to the far reaches of the realm. In their place heathen people were settled in Samaria, of which some evolved into the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Judah was captured by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. This led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple.
Mercifully, while some of the best and brightest of Judah were deported to Babylon (including Daniel and his three friends) some of the poorest of the people were left in the land. Unlike the Assyrians, the Babylonians did not transplant foreigners into Judah. Years later under Medo-Persian king Cyrus the Great, the Jews were allowed to return home and a minority did.
Even though Josiah’s reformation was not enough to appease God’s righteous wrath, thank God for the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and ent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins — I John 4:10 (cf Romans 3:25; I John 2:2). What Josiah was unable to do, Jesus does completely, saving us from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:10).
DISTINCTIVES
While both kingdoms did evil, Israel was by far more unstable than Judah. It had heathen shrines with golden calves at Bethel and Dan, established by their first king Jeroboam. Not one of their kings had the courage and conviction to repudiate this reproach on the nation. Furthermore, it had 3 capitals: Shechem, Tirzah, and Samaria. It also had 9 dynasties, all but one created by killing the previous king.
Judah had only one capital: Jerusalem. One dynasty: David’s. One sanctuary: Solomon’s temple. And because of the promise to David of the everlasting dynasty, known as the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7; I Chronicles 17), God gave him an heir and Son in Jesus, and a stake in Jerusalem.
Despite the backsliding and well-deserved judgment, God continues to delight in mercy. Two incidents shine out:
1. Joash: Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, mother of the slain Judean king Ahaziah, usurps the throne in Judah. Her goal was destroy the royal seed of the House of David, which happened to be her own grandchildren. Yet grandson Joash escaped the murderous rampage of his grandmother. Under the guidance of the righteous priest Jehoiada, they managed to coronate Josh as king, age 7, and his barbarous grandmother was slain.
2. Hezekiah: The Assyrian army had rampaged through the Judean kingdom in 701 BC and was poised to devour Jerusalem as a python to the egg. This was 21 years after the same army conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deported the inhabitants to Assyria. Hezekiah was king and the His only recourse was God. Thanks to his intercession and the prophetic guidance of Isaiah, God struck the Assyrian army and they withdrew. Jerusalem was saved. This was a fulfilment of God’s promise to David, that he would have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there – I Kings 11:36.
OUTLINE OF II KINGS
I. The Divided Kingdom (1:1-17:41)
A. Reign of Ahaziah in Israel 1:1-18
B. Reign of Jehoram in Israel (2:1-8:15)
During this period, Elijah is translated to heaven. Elisha does multiple miracles: giving the widow oil; predicting and raising up the Shumanmite’s son, healing the deadly pottage, multiplying of loaves, healing of Naaman the Syrian leper, causing the ax-head to float.
C. Reign of Jehoram in Judah (8:16-24)
D. Reign of Ahaziah in Judah (8:25-9:29)
Here is the battle against Syria. Jehu is anointed king and he executes fierce judgment against king Joram, his mother Jezebel and the house of Ahab.
E. Reign of Jehu in Israel (9:30-10:36)
F. Reign of Queen Athaliah in Judah (11:1-16)
G. Reign of Joash in Judah (11:17-12:21)
H. Reign of Jehoahaz in Israel (13:1-9)
I. Reign of Jehoash in Israel 13:10-15)
Elisha dies, a dead man whose corpse touches his bones is raised to life, Israel finally gains victory over Syria.
J. Reign of Amaziah in Judah (14:1-22)
K. Reign of Jeroboam II in Israel (14:23-29)
L. Reign of Azariah in Judah (15:1-7)
M. Reign of Zechariah in Israel (15:8-12)
N. Reign of Shallum in Israel (15:13-15)
O. Reign of Menahem in Israel (15:16-22)
P. Reign of Pekahiah in Israel (15:23-26)
Q. Reign of Pekah in Israel (15:27-31)
R. Reign of Jotham in Judah (15:32-38)
S. Reign of Ahaz in Judah (16:1-20)
T. Reign of Hoshea in Israel (17:1-41)
Samaria is captured, Northern Kingdom destroyed, population deported, and foreign transplants settle in their place.
II. Surviving Kingdom of Judah (18:1-25:30)
A. Reign of Hezekiah (18:1-20:21)
Assyria unsuccessfully invades Jerusalem, Hezekiah is healed, Babylonian captivity of Judah is predicted. Hezekiah builds his famous tunnel from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam – it is still a tourist site to this day.
B. Reign of Manasseh (21:1-18)
C. Reign of Amon (21:19-26)
D. Reign of Josiah (22:1-23:30)
Josiah is the last righteous king of Judah. He renews the covenant, repairs the temple, discovers the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy), repents for Judah, brings reforms, conducts a Passover.
E. Reign of Jehoahaz in Judah (23:31-34)
F. Reign of Jehoiakim (23:35-24:7)
G. Reign of Jehoiachin (24:8-16)
H. Reign of Zedekiah (24:17-25:21)
I. Governorship of Gedaliah (25:22-26)
J. Release of Jehoiachin in Babylon (25:27-30)
Power of Biblical Meekness Part 03
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace — Psalm 37:11 (KJV)
Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it — Psalm 37:34 (KJV)
It has been the lofty goal of millennia: rule over the whole earth. Whether it is dictators of the past or globalists today, there is the idea that to have universal peace and prosperity, there has to be economic, political and spiritual union. These utopian notions are as old as time but they overlook the most important thing: unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1). Every attempt to conquer and rule the world has failed spectacularly because they overlook God Himself. Every attempt to build this ‘perfect world without God’ has resulted in tyranny, dictatorship, warfare, and worse.
So logically, if we are going to have a world of peace and prosperity, we need to partner with God. He is coming to this earth to establish a kingdom that will never be removed. Psalm 96:13 says that God is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.
Every time the ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is recited, we are asking for God’s kingdom to come and His will be done ‘on earth’ as it is in heaven. Yes, the kingdom is coming to earth because the King is coming!
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord — Psalm 27:14
MEEKNESS DESCRIBED
We have already learned in Parts 01 and 02 that they people who inherit the God’s earth are the ‘meek.’ These are people who focus on God, His grace, and His purposes, while forgoing personal rights, vindications, entitlement, and agendas. The meek have strong, quiet, graceful determination to plough through life in order to fulfil God’s will for their lives. They dive over distractions and overlook opposition. In this regard, they are greatly empowered by God. They are too preoccupied with the Kingdom of God to be drawn down by the undertow of this world. Such ‘meekness’ is actually spiritual empowerment, because as the meek individual decreases, Christ in them, the Hope of Glory, increases. Christ in them inherits the earth with them.
Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil;’ Wait on the LORD, and He will save you — Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV)
Psalm 37 reiterates the promise of the meek inheriting the earth, just as Jesus does in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5). Yet this psalm gives us an important angle in both demonstrating meekness and gaining the inheritance. It is found in verse 9ff:
…but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
In that simple phrase, ‘wait upon the LORD,’ there is a powerful and practical key to meekness. In our ever-busy, materialistic, and often dysfunctional world, the last thing we have time to do is ‘wait on God.’ Our collective sense of immaturity, and the impatience that exemplifies it, makes ‘waiting’ all the more difficult. Yet, for the spiritual discerning and empowered, they know that ‘waiting on God’ is the key for breakthrough, miracles, and promotion. Indeed, those who ‘wait on God’ will not fail to get to the next level.
So what does it mean to ‘wait on God’ and how do we do it?
My soul, wait though only upon God; for my expectation is from him — Psalm 62:5 (KJV)
Perhaps the best way to describe it is an active seeking of God’s face in an attitude of humility and faith. The individual acknowledges that God is the One who knows and has everything they need. There is also a confident expectation that God will respond positively to the diligent seeking of the believer. Instead of looking to one’s own resources or to other people, the meek person who ‘waits’ looks to God … and God alone … for the answers.
HOW TO WAIT ON GOD
The ‘how to’s’ of waiting on God? There is ‘passive waiting,’ meaning that you have done everything you can and now it is up to God. So you patiently, gratefully, and expectantly look to and wait for the Almighty to do His work, at the time and place of His choosing. You diligently avoid impulsiveness, especially the notion: if nothing is happening, I’m going to make it happen! ‘Waiting on God’ helps you discern and implement the ‘God-Idea,’ rather than defaulting to the home-cooked, man-made ‘good idea.’ Only the God-ideas work.
Then there is ‘active waiting.’ This is both part of your regular devotional ‘quiet time’ (you do have regular ‘quiet time’ with God, don’t you? If not, blast a hole in your schedule and make some time. You will never be future-ready, let alone inherit the earth, without devotional ‘quiet time’).
Whether part of your regular devotions or a special time of seeking God, the key ingredients include:
1. Bible: Refer to it, quote from it, meditate on the promises of God that come your way, and meditate on it;
2. Prayer: Have a time of prayer, either as a block or interspersed with your Bible reading;
3. Praise and worship: This is the language of faith, so do so regularly and liberally;
4. Thanksgiving: Philippians 4:6 and I Thessalonians 5:18 makes it clear; this is God’s will for you;
5. Silence: On occasion, wait silently before God and allow Him to speak to you;
6. Fasting: If you are healthy, abstain from meals in order to have the time and consecutiveness to reach God. There is a simple reason people fast: they need to wait on God. Second reason: it works!
Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me —Micah 7:7
Keep waiting until you hear from God and get your marching orders.
Following these simple steps, consistently and fervently, is guaranteed to change your life.
So do you need direction? Provision? Breakthrough? Healing? Big answers to big prayers? Answers, full stop? Then look no further – the throne-room of grace is open to you (Hebrews 4:16?) to come and wait on the LORD. For as you do so, both as a regular practice and special emphasis, you will not fail to get to the next level. Now is the time!
I will praise the for ever, because thou has done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints — Psalm 52:9 (KJV)