Today's Devotion
Wednesday April 24, 2024
INTERESTING FACTS : JOSIAH BARTLETT; MILITARY OFFICER; SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE -
CALLED ON THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE . . . TO CONFESS BEFORE GOD THEIR AGGRAVATED TRANSGRESSIONS AND TO IMPLORE HIS PARDON AND FORGIVENESS THROUGH THE MERITS AND MEDIATION OF JESUS CHRIST . . . [T]HAT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST MAY BE MADE KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS, PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION UNIVERSALLY PREVAIL, AND THE EARTH BE FILL WITH THE GLORY OF THE LORD.
DAILY READING : 2 KINGS 9 - 11
TEXT : 2Ki 9:6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 2Ki 9:7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 2Ki 9:8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 2Ki 9:9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: 2Ki 9:10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.2Ki 10:7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel. 2Ki 10:8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning. 2Ki 10:9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? 2Ki 10:10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah. 2Ki 10:11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
THEME : INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY
The wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel was so flagrantly bad, that their names are a byword to this day. If a woman is overly made up, or a young girl begins to show manipulative tendencies toward boys or men, someone is apt to say - "She's a real Jezebel." How sad, as in the case Ahab and Jezebel to have your name as a proverb and a shameful maxim that lasts for centuries! Equally tragic is the fact that what people sow they reap. That is, when the sowing is evil the reaping is evil. When the sowing is righteous the reaping is righteous. Further, the planting of both righteous and wicked deeds has far-reaching affects extending in some cases to other generations.
For instance, evangelist and author Leonard Ravenhill, in his book - "America Is Too Young To Die," records the genealogy of two men whose lives were polar extremes. One man was Max Jukes - an atheist, the other Jonathan Edwards the revivalist and theologian. Edwards is known as "America's First Great Theologian." This is an enviable designation for your posterity to enjoy. Anyway, the descendants of these two men - Jukes and Edwards, were recorded and examined and the fruit of each man's life is as different as day and night. Ravenhill wrote -
"Max Jukes, [an] atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly [woman], and from this union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars [before inflation].
Then there is a record of a great man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly [woman]. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards, of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States Senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one Vice-President of the United States, 80 public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. Jonathan Edwards' descendants did not cost the state a penny."[1]
The difference between the godly and ungodly is vast. Perhaps people do not know the implications of their own lives - that is, the impact they have for better or for worse. However, we should know. We should realize that whatever we do according to the Word of God, by the Spirit of God in faith and obedience will bear fruit in due season. Moreover, that our lives affect others is certain - family, friends, co-workers, neighbors etc. Again, we affect each other for better or worse. It all depends on the choices we make as God gives us opportunity and responsibility. We decide what life is going to be for ourselves. We also affect our descendants, our successors, our heirs, and our children - at least to an extent. We see this with Edwards and Jukes, and of course, with Ahab and Jezebel.
Jezebel in particular had murdered the prophets of God, and if she had her way, she would have killed Elijah too. Thus, it was prophesied that she would die an awful death, so much so that the dogs would lick her blood, and eat her remains. For this purpose, Jehu is anointed king of Israel.
"In these and the like events, we must acknowledge the secret working of God, disposing men to fulfil his purposes respecting them. Jehu was anointed king over Israel, by the Lord's special choice. The Lord still had a remnant of his people, and would yet preserve his worship among them. Of this Jehu was reminded. He was commanded to destroy the house of Ahab, and, as far as he acted in obedience to God, and upon right principles, he needed not to regard reproach or opposition. The murder of God's prophets is strongly noticed. Jezebel persisted in idolatry and enmity to Jehovah and his servants, and her iniquity was now full." [Matthew Henry]
"After the communication of the fact that he had a word to Jehu, the latter rose up and went with him into the house, i.e., into the interior of the house, in the court of which the captains were sitting together. There the pupil of the prophets poured oil upon Jehu's head, and announced to him that Jehovah had anointed him king for Israel, and that he was to smite, i.e., exterminate, the house of Ahab, to avenge upon it the blood of the prophets." (vid., 1Ki_18:4; 1Ki_19:10). [Keil and Delitzsch]
Therefore, Jehu executes the judgment of God on the house of Ahab. Ahab's sons, all seventy of them, are beheaded so Ahab has no posterity. Jezebel on the other hand, is thrown out of a window and when Jehu sends men to bury her, they find nothing but her skull and the palms of her hands. Thus, the prophecy of God was fulfilled through Elijah and the justice of God was satisfied because of the blood of the prophets, and other exceptionally wicked deeds performed by Ahab and Jezebel.
TRUTH FOR TODAY : GOD'S WORD CANNOT FAIL!
The Bible is an inspired record. It cannot fail. Heaven and earth will pass away. God's Word will not. Christ's Word will not. Thus, all that God says in the Bible will come to pass. That is, what is left to be fulfilled that is not already fulfilled will occur in time to come. The Bible is 25 - 30% prophecy. However, many of the Bible's prophecies have already come to pass, Yet, not all.
For instance, in the Book of [the] Revelation, we read -
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. Rev 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Notice verse 6. They have shed the blood of saints and prophets. For this, God judges those who dwell on the earth. Albert Barnes comments on this verse.
"For they have shed the blood of saints - The nations here referred to. They have been engaged in scenes of bloody persecution, and this is a just recompense.
And prophets - Teachers of religion; ministers of truth. It is not necessary to understand the word "prophets" here in its technical sense, as denoting those who are raised up by God and sent forth as inspired men, but it may be understood in its more common signification in the New Testament as denoting teachers of religion in general.
And thou hast given them blood to drink - To wit, by turning the streams and fountains into blood, Rev_16:4. Blood had been poured out in such abundance that it seemed to mingle with the very water that they drank. This was a recompense for their having, in those very regions, poured out so much blood in persecuting the saints and prophets - the pious private members of the church, and the public teachers of religion.
For they are worthy - That is, they deserve this; or this is a just recompense for their sins. It is not intended that those who would thus suffer had been individually guilty of this, or that this was properly a punishment on them; but it is meant that in those countries there had been bloody persecutions, and that this was a fit recompense for what had there occurred."
If you notice, those who shed blood are made to drink blood. It is a just recompense for their crimes against God. This indicates the justice of God [an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, etc.] is always fair and equal to the crime [sin]. Many who read the Old Testament are shocked by the violence and destruction. However, Man's nature is thoroughly saturated with sin. It fills every part of unregenerated people. Thus, God's judgment fits the sin, and is righteous.
God wrote a Book so we can read, believe, and be saved from [His] wrath which, is to come. [1Jn_5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. / 1Th_1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.]
Since God has spoken it will come to pass. We can be sure of this - all of God's judgments will come to pass and will be righteous. We can mimic Max Jukes, Ahab and Jezebel or Jonathan Edwards and Elijah. It is for us to choose. In either case, God's Word cannot fail!
Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Isa 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
