INTERESTING FACTS : WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON, JUDGE; MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE; U. S. SENATOR

 

"[I] . . . AM ENDEAVORING . . . TO ATTEND TO MY O WN DUTY ONLY AS A CHRISTIAN. . . . LET US TAKE CARE THAT OUR CHRISTIANITY, THOUGH PUT TO THE TEST . . . BE NOT SHAKEN, AND THAT OUR LOVE FOR THINGS REALLY GOOD WAX NOT COLD."

 

DAILY READING : 2 CHRONICLES 25 - 27

 

TEXT : 2Ch 25:7  But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. 2Ch 25:8  But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. 2Ch 25:9  And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. 2Ch 25:14  Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. 2Ch 25:15  Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?

 

THEME : APOSTASY

 

There is a fascinating correlation in the lives of Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah recorded in 2nd Chronicles. The association between these three kings of Judah should cause all godly people to take notice since their examples concern our own affinity toward vacillation. The connection in the lives of Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah is that they all start well as godly men, and die as compromised  renegades from the LORD who gave them power and honor. In this, there is a lesson and warning for all of us.

 

Starting with Joash in Chapter 24, we see his zeal to rebuild the house of the LORD, as his heart is right before the LORD. "And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest." 2Ch 24:2 

 

Yet though he begins his life so piously, he dies an idolater then a murderer of God's anointed prophet Zacharias.  "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.  And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it." 2Ch 24:20 - 22

 

Joash dies diseased, lying on a bed of affliction and is eventually murdered through a conspiracy.

 

Jesus makes mention of this horrific apostasy in Matthew chapter 23, which contains one of Jesus most caustic messages reserved for the same [type] of pompous and malicious religious leaders as Joash. "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Mat 23:33 - 35 Notice Jesus reference - "whom ye slew." It would appear that in the mind of God, He considers all who have the same spirit - whether good or evil, to be complicit in their deeds and united in the judgment of God. Further, Jesus' mention of how "they slew" Zechariah connects them to the evil deeds of their fathers.

 

Amaziah, the son of Joash, starts well - to a degree, but slays the men who killed his father. In going to war against the children of Mount Seir, he allies himself with Israel - already under the judgment of God for their idolatry, and is reproved by the prophet of God. "He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver. But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this." 2Ch 25:6 - 9

 

It is curious to observe his first concern with breaking the alliance with Israel is the money he invested in them. The Bible is explicit about the love of money - it is the root of all evil. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1Ti_6:10 

 

However, he obeys the Man of God and trusts in the LORD who - "is able to give thee much more than this." Yet, after the victory over the children of Mount Seir, Amaziah takes their gods and worships them. Listen to the sound wisdom and logic of the Man of God in questioning Amaziah's apostasy from the LORD who just gave him victory. "Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?" 2Ch 25:14 - 15

 

Truly, the nature of man is whimsical and at times so illogical it defies a precise description! Who would trust in the gods who were powerless to help the people [you] just conquered? Add to this, the fact that the One True God you placed your trust in gave you "much more." God gave them [more] mone y and victory in war!

 

Thus, Amaziah after his pride and ignorance cause him to fight against Israel [whom, sometime before he was allied with] lives in captivity for fifteen years before another conspiracy rises and he is slain. Hence, he dies in his sin as his father Joash.

 

"He no doubt became very unpopular after having lost the battle with the Israelites; the consequence of which was the dismantling of Jerusalem, and the seizure of the royal treasures, with several other evils. It is likely that the last fifteen years of his reign were greatly embittered: so that, finding the royal city to be no place of safety, he endeavored to secure himself at Lachish; but all in vain, for thither his murderers pursued him; and he who forsook the Lord was forsaken by every friend, perished in his gainsaying, and came to an untimely end." [ Albert Barnes]

 

Last, we have Uzziah who likewise begins well and finishes poorly. "And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper." 2Ch 26:4 - 5  Notice God made him prosper as long as he sought the LORD. That is a condition. "If" and "then" is the law of cause and effect, sowing and reaping.

 

Uzziah did well when he sought the LORD. Yet, when he became strong, he forgot the One who not only made him strong, but also kept him strong.  "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense." 2Ch 26:16

 

Thus, Uzziah dies diseased, isolated from his throne and the people he ruled, a leper until the day of his death. "Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. 2Ch 26:19 - 21

 

All three of these kings share on common denominator - a good start and a bad finish. We would do well to take heed from their lives.

 

" The transgression of the kings before Uzziah was, forsaking the temple of the Lord, and burning incense upon idolatrous altars. But his transgression was, going into the holy place, and attempting to burn incense upon the altar of God. See how hard it is to avoid one extreme, and not run into another. Pride of heart was at the bottom of his sin; a lust that ruins many. Instead of lifting up the name God in gratitude to him who had done so much for him, his heart was lifted up to his hurt. Men's pretending to forbidden knowledge, and seeking things too high for them, are owing to pride of heart. The incense of our prayers must be, by faith, put into the hands of our Lord Jesus, the great High Priest of our profession, else we cannot expect it to be accepted by God, Rev_8:3. Though Uzziah strove with the priests, he would not strive with his Maker. But he was punished for his transgression; he continued a leper to his death, shut out from society. The punishment answered the sin as face to face in a glass. Pride was at the bottom of his transgression, and thus God humbled him, and put dishonour upon him. Those that covet forbidden honours, forfeit allowed ones. Adam, by catching at the tree of knowledge which he might not eat of, debarred himself of the tree of life which he might have eaten of. Let all that read say, The Lord is righteous. And when the Lord sees good to throw prosperous and useful men aside, as broken vessels, if he raises up others to fill their places, they may rejoice to renounce all worldly concerns, and employ their remaining days in preparation for death." [Matthew Henry]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "WE MUST NEVER FORGET OUR BEGINNING IN CHRIST SO WE CAN FINISH WELL!"

 

We too are told to beware of finishing poorly in the New Testament. There are numerous admonitions given to us stating that we must be cautious and be wary of our walk with the LORD.

 

Php_3:2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

 

Col_2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

 

2Pe_3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

 

Warnings in the New Testament are every bit a s serious as ones in the Old. Further, if there was no danger of the professing Christian falling into the same type of apostasy as the kings we read about, those same warnings would be misleading, confusing, and ultimately deceptive. Are we to charge God, the Author of the Bible, with ambiguous statements, insincere admonitions, and fraudulent threats, counsel, and caveats that have no authenticity or certainty of occurring?  Obviously not. Therefore, we would be well informed and wise to take notice of the examples before us in 2nd Chronicles as well as the statements in the New Testament so we finish well. There can be no doubt we are living in the days of the Great Falling Away spoken of by the Apostle Paul.

 

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." 2Th 2:1 - 3

 

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 1Ti 4:1 - 2

 

Further, when Jesus exhorts and rebukes the Churches of the Revelation, He is specific about their need of returning to Him and of repentance. For example -

 

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Rev 2:1 - 7

 

Notice, like Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah the good the Ephesians did is mentioned. However, also like the three kings of Judah, the Ephesians are warned to repent, return to where they were when they first accepted Christ - "or else." It is this phrase - "or else," that should command our attention.

 

We see i n God's dealings with His own people He is no respecter of persons. Further, when righteous men and women turn away from their righteous life, the evil deeds at hand are not outweighed by the righteous life before. "Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die... he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered..." Eze_3:20 

 

Though we are saved by grace and the righteous life and death of Christ, grace is not a license to do what those under the Old Covenant could never do.

 

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Rom 6:12 - 18 

 

Therefore, let us learn from these three kings, not forgetting our beginning in Christ so we can finish well.