PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: 2 Kings 7-8
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Jehu destroyed Ahab’s family, according to the word of the Lord.” (2 Kings 8:17)
As a Jesus follower, I have a hard time reading verses like these.
It seems so contrary to the Spirit and teaching of Jesus.
But I think this is the point; Jesus intentionally exposes the way of sin.
The Bible shows how we desperately need God’s grace to fix this mess.
How can God support all this bloodshed, if it goes against God’s character?
God has no choice but to work within the limits and flaws of human nature.
God doesn’t cause violence, but allows our freedom and sin to work itself out.
Violence leads to violence, corruption to corruption and sin to death!
God warns us what happens when sinful humans take the lead (Romans 8:28-32).
Jesus alone breaks the mold, refusing to play the sinful power game.
He is the first king to resist Satan’s ways, and fully follow God’s ways.
What we see in these chapters is what will happen in our world, without God.
What we see in Jesus is what will happen in our world, with God.
I don’t know about you, but for me: I choose Jesus and the Jesus Way!
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for giving us a vision of a better world, and for making that world possible! Lord save us from ourselves!
The decline of what used to be the kingdom of Israel and David and Solomon – continues to deteriorate even further. Yet God, because of his promise to David, keeps Judah viable: “Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.” That lamp would be Jesus – the eternal king. The up and down tale of the happenings in the middle east continue and especially today. Oh that we could all worship Jesus and rally all people under Him – it will happen but in the meantime we are like ‘wheat plants growing among the weeds!”.
When man does what is right in His own eyes, it leads to death and corruption. Life without God is not a possibility. Life without God is like dead men walking. They walk in darkness doing their evil desires having their own false light thinking they are rulers of their own destiny. How great a fall. Even today we see rulers insisting upon their own ways and they too will fall. Only when we have the Light of Jesus showing us the Way can we truly live, even in the dark days of today. May our LightShine this day and always as we live for Jesus doing His will and not our selfish desires. All for Jesus. That’s the answer.
1 All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.
2 Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.
3 Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
cling to gilded toys of dust,
boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
only Jesus will I trust.
4 Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.
5 O what wonder! How amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
deigns to call me his beloved,
lets me rest beneath his wings