One Step Away From God is One Step Closer to Evil Behavior - 2 Kings 16-20

2 Kings 17:1-5 (ESV)

Hoshea Reigns in Israel

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.

The book of 2 Kings is a set of historical accounts of the kings of Israel (the 10 tribes in the north) and the kings of Judah (the 2 tribes in the south).   As you read the book, like the above, you read how evil and bad the kings of Israel were in their leadership.  The kings of Judah are not much better, but every once in a while you do see a king from Judah, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.   

In the above passage we read about one of the last kings of Israel, Hoshea.   He, as we can read, was very evil. One of his most evil acts was to offer his own son as a sacrifice to the gods of foreign lands.   In those days ungodly leaders, to show their great devotion to their god (idols), would offer their children to invoke favor from those idols for blessing in battle and/or harvest.   Hoshea’s evil heart was fully exposed in this act.  This was not the only king who did this type of evilness, however.  Note God’s condemnation of Israel after it finally fell into the hands of the Assyrians:

2 Kings 17:16-17 (ESV)

And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

The evilness that can control mankind after they’re abandoned from God is horrific.   Note how Jeremiah framed this practice as he told Israel what God had to say about it. 

Jeremiah 19:5 (ESV)

and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—

When we walk away from God our mind and heart will do corrupt and evil things.   Each step away from God gets you one step closer to these types of choices and behaviors.   

Treat Others Like God Treats Them - Leviticus 19-21

Leviticus 19:11-14 (ESV)

“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

Whenever I wake up in the morning and know the my time in God’s word is centered in Leviticus, I think the same thing:  In the book of Leviticus God is showing us His character, His mindset and His holiness.  We may not be able to relate to all the laws the book mentions, but we can relate the God behind the laws.   We are learning how God thinks as we read Leviticus. We are learning who He is.  We are learning about His holiness; His desire for us to be holy and separate from those around us in how we conduct ourselves.    The above portion of Leviticus could not demonstrate these thoughts more.   In the above words we see God’s character, mindset and His desire for us to be holy like Him.   

How we treat others is the pathway to God’s character.   This entire book demonstrates this, but the above even more specifically.   God wants us to treat others with the highest respect and love.  The same love He has for mankind we are to have for mankind.  We are to set our own interest aside and approach those around us with God’s character.    What is the reason God gives for us to live this way toward others? He states at the end of this set of verses and repeats it throughout these three chapters and the entire book:  I am the LORD.   In the entire book of Leviticus God states, “I am the LORD” 52 times; mostly in chapters 17-27.  We are to treat others like God would treat them because He is the LORD.   Our behavior toward others demonstrates our likeness to God.  

Sin Is To Be Destroyed - Colossians 3-4

Colossians 3:5-7 (ESV)

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

The concept of put to death in theological terms is called the mortification of sin.  In psychology terms, mortification of something is be subjugated to shame, humiliation and the destruction of all pride.  But in theological terms is the death of sin.   Paul is addressing the past of those he is writing to in the city of Colossae.   He is reminding them of who they were before their lives were hidden with Christ (3:3).   But there is an imperative in Paul’s words.  Although they have been set free from the penalty of the things he lists in the above verse, they are not set free of the presence of these things.  Therefore, by the power of the Holy Spirit they are to put to death that which Christ already crucified for them.  We are, hidden with Christ, to kill these things in our lives.  This is the act of sanctification.  We were living in these things.   But now we are NOT.   We have, hidden with Christ, been set free from their penalty and their power.   It is their presence that haunts us.  As Paul stated in Romans 7, they are always with us.  But Christ has empowered us, if by faith we mortify them.   They are not to be played with.  They are not to be pampered.  They are not to be simply paused in our life.  They are to be mortified; put to death.   Don’t toy with the sins that lurk in your life.  They are to be utterly destroyed.   

Don’t Deny Him - Luke 21-22

Luke 22:54-62 (ESV)

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

The denial of Peter is one of the most famous stories of the Gospel accounts of Jesus life.   It was predicted at the Passover meal and fulfilled at Jesus’ first trial.   Peter, after boasting he could never leave Jesus, denies he even knows Jesus. Not once; not twice; but three times.  And perhaps the worse part of this entire story (only recorded by look) was the face Jesus made to Peter at that moment.  Note the last two verses of the above passage, again:

Luke 22:61-62 (ESV)

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Imagine the face of Jesus.  If you have ever had a parent look at you in disappointment you might be able to relate to what Peter saw that day.  But this is not our parents.   This is the Son of God, the Savior of the world.   It is important to remember that we, too, deny Jesus in our lives.  When we don’t speak up for Him in a crowd that does not prefer Him, we deny Him.  When asked about success in life and we point to our resume’ of life, we deny Him.  When we are lost and need answers and we turn to mankind’s solutions, we deny Him.  It is not hard to condemn Peter for what he did.  It is much easier than we think, however, to act just like what Peter did.  

Discipline is Intended for Redemption - Ezekiel 31-36

Ezekiel 36:37-38 (ESV)

“Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

This section (Ezekiel 31-36) is all about God bringing desolation on the cities and countries that went either against His word of His people.   Israel and Judah are among these hordes that rebelled against God.   There is much judgement in this section due to the rebellious nature of actors.    But in the end, we come to the above moment.  In the above we read about God’s great restoration.   The entire point of the discipline is to being us to redemption.  The entire point of the discipline is for them to know who God is.   They are lost and running away from God.  God, however, intervenes and brings them back to Him.  For what purpose?  That they may know God.  Note how God’s own Son would say this prior to His crucifixion:

John 17:3 (ESV)

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Eternal life is to know God and His son, Jesus Christ.   That is the point of Ezekiel’s writings.  God is using the prophet to prepare the hearts of the people for their need of a Messiah.  This discipline and destruction of rebellion is to bring them to the point of redemption.   

Wisdom Provides Satisfaction - Proverbs 11-12

Proverbs 12:14 (ESV)

From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

Making sure our words match our work is the content of this verse. Both lines are written in conjunction with the other. You can’t have good come from your lips and not have good works from your hands. You can’t wish someone a Merry Christmas with your lips and not give them what they need with your hands. That is hypocrisy. Solomon is telling us that we will be rewarded if we have consistency between our lips and our lives. Doing what we are saying is a theme in the book of James (see James 1:22-27). Those who “walk their talk” will have great reward from God. He does not mention what the reward will be. However, there are plenty of verses in Proverbs that tell us what the penalty is for not matching the two. We must make our walk match our talk.  Folly does not do that.  She talks a good game, but in the end she is death.   That is what Solomon has been trying too tell us throughout the book.   Each, single, proverb is to drive home the point that Lady Wisdom can be trusted (her works match her words) but Adulterous Folly can’t be trusted (her works do not follow her words ... they go in opposite directions).    

However, another way to read this proverb is that when speak (the fruit of his mount) and it is intended to be something good that we say, we can be satisfied, as those words won’t come back to hurt us.   The second line, then is to warn us and remind us, that our words come back at us.   So, we should be careful what we say about life, about others, about our views, about our actions.  Because, our words can bite us in the end.   If we have a pure heart and speak from a pure heart, we will be satisfied, because those words will come back and satisfy us.   Either way we interpret this proverb our heart must match our words and our words our heat.  If we are doing that, we will be satisfied.   

God’s Glory is Seen in His Salvation - Psalms 84-86

Psalms 85:8-9 (ESV)

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;

but let them not turn back to folly.

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

As much as the above verses give us much truth and we are limited in space to develop their meaning, we really can’t understand them until we read the proceeding verses.   The four verses before the above are a pleading for salvation, spoken before the above.   Note:

Psalms 85:4-7 (ESV)

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

and put away your indignation toward us!

Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

The writer of this song/prayer is asking God for His salvation.  He then sits on the watch tower listening for God’s response.   The response from God does come and He  says:

1. I will give you peace.   The aspect of peace is presented because they were in the path of God’s wrath (vss 1-3).   God wants to save us and wants to give us His peace and restore peace between us and Himself (Romans 5:1)

2. I will require you to turn back from folly.   God’s peace and God’s salvation does not come without our repentance from our sin.  

3. I will provide salvation to those who fear me.   Salvation is only available to those who, by faith, put their complete faith in Him.  They become on awe of Him.

4. Along with peace I will provide glory for the land.  God’s glory (Hebrew word for glory, Kabad, is the weight of God.  His glory carries all of who He is and that is weighty.   The nation is promised this “glory” to be in the land.  This is God’s relationship with Himself because He sought to restore His glory to us.   

When the writer of the psalm was desperate and needed salvation God responded with His glory.   He always will.   

Make No Provision for the Flesh - 1 Kings 11-15

2 Kings 15:1-7 (ESV)

In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

The above is the theme of 2 Kings.  The book is about how the kings of Israel (North) and Judah (South) come to become the king and then cease to be the king; and a brief explanation of what happens in between.   The above is a perfect picture of many of the kings.   None of the kings of Israel are ever stated as doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD.  There are some of the kings of Judah who did what was right and the above summary of Azariah is one of them.  But like many who did what was right he did not do enough.  He left the high places in tact.   The high places were where they offered sacrifices to false gods.  As with all believers, when you leave a place in your life where sin can happen, it will happen.   Note what Paul warned the Roman Christians about:

Romans 13:14 (ESV)

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

When you make provision for the flesh, the flesh will avail itself of that provision.   But God does not stand idle in those situations.  He demands holiness from us.  In this case Azariah was cursed with leprosy.  Note something else God states through Paul:

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

These examples of the kings in the Bible are for our learning.  Learn this lesson from Azariah.  

1 Corinthians 10:6 (ESV)

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

Honor the Life God Created - Leviticus 16-18

Leviticus 17:13-16 (ESV)

13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 

14 For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 

15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 

16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”

When we read the Leviticus commands it is often hard for the western mind and the post Old Testament thought to understand all the rituals and the commands of God.  But perhaps by breaking the above down verse by verse, we can see some practical truths  for us today:

Vs. 13a - The commands from Leviticus, no matter what the command, is for all Israel and anyone living among them.  Israel in this case is the archetype of God’s people.  So anyone wishing to benefit from being a people of God must obey the commands of God. 

Vs. 13b - The subject of the above command is the blood of an animal caught in hunting.  The command is to pour out the blood.   In the proceeding verses God had informed them that life is in the blood (He will repeat that in the next verse).   The blood is to be poured out and covered with the earth.    The lesson here is that God created life and there is a sacredness to it.  No matter the life.  

Vs. 14 - Again God states that the blood of all creatures, according to God, is the life of the creature.  God intends us to know this and to honor this.  In fact, a violation of honoring the blood of creatures is subject to being “cut off” from the nation.   This is a serious truth from God.  

Vs. 15-16 - The command about the life of a creature being in the blood is so serious to God that if someone (from Israel or sojourning with Israel) even touches a dead creature that died of natural causes or is torn apart by another creature, that person is considered unclean for worship.   It is actually a sin to not cleans yourself from touching a dead corps of a some creature.   There is some hygiene truth here. (Remember, Israel was living in the wilderness.)  The transmission of disease was always a concern.   But the real truth about this is that the life of a creature in in the blood and to touch a dead creature was to be touching that dead life.   A person was to cleanse themselves from that dead animal.  

What God is trying to tell them is the sacredness of life.   God created creatures and His holiness demanded that we both honor the living and the dead.   God wanted this nation to be different than the world around them. The world around them gave little care for life or death.   God demands we honor Him but honoring the creatures He made and how to treat His creation with sacred care.  

God Defines Us and Our Relationships with Regard to His Son - Colossians 1-2

Colossians 1:1-2 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

It is easy to rush right through the opening lines of these New Testament letters.  After all, before we read them we already know who the letters are from and who they are written to.  It is also easy to skip them because when we write a letter or email, the introduction is much less important. 

In these NT letters, however, we can find some great truth to meditate upon and to make behavioral adjustments to our living.  In the above we have two of those truths:

1.  Paul identifies himself as an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God.   It should be noted that who we are in Christ is by the will of God.   We like to think that who we are is who we have made ourselves to be.   We often start the beginnings of conversations talking about who we are and our type of job(s) or role(s).  However, Paul wants this audience to know that he is who he is because God chose to make him who he is; an apostle.    We ought to take note of that and adjust our mindset and behavior to be submissive to God’s rule over us.   

2.  He is writing to the saints and brothers in Christs at the church in the city of Colossae.  These are not just friends of Pauls.   They are saints and brothers in Christ.  That carries so much more meaning than friends or something else Paul could have called them. Our relationship with each others is defined by our relationship with Him.   We are brothers and saints because we have a relationship with the Father, through the Son, that unites us in a unique way.   Note these other introductions in the NT:

Philippians 1:1 (ESV)

Greeting

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

Romans 1:7 (ESV)

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV)

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

2 Corinthians 1:1 (ESV)

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

Galatians 1:1-2 (ESV)

Greeting

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

We could go on and on.  The point is, who we are with God and each others has everything to do with who we are in Christ.  It has nothing to do with the earthly models of friends, work colleagues, partners, team members, etc.  It has everything to do with our being children of God, together with Him.   The best way to be identified is based upon our relationship with Him.  

Don’t Reject God’s Plan - Luke 19-20

Luke 20:9-18 (ESV)

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone’?

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Jesus told this parable in front of the religious leaders, who represented Israel.   The parable makes the point that God established His “vineyard” (Israel - God’s Kingdom and their chosen place in it) and gave it to the “tenants” (the leaders of Israel).   The point of the “vineyard” (Israel) was that it was to produce fruit (glory to God) for the owner (God).   God sends His servants (prophets ... i.e. John the Baptist) to glean from the “vineyard.”  But the “tenants” (the leadership of Israel) rejected those servants (prophets like John the Baptist).  

Then is where the parable takes on a powerful truth Jesus is trying to get all His audience to see.  The owner (God) of the “vineyard” (Israel) sends His own Son (Jesus) to glean from this vineyard.  But the tenants (religious leaders) plot against the Son to kill him so that they can keep the entire vineyard for their own.   Jesus then states that the owner (God) will then take the “vineyard” (Israel’s chosen place in the Kingdom of God) and destroy those “tenants” (Israel and its leaders) and give the “vineyard” (God’s Kingdom) to others (Gentiles).    

What is the response from those who are hearing all this?   

When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 

God is calling them out for their rejection of Jesus, even before they fully reject Him at the cross.   They don’t like this thought.  It can’t be so!  But when you reject Jesus you reject all of God and His Kingdom.   Jesus is the way to the Kingdom.  Accepting Him gives us the vineyard of life.  Rejecting Him gives the Kingdom to others.