Joash-Shallow king PT-4 (2 Ki. 12:19-21; 2 Chron. 24:23-27)

5/14/2011 10:01:02 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Joash—shallow king PT-4(Suffering)

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               References:  2Kings 12:19-21; 2Chron. 24:23-27

 

            Message of the verses:  “19  Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20  His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash at the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21  For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son became king in his place.”

 

            “23  Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24  Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet the LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. 25  When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26  Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27  As to his sons and the many oracles against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.”

 

            There are a number of noteworthy things that I have found in this text and I have highlighted some of them in the text above. 

               Here are some of my thoughts on these noteworthy items mentioned in the text above:   The Lord brought judgment against Joash because of his murder of Zechariah who was the son of Jehoiada the priest, but this judgment came also because Joash forsook the Law of the Lord.  The Lord sent the king of Syria against Judah and Joash was wounded and so he was weak from his wounds when two men who were descendants of Lot through his incestuous relationships with his daughters, killed the king.  It is worth noting that the king was not buried with the kings of Judah, but Jehoiada was buried with the kings of Judah.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that the one thing that I have learned from this story about Joash was that it is good to finish strong, and I have mentioned this before.  Dr. Wiersbe comments on this section by asking if it was possible that the prophet Ezekiel was commenting on Joash when he wrote these words in Ezekiel 18:23-32.  “23  "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? 24  "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. 25  "Yet you say, ’The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? 26  "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die. 27  "Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. 28  "Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29  "But the house of Israel says, ’The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

    30 ¶  "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 31  "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? 32  "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live.’”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Give myself to the Lord this day for worship and for service.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Strive to finish strong.

4.      Remember that I am in a spiritual battle and in need of the spiritual armor.

5.      Seek the Holy Spirit to show me any sins in my life that need to be confessed.

 

5/14/2011 10:26:54 AM

 

           

           

Joash--Shallow Faith PT-3; Forsaking (2 Ki. 12:17-18; 2 Chron. 24:15-22)

5/13/2011 5:37:05 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                            Focus:  Joash—shallow faithPt.3; Forsaking

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                    Reference:  2Ki. 12:17-18; 2Chron. 24:15-22

 

            Message of the verses:  “17 ¶  Then Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18  Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.”

            “15 ¶  Now when Jehoiada reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16  They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and to God and His house. 17  But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18  They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19  Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen. 20  Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, ’Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.’" 21  So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD. 22  Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!’”

 

            As you read this story about king Joash it gets worse and worse, but the part about Jehoiada get better even after his death, for the people of Israel buried him where the kings were buried and this was a great tribute to a great man who had saved the dynasty but hiding the king when he was very young in order to keep the dynasty of David intact. 

            In many of Warren Wiersbe’s commentaries he has made a statement that has been something that I want to always remember and that is it is important to finish strong.  Joash did not finish strong, for in the end when Jehoiada dies he is influenced by the officials of Judah and then idolatry again raises its ugly head in the nation of Judah and God begins to discipline them through the king of Syria and so Joash gives that king money which he takes from the temple of God in order for him not to attack Judah.  Before this happen the son of Jehoiada tells the people of the wrong that they are doing and the king gives orders to kill the very son of the man who saved his life.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  The statement that Warren Wiersbe makes about finishing strong is something that I take to heart especially the older that I get, for there are many reasons and temptations that come my way that can cause me not to finish strong, but it is important to finish strong and not to be like king Joash, who finished weak when the righteous high-priest died.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Finish strong.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Give myself to the Lord today for worship and for service.

4.      Remember the battle that I face each day and put on the spiritual armor in order to stand.

 

5/13/2011 6:13:00 AM

 

           

 

 

Joash--A Shallow Faith PT-2 (Struggling) (2 Ki. 12:4-16; 2 Chron. 24:4-16)

5/12/2011 5:47:45 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Joash—a shallow faith; (struggling)

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  2Ki. 12:4-16; 2Chron. 24:4-16

 

            Message of the verses:  “4 ¶  Then Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD, 5  let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever any damage may be found." 6  But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages of the house. 7  Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, "Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house." 8  So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house. 9  But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the LORD. 10  When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the LORD. 11  They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD; 12  and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13  But there were not made for the house of the LORD silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD; 14  for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD. 15  Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully. 16  The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it was for the priests.”

 

            “4  Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD. 5  He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God annually, and you shall do the matter quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly. 6  So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the levy fixed by Moses the servant of the LORD on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?" 7  For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals. 8  So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD. 9  They made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10  All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and dropped them into the chest until they had finished. 11  It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12  The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD. 13  So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14  When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

   “ 15 ¶  Now when Jehoiada reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16  They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and to God and His house.”

 

            The theme of these verses is repairing the temple of the Lord and it seems that it took a long time to accomplish this project.  It could be because of the king being so young when he began to reign and so Jehoiada may have had his hand in helping too long and therefore this caused friction so that the house of the Lord did not get repaired.  There was also an issue as to where the money would come from, but eventually it all got worked out and there was a box made to put into the temple so that people would have a chance to participate in this project and the Lord moved hearts and the money was collected and the house of the Lord was repaired.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: The temple of the Lord is in the bodies of the believers today and so believers must care for their bodies for this reason.

            In the text above it is said that the wicked queen mother who reigned before Joash had taken things from the house of the Lord to use it in Baal worship and therefore the house of the Lord was now in need of repair.  Satan tries to destroy my body through temptations and there are times when I need to strengthen myself so that I can be stronger in my service for the Lord.  This takes time and effort to accomplish this.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Give myself to the Lord today for worship and for service.

2.      Remember that there is a spiritual, unseen battle going on and I am in need of the spiritual armor.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

5/12/2011 6:08:45 AM

Joash--Shallow Faith PT-1 (Obeying) (2 Ki. 12:1-3; 2 Chron. 24:1-3)

5/11/2011 5:37:33 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Joash—Shallow Faith Pt.1 (Obeying)

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Ki. 12:1-3; 1Chron. 24:1-3

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2  Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3  Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

            “1 ¶  Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2  Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3  Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.”

 

            Today’s SD begins the seventh chapter of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Kings and parts of 2chronicles.  This chapter will cover two chapters in 1Kings and one chapter in 2Chronicles.  There are three kings described in these chapters and Dr. Wiersbe points out that what these kings believe is not to be followed by believers today.  Joash is the first king to be described and he is described as a king with “shallow faith.”  In the Lord Jesus’ parable on the different kinds of seeds in the book of Matthew He speaks of four different kinds of faith and one of them is “shallow faith.”  In commenting on this kind of faith Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “Shallow-hearted people receive the Word but provide no room for it to take root, so the shoots grow up but don’t last.  A plant can’t grow and bear fruit if it doesn’t have roots.”

            This first sub-point under the main point of “Joash—shallow faith” is about obeying and the verses speaking of this are above.

            When leaving chapter eleven of 2Kings Joash had just been made king of the Southern tribes of Israel, but he was only seven years old and so Jehoiada the high priest was leading him and teaching him on how to be king.  It was important that the line of David be restored so when Joash was old enough to marry Jehoiada found two wives for him so that he could begin a family, and continue the line of David.  As long as Jehoiada was living Joash followed the Lord showing that he was a good follower, but after the high priest died Joash did not follow the Lord, showing that he was not a good leader.  He reigned for forty years, so that meant that he died at a young age of forty-seven years of age.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is obvious that Joash did not put into practice what he learned under the teaching of the high priest and this is not what he should have done.  I have a great desire to follow the teaching of Scripture and a great desire to learn what it is that the Scriptures teach and I want to have a great desire to put into practice what I have learned.  I have a great desire to finish strong and not just quit learning and growing.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Remember the need for the spiritual armor and put it on and use it.

4.      Keep learning and growing in the Lord.  5/11/2011 6:09:55 AM 

Obedience PT-2 (2 Ki. 11:18-21; 2 Chr. 23:17-19)

5/10/2011 5:34:07 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Obedience Part 2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                      Reference:  2Ki. 11:18-21; 2Chron. 23:17-19

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD I will try and finish the last three sub-points from the last main point in this chapter.

            The elimination of Baal worship (Verses 18-21; 23:17):  “18  All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. 19  He took the captains of hundreds and the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. 20  So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house. 21  Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.”

            “17  And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.”

 

            This awful thing of Baal worship had been going on for about fifteen years and I am sure that it pained those who were following the Lord as they saw all of these terrible things going on for all of this time.  The temple of Baal was torn down and also the priest was killed just as Jehu had done in the northern kingdom.

 

            The restoration of the Davidic Dynasty (verses 11:19-21; 23:20-21):  20  He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and came through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they placed the king upon the royal throne. 21  So all of the of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.”  The verses from 1Kings are above.

            After fifteen years of Baal worship there was reason now for rejoicing and for praising the Lord as the people brought their new king down to be placed on the throne.

 

            The organization of the temple ministry(verses 18b; 2Chron. 23:18-19): And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.”

            “18  Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the LORD under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses-with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David. 19  He stationed the gatekeepers of the house of the LORD, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean.”

 

            What is being talked about in these verses is revival.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about revival:  “Revival is simply obeying God word and doing what He commanded our fathers to do.  We don’t need the novelties of the present; we need the realities of the past.”  He goes on to say:  “Sin was purged, God’s will was accomplished and the name of the Lord was glorified!

            God could do it then, and He can do it today—but we must trust Him to have His way.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Revival started in the section above by three people, and that is the way that it usually starts.  It also started by the prayers of those three people who wanted to go back to the way the Lord had shown them how to worship Him and all of this took some six years of planning.  Revival also takes tearing down sinful habits and cleansing one’s heart of sinful thoughts and actions something that I need to happen in my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember the need for revival in my heart, and prepare for revival by realizing that I am in a battle not unlike what was going on back in Israel at the time of today’s verses recorded, and I am in need of the spiritual armor to be put on.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Give myself to the Lord today for worship and for service.

 

5/10/2011 6:05:15 AM

Obedience PT-1 (2 Kings 11:13-17; 2 Chron. 23:12-16)

5/9/2011 5:31:18 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Obedience Part 1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  2Ki. 11:13-17; 2Chron. 23:12-16

 

            Message of the verses:  This SD begins the seventh main point in the sixth chapter of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Kings and 2Chronicles.  There are five sub-points under this last main point, and the plan is to take two this morning and do the other three in the next SD.

 

            The execution of Athaliah (verses 2Kings 11:13-16 & 2Chronicles 23:12-1):  “13 ¶  When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of the LORD. 14  She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!" 15  And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword." For the priest said, "Let her not be put to death in the house of the LORD." 16  So they seized her, and when she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house, she was put to death there.”

 

            “12 ¶  When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came into the house of the LORD to the people. 13  She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, "Treason! Treason!" 14  Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks; and whoever follows her, put to death with the sword." For the priest said, "Let her not be put to death in the house of the LORD." 15  So they seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they put her to death there.”

 

            I looked at a verse in Nu 32:23  "But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.”  This verse is true of every person on this earth at one time or another and it was true of Athaliah, for she may have thought that she was never going to be judged by the Lord, but her sin did find her out and now it was time for her to die and then will later on come the judgment. 

            Athaliah, the Baal worshiping daughter of king Ahab who was married to the king of Judah and brought Baal worship into the southern kingdom of Judah, who killed all of the rightful people who would have set on the throne, now was going to die and she cried out “treason, treason” which is exactly what she was doing for the past seven years.

 

            The dedication of the people (verses 2Kings 11:17; 2Chronicles 23:16):  “17 ¶  Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they would be the LORD’S people, also between the king and the people.”

 

            “16  Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the LORD’S people.”

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Israel was a theocracy and God was their King.  The king ruled as God’s chosen representative, and the people obeyed the king as they would obey the Lord, for the law of Israel was the law of the Lord.  No other nation on earth has this same covenant relationship to the Lord (Psalm 147:19-20).  ‘19  He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. 20  He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!’”

            I would suggest that this was a mini revival for the people of Israel as they had been under a godless leader and now they were liberated from her and again were under one of David’s descendants which God had promised.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It has been said and I have said it before in other SD’s that “the Christian life is a series of new beginnings,” and just as Israel had a new beginning as recorded in these verses so I too have a series of new beginnings whenever I fall and by God’s grace get back up and begin again.  One of the new beginnings today is going back to work, and for that I am thankful.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      I want to give myself to the Lord this day for worship and for service.

2.      I want to continue to learn contentment.

3.      I must remember that I am in a fierce battle and in need of the spiritual armor.

 

5/9/2011 6:04:44 AM

 

 

Faith And Courage PT-2 (2 Ki. 11:4-12; 2 Chron. 23:1-11)

5/8/2011 7:52:50 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Faith and courage PT. 2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  2Ki. 11:4-12; 2Chor. 23:1-11

 

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD will cover the second sub-point under this main point.

 

            Presentation (verses as seen above):  “4 ¶  Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him in the house of the LORD. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king’s son.  5  He commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house 6  (one third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.  7  "Two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the LORD for the king.  8  "Then you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in."  9  So the captains of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.  10  The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the LORD.  11  The guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.  12  Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!’”

            “1 ¶  Now in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. 2  They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3  Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, "Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4  "This is the thing which you shall do: one third of you, of the priests and Levites who come in on the sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, 5  and one third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. 6  "But let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And let all the people keep the charge of the LORD. 7  "The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house, let him be killed. Thus be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out." 8  So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of the divisions. 9  Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 11  Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, "Long live the king!’”

            Each of these series of verses begins with the same words, “In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself,” so the young man would have been about seven years old.  I think that there are two points to be made here and the first one is that with the help of the king’s uncle at seven or eight he could rule the nation.  The second point is that faith and patience go together and it took faith, patience, prayer and time for all of this to come about in the way that the Lord wanted it to come about.   Hebrews 6:11-12 have this to say about faith and patience going together:   “ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12  so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Isaiah 28:16b says, “Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

            The plan that Jehoiada had is seen very clearly in the verses above and in the next SD it will be seen that his prayer, patience, faith, and hard work of planning this out for the glory of the Lord will be successful.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Sandy and I have been living in one of the most expensive places on earth to live for the last month without me working as I was the first four months that I had been since we arrived here in January.  I often wondered why all of this has come about since some of the other men on the crew have been working, but one of the reasons that I think this all came about was to teach me contentment, and also patience.  I have prayed about this situation, though about just going back home to Ohio, but through it all I was just trying to trust the Lord to work this out for my good and for His glory.  I am to return to work tomorrow, but for how long I do not know.  We have spent some of the reserves that we were saving to make it through this month, and I am thankful that we had those reserves to spend.  It is my desire to know why the Lord has sent us to Kauai, and my prayer is that that will all be made clear to us in God’s timing.  I do trust the Lord in all of this.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to learn contentment.

2.      Seek the Lord to find out why we are here at this time in our lives.

 

5/8/2011 8:28:38 AM