Role Reversal

23 And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 24 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God, in the care of Obed-edom. He seized also the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria. 25 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time when he turned away from the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. 

As we read through Kings and Chronicles, we need to constantly pay attention as the historian switches back and forth between the Southern kingdom, Judah, or "house of David," and the Northern Kingdom, Israel, which rebelled and established their own religion.  With the latter, Israel, we usually see their kings "did evil in the sight of the Lord," and thereby their nation fell sooner. But sometimes, like above, we see God using the Northern Kingdom to chastise the Southern Kingdom. Why? He turned away from the Lord. Lest we become complacent, thinking we are better than pagans around us, God often uses them to keep us straight. 

At Second Glance...

 II Chronicles 24:24 Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. 25 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed 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 Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite.

At first glance, it appeared that Joash was going to be a good king. He repaired the temple and resumed the offerings so there would be regular worship.  But when the priest spoke out against the sins and idolatry of the people, Joash allowed him to be killed.  We see that he was not whole-heartedly devoted to the Lord as he had allowed pagan people to infiltrate the palace, and they joined in the plot to assassinate him.  It is also telling that he was not buried with the kings.

Prayer and Worship Leads to Victory

II Chronicles 20:24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

Judah was surrounded by their enemies who had joined against them. The response of Jehoshaphat was to fast, pray, and call the people to worship and trust God. While they worshipped, God won the victory, turning the enemies on one another.  What a picture for us: realizing we are surrounded by spiritual enemies, knowing we cannot win the battle on our own, calling out to Him in repentance and faith and trusting Him to win the battle while we worship Him alone.

Hear, all you peoples!

 II Chronicles 18:23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

God made it very clear to Israel how to know who the true prophet was: his word came true. After the kingdom divided into Israel and Judah, the two were often at odds with one another. On occasion they did join together against their enemies. It then became muddy who to listen to.  There were true and false prophets from both nations.  Ahab, the king of Israel at this point had built a lifetime of wickedness and was about to reap what he had sown. Micaiah the prophet lays it on the line well: If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” In other words: "You won't be coming back from battle alive." My we learn to discern who speaks the Word of the Lord, and listen.

Wisdom and Wealth Followed...

II Chronicles 9:22 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

As we have seen, Solomon's first acts were to build the temple and establish Jerusalem as the worship capital of the world. His stated purpose and purposeful acts were to raise up the name of the Lord. As he did so, people came - kings, queens, and the wise from all over. They brought wealth and listened to his wisdom. This should have brought glory to God. But it all came to focus on Solomon and his wisdom and wealth.  These pass, but the Glory of God continues forever. What happens when we focus on our blessings over the One who gives them?

If and When...

 

II Chronicles 6:24 “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers. 26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

After David had passed and Solomon took the throne in Jerusalem, he made his first order of business to do what his father had requested: build and furnish the temple. When he did so, he offered a lengthy prayer to God, including the verses above.  Notice the first situation involves "if", while the second begins "when."  No one wants to lose soldiers in battle, but Solomon was wise enough to know that the people would sin, forfeiting the blessing of rain in the Promised Land." In either case (and more listed in this chapter) Solomon's request-in-advance was for God to "hear and forgive" when His people called out in repentance.  Solomon knew He would.  We know it also. Will we do it?

A Life of Impact

I Chronicles 29:26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.

David's reign was lengthy and impactful.  He pulled together a people living in fear, struggling to survive, and shaky in commitment, and organized it into a nation known for strength and the presence of God. He was by no means perfect, but what he did was recorded by many. He lived a full life with positive reviews. We may not live a life of fame, riches, and power, but we can also have an impact if we are: willing to be patient like he was, waiting years to become king; focused on making it known that we serve the True and Living God, and committed to His worship; open to inviting others to join with us and advise us as we make decisions and take actions toward our goals.