July 28: 2 Chronicles 21 – 23; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 20:7; Romans 11:13-36



Overview

            2 Chronicles: Jehoshaphat appointed Jehoram, his firstborn son to be king after he died. When Jehoram took over, he killed all his brothers and other princes of Israel. He did evil because he was married to Ahab’s daughter. He reigned 8 years. Edom and Libnah revolted from his rule. He also made high places for Judah and Jerusalem so that the people went astray after other gods.
            Elijah sent him a letter telling him the Lord was going to bring a plague on the people and his family. He would die with a horrible bowel disease. This was because of his evil acts. The Lord also sent the Philistines and Arabians against him and they took most of his treasures, his wives, and sons except his youngest, Jehoahaz. Then the Lord struck him with the disease. When he died, not one was disappointed.
            The people made Ahaziah, his youngest king. He was 22 years old and reigned one year. He also did evil because his mother was his counselor. He helped Joram, king of Israel against Hazael king of Syria. Joram was wounded and recovering so Ahaziah went to visit him. Jehu was ordained to kill Joram and he also killed Ahaziah along with Ahaziah’s nephews.
            Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah then killed the remaining royal family of Judah and began to reign. Joash one of Ahaziah’s sons was hidden in the temple and survived. After seven years, Jehoiada the priest orchestrated a coup and made Joash king. Athaliah was executed. Jehoiada made a covenant with the people and the king to be the Lord’s people. They tore down the house of Baal and its altar and images. They killed the priest of Baal. They put the Levitical priests and other Levites in charge of their duties as David had proscribed.
            Psalm: This is one of the messianic Psalms. It is the one that clearly describes Jesus’ crucifixion. It starts with the words that Jesus said on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1). Even with that cry, David affirms that God is holy and worthy of trust (PS 22:3-5). From there, through the end of the reading, David says he, and the Messiah, have trusted God from their birth. God has directed their paths. Yet all these horrible things are happening that reflect what actually happened to Jesus on the cross. His bones are out of joint, he is terribly thirsty, evil people surround him. They’ve pierced his hands and feet. Because of his scourging, they can count his bones. They stare and gloat while they cast lots for his clothes.
            Proverbs: A righteous person shows it by the way he lives. His children learn his ways and are blessed as they do the same.
            Romans: Paul says he ministers to the Gentiles to make Jews jealous so that some of them will be saved. When Jews rejected Jesus, it brought reconciliation to the world. If they accept Jesus it will mean the dead have come alive. The root of Jews is holy and he compares the unbelieving Jews to branches that were broken off and Gentiles as wild olives grafted into the root. We need to remember the root supports us. We are in Jesus by faith so we should not be proud but in awe. God didn’t spare the natural branches so he won’t spare us if we are proud. This demonstrates God’s kindness to us and severity to those who fell. If we don’t continue in his kindness we will be cut off too. If we unnatural branches can be grafted in, how great it will be if the natural branches are grafted back in to their own tree.
            A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the time of the Gentiles is finished. Then all Israel will be saved according to Isaiah 59:20-21. Right now, they are enemies of God for our sake. However, they are still beloved because of God’s promise to the forefathers. God’s promises are irrevocable. Just as we had been disobedient and have now received mercy, they also will receive mercy.
            We can’t really understand God because his knowledge and plan is unsearchable. His judgments can’t be questioned. We have never known his mind and have never counseled him. We can’t give him anything requiring a repayment because everything comes from him.

What Stood Out

            2 Chronicles: “And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chron 21:6).          
            Psalm: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1).
            Proverbs: “The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him” (Prov 20:7)!
            Romans: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways” (Rom 11:26)!

Insight

            2 Chronicles: Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that bad company corrupts good morals. This is a quote from a Greek play about a real person named Thais.[1]Like Athaliah, Thais had great influence over the men in her lives. She is reported to have incited Alexander the Great to burn the palace of Persepolis and she was the first to throw a torch into the palace. Athaliah, did even more than counsel her husband and her son in the ways of evil. When she had the opportunity, she led the way by murdering her own offspring. Had she completely succeeded in her plan, the line of David would have been wiped out and God’s plan would have been thwarted.
            However, we know that even in the worst of circumstances, God’s plan can’t be thwarted. One individual cause untold damage to Judah with her wickedness. In the same way, one other woman, Jehoshabeath, was used by the Lord to maintain God’s promises when she hid Joash. We’ll see even more how a person’s counselors affect their morals as we see how Jehoiada’s influence of Joash restored Judah and brought back worship of the Lord. So, not only does bad company corrupt good morals, but the opposite is true. A godly man or woman can make a great difference in the life of a person.
            Psalm: Jesus quoted the first line of Psalm 22 when he was on the cross. He asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46). Scholars argue about what this really means. Some say that this is when the Father turned his face away for Jesus because he was made sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) and the holy Father can’t look upon sin. It would have been the first time that Jesus experienced the abandonment of the Father. However, this would imply a schism of the Trinity, something that would then make God less than what he is, three in one.
            Others say that this is when God’s wrath for sin and punishment fell on Jesus. It doesn’t imply a separation from each other but Jesus feeling that wrath. This seems more logical.
            Others say that it was Jesus response to those who quoted Psalm 22:8 to mock him. He responded with the first verse to assure them that he still trusted in the Lord even though it appeared God had forsaken him and this was all predicted in the Psalm. I like this though others don’t. (Opinions of others from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Barnes' Notes, and B. Noel in The Biblical Illustrator, Matthew 27:46)
            One thing is certain, Jesus didn’t complain when he asked why God had forsaken him. Look at the second half of the verse, “Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Ps 22:1). Jesus didn’t quote that. He stopped short for a reason. I think that reason is because he had already settled on doing what must be done and knew he was saving mankind. If he continued, it would be asking the Father to spare him from this torture. The Father would have spared him and we would not have a perfect sin-bearer to take away our sins. So, quoting the first part of the Psalm assures us that his suffering was real and he is the Messiah.
            Proverbs: We need to put our money where our mouth is. We need to walk the talk. You will be able to tell a tree by its fruit. There are many ways to say this and God has. The bonus for being people of integrity is that our children learn from us and will usually be that way. No, it isn’t a guarantee, but the people who are wicked and dysfunctional have a higher chance of raising children who are just like them.
            Romans: Paul continues to explain how God is not finished with Israel. One very important part of his argument is that God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). I’ve always heard Pentecostals use this verse to say that once a person received a spiritual gift or calling, it would never be taken away. If a person was called to be a pastor then they always would be one, God would never call them to something else.[2]However, seeing this in context of Israel’s falling away and how great it will be when they come to accept Jesus as the Messiah, I can see that this primarily relates to God’s promises to Israel. What God has promised, he will keep.
            If we look at what Paul says about us, he says that if we become proud, God will not spare us (Rom 11:21). He also says that if we don’t stay in God’s kindness we will also be cut off (Rom 11:22). This is hard stuff to read when we believe that once saved, always saved. Look at what Paul said just a few verses later. God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. How do we reconcile this apparent contradiction? I just have to go back to what Jesus said in John 5:24, we have eternal life and won’t be condemned, and John 10:27-30 where we will never perish and are secure in Jesus’ and the Father’s hands. So, maybe being cut off means being killed rather than losing eternal life.
            However, when we look at Romans 11:33-36 and realize there is no way we’ll ever figure this out to our satisfaction. Our brains are not big enough to understand infinity.

Application

             I need to be careful about the company I keep. It is easy to be influenced wrongly and it is usually harder to influence evil people for good. But that is what we’ve been called to do. Be in the world to be a positive influence and guard against being dragged into it.


[1]"Paul and Menander's Thais (I Corinthians 15.33)," Caffeine for the Masses, August 3, 2013, , accessed July 28, 2017, http://caffeine4masses.blogspot.com/2013/08/paul-and-menanders-thais-i-corinthians.html.
[2]Kenneth E. Hagin, "The Gifts and Callings of God," Kenneth Hagin Ministries, , accessed July 28, 2017, http://www.rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1054%3Athe-gifts-and-callings-of-god&Itemid=145.

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