The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 14:2-6,
"Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest."
Asa was a good king in the eyes of the Lord. I notice the blessing of the Lord on him for following the Lord, and the peace Judah lived in as a result.
This is contrasted with what Judah experienced under Rehoboam. In 2 Chronicles 12:1-4 we read, "After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem."
"Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest."
Asa was a good king in the eyes of the Lord. I notice the blessing of the Lord on him for following the Lord, and the peace Judah lived in as a result.
This is contrasted with what Judah experienced under Rehoboam. In 2 Chronicles 12:1-4 we read, "After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem."
The message in 2 Chronicles could not be more clear. When Judah rebelled against the Lord, they experienced the pain of the Lord making "adjustments" to the nation, conforming them to good use for the Lord's purposes. When the nation embraced the Lord, placing themselves in a position to be used by the Lord, they experienced his blessings.
The Lord was preparing Israel and the world for its coming Savior. When people place themselves to be useful to his purposes, they experience his blessings, and conversely, when they place themselves outside of what the Lord is pursuing, they experience something else.
The Lord always has his agenda that he pursues. The wise inform themselves of that agenda and join with him in his pursuit of it.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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