The State of the Church-Solomon's Legacy

God gave Jeroboam the 10 Northern tribes of Israel. Now the other 2 would forever be known as Judah, hence the name Jew. Did God give Jeroboam any requirements, dictates, or commandments for him to follow? Did God warn him in any way?

1 Kings 11:31-33  He (Abijah) said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes

(but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon;

and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.

First, God clearly demonstrated that He would take the kingdom away from Solomon because of his evil idolatry. That should by itself be a warning to Jeroboam. Unless he thought that it did not pertain to him and that he would rule under lesser restrictions and penalties.

11:34-35  'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; but I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you, even ten tribes.

David is one of the most mentioned names in the Bible. He is credited with being a man after God’s own heart, yet he too, was a sinner. Also, God had promised an eternal throne for his descendants. Jesus was physically born in the line of David.

1:36  'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 

11:37-38  'I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel.

'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did,

then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

So God gave Jeroboam the same rules to live by as He did to David and Solomon. God promised him the same blessings He promised David for obedience to Him. Yet, he just like Solomon before him, sinned against God and led the 10 tribes into greater idolatry.

11:39  'Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.'"

God is still afflicting the descendants of David, as they continue to disobey Him and deny His Son.

God’s forgiveness only comes after sincere repentance and a turning back to Him.

Words alone are not enough as they must be followed by deeds.

Just how far did Jeroboam fall from the one, true God?

Next time we will see how far he fell.

The State of the Church-Solomon's Legacy

God hates idolatry. He often refers it to adultery, which reveals to us just how personal and intimate our relationship should be to our God. But, is He your God? +

Does Rehoboam or Jeroboam believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Just what type of belief do they actually profess and display?

1 Kings 12:25  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 

12:26-27  Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."

What did he say? The house of the LORD was in Jerusalem and he did not want to lose any of ‘his’ people to leave him. He was not ignorant or innocent of his evil plans. But, what do you expect from someone who grew up under Solomon’s evil departure from the LORD?

12:28  So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."

Does this sound familiar? Well, it should. This is the exact same phrase that Aaron used. Aaron, who was destined to be the High Priest, was not ignorant or innocent either.

Exodus 32:4  He (Aaron) took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."

12:29-31  He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.

The evil plans kept getting worse. Only the sons of Aaron could be priests. The sons of Levi were to be aids to the priests, but not priests themselves. So, he just created his own priesthood. In today’s world of false ‘churches of Jesus Christ’, the Roman Catholic faith is carrying on after Jeroboam and Solomon.

12:32  Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 

12:33  Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

Where is God in all of this?

What does God think of this?

What does God do because of this?

After all, He sent the prophet Ahijah to him to anoint him over these 10 tribes.

We will review that next time.

The State of the Church-Solomon's Legacy

God’s Word will be fulfilled exactly as He alone declared it to be fulfilled. God declared to Solomon that He would tear the kingdom apart because of his great wickedness in bringing idolatry into the nation.

Did Solomon not warn his son of this reality?

1 Kings 12:16  When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel departed to their tents.

The people rebelled against Rehoboam and his foolish advisors, just as God had declared. The kingdom was now divided.

12:17  But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

Just Judah and the small tribe of Benjamin, remained under the rule of Solomon’s son. The remaining 10 tribes went their separate ways.

12:18  Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

Rehoboam did not take this revolt seriously, or so it would seem.

12:19-20  So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

We often hear the phrase the 10 lost tribes of Israel. Many want to give their views and opinions as to what happened to them and where are they today?

12:21  Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

Rehoboam was ready to kill his fellow members of the chosen people of God to secure his power over them. He seemed to totally forget or disregard God’s declaration to his father Solomon. This is one of the ways of Satan to bring the world under his control. If you won’t come willingly through his deceitful strategies, he will wage war against you.

1 Peter 5:8  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

12:22-24  But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me."'

" So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD.

So finally Rehoboam could not deny the plan and word from God.

He tried all the worldly wisdom of seeking counsel from frivolous, foolish young friends. That did not work.

Then puffed up, he decided to wage war against them to force them to obey him. That did not work.

Finally, God sent him a prophet to clearly declare God’s word to him. Finally, he accepted this judgment.

But, did this change his heart? More later.

THe State of the Church-Solomon's Legacy

Where did all of Solomon’s wisdom go after he died? It apparently did not go to his son, the one he chose to become king after him. Because Solomon did evil in the sight of God, God would take the kingdom from him.

1 Kings 12:5  Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed. 

12:6-7  King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." 

12:8But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.

The Church today also forsakes the wisdom and counsel of the elders. Young men, contrary from God’s Word, lead mega-gatherings of sheep following a false shepherd. So where do many seek counsel today? Tweets, Instagram, YouTube seem to be filled with all kinds of beliefs, mantras, and lies.

12:9  So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 

12:10-11  The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

What arrogance! What nonsense! Yet, Rehoboam liked what he heard from his childhood friends and peers. This is wisdom?

1Ki 12:12-14  Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "Return to me on the third day." 
The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, 
and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

God used his arrogance and prideful scorn of wisdom to fulfill His Word. This is the last time the nation of Israel was truly a nation of all 12 tribes.

12:15  So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Neba.

God’s judgment, warnings, and condemnations will not fail nor be forgotten. Are there elders in your life?

The State of the Church

Solomon’s legacy brought disaster to Israel. He cannot escape his influence on guiding or leading them into idolatry of the most heinous kinds. This seems to hard to even contemplate let alone believe. How could David have raised Solomon to not know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as he knew Him?

What does this tells us? What can we learn from this?

We will study one lesson at a time to let the truth really sink into our hearts and minds.

First, let us look into Solomon’s wealth from Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 9:13-14  Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 

9:15  King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 

9:16  He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 

9:17  Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 

9:18-19  There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 

9:20  All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. 

9:21  For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. 

9:22-24  So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. 

9:25  Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 

9:26-28  He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

Sometimes or better yet, most of the time, it is better to just meditate on God’s Word without commentary from others. So I will just highlight a few concerns with Solomon’s life.

1. He seemed to take a great deal of time on his life and palace. Who was he trying to impress?

2. Solomon became greater than all the other kings living at his time.

3. Did he represent God in a manner that made God greater than all the other gods?

4. Could all this attention, gifts, and homage to him from the kings of the world only add to his sense of independence from God?

5. There is a real lack of reference, thanksgiving, and reverence to God, even though all of this was from God.

   More to come next time.

The State of the Church

Solomon’s legacy led Israel to seek after other gods. The wisest man on earth led them into idolatry. Oh, some may excuse him in that he just built chapels for each of his wives, or it was never his intent to supplant the God of Israel. Good intentions don’t overrule bad practices.

1 Kings 12:1-4  Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 
Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 

Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 

Solomon was dead. So what did his son learn from him? Jeroboam was called back from Egypt, where he fled to escape Solomon’s attempts on his life, by the people. Why?

12:5-7  Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed. King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" 

Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." 

Just like his father, Rehoboam sought wise counsel but rejected it.

12:8-9  But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"

We have looked at this passage before on the subject of the world seeking counsel from the young, which is exactly opposite of God’s Word.

12:10-11  The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

What arrogance! What foolishness! Is this the best leadership available to Judah? Did Solomon really instruct his sons to follow the wisdom of God or the wisdom of men?

12:12-14  Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "Return to me on the third day." The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

Prideful, insolent, disrespectful, and non-honoring bravado. In order for you to take the advice of someone, you often have to forsake or go against the advice of someone else. Who are you following? Who are you forsaking?

12:15  So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Here we come again to the difficult truths in regards to God’s sovereignty. God was taking the kingdom from the sons of Solomon, due to the sins of Solomon.

These sins included his apparent lack of raising godly sons who feared God, who knew His Word, and were respectful of elders. Does this sound familiar to you? What will change in your life as a result of studying these lessons>

The State of the Church

This could also be headlined as Solomon’s Legacy. It was Solomon that created, sanctioned, and participated with the evil, idolatrous, and demonic practices of the nations surrounding Israel. Thru his many foreign wives, he brought these abominable practices into the nation. In what ways did Solomon disobey God’s requirements of the kings He alone placed over His people?

1 Kings 10:14-22  Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 
besides that from the traders and the wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country. 

King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. 
He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 

Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 

Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 

All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

While God had promised Solomon riches, what was Solomon to do with these riches? Was he to bring glory to himself? A gold covered ivory throne! Solomon spent 7 years building God’s Temple and 13 years building his palace.

10:26  Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 

Didn’t God tell His kings not to acquire horses? Solomon even built cities just to house his horses and chariots. Was Solomon beginning to trust in his own wisdom?

1 Kings 11:1-2  Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 
from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love.

The entire nation of Israel was commanded to not marry foreign wives, to not give their daughters to foreign men, or take foreign women to be wives to their sons. Everyone knew this, especially Solomon.

11:3  He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 

11:4  For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

How sad, he started out with all the right words, yet, ended with all the wrong deeds. If you would read thru the chapters on Solomon’s life, you will not find him seeking the Lord, praising the Lord, or meditating of the Word of the Lord as did David.

11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 

11:6  Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. 

11:7  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 

11:8  Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

God’s warnings are for our own good and God’s glory. Yet the wisest man on earth ignored all of them, or so it would seem. When God says that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, this is a serious charge.

Perhaps Solomon’s downfall was his great wisdom, which slowly and subtly replaced God’s Wisdom in God’s Word. We never read of him copying the Books of the Law by his own hand and reading from them every day.

This should be a sober lesson for all of us.

The State of the Church

First, an update from the CDC itself. It finally has had to come clean on its false and misleading statistics about the COVID flu season. It has just recently released the information that just 6% of all deaths from COVID are a result of COVID, that is, no other symptoms or conditions. However, 94% of the deaths they have been reporting are aggravated by 2.6 other immune suppressing, debilitating, co-morbidity diseases. Most of this 94% are also over 70 years old, in fact, it seems that the over 80 was the worse affected.

There is only one death from any child under 14 from this ‘disease’! It was from a child that was already very ill and had suffered through two organ transplants as well. While a tragedy to the family involved, this does not support any cause for concern for other families with children.

Lies, lies, and more lies. Why? We have discussed this previously. But, what is interesting at this time is that the release of data, which many have been very suspicious of for months, now comes as the election draws near. Very interesting!

Now on to the state of the church and Solomon’s legacy. It is truly hard to fathom how this decline into idolatry within the nation of Israel and now also evident within the evangelical communities, all finds their root in the life of Solomon.

First, what was God’s mandate for kings and leaders?

Deuteronomy 17:14-15  "When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,' 
you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.

Interesting, God is telling them that they will demand a king over them, even though God has said He will lead them. They want to be like the other nations, while God wants them to be unlike the other nations. Does this sound like the ‘church’ today?

17:16-17  "Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' "He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

This is a very short and specific list of what God does not want kings to do. Yet, as we will discover, the wisest man on earth violated everyone of them.

17:18-20  "Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

"It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

How long did Solomon’s sons rule over the 12 tribes? Just a few days! It would seem that Solomon did not read the Law every day or he may have just felt it did not pertain to him. Either way, his life was not devoted to God as was the life of his father David.

So the wisest man on earth, failed miserably during the second half of his life. He started very strong, but ended very weak. His flesh overtook his mind. A lesson for all of us.

The State of the Church

What does God think about the state of the apostate church? What will God do? In the ending verses of the first chapter of Isaiah, God tells us the answers to these questions.

Of course, many will still say, that was all about Israel and their sinful practices. What about our sinful practices? Will God not care about how we worship? Will He not judge us?

Isaiah 1:21-23  How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow's plea come before them.

These are serious charges and gross violations of God’s statutes and commandments. Everyone is out only for themselves. Even the rulers, who often claim the contrary, are just in it for the money, power, and fame. Unfortunately, most will follow them for the promises they make, but never really provide.

1:24-25  Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, "Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes. "I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy.

A refining, purifying fire is a fearful thing to contemplate. Fire is both a refining image but also a judgment image, neither are without pain and sorrow. The difference is that Hell’s pain is without end, as is also the sorrow of all who will spend eternity there. It is better to be refined than confined.

Deuteronomy 4:23-24  "So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Heb 12:28-29  Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

God will restore what He has destroyed, but it will come at the end of this world’s history.

1:26-27  "Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city." Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness.

God’s justice and wrath are just as holy and righteous as His mercy, patience(ie. long suffering), and love.

1:28-31  But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the LORD will come to an end. Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.

For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away Or as a garden that has no water. The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.

Many don’t like these types of passages, as they contain convicting and condemning truth. Certainly their god of love would never act in this manner.

Their gods would not, but The God will.

The State of the Church

Those who forget, deny, or ignore history are prone to repeat it. Unfortunately, this is especially true in matters of ‘religion’. God’s warnings, judgments, and condemnations are all throughout the Old Testament, but so few take the time to read them. Oh, the stories of Noah, Moses, Joshua, etc are well known, but what about the rest of God’s Word?

Isaiah 1:10-20  Hear the Word of Jehovah, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the Law of our God, people of Gomorrah.

What a comparison! The LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to their wickedness. The unbelieving world knows this story, but what is the lesson?

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says Jehovah; I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts?

Do people even take the time to consider how God views their worship?

People go thru the motions. They like their traditions, but not God’s holy statutes and commandments. God deplores vain self-righteous worship.

Bring no more vain sacrifice; incense is an abomination to Me; the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting; I cannot endure evil and the assembly! 

Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary to bear them. 

And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

People often tell others of their prayers to God, but does God hear them? It is clear that most He detests.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; Iearn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan, plead for the widow.

You need to humbly approach God. You need to turn from your sin. You need to repent to a Holy God. All of these have to be done on God’s terms, not yours.

Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.

God continues to call out to all sinners to come to Him for forgiveness of their sins. It is with reverence and respect and fear that you approach God. He is merciful but He is Almighty God.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.

Who is listening?

The State of the Church

Too many pastors and people believe that the ‘Old’ Testament is just that, old. Old as is no longer relevant, interesting, insightful, helpful, or meaningful to the ‘church’. Since even they believe that God does not change, they live and worship as if He has. God alone defines worship and God alone condemns false worship. Let us study what God told Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:1-9  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah has spoken, I have nursed and brought up sons, and they have rebelled against Me.

Hezekiah was the king that did right before God, but his son did not. Josiah succeeded this son. Just like Hezekiah’s son did not do according to his earthly father, God brought them up, blessed them, gave them the thrones from which they disobeyed Him. They rebelled against the God who gave them breath and life. This is not a reality only for Israel and Judah but also for us today.

The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.

Even ‘dumb’ animals (those who cannot speak), know their master. The master who cares for them, feeds them, shelters them, provides for them. This master also requires obedience from them. Their lives are devoted to serving the needs of their master.

Woe, sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, sons who corrupt! They have forsaken Jehovah; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger; they have gone away backward.

Can you really say that this is not an accurate description of the world today, especially in the U.S.?

Why should you be stricken any more? You will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; only a wound and a stripe and a fresh blow; they have not been closed, nor bound up, nor soothed with oil.

People don’t ‘connect the dots’ as they wonder why things aren’t going as well as they want. God’s judgment and condemnation has created needs, wounds, pain, and suffering. But, we always look back to the world for answers and relief, instead of looking deep into our own hearts. People often proclaim, self-righteously that God knows their heart. This is true, but what does God see?

Mat 15:7  Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

Matthew 15:8-9  "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." 

Matthew 15:18-19  But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it

Your land is wasted, your cities burned with fire. Strangers devour your land right before your eyes, and it is wasted, as overthrown by strangers.

Does this sound like today’s news.

And the daughter of Zion is left a booth in a vineyard, like a hut in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city. Except Jehovah of Hosts had left us a very small remnant, we would be as Sodom; we would be like Gomorrah.

God will always leave a remnant, a small remnant. This should cause all of us to take notice. How small could this remnant really be world-wide or just in the U.S.?

We all know that the true church is not as large as the sum of all who attend church, or self-affirm that they are ‘christian’, or who own a bible, give money to causes, live a moral life, or are sincere.

Are you truly one of God’s small remnant?

The State of the Church

When God is removed a very serious vacuum is created for man was created to worship. Mankind always gets worship all wrong. Few take the time to even consider how God views their worship. Is your regular worship according to God’s Word and His Holy requirements? Josiah had to go back far into Israel’s history to rekindle worship in Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23:21-27  And the king commanded all the people saying, Prepare the Passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in the Book of the Covenant.

The most holy of the festivals had been completely forgotten or turned into a form of pagan idolatry. The Passover helped the people how God redeemed with His Hand from Egypt. How He destroyed Egypt and Pharoah’s army right before their ‘father’s eyes’.

Surely there was not held such a Passover from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah, 
but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was held to Jehovah in Jerusalem.

It seems that this was so new to them that it astounded most. Josiah did not improvise some worship according to his ideas or desires, but to God’s. In order to worship God in both Spirit and Truth, you have to put away all forms of sin, idolatry, and man-made traditions.

And also Josiah put away the mediums, and the soothsayers, and the family gods, and the idols, and all the abominations which were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he might perform the Words of the Law which were written in the Book which Hilkiah the priest found in the house of Jehovah. 

And there was no king like him before him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses. And after him none rose up like him.

Sad commentary on Judah.

But Jehovah did not turn from the heat of His great wrath, with which His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And Jehovah said, I will also remove Judah out of My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

God never promised to remove all the serious consequences from our sin. There will come a time for all of us when judgment will come and the time to repent or change for the better will be gone forever.

The State of the Church

What more did Josiah find? What else did he destroy? While the answers to these questions may be found in these passages, how this all came being is harder to discern. Also, what did the godly people do or not do? Who stood for God?

2 Kings 23:9-20  But the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate of the unleavened bread among their brothers. 

You will notice that once again we are confronted with the very telling and recurring phrase, and he…

And he defiled Topheth, in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 

This is not some ritual to see who can stand the heat, but a terrifying death of innocent young children by being placed into the red-hot arms of Molech.

And he took away the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, by the room of Nathan-melech the eunuch, which was in the suburbs.

And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

Who had given them to the sun worshipers? The kings of Judah!!! False, evil shepherds leading the sheep of Judah astray and into evil.

And the altars which were on the top of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made, and the two courts of the house of Jehovah, the king beat them down, and broke them down from there.

And he threw the dust of them into the torrent Kidron. 

Altars to false gods in the Temple! There can be no compromise with idolatry. No sympathy to those who build evil altars. No time wasted to rid the Temple of all those who defile the Temple.

And the high places which were before Jerusalem on the right hand of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. 

And he broke the images in pieces, and cut down the Asherahs, and filled their places with the bones of men. 

And also the altar which was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down, and burned the high place; he stamped it to powder, and burned the Asherah.

Utter, complete destruction down to dust. Burn it all!!! Now we see the names of the two kings that allowed this idolatrous worship to begin. They gave it their blessing and the people blindly followed their evil lead. Solomon, the wisest king ever to live!!! Jeroboam, God’s chosen king for the northern kingdom after Solomon’s death. It started with Solomon and the cancer spread very quickly.

And as Josiah turned, he spied the tombs which were there in the mountain.

And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who spoke these words.

And he said, What monument is that which I see?

And the men of the city told him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel. 

And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. And they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 

Only one tomb to be spared? Only one to be found, but hardly remembered and not followed.

And also all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke Jehovah to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts which he had done in Bethel. 

And he killed all the priests of the high places which were there on the altars, and burned men's bones on them, and returned to Jerusalem. 

Killing these false prophets and priests was commanded by God. Did anyone stand for God? Where have we read that before?

Exodus 32:19-28  And it happened, as he came near to the camp and saw the calf and dances, the anger of Moses became hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them at the bottom of the mountain. 

And he took the calf which they had made and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and dropped it upon the water, and made the sons of Israel drink of it. 

And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin upon them? 

And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said to me, Make us gods who shall go before us. For this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. 

And I said to them, Whoever has any gold, let them break it off. And they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 

And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies,) 

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to him.  And he said to them, Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Each man put his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.

And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

Aaron was guilty up to his eyes. He thought he could save himself by lying to Moses, but you can’t hide sin from God.

This golden calf just showed how hard it really is to leave the evil, deceitful traditions of your prior life; traditions that may even go back generations. How did God feel about this? How did Moses?

“Who is on Jehovah’s side?” That is a good question for today! Have you asked that question of yourself? Have you seriously looked into the very traditions that permeate your worship? How does God feel about your worship?

The State of the Church

We need to get our terms and definitions in order first. The Church is not a denomination, a religion, a building, or a place someone gets in front of a group and teaches from a Bible or any other book.

The true Church of Jesus Christ is both universal and somewhat invisible. It is made up of only the true, sanctified, servants of the Lord. They humbly serve Him and strive to obey Him. They hate evil and abhor sin. They detest their sin most.

So we will study the state of the visible, institutional church to see how it has so completely been corrupted over the thousands of years since Jesus first said He would build His church. We now have thousands of churches built by men for men.

We continue with the study of the work of Josiah to rid the nation of the horrendous idolatry that had permeated every facet of life.

2 Kings 23:1-8  And the king sent. And they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.  And the king went up into the house of Jehovah. And all the men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, from the small even to the great. And he read all the Words of the Book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah in their ears. 

The hearing of God’s Word must be accompanied by obedience to God’s Word. It also must be accompanied by confession and humble repentance.

And the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant which was written in this Book. And all the people stood to the covenant. 

As King he had a God-given responsibility to lead the people according to God’s Word. Not just some of the time, when convenient. Not just when enemies came to make war. Not just when God’s judgment was being poured out upon them for their sin. People make promises to God all the time, usually in hope of God intervening to save them from the earthly consequences of their sin.

And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels which were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel. 

This was all in the Temple!!! How did it get there? Who brought it in? Did anyone protest? How long had this been going on? Well we know that the Book of the Law had long been lost and forgotten right in the Temple.

And he put down the idol-worshiping priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places around Jerusalem. He also put down those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of the heavens. 

Josiah killed these false priests that prior kings of Judah had ordained to lead false, idolatrous, heinous worship right in God’s House. Why would these kings do such a thing? How did the priests let them do it? Where did all the truly god-fearing men and women go?

And he brought out the Asherah from the house of Jehovah outside Jerusalem, to the torrent Kidron, and burned it at the torrent Kidron, and stamped it to powder, and threw the powder of it on the graves of the sons of the people. 

Sexual perversion in the name of worship is abominable to God and should also be to us.

And he broke down the houses of the sodomites, which were by the house of Jehovah, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah. 

What would be today’s version of this practice? Ordained priests and pastors? Marriages? Emphasizing God’s love but ignoring His holiness, wrath, and condemnations and warnings?

And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates which were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. 

This idolatrous onslaught was found everywhere you looked. It had overwhelmed the entire nation to the point that it appears that no one missed the obvious point. They were the people of God, in the city of God, blessed by the Temple of God, and holders of the Word of God.

You should have no trouble drawing parallels to today. The question to ask of yourself is how have I accommodated these same idolatrous practices or been deceived by these false teachers of today.

The State of the Church

The problem most have with these passages is trying to see the linkage to today’s proliferation of false, demonic teaching in the name of God. All too often most will agree with a problem in the church, but fail to see any problem in their church.

There is a quote most often attributed to Mark Twain, “It is easier to fool/(deceive) someone, than to convince them that they are fooled/(deceived). We can all condemn false teachers, but can we see them when they are right in front of our eyes? Based on these passages, apparently not.

2 Kings 23:9-20  But the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate of the unleavened bread among their brothers. 

“And he,” the list is very extensive and hard to fathom. To what extent did Josiah go to truly rid the land of all the idols, false priests, and places of heinous worship?

And he defiled Topheth, in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 

And he took away the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, by the room of Nathan-melech the eunuch, which was in the suburbs.

And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars which were on the top of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made, and the two courts of the house of Jehovah, the king beat them down, and broke them down from there.

And he threw the dust of them into the torrent Kidron. And the high places which were before Jerusalem on the right hand of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. 

Solomon built these “high” places to appease the idolatrous practices of all of his hundreds of wives and concubines. Why did the wisest man to ever live, fall prey to these passions, lusts, and pagan women? Was he ignorant of the danger or did he just think he was above the Law of God?

And he broke the images in pieces, and cut down the Asherahs, and filled their places with the bones of men. 

And also the altar which was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down, and burned the high place; he stamped it to powder, and burned the Asherah. 

And as Josiah turned, he spied the tombs which were there in the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who spoke these words. 

And he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel. 

And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. And they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 

Of all the tombs, just one was saved? God repeatedly sent prophets who were ignored, condemned, and killed. The false prophets of this time are like the false teachers of our time. They cannot defend their beliefs so they need to silence all dissent. This is done everyday in today’s “political correct” culture. Everyone’s speech and space is protected except any that disagrees with their fragile, demonic beliefs.

And also all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke Jehovah to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts which he had done in Bethel. 

Interesting that Josiah went outside the territory of Judah to destroy the places in Samaria, which was at one time the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

And he killed all the priests of the high places which were there on the altars, and burned men's bones on them, and returned to Jerusalem.

 

This is the supreme act of total abhorence to burn bones on an altar.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5  "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 

"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 

"But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you. 

False teachers today are under the same judgment from God, but not under any authority that actually can put them to death. Physical death cannot be compared to God’s eternal wrath and judgment against false teachers and all that follow them.

Have you truly purged all the evil out of your life?

The State of the Church

As we continue to study 2 Kings, we must also consider the true state of those who claim to represent God in today’s culture. Just how far from the true worship of God have they fallen? We should learn from the history that God has so graciously provided to us.

2 Kings 23:4-8  And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels which were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel. 

What are they carrying out of the Temple? How could this have happened in the city of Jerusalem, in the country of Judah, in the Temple of the only true, living God? When and how did these demonic, idolatrous elements enter into the Temple?

And he( Josiah) put down the idol-worshiping priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places around Jerusalem. He also put down those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of the heavens. 

Who allowed these false, idol-worhiping priests into the Temple? What happened to the God-ordained priests? What was Hilkiah doing as the “high priest” over the Temple?

And he (Josiah) brought out the Asherah from the house of Jehovah outside Jerusalem, to the torrent Kidron, and burned it at the torrent Kidron, and stamped it to powder, and threw the powder of it on the graves of the sons of the people. 

It only gets worse!

And he broke down the houses of the sodomites, which were by the house of Jehovah, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah. 

Does this sound like what the liberal, false churches of our day are doing?

And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates which were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. 

Everywhere Josiah went there was idolatry of the most heinous kind. How did Judah become so sinful? How did they fall so far from God? Did it happen overnight when no one was watching?

No! It happened slowly and steadily. It actually began with Solomon, the “wisest” man to ever live! It was aided by ignoring God’s truth in such a profound manner that they lost all remembrance of it. They had to rediscover it in very Temple that was now the Temple of Baal.

Jude 1:3-4  Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. 

For certain men crept in secretly, those having been of old previously written into this condemnation, ungodly ones perverting the grace of our God for unbridled lust, and denying the only Master, God, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

What have you let creep into your life, your worship, and your beliefs?

COVID-19 and Satan's Censureship

How do we approach a Holy God? How should we repent? How should we worship Him? Where do we begin?

2 Kings 23:1-3  And the king sent. And they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.  And the king went up into the house of Jehovah.

And all the men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, from the small even to the great. And he read all the Words of the Book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah in their ears. 

First, we begin by meditating on God’s Holy Word. We must humbly surrender to His Word, not just listen to it being read. Too many listen but fail to let it penetrate into their hearts or change their lives.

And the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant which was written in this Book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

You cannot listen with your self-righteousness blinding you to your sin. You must put all your traditions, man-made rules, and misunderstandings aside. You must become like a blank slate and let God write His laws on your heart. James, the half-brother of Jesus was inspired to give this godly advice.

James 1:19-26  Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not work out the righteousness of God. Therefore putting aside all filthiness and overflowing of evil, receive in meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. 

But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror.  For he studied himself and went his way, and immediately he forgot what he was like. 

But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing. 

If anyone thinks to be religious among you, yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is vain.

COVID-19 and Satan's Censureship

What does God think of disobedience? How does He treat those who disobey Him? The Bible is full of the warnings of God, condemnations of God, and punishments of God.

2 Kings 22:12-20  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, 

Go inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the Words of this Book which is found.

For great is the wrath of Jehovah which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the Words of this Book, to do according to all which is written concerning us. 

What was Josiah asking them to do? He wanted to know if God’s righteous and just punish of the people of Judah was imminent. He assumed that these priests and scribes would inquire of God themselves. But, they had forsaken God for so long they did not have a clue on how they could inquire of God themselves.

And Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. And she lived in Jerusalem in the second part. And they talked with her. 

The best they could do was to go to someone else. This was a wife of one of the tribe of Levi, those whom God has set apart for Himself to assist the High Priests in the service in the Temple. There was no prophet so they went to the prophetess. What did God confirm?

And she said to them, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Tell the man who sent you to me, So says Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil on this place and on the people of it, all the Words of the Book which the king of Judah has read; because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.

Bad news! God’s patience or long-suffering had come to an end. Judah had forsaken Him. They had worshiped other gods. They had taken the incense from His Temple and used in their idolatry. They were not innocent and their ignorance was of their own doing. God would unleash His wrath and judgment upon them. Nothing would stop Him from executing His divine judgment.

But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, so you shall say to him, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, The Words which you have heard,  because your heart was tender and you have humbled yourself before Jehovah, when you heard what I spoke against this place, and against its people (that they should become a waste and a curse, and have torn your clothes and wept before Me), I have heard you, says Jehovah. 

Josiah’s sincere and humble response was not ignored by God. God responded to this young king’s prayer with mercy. But, it did not remove His soon coming divine wrath.

Behold, even so I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace. And your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring on this place. And they brought the king this word again. 

While this was certainly comforting to Josiah, it was also terrifying. The wrath of God would come, but not on his watch. God extended mercy to the entire nation due to Josiah humble and earnest repentance.

Never underestimate your humble and sincere prayers before God. Never think they will have no effect upon God’s judgment. God repeatedly tells us to pray with the faithful expectation of His answers to our prayers. But, it is His answer we seek, not an affirmation of our desires or plans.

James 5:16  Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.

COVID-19 and Satan's Censureship

'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.'

The quote is most likely due to writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its original form it read, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Santayana was known for aphorisms, and for being a professor in philosophy at Harvard which he abandoned. Prior to that, Santayana attended Boston Latin School and Harvard College, where he studied under the philosophers William James and Josiah Royce.

Often the world has some understanding of Biblical truths. If you forget God’s truth, ignore God’s truth, deny God’s truth, then you will face God’s judgment. But, few will connect the dots and actually learn God’s truth.

2 Kings 22:8-13  And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it. 

And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again, and said, Your servants have gathered the silver that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers, who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah.  And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a Book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 

And it happened when the king had heard the Words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, 

Go inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the Words of this Book which is found.

For great is the wrath of Jehovah which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the Words of this Book, to do according to all which is written concerning us.

What did Josiah do? He tore his clothes in fear of what had been read to him. What did Hilkiah do? He sent Shaphan to the king. What book had he been using? What doctrine had he been teaching? What god had he been serving?

Was Josiah the only one truly taking God seriously? It had been so long since the Word of God had been ignored, that no one even bothered to notice it missing!

So, Satan came into the Temple with his false, idolatrous worship and took over. He did this with the aid of the descendants of Aaron, who were the only ones that could be High Priests.

What did God think of all of this?

COVID-19 and Satan's Censureship

How did all this begin? How did the world get so deceived? How did the ‘church’? Are God’s people vulnerable to being deceived by the world?

Yes and it begins at the beginning. But rather than go back to Genesis 1, let us look at just what extent the deceit had penetrated the chosen people of God who dwelt in Jerusalem, the city of God.

2 Kings 22:1-8  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign. And he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.  And he did the right in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 

Josiah was only one of 8 of the 39 combined kings of Judah and Israel that did right in the sight of the Lord. In fact, he did not let himself be distracted by the world all around him and daily strove to keep his eyes, heart, and mind on Jehovah.

And it happened in the eighteenth year of Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying,  Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, so that he may count the silver which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.  And let them deliver it into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And let them give it to the workers who are in the house of Jehovah, in order to repair the breaks of the house, to carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and cut stone to repair the house. Only, the silver that is given into their hand shall not be reckoned with them, for they are dealing in faithfulness.

One of his most important tasks was to rebuild the Temple of God that had gone into ruin over the years and therefore, commissioned this restoration. Remember, the Temple was still in Jerusalem, which had been built by Solomon and formerly dedicated to the only true and living God. But, just how far had the people and their worship departed from God’s Word?

And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Can you believe this? God’s chosen people and the line of Aaron, who were to be God’s high priests, had lost the very words of God! What had been substituted in place of the Book of the Law?

Why had the priests totally lost interest in it, totally forgotten it, and had gone on to some other form of worship. Any other form of worship is false and demonic. They lost it in the Temple!!!

How has the ‘church’ done the same today? When ‘churches’ led by pastors ignore the Old Testament, which is approximately 75% of the entire Bible, they in effect have also lost the basis of true worship and understanding. The ‘New’ Testament is not a replacement of the ‘Old’ Testament, but more like a commentary to understanding it in light or the revised or new covenant.

Has your ‘church’ lost the Book? Have you?