2 Kings 17:1-18:12
2 Kings 17
This is a very sad chapter of the Bible and is entirely about Israel being taken out of its land. We've read about God's redemptive plan since almost the first day of the year. We've read about the long years with Abraham, how God made a covenant with him and how the nation of Israel came to be in fulfillment of that promise. Yet it seems that the nation never really responded to God, not in the wilderness nor as a nation with its own land.
We have seen the power of sin. This spiritual sickness is the strongest force on earth, except for the amazing grace of God. His patience and kindness in these last chapters, working with Israel, has truly been a testimony to His love. The summary of this chapter shows that unless the heart of man is changed by the new life of the Spirit, there is no hope for mankind.
Notice in this chapter that it mentions worship and the fear of the Lord, yet verses 34-35 make it clear that to worship any other god, in addition to God, is not to fear Him at all. I think that would be true today too.
This chapter introduces the origin of the "race" of the Samaritans of the New Testament, whom the Jews hated. They were a mixed people, both of race and of religion; doubly despised and hated in the NT.
It should be mentioned here that to take a people into exile was to "exterminate" a race of people by forcing them into another culture to intermarry and lose their cultural identity. Living in another land meant they would serve and worship other gods, learn new customs and speak another language. This effectively happened to the northern kingdom. But then, they had already lost their identity through the worship of foreign gods long before they were taken into captivity. Israel survived through the southern kingdom. People from all 12 tribes were represented in Judah and we'll see that there will be something very different about their exile in Babylon.
What things do you find interesting in this chapter? What does this say to you as a disciple in the harvest?
2 Kings 18:1-12
V. 3 In contrast to everything mentioned above, Hezekiah walked in the way of David. How? Not in being perfect, but in worshiping no other God but Yahweh. That then is the deciding mark of having the heart of David.
V. 4 Did you even know that thing was still around? Imagine the guts it must have taken for Hezekiah to have destroyed this old relic. No other king, not even David, had objected to people "honoring" that bronze snake.
Notice the beginning of verses 5, 6 & 7.
V. 5 When it says there was no king like Hezekiah, before or after him, that is a very high honor and it needs to be seen in the full context of what he did. We'll see that full context tomorrow.
Whereas the king of Assyria took Samaria, he would break his back on Jerusalem. The difference was the godliness of the king and the presence of the Lord.
Acts 20
This is the conclusion of the third missionary journey. Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem.
V. 1 Paul apparently stopped in Corinth to pick up the aid that was collected for the church in Jerusalem, as per 1 Corinthians 16.
Vs. 5-6 Notice that Luke is with Paul.
V. 9 Paul preached long sermons too!
V. 17 So, why did Paul avoid Ephesus? It might have been because of Alexander the coppersmith.
Vs. 18-38 Notice the amount of space given to this meeting with the elders from Ephesus. For some reason, this talk Paul has with them is very important.
Vs. 23-24 Notice that Paul did have some foreboding regarding Jerusalem. You can also see this in Romans 15:30-31, "I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,…"
Vs. 29-31 Notice Paul's warning. The church in Ephesus survived and is mentioned in Revelation, written probably 25 years after Paul's death. But in 1 Timothy, written after Acts and Paul's imprisonment in Rome, Paul is rushing off to Macedonia, while Timothy is trying to rebuild the church in Ephesus. Something happened that almost destroyed that church. Paul is saying here where the main threat will arise. Also, if you look at the problems Paul warns Timothy of in 1 Timothy, you can also see how that "threat from within" worked to sidetrack and ruin that church.
As disciples, keeping the church on track to make disciples and follow Christ in the harvest is not an easy task. The harvest is challenging enough, but when different influences and "missions" come into the church we need a lot of wisdom and all of God's help. If you read 1 Timothy, notice how often Paul warns about "discussions" and how often he tries to refocus on the mission. The mission is the key to discipleship and our walk with Christ. Once we lose the mission, we overcompensate by becoming "theological geniuses;" and then we lose everything, and making disciples cannot take place. You follow Christ in the harvest, not in debates about theological issues and purity. Disciples are for the harvest and are made in the harvest, not in discussions.
Psalm 148
Obviously some of this is poetic and some is hyperbolic and some is metaphoric, but we all get the point. We should praise the Lord.
Proverbs 18:6-7
Notice the art in this. You have lips in the first and last clause and two mouths in the middle. It's amazing how that hole in our face can get us into so much trouble. But Jesus said…"all these evil things come from within and they defile a man," and "out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks." So the problem is really a heart problem, and the Lord knows how to take care of that, but do we?
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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