One look at the patience God had with His wayward people of Israel and Judah and we see why John the Beloved said, “God is love” (I John 4:16, NLT). One look at how the kings of Israel came from all sorts of families while Judah’s kings all came from the lineage of David and we see how all-powerful God’s hand and promises are.
Israel and Judah had once been a single nation, but when David’s son Solomon turned away from the Lord, he set in motion the punishment God had warned him would happen: “Since you have not kept My covenant and have disobeyed My decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city” (I Kings 11:11-13).
When Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, took over as king, he listened to bad advice, turned the vast majority of the people against him, and wound up ruling only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, collectively known as the nation of Judah. True to God’s Word, one of Solomon’s own officials, Jeroboam, ended up as leader of the ten tribes who remained as the nation of Israel.
And that’s the way things continued. A descendant of David ruled over Judah while a variety of rulers came and went in Israel. As Second Chronicles 10:19 put it, “And to this day the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.”
Was it random chance that switched out rulers in Israel over and over while Judah’s leaders kept coming from David’s family? No! It was the sovereign will of our Sovereign God. He can and will do exactly what He says He will do, and that includes keeping His promises to people who are totally undeserving of His goodness. People like the nation of Judah. And people like me. And you.
So here we are with Uzziah technically still king in Judah but confined to a private residence because of his leprosy while his son Jotham is actually ruling the kingdom. Over in Israel, Jeroboam II died and his son Zechariah took over for only six short months before “Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king” (II Kings 15:10).
Although Judah had a heap of bad leaders throughout its history, they at least had some good ones amidst them all. Israel, the people who “refused to be ruled by a descendant of David,” had bad, bad, and more bad. Jehu seems to be the only king of Israel who even made an effort to do right – and that was certainly short-lived.
So did things get better when Shallum took over? Hardly. He barely had time to get his robes fitted. “Shallum son of Jabesh began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. Shallum reigned in Samaria only one month. Then Menahem son of Gadi went to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him, and he became the next king” (II Kings 15:13-14).
You know, Judah may not have been following the Lord the way He wanted them to, but at least they weren’t refusing “to be ruled by a descendant of David.” And through God’s promise to David would come the Lion of Judah.
Ten tribes made up Israel. Two tribes made up Judah. Being in the majority doesn’t always mean being in the right. Follow God, not the crowd.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
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Monday, June 10, 2013
MONDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
Uzziah (also known as Azariah) started out as a good king. But his successes merely led him to prideful foolishness. Uzziah usurped the authority of a priest in going into the Temple and offering incense to the Lord. Rather than humbling himself in repentance, he raved at the priests who came into the Temple and reprimanded him. His punishment for such a brash act of self-aggrandizement was that “leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead” (II Chronicles 26:19b, NLT).
Uzziah knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had decided he was not only above the Law, he was above God. Any time a believer willfully disobeys God’s commands, he’s enthroning himself and dethroning Christ as Lord of his life. As leader of God’s people in Judah, Uzziah had a responsibility to reflect God’s ways through his lifestyle. Failing to do so was no small infraction.
We in America have been blessed beyond what many nations can even imagine and that, my friends, puts every professing believer in the U.S. of A. in a huge position of accountability. As Jesus said, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (Luke 12:48b).
In keeping with the severity of his actions, the king’s punishment wasn’t short-term: “King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land” (II Chronicles 26:21). Fitting the punishment to the crime, Uzziah’s affliction prevented him from ever re-entering the Temple.
So even though Uzziah was king of Judah for 52 years, his last ten years or so were spent in isolation while his son Jotham led the nation. Meanwhile back in Israel, leaders came and went during the long stretch of Uzziah’s kingship.
Since we’re about to switch from Judah back to Israel, let’s do a quick refresher: “Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah’s reign in Judah. Jeroboam reigned in Samaria forty-one years. When Jeroboam II died, he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then his son Zechariah became the next king” (II Kings 14:23, 29).
Amaziah was Uzziah’s father. He was king of Judah when Jeroboam II came into power in Israel. Jeroboam II was still on the throne when Uzziah came to be king in Judah. Then at Jeroboam II’s death, “his son Zechariah became the next king” in Israel.
Keep in mind that while Israel’s kings were coming from all over – most recently from the lineage of Jehu – Judah’s kings were from the family of David. Jehu’s career was far from spotless, but “Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, ‘You have done well in following My instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation” (II Kings 10:30). And God, as always, kept His promise.
“Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six months. Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king. So the Lord’s message to Jehu came true: ‘Your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation’” (II Kings 15:8-10, 12).
“For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does” (Psalm 33:4, NIV).
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
Uzziah knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had decided he was not only above the Law, he was above God. Any time a believer willfully disobeys God’s commands, he’s enthroning himself and dethroning Christ as Lord of his life. As leader of God’s people in Judah, Uzziah had a responsibility to reflect God’s ways through his lifestyle. Failing to do so was no small infraction.
We in America have been blessed beyond what many nations can even imagine and that, my friends, puts every professing believer in the U.S. of A. in a huge position of accountability. As Jesus said, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (Luke 12:48b).
In keeping with the severity of his actions, the king’s punishment wasn’t short-term: “King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land” (II Chronicles 26:21). Fitting the punishment to the crime, Uzziah’s affliction prevented him from ever re-entering the Temple.
So even though Uzziah was king of Judah for 52 years, his last ten years or so were spent in isolation while his son Jotham led the nation. Meanwhile back in Israel, leaders came and went during the long stretch of Uzziah’s kingship.
Since we’re about to switch from Judah back to Israel, let’s do a quick refresher: “Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah’s reign in Judah. Jeroboam reigned in Samaria forty-one years. When Jeroboam II died, he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then his son Zechariah became the next king” (II Kings 14:23, 29).
Amaziah was Uzziah’s father. He was king of Judah when Jeroboam II came into power in Israel. Jeroboam II was still on the throne when Uzziah came to be king in Judah. Then at Jeroboam II’s death, “his son Zechariah became the next king” in Israel.
Keep in mind that while Israel’s kings were coming from all over – most recently from the lineage of Jehu – Judah’s kings were from the family of David. Jehu’s career was far from spotless, but “Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, ‘You have done well in following My instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation” (II Kings 10:30). And God, as always, kept His promise.
“Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six months. Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king. So the Lord’s message to Jehu came true: ‘Your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation’” (II Kings 15:8-10, 12).
“For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does” (Psalm 33:4, NIV).
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
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Sunday, June 9, 2013
SUNDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
“As long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success” (II Chronicles 26:5, NLT).
“But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!’” (II Chronicles 26:16-18).
What Uzziah was doing was no minor infraction – it was an abomination. Azariah, along with “eighty other priests” bravely “confronted King Uzziah.” Not only were they upset over what Uzziah was doing, they also knew that the repercussions of this sin would be devastating. But Uzziah had become too full of himself to regard the high priest’s warning.
“Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. He was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple” (II Chronicles 26:19a).
Uzziah waltzed into the Temple and performed a priest’s function, yet God did nothing to stop him. Instead, He allowed His representatives, the priests, to do the confronting. Uzziah’s response? He “became furious.” Still, nothing happened. But then he began “raging at the priests before the incense altar.” Not only was he screaming at God’s appointed Temple leaders, he was doing so in the Temple at the altar. God had had enough.
In the midst of his screaming tirade, “leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead” (II Chronicles 26:19b) and Uzziah saw the horror on the faces of the priests around him.
“They rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him” (II Chronicles 26:20).
It was forbidden for a person with leprosy to be inside the Temple. Honoring the Law, the priests rushed Uzziah outside. Uzziah, terrified at what was happening to him, readily complied.
“So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land” (II Chronicles 26:21).
People of God, second only to accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the call to finish strong. Whether you’re 30 or 90, if you’re still on this planet, you’re to be about the Father’s business. In the Kingdom of God, the retirement plan is out of this world, not in it.
Don’t tell me about what you used to do for the Lord. Tell me about what you’re doing right now. I’ve often offered up my deep philosophy on life and I’ll state it here again: Life is a forward journey; dang the history.
Do what you’re doing right here, right now for the glory of God. Uzziah stayed focused on God as long as he was up to his eyeballs in conflicts and construction. It was only after things had settled down that he forgot his purpose. You and I, just like Uzziah, can avoid some very painful lessons if we’ll only keep our eyes on the Savior.
“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Paul speaking, Acts 20:24).
“But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!’” (II Chronicles 26:16-18).
What Uzziah was doing was no minor infraction – it was an abomination. Azariah, along with “eighty other priests” bravely “confronted King Uzziah.” Not only were they upset over what Uzziah was doing, they also knew that the repercussions of this sin would be devastating. But Uzziah had become too full of himself to regard the high priest’s warning.
“Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. He was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple” (II Chronicles 26:19a).
Uzziah waltzed into the Temple and performed a priest’s function, yet God did nothing to stop him. Instead, He allowed His representatives, the priests, to do the confronting. Uzziah’s response? He “became furious.” Still, nothing happened. But then he began “raging at the priests before the incense altar.” Not only was he screaming at God’s appointed Temple leaders, he was doing so in the Temple at the altar. God had had enough.
In the midst of his screaming tirade, “leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead” (II Chronicles 26:19b) and Uzziah saw the horror on the faces of the priests around him.
“They rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him” (II Chronicles 26:20).
It was forbidden for a person with leprosy to be inside the Temple. Honoring the Law, the priests rushed Uzziah outside. Uzziah, terrified at what was happening to him, readily complied.
“So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land” (II Chronicles 26:21).
People of God, second only to accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the call to finish strong. Whether you’re 30 or 90, if you’re still on this planet, you’re to be about the Father’s business. In the Kingdom of God, the retirement plan is out of this world, not in it.
Don’t tell me about what you used to do for the Lord. Tell me about what you’re doing right now. I’ve often offered up my deep philosophy on life and I’ll state it here again: Life is a forward journey; dang the history.
Do what you’re doing right here, right now for the glory of God. Uzziah stayed focused on God as long as he was up to his eyeballs in conflicts and construction. It was only after things had settled down that he forgot his purpose. You and I, just like Uzziah, can avoid some very painful lessons if we’ll only keep our eyes on the Savior.
“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Paul speaking, Acts 20:24).
BARGAINS OF THE DAY!
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Saturday, June 8, 2013
SATURDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success” (II Chronicles 26:3a, 5, NLT).
“Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah.” As an infant, Joash, Uzziah’s grandfather, had been rescued from certain death by the wife of the priest Jehoiada and was then hidden and brought up in the Temple by Jehoiada and his sons. After coming to power, Jehoiada repaid this kindness by ordering the murder of Jehoiada’s son Zechariah for delivering God’s message about the disobedience of Joash and the people of Israel. Some scholars believe the Zechariah that was such a positive influence in Uzziah’s life was a descendant of this son of Jehoiada.
Note, unfortunately, that we have the same problem with Uzziah as we’ve seen with Joash and so many other rulers: “Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah.” If things hadn’t changed after Zechariah was out of the picture, there’d be no need for such a statement. Clearly even the good king Uzziah didn’t stay on the right pathway.
“And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” While Uzziah followed God’s guidance, his rule was blessed with many successes: “Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia. God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with the Meunites. The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful” (II Chronicles 26:6-8).
“God helped him.” Just as He does with us today, the Lord blessed Uzziah when he depended on Him and obeyed Him. These successes, in turn, made Uzziah “very powerful.”
“Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.
Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This army had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. These regiments of mighty warriors were commanded by 2,600 clan leaders. The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.
Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful” (II Chronicles 26:9-15).
As Uzziah continued to walk in the teachings of his mentor “Zechariah, who taught him to fear God,” Uzziah saw more and more successes come his way, so much so that the Bible says “the Lord gave him marvelous help.” “Marvelous” – from the root word marvel. It was irrefutably evident that God was the reason Uzziah was being blessed in so many ways.
Why would Uzziah do anything that would cause him to lose such a blessing? Proverbs 16:18 holds the answer: “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Uzziah, I’m afraid, was headed for disaster.
“Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah.” As an infant, Joash, Uzziah’s grandfather, had been rescued from certain death by the wife of the priest Jehoiada and was then hidden and brought up in the Temple by Jehoiada and his sons. After coming to power, Jehoiada repaid this kindness by ordering the murder of Jehoiada’s son Zechariah for delivering God’s message about the disobedience of Joash and the people of Israel. Some scholars believe the Zechariah that was such a positive influence in Uzziah’s life was a descendant of this son of Jehoiada.
Note, unfortunately, that we have the same problem with Uzziah as we’ve seen with Joash and so many other rulers: “Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah.” If things hadn’t changed after Zechariah was out of the picture, there’d be no need for such a statement. Clearly even the good king Uzziah didn’t stay on the right pathway.
“And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” While Uzziah followed God’s guidance, his rule was blessed with many successes: “Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia. God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with the Meunites. The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful” (II Chronicles 26:6-8).
“God helped him.” Just as He does with us today, the Lord blessed Uzziah when he depended on Him and obeyed Him. These successes, in turn, made Uzziah “very powerful.”
“Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.
Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This army had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. These regiments of mighty warriors were commanded by 2,600 clan leaders. The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.
Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful” (II Chronicles 26:9-15).
As Uzziah continued to walk in the teachings of his mentor “Zechariah, who taught him to fear God,” Uzziah saw more and more successes come his way, so much so that the Bible says “the Lord gave him marvelous help.” “Marvelous” – from the root word marvel. It was irrefutably evident that God was the reason Uzziah was being blessed in so many ways.
Why would Uzziah do anything that would cause him to lose such a blessing? Proverbs 16:18 holds the answer: “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Uzziah, I’m afraid, was headed for disaster.
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