June 16
1 Kings 15:25-17:24 | PS 134:1-3 | Prov 17:9-11 | Acts 10:24-48
We read in Acts 10:34-35, "Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right." We need to seriously consider Peter's statements since we so often do not live by them. We often set up boundaries in our own minds: good nations vs evil nations, within a nation, good parties vs evil parties, within society good movements vs evil movements, within the workplace, good employees vs bad employees. We set up labels that God does not. He knows who belongs to Him across the globe. We spend way too much time evaluating things and people horizontally in terms of how they appear while often completely ignoring where they stand vertically in relation to God. When all is said and done our vertical relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, is all that will matter. At the end of our lives there might be a small epitaph highlighting certain horizontal actions on our part, but ultimately while our bodies lie in the dust, our souls will either move into eternity in the presence of Him whom we honored, or in the absence of Him whom we chose to ignore or dishonor.
As we come to the long list of Kings in the upcoming chapters, notice that often there might be a small statement or two about what they did while king, but then there is a statement about whether or not they were evil in the eyes of God or honorable, like David. We get so obsessed with things which in the end don't really matter, and which largely will one day not last, while all too often ignoring the one thing which indeed lasts. As we read the succession of the evil kings of the north, we read of Nadab in 1 Kings 15:26, "But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit." We then read of King Baasha who assassinated Nadab in 16:1-2, "This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: “I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin." A few kings later in Israel we read of Ahab in 16:30-33, "But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him." Notice very little is stated about building projects, social reforms, battles.
How often we notice in these short comments about the kings that their quest for horizontal power blinds them vertically in their relationship with God. Now as the subjects of these various kings one can either fall in line and follow the evil actions toward God, or else one can stand boldly for God as we read in 1 Kings 17:1, "Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”" We don't read the setting where this conversation took place. It could have been by the side of the road as the king passed with his royal bodyguard, it could have been in front of a huge crowd as the king was delivering a speech. We simply don't know. What we do know is that we are to be bold with our witness for God no matter the setting or the individuals involved. This is what we are called for, as we read in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." Please don't go through this list of kings with a glaze over your eyes. See this list as the reality of our situation and those around us at all stations of life. One thing remains: will we choose to believe and trust in God, will we accept the Lord's offer of salvation through His Son, Jesus, or not. Everything else is mere window dressing in comparison.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: