My Morning Meal

For all intents and purposes, it was unprecedented. Not since Solomon had there been such a call to come and worship the Lord . . . and that was when the kingdom was united. The invitation had gone out to all Israel under King Hezekiah to come to Jerusalem and to observe the Passover. Couriers went from city to city with the call for God’s people to return to God’s temple that they might remember God’s mighty works of deliverance and worship God, who alone is God! Some RSVP’d with laughter and scorn and mocking . . . but others, moved by the hand of God . . . responding to a reviving of soul sparked by the Spirit of God . . . others, many others, came (2Chron. 30). And what’s moved my soul, this morning, is that they came just as they were.

For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves . . . For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.    (2Chronicles 30:17a, 18-20 ESV)

They weren’t clean. Ya’ think? For two hundred years . . . literally, for generations . . . these northern kingdom dwellers had been up to their eyeballs in idolatry and pagan practices. Their lack of “consecration” . . . their “uncleansed” state went way beyond the “sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” They were a mess. And those of the southern kingdom, Judah, weren’t in any better condition. Though they had preserved the temple . . . their whoredom (ESV lingo) . . . their unfaithfulness to the LORD God had grown with increasing abandon of the word of God. But Hezekiah had put out the call . . . the hand of God had moved the hearts . . . and they came just as they were.

It’s not that Hezekiah wasn’t aware of God’s holy standard . . . but that he interceded on behalf of a less than holy people. He appealed to “the good LORD” (only time the phrase is found in the Bible) to pardon everyone . . . NKJV says to “provide atonement for everyone” . . . the idea is to cover everyone. The “price of admission” wasn’t their cleanness, it was their hearts set after seeking God. It wasn’t the state in which they came . . . but that they wanted to come. And, having set their hearts toward the place where God dwells, the covering grace of God would provide access . . . and the healing grace of God would wash away the uncleanness and accept the offering.

Come just as you are!

Less about my state than about me heeding the call. So not about the degree to which I have my act together and all about the degree to which His grace abounds and His covering is sufficient.

And, you know, it’s interesting. The chronicler says that after they came . . . and were received in their less then fully consecrated condition . . . and had worshiped the God of their covering . . . that afterward, “when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all” (31:1). They came just they were . . . they were received by God’s grace as they were . . . they worshiped as they were . . . and then they left different . . . and went and cleaned house. Revival begot return which led to repentance.

Come just as you are! Oh, how the sinner still apart from God needs to hear the call. Oh, how the sinner saved by grace needs to heed the call.

Our God is a gracious God. He invites hearts to seek Him . . . he invites wayward souls to return to Him . . . and has made provision through the work of His Son on the cross to provide a covering sufficient for all the grime . . . that men and women might come just as they are.

How great is our God? Pretty!!!

Have 5 more minutes? Have a listen by clicking here.

The theme of bad partnerships continues as I move through 2Chronicles again this morning. I’m guessing that for those familiar with King Joash of Judah, the first thing they might recall about him was that he was one of those “kid kings”. His crazy grandma had killed all his siblings as a way of securing the throne for herself but he was hidden away as an infant . . . and then at the age of seven, was given the throne of the kingdom through the courageous actions of some devoted, godly priests. But as I read of this kid king this morning, there’s a warning to be heeded. This is how I processed it back in 2011 . . .

The warning lights went off as soon as I read it this morning. While the phrase was familiar . . . it had a twist to it that was a bit foreboding. Although things were going well, you just knew that a train wreck was coming. Note to self . . . lesson to be learned . . . it matters who you dance with.

Joash was the “boy king” . . . just seven years old when they put the crown on his head (2Chronicles 24:1). He had been hidden for 6 years in the temple . . . protected from Athaliah, the crazy old mama of the previous king . . . that would make her Joash’s grandma. After her son died, Athaliah assassinated everyone else in line for the throne (2Chron. 22:10) . . . everyone except the baby Joash who was stolen away and hidden by his aunt who was also the wife of the high priest, Jehoiada (22:11-12). And so, as a kid, Joash was brought up, literally, in the house of God . . . and in the ways of God . . . by faithful servants of God.

So it’s not surprising, perhaps, to read that, when Joash was put on the throne, that he ruled in a manner that pleased God. But, you read the whole verse, and the warning lights go off. Check it out . . .

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.    (2Chronicles 24:2 ESV)

Catch that qualifier? He did what was right . . . he lived in a manner worthy . . . he pleased God . . . but it was only for “the days of Jehoiada the priest.” Uh, oh! You sense this is going to be another example of starting strong and finishing poorly. And it all came down to who Joash decided to dance with.

While Jehoiada, . . . aged, faithful, servant-of-God, Jehoiada . . . while Jehoiada lived, he had the king’s ear. During that time Joash restored the house of the Lord which had been trashed by Athaliah’s kids (24:4,7). Under Jehoiada’s counsel, Joash faithfully pursued restoring the worship of God as a focal point for life in Judah. As long as Joash partnered with Jehoiada, he seemed to pursue the things of God. But then Jehoiada dies . . . and is buried . . . and there enters into Joash’s life a new set of voices . . .

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols.    (2Chronicles 24:17-18a ESV)

How sad. These princes of Judah whispered flattering words in the king’s ear . . . they fawned before him . . . they seduced him . . . you can almost hear the hiss of the serpent as they called into question this “exclusive worship” initiative he had been fixating on. “Come on!” they may have said, “There’s room for other gods . . . there’s a place for tolerance . . . you were sheltered by that old priest, try some of the ‘new gods’ . . . you’ll like it.” Whatever they said, he listened to them . . . and,he forsook the house of God . . . and, ended up forsaking the God of the house. Heavy sigh!

And the apostle Paul’s words ring in my ears . . . Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’   (1Corinthians 15:33 ESV)

It matters who I “dance” with. My life will be impacted by those I hang with. It makes a difference who has my ear . . . who I go to for counsel and advice. I’m not saying we retreat from all the “bad voices” . . . we’ve been sent with good news to the “bad voices.” But I do need to be careful about who my closest associates are . . . I need to recognize that my best buds will have an influence on my actions . . . that those I look to for input and feedback will impact how I think and, eventually, how I live.

Oh, thank God for the Jehoiada’s in my life . . . for the fellowship of believers who spur me on to walk in the ways of the Lord.

I want to “dance” well . . . that I might finish well . . . by His grace . . . for His glory.

Wrapping up Jehoshaphat’s story in 2Chronicles this morning. Interesting guy, this king of Judah. You know this guy loved the LORD . . . the chronicler says of him that he “sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments” . . . that “his heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD” (2Chron. 17:4, 6). His pursuit of the things of God overflowed into his rule and Judah, as a nation, was better for it. He was a man of faith . . . a man of prayer . . . a man who seemed to never lose perspective on the fact that the battle was the LORD’s. But there’s something that’s also a bit troubling about Jehoshaphat . . . he seemed to be man who was undiscerning of unholy alliances.

Back in chapter 18, we read that Jehoshaphat “made a marriage alliance with Ahab” (18:). Now Ahab, king of Israel, was just a really, really bad dude. Influenced heavily by his wife, Jezebel, he promoted rampant idolatry and paganism within the northern kingdom of God’s people. And Jehoshaphat orchestrates a marriage between one of his sons and one of Ahab’s daughters as a way of ensuring peace between the two kingdoms. But the immediate consequences are almost disastrous. Ahab uses this alliance to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the enemies of Israel. Even though Jehoshaphat demands that they inquire of the LORD . . . and even though the prophetic forecast for the battle is not good . . . and even though Ahab sets up Jehoshaphat as a decoy (as in, you dress like a king and I’ll disguise myself (18:29-30)) . . . Jehoshaphat, for the sake of the alliance, enters the battle. Only by the protective grace of God does he escape . . . Ahab, on the other hand, does not.

You think that might be the warning enough to Jehoshaphat . . . but, as I read this morning, he enters into another unholy alliance with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah who assumed his father’s throne. The son’s no better than the dad. But Jehoshaphat joins in a commercial venture which shipwrecks . . . literally (20:35-37). Don’t get how a man so tuned to seeking the LORD makes such bad decisions on what he’s willing to align himself to . . . or maybe I do get it, and that’s what so unsettling.

But what really disturbed me this morning was the impact of Jehoshaphat’s lack of discernment on his son. Jehoshaphat’s oldest son, Jehoram, takes the throne after his dad dies. And after two generations of kings who, for the most part, sought the Lord . . . after almost 65 years of rule where the LORD was honored in Judah . . . Jehoram “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (21:6b). He began his reign by killing all six of his brothers (21:4) . . . “moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray” (21:11). Bad king . . . bad rule. So how come? Why didn’t Jehoram follow in the footsteps of his father?

Remember that “marriage alliance” of chapter 18 . . .

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.   (2Chronicles 21:5-6a ESV)

Not placing the blame on Jehoram’s wife . . . not saying, “The woman made him do it” . . . but the Spirit inspires the chronicler to make the connection. The unholy alliance, entered into by his father, bears some really bad fruit. While Jehoshaphat may have modeled a lot of right stuff before his son, he kind of also set him up for failure . . . putting into play other influences which would drag his son down . . . putting upon him an unequal yoke which he was unable to compensate for. Again, not taking away any accountability at all for the freewill decisions made by Jehoram . . . just saying because of some poor discernment on Jehoshaphat’s part . . . because of his proneness to unholy alliances . . . his son ended up with a father-in-law who did a better job of dragging his son-in-law down than Jehoshaphat did in lifting his son up.

A warning to me about the potential long term implications of playing loose with the things of devotion to God . . . with compromising the pursuit of holiness . . .

Oh, to beware of unholy alliances . . .

Pride is a funny thing . . . funny weird . . . not funny ha-ha. And, if there was ever a people who should have the pride thing in hand, it’s us believers. We who have already acknowledged our bankruptcy . . . who have recognized that in us, and of ourselves, no good thing exists . . . who have seen that our best is as filthy rags before a holy God. But there are enough warnings in Scripture that indicate the reality that those who once humbled themselves in the sight of the LORD can somehow rationalize lifting themselves back up again. Point in case this morning? . . . King Asa of Judah (2Chronicles 14-16).

Here’s the essence of King Asa’s story . . .

Asa is identified as one of the kings who “did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” (14:2) He encouraged Judah (the southern kingdom of the divided Israel) to seek the LORD . . . and, he put his money where his mouth was by tearing down the high places of idol worship. For a decade, there was peace and prosperity in Judah during which time he also built up an army of 580,000 fighting men (14:8). Then, 10 years into his reign, Zerah the Ethiopian comes out against Judah with a military force of one million men (sub-lesson 1 . . . there’s always someone bigger and better than you). Out numbered almost two-to-one, Asa cries out to the LORD, believing that God is bigger yet than the Ethiopian army (note sub-lesson 1 again), “O LORD, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you . . . ” (14:11) And the LORD strikes the Ethiopians . . . Judah is victorious. King Asa then, was a man who pursued God, a man who trusted in God, and a man who knew practically the reality of the power and faithfulness of God.

And it gets better (before it gets worse). The Spirit of God comes upon a guy named Azariah who prophesies to Asa and his people, “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (15:2). And it sparks national revival in Judah. The people enter “into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul” (15:12) and “all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around” (15:15). So King Asa was a godly man who led others in a passionate pursuit of devotion to the LORD.

So far . . . so good. Even though King Asa was a powerful man . . . he had been a humbled man . . . and, as such, cast himself upon His God. And in that state, though he was “top of the food chain” in Judah, he acknowledged Him who is above the kings of all the earth and sought Him with all his being.

But fast forward 25 years and, like I said, pride is a funny thing. King Asa is again attacked by a powerful army, the army of Israel. But this time he relies on his own wisdom and devices . . . he looks to his own means . . . and he purchases military power from Syria. What he doesn’t do is seek the LORD . . . and God calls him on it through a prophet (16:7-8). And, rather than humble himself at the rebuke of God, Asa throws the prophet into prison. Weird. And this hard-hearted self-sufficiency continues even when Asa, three years later, becomes severely sick . . . “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (16:12). Weird, again.

I wonder if, during those years of peace and rest, Asa, in his own mind, doesn’t rewrite history a bit. I wonder if he starts remembering how he defeated the Ethiopians . . . and if he gets into the habit of patting himself on the back on how well he has brought peace and prosperity to the land. It seems that over the years the seeking after God has waned . . . that self-sufficiency has increased . . . and that pride, . . . that funny weird, not funny ha-ha thing . . . has turned His heart away from God.

It’s another one of those warnings to those of us who have been running the race for a few years now, not to presume that we’ll finish well . . . not to coast on what we think are our accomplishments. It’s a flashing yellow light cautioning me to not think more highly of myself than I ought . . . but to continue to acknowledge God’s grace and God’s power in all the victories I’ve known . . . a reminder that pride will cloud the thinking and create a sense of self-sufficiency that will turn my heart away from the God I so desire to give my heart to.

Father, by Your grace, and for Your glory, keep me from funny weird . .

It’s epic. After years of planning, preparing and building, Solomon’s temple is complete. Over 150,000 workers have labored to take the almost immeasurable quantities of stock-piled gold, silver, bronze, and wood to build for the LORD a place for His presence to dwell. The magnificent structure built to hold the ark of the covenant is complete . . . the ark has been moved in . . . the temple furniture in place . . . the altar of sacrifice is ready to go. The people gather . . . the Levitical musicians play . . . the priestly singers sing . . . Solomon gets on his knees, lifts his hands toward heaven, and cries out to God asking that when His people pray to this place, He would hear from heaven. And then . . . then, the glory came down . . .

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
.                                                                     (2Chronicles 7:1-3 ESV)

O’ to have beheld the glory of God visibly descend upon the place. The fire from heaven consuming the offerings . . . the cloud from heaven, a visible manifestation of the presence of God, descending upon the house of the LORD . . . filling the temple . . . such that all who were there knew He was in their midst. The glory in their midst . . . but a glory that stood apart . . . for even the priests could not enter the house of the LORD for the glory that filled it.

Though they could not approach the glory . . . the could respond to the glory. Bowing their faces to the ground . . . lifting their voices to the skies . . . the people worshiped . . . God’s chosen gave thanks . . . and they declared the goodness of His being . . . and the faithfulness of His steadfast love.

O’ to have been there.

But in a sense I have been . . . in a sense I continue to be.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.    (John 1:14 ESV)

I have beheld His glory through the eyes of faith. That glory manifest in the eternal Word . . . the second person of the Triune God . . . the Son of God . . . and from His fullness . . . the fullness of grace and truth . . . the fullness of deity itself (Col. 2:9) . . . I have experienced the glory come down.

The temple of Solomon replaced with temples of flesh (2Cor. 6:16) . . . the cloud having given way to the Spirit which takes up residence in the body of the believer . . . filling us with His glory. What’s more, far from the glory being unapproachable, He now desires to sup with us . . . to share in intimate communion . . . to know . . . and to be known.

But the response of those who have known the glory come down is the same . . . face to the ground . . . hearts lifted toward heaven . . . voices raised in worshipful adoration, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!”

Praise God . . . for the glory came down!