204th Week, II Kings Chapters 20-24 (Click on Title for Video Introdcution)

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 Click on Title for Video Intro


Monday, II Kings Chapter 20
II Kings 20
Verse 5
Matt Strayer

Verse 5:  Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, this is what the lord, the God of your father David says, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord.”

THOUGHT
Part of this chapter I found perplexing, and part I found truly amazing.

First, the perplexing part: I don’t understand theology as well as most, but if the prophet Isaiah told me I was about to die and would not recover, I would probably just accept it. Those were the words of the Lord, and yet Hezekiah got down and prayed which changed the final outcome. The odd thing is that it seems to me God changed His mind. It is not many times in scripture we see God do this. 

The amazing part is Hezekiah’s true faith and trust in the Lord. Even after Isaiah had told him that he was going to die, he got down on his knees and prayed for a change in events. What would each of us have done in this situation? I’m sure we all would have had a chat with God but would it have been as Hezekiah did? I truly think it would be hard to know what we would have done. 

Near death situations and feelings are few and far between, thank God.  One never knows what we will do. However, Hezekiah once again gives us a great example of how amazing trust and faith, along with prayer can change any situation. “But we must believe it from the bottom of our hearts.”

PRAYER
God, each one of us desires to walk before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion to what You stand for. Father, give us the gift that Hezekiah had. The gift of great trust, faith, and prayer to overcome the many troubles that come our way. We know You have the power to change any situation. In Jesus Name.  AMEN


Tuesday, II Kings Chapter 21
II Kings 21
Verse 14
Mindy Strayer

Verse 14:  I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies.

THOUGHT
Manasseh had placed different altars and an Asherah pole in the temple of the Lord where God dwelt. I kind of pictured this as Manasseh sinning against God right in front of His face with no fear of God. Manasseh was a huge influence on the people of Judah, and they followed in his evil ways.
Well, God had had enough already. 

Twice in this chapter we are reminded how God said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” But Jerusalem and Judah had become a place where the Holy of Holy’s could not dwell. There was so much sin that God was forced out. The One who promised not to forsake His people says in verse 14 that He will forsake them. Did God lie then? No.

All of the sin and blatant disregard for the Lord caused Him to finally say, “My patience has run out, and this sin must be punished.” God is patient, but His patience will one day run out.  Because God is just, judgement will come for each and every one of us.  Thanks to Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Since God has made His home in our hearts, we must be careful to examine them for any sin that is pushing Him away and trying His patience. 

What alters have we built up and placed inside God’s home? Remember that it grieves God terribly when we replace Him with something else. Why else would He have sent us a Savior? He does not want us to perish. He wants us to live with Him.

PRAYER
Lord, we just ask that You help us to examine our hearts today. Reveal to us the altars and poles that we have set up in Your place. What have we harbored in our hearts that has been pushing You away?  Holy Spirit, would You show us that which is driving God away?  Lord Jesus, would You cleanse
us of our sins?  Make us clean before the Father I pray.  Thank You, Jesus, that You came to save us from sin and connect us to God forever. We Love You.  AMEN


Wednesday, II Kings Chapter 22
II Kings 22
Verse 19
Mindy Strayer

Verse 19:  “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you.” declares the Lord.

THOUGHT
How refreshing to read about King Josiah and how he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of David. This guy really went to bat for God and His kingdom. Josiah is a great example for us to follow concerning how to respond to God. 

Notice that before the book of the law was found Josiah’s heart was for God in evidence that he was in the process of rebuilding God’s temple. Then, upon hearing the Word of God, he immediately acted. He recognized the wrong and humbled himself in front of the Lord. Then the king pressed into God even further, evidenced by him sending out orders inquiring more of the Lord. Josiah’s heart was ready to hear and respond to God’s Word.

God speaks to those who search for Him. When we find Him, whether it be by the reading of His Word, through a life situation, through a person, by listening to a song and worshipping Him, however it is that God reveals himself to us, and His truth is shown forth, we need to put our faith into action and follow Him. I think that the key action here is: To respond. God is waiting for us to respond to Him.

PRAYER
Lord God, we thank You for King Josiah’s example of how to respond to You.  We ask that our heart’s love be for You, Lord. We pray that we will be ready to respond in action upon hearing Your Truth. In Jesus Name. AMEN


Thursday, II Kings Chapter 23
II Kings 23
Mindy Strayer
March 28, 2006

THOUGHT
What strikes me about this chapter is the amount of work that Josiah did in order to help bring the nation of Judah back to God. First of all, gathering all of the people of Jerusalem together and reading the Book of the Covenant to them was a huge deal. Josiah renewed the covenant with God in front of
everyone. Remember that the people were idol worshippers and the city and surrounding land was full of idols and false Gods. To me, this sounds gutsy/dangerous. Josiah was definitely a man who wanted to get right with God no matter what the risk. 

Can you imagine if that were to happen in today’s world, full of its own sin, where it seems as if everyone has rights except for the God of the universe? We are to be careful not to offend anyone. But people don’t pay much attention to keeping from offending God. 

After reading about all of the destruction and complete removal of all the false Gods and corruption, I wondered how many years it took Josiah to accomplish this task. How many man-hours were put into this “mission project”?  He reigned in Jerusalem 31 years.  Now, the Bible doesn’t say how long Josiah worked at this project, but chances are it was a long time.  We have to be ready and willing to do whatever God requires, even if it takes years. We need to give God our utmost attention and effort for His glory.

PRAYER
Lord God, we humble ourselves in Your awesome presence. Lord, would You help us to renew our commitment to You and to the glory of Your kingdom. Help us Lord to speak out against the false gods of this world and help us to rid our own lives of them as well. Holy Spirit, would You lead us in the mission fields where the Lord has placed us? Help us to give our best effort concerning helping to build the kingdom of God. To God be the Glory. Thanks be to Jesus who washes our sin away.  AMEN


Friday, II Kings Chapter 24
II Kings 24
Mindy Strayer
March 31, 2006

THOUGHT
Four kings including Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah reigned after Josiah, and all did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They had a combined total of 22 years and 6 months to be kings and with that a chance to listen to God and help lead the people of Judah back to God.  

Now granted, 22 years and 6 months isn’t a lifetime, but it wasn’t a moment either. It was a decent chunk of time, and it was a time when many enemies were trying to control and destroy Judah. One would think that after suffering so many times in the hands of so many enemies during this time that these kings and the people of Judah would remember their past during King Josiah’s reign, and call out to the God that they had recommitted to during the renewal of the covenant. 

God was not silent during the reign of these 4 kings. He was speaking to them by sending enemies in order to have Judah return to Him. Not only were the enemy raiders God’s way of speaking, He also sent prophets to speak to them. I was reading the book of Jeremiah where he speaks to the people during this time period. God was specific about WHY He was angry. He not only told them He was angry, but He told them what to do. They just refused to obey. The Bible says that they were stiff-necked and had hard hearts and refused to hear God speaking. 

You guys, God-willing, most of us have more than 22 years and 6 months to listen to and obey God. We are living in a nation today just like that of Judah. Sin on top of sin, and no real fear of God. His Word is called fairy tales, or at best, a moral guideline, and it is mostly or completely ignored. And the Name of Jesus is either mocked or forbidden. We have to be a people who do “good’ in the eyes of the Lord by listening to Him speak and obeying His commands. We have to help lead others to God and the salvation He has provided through Jesus. 

The good news is that God is still speaking to us today as He did so many years ago. Remember that God is in our battles. What is He saying during that time? One thing you can be sure of, and that is, God wants us to remember Him. He wants us to call out to Him. He wants us to acknowledge our complete dependence on Him.  When the enemy rises up against us, we cannot harden our hearts and get angry with God. He is the only one who can bring us hope and promises that one day we will rest without the existence of evil in our lives.

PRAYER
Lord, we love You. We acknowledge You as Lord of our lives. Lord, I pray that our hearts will be kept soft and able to receive Your Word and Your teaching. Holy Spirit, I pray that You minister to us by helping us to hear more clearly what is on God’s heart. Help us, Father, to obey You. I pray for each of the Salt Shakers to receive a new sense of urgency about proclaiming the Name of Jesus and being leaders for God. This I ask in Jesus Name.  AMEN





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