The Simple Life

And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women ...

Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.  2 Kings 23:1-3 (ESV)   Leaders need to lead when it comes to the read and heed habits. Leaders are responsible to follow in a way that leads others to follow, and they are successful when th...

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the wayof David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 2 Kings 22:1-2 (ESV)   Josiah was young and powerful because he listened to God. Perhaps as a young man, he had already observed the futility of not following God. Perhaps at the tender age of eight, he felt totally inadequate to lead a nation, and that drove him to know and listen to God.    Whatever the reason, there is this ray of hope amid darkness. King after king that preceded him either refused to acknowledge God or did not completely follow God, and, at last, we will see what God will do with one who chooses to follow Him.   It seems a nation repents when those in charge show h...

They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,  and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, "You shall not do this." 2 Kings  17:10-12  (ESV)   Doing what we are not supposed to do never turns out well.  Why would man, the created one, defy the one who created them? What sense does it make to ignore the only one who knows what is going on?   Willful disobedience is something that cannot end well. It did not end well for the people of Israel and Judah, and it will not end well for the people of the United States of America. Saying such things does not make me prophetic. It means that I read the Bible, saw the history ,and realize that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat h...

And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 2 Kings 17:7-10 (ESV)   Ignoring God is not a good idea, and those who do will wish they had not. There is not a good reason to ignore God. Those who ignore God do not know God, for if they knew God, they would never ignore Him.   The easiest way to get to know Him is to spend time with Him yet we so often do not do that until we are forced to do so.  Our refusal to learn from the past has wasted ...

And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.  2 Kings 15:9 (ESV)   And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 2 Kings 14:24 (ESV)    Over and over again, we see the same pattern. The next king did what was evil because he chose to follow a human king who did what was evil, and their evil affected the entire nation who also did evil because they were following their leader.  Why do we think that we will be the exception? Why do we think that history will not repeat itself?  We become so self-focused that we cannot see the effects of Godlessness in others and think we are so important that the ill effect of sin will not cast its shadow on us.   We need to learn from history, not repea...

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 2 Kings 14:3-4 (ESV)   Why do we partially obey and hope that it is good enough?  Amaziah wanted to do right and thought that mostly doing right was good enough.  It is never a good thing to almost listen. Purity in thought and deed means that we lack impurity completely.    We are continually redefining terms that have already been defined. Obedience, love, hate, anger, good, bad, greed, commitment, and more, are words we have re-engineered to make them fit our lifestyle.  So, regardless of how we live, we are obedient, loving, good, generous, and committed people who are never really challenged by the truth.   Those who know and live in the truth would be able to confront us if...

He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.  2 Kings 13:2-3 (ESV)   Doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord is as natural as following those who do evil. We are predisposed to follow. Therefore, we need to be very careful who we follow.   Not only do we need to be aware that we are followers, but we also need to be responsible to those who are following us, for we will be held accountable should we lead them astray.  Many of us do not think about who/what we are following or that we are being followed, and therefore, we live our lives in oblivion to our enemy's tactical ways.   Following is what we do, so we must do it more ca...

And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days because Jehoiada, the priest, instructed him. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.  2 Kings 12:2-3 (ESV)   If you are not totally committed to following God, you are not committed at all. We cannot obey “sort of” or “kind of.”  There is no way to be almost pure, right, or good.    Jehoash did well in following the priest's instructions, but he did not remove the areas of temptation.  This would be like keeping alcohol in the house of an alcoholic, or cigarettes in the glove box of the car of one who had vowed to quit, or leaving a greedy but otherwise "good" child a large inheritance.  Following God almost completely is not following God at all and does His cause much more harm than good.   We so often disguise our disgusting selves to create the...

Thus, Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."  But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.  2 Kings 10:28-31 (ESV)   Jehu did some things well, but not all things well. He could point out the fact that he wiped out Baal from Israel, yet he was not totally devoted and this devoted stuff matters.    So often, we like to pick and choose our sins. We engage with those who ag...

But Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria."  Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, "If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" But he said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it." 2 Kings 7:1-2 (ESV)   Once again, the prophet of the Lord assessed the situation and saw another great opportunity to point people to God. It seemed that whenever an impossible situation arose, Elijah and Elisha pounced on it, as they always gave us a clearer view of who God is and how He works.  Those who try to minimize the impossible to help God accomplish His work have also minimized God.    It is exciting to be around those who listen to God. It is wearing to be around those who do not. As for me and m...

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  2 Kings  6:15-17  (ESV)   Some see problems and panic. Those who know God see problems and look for opportunities. When Elisha prayed, he did not pray for deliverance.  He prayed that his servant's eyes would be opened.  God answered that prayer.   Often, we are oblivious to what God is doing around us. The only "reality" we know is the carefully orchestrated "reality" portrayed on social media, television, or movies....

Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant."  But he said, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none." And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 2 Kings  5:15-16  (ESV)   We do not use God for personal gain. God works in us; it is not we who work in God. All that we have is a gift given to us so that we might positively participate in life.  The key concept to remember is that all we have has been given to us; we are the stewards, not owners. Therefore, when someone wants to honor us for giving away what we have not earned and do not control, we would be foolish to accept it.    Elisha did not accept these gifts. His servant tried to, behind his back a bit later, and quickly learned that God should not be used for personal g...

But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.  2 Kings 5:11 (ESV)   Naaman, the man who most likely "randomly" shot King Ahab, was about to be taken down by a "random" disease. Some would consider this tough luck.  Yet, there is no luck in a universe that is controlled by God. The leper's spots were more powerful than the leper and were given to him in order to draw him to God.   Events in life will either draw us to God or widen the estrangement gap. There will be a time in all people's lives when they realize they are not in control. If there is one who controls all, then those who fight this control will be most miserable, for they keep trying to do what cannot be done.   Submission is the key to enjoying life—submission to God alone. The fruit of this submi...

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet." 2 Kings 2:4-5 (ESV)   Elisha was positioning himself to carry on Elijah's work. He had already destroyed all opportunities to return to his former life. Elijah asked him several times to leave, and he would not. Elisha wanted to be with Elijah until the end, and he wanted his blessing. He wanted to continue what Elisha had started.  Many sons of the prophets would have loved to be the heir apparent, yet they talked while Elisha acted. They wondered while Elisha worked. They were scared, while Elisha was confident.   Elijah's successor was evident be...

…and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'" So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 2 Kings  1:16-18 (ESV)    This is relatively simple. If you trust the god of Ekron, you will experience its power. Those who ignore God and trust anything or anyone else will be reduced to a blurb in history. They will not be remembered with fondness; they will be a reminder of what foolishness is.  ...

Again, the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, "O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight."  Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king. 2 Kings  1:13-16  (ESV)   How long does one run from God before they find it futile? We seem to focus the blame for our sorry lives on family, friends, circumstances, culture, and more, yet the blame should fall squarely on our laps.   God is not hiding, and we cannot hide. He will be proven right, and the longer it takes us to get to the point where our lives align with His plan,...

Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'"  But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 2 Kings 1:9-10 (ESV)   You would think that fifty soldiers against a prophet would win. However, in reality, the entire human race against God would be futile, at best. We know Elijah walked with God. When confronted by the godless, without hesitation, he stood firm and proved God's faithfulness repeatedly.   Elijah had learned much from the drought, the brook, the ravens, the widow, the widow's son, the confrontation on Mt. Carmel, and his emotional breakdown afterward. He feared God, not man.   Those who trust in their own strength while ignoring God quickly...

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick, so he sent messengers, telling them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness."  But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron?’” 2 Kings 1:1-3 (ESV)    Do we only go to God when we have no other options? Who knows more than God? Who can we trust more than God? We live our lives consulting people, trusting government, medications, and family while ignoring God until it gets bad.  When it does get bad, we expect God to move on our behalf, and when He does not do as we demand, we claim He is not God.   Confused people act confused. Some do it more confidently than o...