TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 17:1-23
So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. - 2 Kings 17:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his 1905 work The Life of Reason, Spanish-American philosopher and poet, George Santayana, famously penned: “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. . . . Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” While Santayana was speaking about the progress of the human mind as it matures and develops, the quote is often used as an exhortation to take the study of history seriously.

Santayana’s claims about the importance of the past ring true in 2 Kings 17 as well. While the first six verses record the final end for northern Israel, including its destruction and deportation, the more important lesson comes in the next fourteen verses explaining Israel’s demise. First, Israel did not remember its past. This forgotten past included not only God’s grace in bringing them out of Egypt (v. 7), but also the fate suffered by their forefathers who refused God’s word and remained stiff-necked (v. 14). Had Israel recalled both what God had done for them and the warning of their predecessors, perhaps they would not have been doomed to repeat God’s discipline.

Second, Israel repeatedly and thoroughly rejected God’s commands. Although God specifically warned about following the practices of the nations in the land (Deut. 7:1-5), Israel quickly fell into pervasive idolatry. Their idolatry was a full-blown disobedience: worshiping Asherah, Baal, and the starry host; offering child sacrifice; and setting up altars throughout the land. Scripture summarizes their fate: “They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless” (v. 15).

Finally, Israel ignored God’s repeated pleas for repentance. Twice God mentioned His grace in sending prophets to call the people back to Himself (vv. 13, 23). Yet Israel did not heed those calls. All of Israel’s forgetting, rejecting, and ignoring did one thing: it provoked God to anger and brought the most serious judgment of all, mentioned three different times: the loss of God’s presence (vv. 18, 20, 23). The message is profound: earthly suffering may be unpleasant, but the real disaster is losing God Himself.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We are called to the task of remembering. Remember the grace shown us in Christ. How has God shown that grace to you personally? Remember the commands laid out in God’s Word. Are there areas in your life where you need to repent and turn back to God? Remember Israel’s own past that we may not be condemned to repeat it. Don’t let today’s history lesson go unheeded. Renew your commitment to a life for Christ today, and thank Him for the lessons of divine history.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 17:24-41
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. - 2 Kings 17:38
TODAY IN THE WORD
A young man who had lived a fairly secluded life was excited to be headed to college. After a week, he wrote his parents describing the most exciting part of college life—the cafeteria! Having eaten the same limited meals over and over again back home, the school cafeteria options were overwhelming. Pizza, salad, soups, grilled chicken, Asian entrees, burgers, fish, and a variety of desserts. He could have anything he wanted; the choices seemed endless.

The choices of religion seemed endless in today’s reading as well. Having deported the northern kingdom of Israel, and hoping to prohibit future revolts, the king of Assyria repopulated Samaria with foreigners, who of course brought a panoply of religious options. Only one problem: this was not the worship God required. The entirety of today’s passage explores what faulty religion looks like.

First, it is a placating religion. When they first arrived, these foreigners “did not worship the LORD” (v. 25), so God sent lions to torment them. In response, the people requested an Israelite priest to teach them the rituals required by the God of the land. They were taught how to worship the Lord, but continued worshiping other gods as well. Seemingly, what mattered to them was placating God so they could avoid trouble. How many of us treat our worship the same way?

Second, it is a do-it-yourself religion. Notice that the verb “to make” is repeated six times in verses 29 through 31. Each nation “made” its own god and set it up in its own high place (even using some of the high places previously “made” by the Israelites). Isn’t this the way of so much religion? We decide what we like and then we make God into that image.

Third, it is a syncretistic religion, one that combines truth with falsehood. The problem was not a failure to worship God—it was a failure to worship Him alone. Verses 29 through 33 describe their worship of the LORD and other gods, but verse 34 tells us that, in fact, this was not true worship of God. True worship exclusively worships God alone.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Most of us don’t practice overt worship of stone or wooden idols, but what about the subtler deviation of syncretistic or “combination” worship? This worship is “God plus something else.” We pray and go to church, but also bow down to the idols of money, public opinion, pleasure, and career ambition. Take a moment today to list those things that compete for your allegiance to God. Then ask God to help you put those idols away and give your exclusive devotion to Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 18
How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand? - 2 Kings 18:35
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Perils of Pauline (1914) was one of the most well-known suspense serials of the silent film era. The main character, Pauline, would find herself in a series of life-threatening predicaments: tied to train tracks, caught in a burning house, strapped to a board approaching a buzz saw, or stranded on the side of a cliff. In each episode, the audience was left wondering how Pauline would escape impending doom.

The writers of The Perils of Pauline could not have thought of a more suspenseful scene than our reading today, as the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem and promised its defeat in graphic detail. By the end of the 2 Kings 18, the question remains: can God be trusted to save, or not?

Before providing the details of that predicament, Scripture first introduces the new king of Judah, Hezekiah. The portrayal is a refreshingly rare com-mendation, for Hezekiah not only did right in God’s eyes, he was like David himself. Despite a slight stumble in faithfulness (vv. 13-16), Hezekiah received rave reviews: “He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles” (v. 4). Moreover, Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD,” “held fast to the LORD,” and “did not cease to follow him” (vv. 5-6). In turn, “the LORD was with him” (v. 7) and gave him success in everything he did. That’s an impressive summary of a godly and faithful king.

Then there’s the rest of the chapter. Sennacherib’s armies arrived in Jerusalem and sent a chilling message that went to the heart: can you really depend on your God? (The word depend, which can also be translated as “trust,” occurs seven times.) With an echo of the wicked serpent himself (cf. Genesis 3), the messengers cast doubt on God’s promises, contradicted God’s word, lied about God’s purposes, promised a better life under their terms, and reminded them that no other gods have yet stopped the Assyrians. Even the king’s men seemed forlorn. So the chapter ends with the questions hanging in the air: will Hezekiah and the nation continue to trust God? Can He even be trusted?

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Some of us may find our faith under attack. We look around the world and see lying politicians re-elected, tyrannical dictators basking in power, dishonest business people gaining wealth, and faithful Christians suffering persecution. Many are the voices which call us to question: “Can God be trusted?” Sometimes it’s worth sitting before God with our heavy hearts, asking Him to increase our faith. Do that this Lord’s day, knowing that God hears us even in our darkest moments of doubt.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 19:1-19
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
This day marks the death in 1963 of renowned Christian apologist C. S. Lewis. In his work A Grief Observed, Lewis observed how suffering can strengthen faith: “Your bid for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist . . . will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high. . . . Nothing less will shake a man . . . out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs.”

The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Hezekiah and company. Assyria stood at the gate threatening Judah’s destructionand mocking God as helpless deity. Would Hezekiah bet everything on God, or would his profession of faith prove empty? Observe Hezekiah’s response to the disheartening news: joining together his grief and his God, Hezekiah tore his clothes (a symbol of grief) and went to the temple (the symbol of God’s presence), and then sent messengers to Isaiah the prophet. Here is a man who offers us a godly example, not only professing belief in God, but acting upon it when the stakes were highest.

Notice the tension from what follows. Isaiah sent a word of hope and deliverance, but nothing changed in the external situation. Assyria remained and their verbal abuse poured forth, reminding Judah (again) that no god had yet withstood the fearsome Assyrian king.

In the face of such dire circumstances, Hezekiah again sought the Lord, his prayer offering instruction for us today. He began, not with his own anxieties, but with God, acclaiming Him as the true Creator, enthroned over all kingdoms of the earth. Only then, and on the basis of who God is, did Hezekiah then call for God to hear and act. In the face of Assyria’s taunts, Hezekiah called upon God to defend His name “so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God” (v. 19). Perhaps the best prayers are simple: remember who God is, admit our need of Him, and entreat Him to act.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage shows us that the best prayers often start with our own helplessness, urging us to turn for help to the God of all. Perhaps there is someone in your life—a neighbor, a co-worker, a family member, or friend—who needs to hear this simple, yet profound, message. Pray for a way today to encourage that person to turn his or her helplessness into a prayer in which they cast all their anxieties before the God who can indeed hear, see, and act (1 Peter 5:7).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 19:20-37
I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant. - 2 Kings 19:34
TODAY IN THE WORD
For several decades, E. F. Hutton & Co. was one of the most well-respected financial firms in the United States. It was made popular by its numerous television commercials in which a room full of boisterous people would suddenly quiet down when someone would say, “My broker E. F. Hutton says ”¦” In the still of the room, the commercials ended with the words: “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.”

If people could learn about financial investments by listening when E. F. Hutton talks, how much more could we learn by listening when God talks? Today’s reading is dominated by God’s word through the prophet Isaiah, and provides important lessons for us all. In the first section, God rebuked the Assyrian king. The problem was not just Sennacherib’s mockery of Judah, but his arrogance toward God Himself, boasting of Assyria’s conquests. God corrected the Assyrian king by noting his three-fold failure.

First, Sennacherib failed to recognize God’s sovereignty; it was God who raised up the Assyrians and gave them power. Second, the king failed to realize the omniscience of God. God knew where Sennacherib was, where he went, and what he said. Third, Sennacherib failed to account for the zeal of God. The gods of the nations might sit idly by, but the God of Israel would not stand for such insolence. A little awareness on Sennacherib’s part would have eliminated his arrogance and brought him to repentance before the living God. Instead, God promised destruction: “The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (v. 31).

The second part of our passage describes God’s word to Hezekiah. The message is simple and counters His people’s hopelessness: God does not turn back on His people; He will deliver and protect, and you will prosper once again. “For my sake and for the sake of David my servant,” God would deliver His people (v. 34). That night God’s word proved true as 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were struck down by God’s hand, while the escaping Sennacherib met his own end at the hands of his sons. When God speaks, it happens!

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Both challenge and encouragement are found in today’s reading. For those whose lives reflect hardness toward God, His words urge an attitude of repentance and humility: God is truly in control, and nothing escapes His notice or His plans. Will you yield to Him today? For those who feel hopeless in the face of an unjust world, God’s word provides encouragement: God has not forgotten you or your plight; He is powerful to defend and deliver. Will you trust in His saving zeal today?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 20
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. - 2 Kings 20:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
We don’t know much about the life of William Hammond, an eighteenth-century hymnist. He was a well-educated, committed English Christian who loved to write original hymns, many of them still sung in churches today. One such hymn speaks of our approach to God in prayer, and the first stanza reads: “Lord we come before Thee now / At Thy feet we humbly bow; / Oh, do not our suit disdain! / Shall we seek Thee, Lord, in vain?”

If Hammond’s hymn were around during Hezekiah’s reign, one could bet that the king would sing it from the heart. Hezekiah was ill, and the initial word from Isaiah was that the king would not recover. In response, Hezekiah turned to the Lord in prayer, weeping bitterly, seeking God’s favor. God’s response was immediate; no sooner had Isaiah left the middle court than God sent him back with a new word: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you” (v. 5); fifteen more years would be added to his life. To make sure of God’s word, Hezekiah asked for a difficult sign, and it was granted. Here we see a king who lived by faith, knew that prayers matter to God, and turned to Him in his greatest need. We also see a God who hears our cries and delights to answer prayer.

But if the Hezekiah of verses 1 through 11 lived by faith, the Hezekiah of verses 12 through 19 lived by sight. Messengers came from Babylon, and Hezekiah showed off all his wealth, likely hoping for an alliance against the Assyrians. Just when Hezekiah seemed flawless in his devotion to God, he tried to gain a little extra help elsewhere.

God’s message of rebuke came through Isaiah, and His opinion on the matter is clear: you can’t serve two masters. Doing so will only result in the ultimate demise of your kingdom. The sad truth is that Hezekiah was more faithful in times of suffering and distress than in times of health and blessing. How often do we act the same way?

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage is a good reminder that we need to seek God in all times, both bad and good. William Hammond’s hymn echoes this teaching in Scripture, reminding us that we do not seek the Lord in vain. See if you can find Hammond’s full hymn online or in your church’s hymnal, and spend some time memorizing the stanzas and reflecting on your own need to seek the Lord. Perhaps even learn the melody and teach it to your friends or family.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 21
Manasseh . . . has done more evil than the Amorites . . . and has led Judah into sin with his idols. - 2 Kings 21:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
We have all seen idyllic portraits of the supposed “First Thanksgiving” in 1621. Pilgrims and Native Americans gathered together, feasting on the bounty of the land, forging alliances of peace, and giving thanks for the blessings of life. Yet, just a generation later colonists and natives found themselves at war with each other. Many colonists and Native Americans feared each other, and tribe after tribe would be forced from their land through unjust transactions, eventually relegated to impoverished reservations in unwanted lands. How quickly the tide can turn!

With the rise of King Manasseh, the tide turned quickly in Judah as well. After 29 years under godly Hezekiah, Manasseh took the throne and plunged the land into incredible wickedness, reversing everything Hezekiah had done (cf. 2 Kings 18:3-8). He rebuilt the high places, re-introduced Baal and Asherah, worshiped the starry host, and even practiced child sacrifice. Moreover, he desecrated the temple, the place where Scripture twice reminds us that God had promised to place His very presence. Manasseh was not only the most wicked king of Judah, he was more wicked than pagan nations (see vv. 9, 11).

Judah had a long history of disobedience (see v. 15), but Manasseh was the final straw. The consequences were laid out in full detail: Judah would experience immense disaster. They would be wiped out, forsaken, handed over to their enemies, looted, and plundered. Scripture is clear: all of this would happen “because they have done evil in my eyes” (v. 15).

In this bleak chapter, there is an important lesson about the power of legacies. On the one hand, Manasseh’s wickedness brought both Judah’s inevitable destruction and another generation of wickedness in his son Amon. Our sin rarely affects just ourselves, but almost always has future repercussions. On the other hand, there is a glimmer of hope in verse 24. After Amon’s death, they made Josiah king. As we will see, not only would he preserve the promised line of David, his godly heart would bring important healing to the people.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, consider the legacies bestowed on you by forebears and those you will bestow on future generations. For all the blessings you have received because of the faithfulness of previous generations, give public thanks today, naming those blessings and those faithful individuals. As you ponder the kind of legacy you are leaving, ask God’s forgiveness for poor examples and His wisdom and strength to be a godly influence on those around you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 22
Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD . . . I have heard you. - 2 Kings 22:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
Of all the responsibilities and powers entrusted to U.S. state governors, the authority to issue reprieves is one of the weightiest. Convicted inmates on death row may appeal to the governor for a delay of execution while further evidence is examined, or even for a full prison release under certain circumstances. At those moments, that single elected official holds the power of life and death. Granting a reprieve means life; denying it means death.

While most gubernatorial reprieves are issued on the basis of legal evidence, today’s passage shows us a divine reprieve, this one on the basis of the spiritual evidence of humility. We’ve just surveyed fifty-seven years of wicked leadership under Manasseh and Amon, but now a complete change: Josiah. Messengers were sent to the temple on financial business, but Hilkiah the priest “found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD” (v. 8). We’re not told where it had been, but it was likely pushed aside during the Law-less reign of Manasseh.

The book was taken to King Josiah and read to him. Then came Josiah’s stirring response. Realizing that “our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book” (v. 13), Josiah tore his robes in grief and immediately sent messengers to inquire of the LORD. Struck with repentance and humility, Josiah moved to action. Oh that we would respond to God’s word with such zeal and sincerity—not just hearing God’s word, but taking it to heart, grieving over our failure to obey, and seeking from the Lord what to do.

Finally, there was God’s response, which included both judgment and mercy. On the one hand, the promised judgment over disobedience would come; Judah could not escape the consequence of generations of disobedience. But there was also mercy: “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD . . . I have heard you” (v. 19). Judgment would come, but Josiah received a reprieve. He would die in peace. This is so often the way of God, to offer mercy and forgiveness in the face of repentance and humility?

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This teaches us the power and importance of humbly responding to God’s word, even when it points out our sin. The pain of facing our sin with repentance will always be met with the grace and mercy of a forgiving God. Attitudes of humility and repentance cannot simply be conjured up like magic. Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften your heart, making the words of Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, your prayer: “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 23:1-30
Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did. - 2 Kings 23:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the 2008 film Fireproof, Caleb Holt slowly came to understand God’s intentions in marriage by following a life-transforming forty-day relationship experiment (the “Love Dare”) recommended by his father. In one scene, Caleb came to see that his addiction to Internet pornography was destroying his relationship with his wife. In response, Caleb destroyed the computer with a baseball bat and left in its place a note for his wife: “I love you more.”

That movie scene depicts the extreme reaction needed against sin in our life. Rather than simply pushing sin away, sometimes we need to take steps to destroy it. Today’s reading illustrates this destructive action. King Josiah called the people together to hear God’s law and to renew their covenant with Him. Both king and people pledged “to follow the LORD and keep his commandments” (v. 3).

But there was more than verbal assent; 2 Kings 23 is a chapter of an assault against sin. Consider the language used to describe the violence against idolatry. At the king’s orders, the priests “removed,” “did away with,” “desecrated,” “burned,” “ground to powder,” “broke down,” “smashed,” “defiled,” and “slaughtered” the vestiges of pagan idolatry, their places of worship, and their priests. This was no half-hearted attempt; it was a full-blown destruction of sin that violated their covenant with God. What a model of how we should treat sin in our own lives.

Yet how do we reconcile this thorough-going reform and the pronouncement in verses 26 and 27 that God would nevertheless destroy Judah? Perhaps the point is to show us what true repentance looks like. God had already declared that Judah’s punishment would come because of Manasseh’s sin, and Josiah knew that pronouncement (22:16-20). Despite this, Josiah pressed on in obedience, not in order to manipulate God’s mercy, but because it was right in God’s eyes. This is the picture of one turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and strength (v. 25). And there is great comfort in knowing that another King in David’s line whose own obedience to the Father did remove the penalty of our sin once for all!

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What is your reaction to sin? Do you take steps to destroy its power, or do you only push it to the margins where it can soon drift back into a position of influence? We should imitate Josiah’s active commitment to God by destroying opportunities for sin in our life. Take time for serious, prayerful reflection and respond to any conviction of the Holy Spirit. With God’s help in light of Christ’s work, commit to tangible, even life-changing, actions to demolish sin’s power in your life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 23:31-24:20a
It was because of the LORD’s anger that . . . in the end he thrust them from his presence. - 2 Kings 24:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Christian season of Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas day, and today marks the first Sunday in Advent. For centuries Christians have noted a penitential season reflecting on the two “advents” or “comings” of Christ, His first at the Incarnation and His Second Coming in the future. Advent also brings an air of excitement as we approach the joys and festivities of the Christmas celebration.

As we begin this season of reflection and excited anticipation, we get something of a contrast from today’s reading. The rapid downward spiral of Judah is not the most joyous reading. So much more time and detail were spent on the previous godly leadership of Josiah and Hezekiah, but here we are rushed through Judah’s last twenty-two years and four kings. Perhaps that’s the point. Holiness and obedience should be more exciting and capture more of our attention than the drab dullness of sin and disobedience.

So we get the uninspiring, repetitive report that Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah all “did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” Some were vassals of Egypt; others of Babylon. Some paid taxes to their oppressors, while others experienced siege and exile from the land. Some were kings in their own right; others were mere puppets in the hands of foreigners. No matter how you look at it, the consequences of sin were always the same, leaving the land deprived of its treasure and people. Sin may promise excitement and fulfillment, but it only delivers predictable disappointment.

Finally, today’s reading reminds us of the reason for Judah’s downfall: the egregious sin of its people. Scripture repeats this lesson again and again. Verses 2 through 4 record that it all happened at God’s command “because of the sins of Manasseh” (24:3b). Verse 13 reports that their destruction was in perfect fulfillment of God’s earlier word (see 21:10-15), and verse 20 again narrates that God Himself was behind it all, to “thrust them from his presence.” The fall of Judah was severe, but it also demonstrated the trustworthiness of God’s word. He promised consequences for disobedience, and now we see that word fulfilled.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God’s trustworthy word will always be fulfilled. As we begin the Advent season and reflect on Christ’s promise to return one day, we can trust that word. Let today’s reading challenge you to reject sin’s empty promise of excitement and to use this Advent season to prepare your heart for Christ’s coming. Use your corporate worship experience today to repent of your sins, sing God’s praise, commit your day to His service and glory, and encourage others to do the same.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 24:20b-25:26
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. - 2 Corinthians 7:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
Johnny Cash, the renowned American country singer with that distinctive voice, had a long and successful musical career. But not all of Cash’s life was characterized by joy. In the early 1960s Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to drugs. As a result, his behavior became increasingly erratic, his performances suffered, and his marriage was being destroyed. By 1967, his life out of control, Cash crawled deep into Nickajack cave in Tennessee hoping to die. He had hit rock bottom.

Today’s reading is Judah’s version of hitting rock bottom, and it’s clear that the writer wants to emphasize the sadness and loss Judah experienced. First, there was the loss of land. Verse 11 reports that “Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people.” The land was now gone, and the people were forced to live in a foreign land. In many ways, 2 Kings 25 is summed up with these simple words: “So Judah went into captivity, away from her land” (v. 21). That promised land of milkand honey, that land of freedom from the slavery of Egypt, was now taken away.

Second, there was the loss of the city, Jerusalem. That fortified capital of Judah, God’s Zion, represented His protection and glory. The Psalms are full of the praises of Zion’s strength and beauty (see Ps. 2:6; 48:2), but now that city was destroyed. Its walls were broken through, torn down, and burned. The great city had been reduced to ruins.

Third, there was a loss of temple, the place of worship and of God’s presence. Not content simply to capture the city, the Babylonian king burned the temple to the ground. Later, his commander removed the articles from the temple, piece by piece. The bronze pillars, the bronze Sea, the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes—all were removed from the temple and taken to Babylon.

Why dwell on such loss and sadness? Perhaps because often the realization of our loss prompts us to return to God. Sadness can evoke our repentance (2 Cor. 7:10-11).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You may know someone who has hit rock bottom, and like the writer of today’s passage, you feel the sorrow and see the consequences of their sinful choices. You can pray that God will use the loss and sadness in order to bring about true repentance. Only when we first see our own misery can we long for redemption from it. Our God remains a God of compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and love.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Kings 25:27-30
So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. - 2 Kings 25:29
TODAY IN THE WORD
As Johnny Cash lay in the dark, waiting to die deep inside Nickajack cave, a strange sensation overcame him. With a sense of clarity and peace, he began to think about his life, his decisions, and God’s presence with him there. With a flicker of hope, but surrounded by pitch blackness, Cash began to crawl. After a time, he felt a faint breeze on his back, and Cash followed it until he eventually made his way out. Realizing God’s hand in his life, Cash later entered rehab and recommitted his life to God.

Today’s reading is something like that faint breeze of hope in an otherwise dark landscape. We ended yesterday with a bleak picture of loss and sadness for the nation of Judah: no land, no city, and no temple. Some were killed brutally, others taken into exile. And we were left wondering if Judah would ever be restored? Would it all be darkness from here on? Then we come to verses 27 through 30 and there is a flicker of hope.

A new king of Babylon took the throne and a change occurred. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, was released from prison. The Babylonian king, Scripture says, “spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor” in Babylon (v. 28). Jehoiachin was permitted a place at the king’s table where he ate well “for the rest of his life” (v. 29). Moreover, Jehoiachin was given a regular allowance to support himself and his family.

In the face of the utter darkness of 2 Kings 25:1-26, we get not a floodlight of promise, but still a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the reader is expected to remember God’s everlasting promises to Judah in 2 Samuel 7:13-16 and 1 Kings 11:39. Judah may have forgotten God, but God had not forgotten His people.

Of course, it would still be another five centuries of ongoing oppression under foreign nations, but eventually, out of that darkness, the Light of Christ would come (see Matt. 1:12-16). The book of 2 Kings ends with a glimpse of that coming glorious restoration.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The glimmer of hope in today’s passage finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ. This is the season when we focus on preparing our hearts to celebrate Christmas and preparing our lives for His Second Coming. As His disciple, what lessons has God taught you this month? Jot down some of the things you learned about yourself or about God’s own character through our study of 2 Kings. Then thank Him for His word to us and His unfailing promises.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 1
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the LORD God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
The so-called worship wars have plagued churches for years. These debates usually focus on the music used in the worship service, and sometimes include the appropriateness of hand-held microphones; the presence of a choir; congregational hymns or choruses; and the use of piano, organ, guitars, or drums. Some churches split services into different “worship styles”; other churches split entirely into different congregations.

Serious matters may underlie these worship wars, but a broader understanding of worship itself is often lost. Worship has been condensed into a 15- to 30-minute category meaning essentially “the music before the sermon.” In our study this month from the book of Revelation, we’ll examine what Scripture has to say about worship: its appropriate context, appropriate expression, and especially its appropriate object—God Himself.

It might seem unusual to tackle a study of Revelation during the Advent and Christmas seasons. But just as Advent should be a time of preparing our hearts to celebrate the Lord’s first coming at Christmas, it is also a season to prepare our hearts for His Second Coming. Christmas makes sense only in light of the ultimate victory of Jesus over sin, death, and Satan.

Our passage opens by making clear that this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself (vv. 1-2). This precedes even the usual greeting from the author to the recipients that is standard practice in letters from this time. It was more than an exhortation from John—it was the testimony of the Son of God. The full deity of Jesus is underscored here as well; not only did God the Father author this revelation (v. 1), but also Jesus claimed the divine description of Alpha and Omega for Himself (vv. 8, 17).

When confronted with the glory of the Lord, John fell down before Him, an understandable reaction given the description of Jesus (vv. 12-16). In the fullness of His power and glory, Jesus told John not to be afraid! Worship recognizes who God is and who we are in relation to Him—but it is not characterized by quaking fear.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Go back through this passage and make a list of all the descriptions given of Jesus. Nearly every verse tells us something about the person, character, or work of our Savior. This is the basis of true worship—our response to who God is. After you have your list, spend time praising the Lord for each item, rejoicing that you have been invited into a relationship without fear with the One who is alive forever and ever and who holds the keys of death and Hades.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 2:1-7
You have forsaken your first love. - Revelation 2:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
A number of pitfalls can trip up Christians who seek to please God. One of these is an emphasis on external behaviors to the exclusion of examining our hearts. A young man reared in a Christian family, Christian schools, and Bible college described it this way: “I knew what all the rules were and how to be a good person. I knew all the right answers to say and the wrong behaviors to avoid. I was as zealous as Saul in enforcing standards I thought were correct. But I had no joy, very little love, and an abundance of pride. I confused passion for rules with passion for God.”

This is not a new challenge, based on our reading for today. The ancient church in Ephesus needed to recalibrate their worship to make passion for God a priority.

First, notice in this text that the reality of our lives—both as individuals and corporately as churches—is laid bare before the Lord (vv. 1-2). There are no secrets hidden from Him, no pretenses that fool Him. He loves and knows His people. Second, He commended the faithfulness of this church. The Ephesians apparently took the gospel seriously and were earnestly contending for the truth (v. 2). This was not a church plagued by compromise with the world; in fact, the Ephesians were willing to suffer for their faith and endure trials and hardships as a result of their witness. They sought truth from their leaders and rejected the moral compromise (likely sexual immorality) of the Nicolaitans.

And yet the Lord said, “I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love” (v. 4). Truly, this text should make us tremble. Here was a church commended for their stand for truth and purity—but it was not enough. If these things do not flow from a love for God, they become legalistic rules and a source of pride.

Their lack of passion for Christ was described as having fallen from a great height (v. 5). The call to repent was urgent with enormous stakes. The worship of God’s people should always be filled with a passion for Him—His character and work—and not with our pride in our own perseverance and works.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As we ponder this message, take comfort that God loves us enough to warn us to repent. He wants our full, unbridled love in return. Have you insisted on truth and purity without love and passion for God? Worship demands that we surrender our pride and praise Him alone. In addition, our love is what attracts others to the gospel. We don’t have to compromise on truth or purity, but we must consistently guard that they flow out of our worship, praise, love, and passion for God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 2:8-11
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Revelation 2:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
Many letters from Christian leaders early in the second century have survived, some written within a decade after the apostle John wrote his Gospel and Revelation (around A.D. 95-96). These include letters to and from Polycarp, the leader of the church in Smyrna, who would have been about 35 years old then. Indeed, as prophesied in our passage, persecution came to the church in Smyrna, and Polycarp was martyred for his faith at the age of 86. He declared: “Eighty-six years have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me? If you suppose vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar . . . hear you plainly: I am a Christian.”

Yesterday we saw that God’s love caused Him to exhort the Ephesians to repent and worship Him out of love. Today we again see that our worship is rooted in God’s character—our faithfulness is possible because He is faithful.

Despite the persecution happening in Smyrna, Christ spoke encouragement to His beloved church and told them of an encouraging reality: despite their material poverty, they were spiritually rich (v. 9). He knows the hearts of those who are faithful and those who are deceitful. And not only did He know their situation of suffering at that moment, He also knew their eternal reward in the future (v. 10).

Notice that the Lord did not imply that suffering isn’t real or that it isn’t all that bad. Our Savior Himself experienced physical and spiritual suffering more painful than we can imagine. Instead, He urged them to be faithful during the trials and persecution. This kind of faithfulness is possible because of the example of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Not only is Jesus the example of faithfulness in suffering, His resurrection also testifies to the ultimate deliverance by God. He opened His address to Smyrna by describing Himself as “the First and Last, who died and came to life again” (v. 8). Though some in Smyrna would also die for their faith, they were to receive “the crown of life” (v. 10).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We can’t escape trials and tribulations on our own timetable, but we can hold on to what we know about God and worship Him in the midst of our suffering. In your time of prayer today, praise God for the resurrection of Jesus, the encouragement to remain faithful, and the promise of eternal life. He knows our present and our future. He knows our reality, no matter what the world perceives about us. He knows that our test will result in our testimony.