#514 Just as Soft

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets.

3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;

4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.

12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said.

14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 2 Kings 24

When we become the servants of sin, it is often not the yoke we thought, and it will have a master for there is no vacuum that ever last so long. There will be a tax to the flesh, like when I chased a constant high, desired to disconnect completely from reality. I hated that I had epilepsy, and if God would not take it away then I would be my own king, yet that will only go on for so long. Three times I overdosed and more times than I can remember I put myself at death's door, thinking myself the master of my destiny, the captain of this ship. Jehoiakim does not understand that when we throw off the yoke of God, we attempt to imagine life belonging to less than the Creator, to ourselves, but here a bigger bully reigns him in. He would like to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but this is the payment of sin, the just wrath against a corporately corrupt nation. No one can resist what God has ordained, one can only hope to repent and find mercy. Shall we continue, God forbid, though the Babylonian prince has returned home on urgent business, there are 4 more ready to take up his campaign, and they will act seemingly on behalf of Babylon, but truly they become the servants of God's justice against those who have taken innocent blood. 

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8: 31-36

Jehoiachin continued in the evil of his wicked fathers, and did not see a deterrent in their discipline. It says the king of Egypt no longer comes out against Babylon, so seeing no ally there, it probably plays into the quick surrender of the king of Judah. It says that the Babylonian king took him when he came out to surrender with his family. He empties out the temple and takes the best of all that he finds in the land, including around this time also those that would be made eunuchs in his kingdom. It makes my skin tingle that this is the time of Daniel and his fellows, and so much more will be grasped and point yet again to Messiah. That is still coming, but for here and right now, the king makes Jehoiachin's uncle king of Jerusalem, a puppet monarch, a tax collector. I think these are often a worse thing than the direct rule of the tidal king, for if the tidal monarch of the nations shall want his due, after that the puppet shall also want to maintain his own glory. The people will feel the weight of a heavier tax, the burden of being ruled and the pain of being ridden. 

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” ...Daniel 6: 1-5

#513 Josiah and Bones

Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 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. 3 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.

4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.[a] 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.[b] And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces[c]and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,[d] reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted[e]these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Restores the Passover

21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

26 Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”
Josiah's Death in Battle

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.
Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents[f] of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.2 Kings 23 ESV

The king is so taken by what he has read, so deeply moved by the words of God and also so convicted of his position, that he does not hide these things, but rather makes them known. For what are his own words compared to these, and what good is a king who withholds or "shields" his people from the truth? He takes it upon himself to read to everyone, and then states his allegiance and determination to follow what is written. The people are moved and follow his example. Here he has already been promised, in the preceding chapter, that he will not see the captivity, but that God's judgement is still imminent. Yet, he purposes to do not only what is right by his own house, but also that which is within his power to perform as king. He does not ride it out, watch the clock or collapse in despair. Yes, we know the day of Lord is coming. Yes, I am a Christian and I want the Lord to return quickly, but as I live and breathe the air of this world, I shall want to do it in a way that honors my Savior. Martin Luther said it well, 

I still live here now, so I go to work, I go and vote, I pray, I teach my children and love my enemy, hoping that he will one day be my brother. I plant that seed and water it, no longer in fear of God's judgment for that is already set, but rather in hope of His glory. This is a wonderful thing that they walk into this covenant together. It is a thing that cannot be forced, as I have come to find out, that before I go out, before I open my mouth, I must first remove my foot and hop down from the soap box beneath the other foot. You are not so fit to speak to men if you have not first spoken to God on their behalf. We should pray to see days like this, where God's Spirit is poured out in such a way, where whole nations mourn their sin, and seek the face of God. Reformation starts in the heart, regeneration proceeds faith, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.

The first thing they have is the reading of God's word, then the sharing of God's word. They make a covenant to simply obey what they have found in this word, to reform the kingdom.

1. It starts first with the temple, in our day the church. He has the priest remove the vessels that don't belong there. Take down your idols. Remove those doctrines that are based in your idolatry, out those priest then and preachers now, who would lead men and women astray. Return to the word of God, in humility ask for wisdom, repent of your apostasy. Do not water down what is God's word, your opinion does not matter. He has said everything with a purpose, and needed no counsel from any man, so all I want to know is what is that Author's intent. 
2. He so thoroughly destroys all foolishness, as to grind it to dust, and he spreads it over the dead, to show that it is a dead work, and it is now defiled as it defiled those who followed it. 

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Titus 2: 7 & 8

3. He removes the temple prostitutes and the places they performed what some suppose to be their sexual offerings or rituals, behind the woven hangings. In dark times these things come about, every sort of perversion, and the church that should be the guard and voice against such, is often shamefully silent or grossly engaged. If your preaching does not make me at times uncomfortable, then you are probably not called to that pulpit. Love is not silent, nor can it be dishonest. It does not put itself first. The people here have so long been without light and leadership that they probably have incorporated all these gods into their religion and think that it is good. Maybe, as I have read some speculations, they think that God is so much like them, that Asherah is his wife and some of these others are His children. It is not so far off to find men in such delusion, as I look at the idol some have made of Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

4. He took down all the high places, for what is man that he can decide where or when he shall find God? Who is an island to them self, or who does not need the fellowship that God has commanded? 

5. He removed the horses that were sculpted in honor of the sun. Though it is truly magnificent and we recognize the need of it's light to the days, the seasons, and the growth of plants, but it is created by God and not of itself, it serves us to His glory. 

6. He defiled Topheth so that the people would no longer offer their children to Molech. So many today, even in the church, refuse to look at that genocide which is so blatantly in their face. It is more important to us to be accepted, to tout issues that are made up and built upon sensuality, to say you are pro choice while all the while playing god, taking away the choice of those who cannot yet speak for themselves. We offer up much innocent blood, every day, yet have the audacity to say it is because we care. We despise the old and murder the young, both are in our way.

7. He took bones out of the tombs and defiled the false altars, but when he came to the one tomb he stopped and asked, "what is that monument I see?" See Blog on 1 Kings 13

And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar 2by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” 1 Kings 13: 1 & 2

8. He returns the people to the keeping of the Passover, to remember the captivity, their redemption by God's will and good pleasure. As one writer so faithfully puts it, it had been so long since it's observance that it would be like the church forgetting to take communion or the Lord's supper, which are a continual reminder of Christ's redemption of us on the cross. It is important that we come together, and it is without exception that all these things were written from Genesis onward, to proclaim the love of Christ. 

No king before or after him turned to God in such a way, what a mighty testimony, a life that was surely not wasted, invested in eternity. Though there was a great reformation, it would not last and the day of God's judgment was ever drawing near. Josiah is sadly killed by Pharaoh Neco, and I will probably dig deeper into that when I come to Chronicles. 

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3: 14-18

#512 Rent is Due

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,

4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:

5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,

6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

7 Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.

10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,

13 Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.

15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:

17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;

19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.

20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. 2 Kings 22 KJV

I barely remember being 8, but I suppose the call here is not so much of grooming or maturity, but of the necessity of the line. One may easily imagine that he is more of a poster child, that those who held offices and the court in this time, provided advisement to him as what to say, but they held the power. Being that they were so long in the dark, that we already recognize how fast a society can fall away, one must wonder what sparked his interest in the repair of the temple. It is that time of year  here, Halloween, I see the carved pumpkins and feel the somewhat cooler air, and I am always reminded now of a greater change than the leaves. It was on October 31st that an Augustinian monk added to a conversation, voiced an issue with the Papal state, 95 issues. Matthew Henry puts it well, "the church of Rome could not keep up the use of the images but by forbidding the use of scripture." As they set about to clean and repair the temple, they found a book. They read the book, and rather than filter it, they take it and read it to Josiah, and upon the hearing of the Word of God, he rents his clothes. Oh my God! Look at us, we have not kept the laws of God, and look what those before us have done against Him. Oh Lord, I am in a bad way, I did not know all of these things, I see the way of my fathers was not right. He sends for help, these words are somehow new to them, even to the priest, or the priest only carried a portion in oral tradition, but now it is speaking with authority, straight into the heart of the young king. This is not the occasional word of prophets before going to battle, this is not the advice of someone holding a religious position or claiming spiritual enlightenment, it is God's law. It is that thing that I held up, that mirror that I looked into and began at some point, finally, to have such logic bestowed upon me so as to tremble. This same book that would lay on my coffee table for years, it became that which upon the reading changed who I was, how I lived, I could see, I could hear, changed my outlook upon the world. This is why we teach our children how to read. 

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4: 11-13

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[b] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[c] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. 2 Timothy 2: 14 -17

Go ask her, what must we do to be saved? He sees the affront of his kingdom to God's holiness, and he wants to know what will come of it, I am expecting that His holiness is also just. This book of the law is also a covenant between our people and the only true God, and we are in breech of this. Huldah tells them, tell the king, God says, I will do what I wrote. He is just. He does hate sin, and this will never change, and He lays out His position clearly and also His judgment. The boy has become a young man now and can see before this that they have worshiped other gods, have made silly idols, burned incense, prayed to, worshiped empty things. But, to the king who sent you to inquire of me, what a brilliant move. You didn't know, now you heard, but you also grieved the error, and the worse error of your fathers. You don't have all the answers, you can't give the people or yourself an answer here, not with any authority. You will have to go outside of yourself and your normal circles. Where does the one who the people look to as a little god go when he does not own the answer? He goes to the real God, where it is known that he is just a man, and what greater epiphany can a man have then his humility. Now listen to Huldah's comforts, the words of God to a broken and humbled man, "because thy heart was tender", Lord take this heart of stone. "Thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord", I am not worthy to be called a son, let me please be your servant. Because you were sincere and had the integrity that was missing in your fathers, I will let you go to the grave in peace. You will be taken up before this calamity. 

 

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18: 9-14

#511 Missed That Page of the Brochure

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:

12 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

14 And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

15 Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

19 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did.

21 And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:

22 And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord.

23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.

24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 21 KJV

Sadly, reformation is not a hereditary thing, and gloriously, it is not a hereditary thing. No one comes to Christ unless the Father, Who sent Him, calls them. This is not a mistake in teaching, a neglect thereof, or anything other than the pride of a young man, fed by those whom he respects. "You are so wise, you have such a big heart, if only the whole world were ruled by the likes of you." Lucifer, stood in the beauty that had been given to him, and fell into the worship of that which was made. Manasseh knows only open rebellion to the reforms of his father. He puts back the high places, he rejects God's sovereignty, showing that he has no fear of the living God, he worships all the stars and planets, Baal, and Molech. If God sends prophets then he becomes drunk on their blood, the body count is high in his kingdom. Josephus and other writers of Jewish tradition hold him accountable for the blood of Isaiah. It sounds here as though it was much innocent blood.

 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Hebrews 11:37 & 38

God sends His prophets so many times, sometimes the people reformed. It is a desperate situation though when that which is suppose to be His body and voice in this world, is that which itself is in need of reform. Who will go and tell them? The radio is broken, the pulpit is hacked, these people have been seduced by the voice of their king, rather than fall on their knees they have rested on the hope of he who can only take their flesh. Flattering lips, appeals to your circle, the abuse of liberty for you is the death of the prophet who is standing between you and the pit. God sends them prophets, great prophets, men like Isaiah who spoke one of the strongest and clearest pictures of the gospel, 700 years before the time of Christ. Manasseh preferred fortune tellers, the stars were lifted higher than the Creator of them. Everything became a sign, a wonder, an enchantment, so much he loathed the word of God and the one's that spoke it, that he was worse than those who were kicked out of the land before him. His people followed him like sheep do, and they believed, and they were now told by the prophets the fate of this, that judgment was coming.

Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 38Look, your house is left to you desolate.…Matthew 23: 36-38

Amon, the son, was no greater than the father, he did evil as well and his servants killed him in his own house. His was a short reign and though he was wicked, he was their king, so those who were responsible for his murder were also held accountable. Scripture teaches us to pray for those who have rule over us, and to follow the rule of law until it ask that we disobey the rule of God. This was not an act of self defense and so they must receive that punishment which fits this crime. The rule of men is all over the place and a Godly parent does not insure against an evil son, but an evil parent does not guarantee against a gracious God. 

#510 Go Back

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,

3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.

6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lordwill heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lordwill do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.

17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 20 KJV

Surely death is upon you. Most assuredly it is upon all of us, as much as it is that we can read this, we know this and are full of uncertainty of how we shall approach it. Some practice long at the stoic tradition, others grimace at pain, cannot believe that there is a God like this since there is this death and suffering. Set thine house in order, Isaiah says, and if it were someone else you may want a second opinion, but to Isaiah it may be credited that his opinion does not matter. "Remember how I have walked before thee in truth." He had truly set out to walk before the Lord, had gone to Him as deliverer, had torn down the high places to show the place of his heart. I know that if I should ever have any hope to a prayer about my own integrity before God, it would have to be in gratitude for that which He has called me from and to by his own will and good pleasure. He weeps and God hears him, Isaiah is sent back, while you were yet dead, sick and not so far off from your grave, that which was holding you as to so fatally embrace, will not yet finish you. You will recover to serve, and this shall be your sign since you asked and think not so little of it as your father. Shall the sun move forward in it's normal progression of degrees but faster? Shall the shadow bring the future to the present, or shall we ask the more difficult thing in our minds, to move the shadow back, start afresh? What are you saying, to return to your mother's womb? To count it all joy, everything, even suffering? He does not asked to be healed, but God knows our hearts and it must also be in his heart to continue with these reforms, to do good to his people, bring justice and keep the Assyrian's at bay. God hears him and grants him these things, more years, victory, a different diagnosis. He does not tap the ground lightly, scratch tentatively with arrows, but rather ask for the thing that he thinks the most difficult, in the substance of faith that says nothing is too difficult for God. 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.


6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.


7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

Now after this is a curious matter for kings and rulers, but also for those who are pastors and parents. We must take care who we bring into confidence, who we hold hands with, and when we think we show our greatest treasure, but neither God's word, who Isaiah represents, nor such institutes as we have come to understand, that God does not make the list, who do we fear? Surely, if it were God, then that would be our boast, but if it becomes men, then it will be those things that God has created, or they will think that is the object or great testimony of our religion, that we have silver and gold. Silver and gold have I none, but such as I give unto thee, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Were you saved from something worse than being poor, worse than death itself, far more lasting and darker than the grave? If you fear men and their feelings or your position in life, then you will never know what it is to love them. If you say kind things, treat them as close, but never explain to them that you were left for dead, diagnosed as gone, but then given life instead and that your God is the only true Sovereign, that your kingdom will end but His is eternal, tell me again how dear a friend they were to you. He tells him of the coming captivity in Babylon, that surely this thing that felt so warm to you now will find you burnt by morning. It will not be on his dial though, and he cannot help but be grateful for this nor answer against God, for if the word is from Him then surely it will come to be good in the end.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

#509 A Fool's Errand

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.

2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

4 It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?

12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?

13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

16 Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

17 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

21 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

32 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.

34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 19 KJV

It's hard to picture this in our day, being in grief over the offense made to God. Our world would rent it's clothes over a soccer game, everyone screams about their own rights and honor, often in disregard and to the opposition of the rights of others. He sends his messengers to Isaiah, desirous of the prayers of the prophet whom God has regarded. They are dressed in sack cloth too, as they represent their king. He is not in need of fine robes to go before God, as God is not impressed as easily as men. It is a day of distress, the water has broken, and she has no strength left in her to push. We are surrounded, the outer cities of Judah have been taken, only this remnant of Jerusalem remains. I have been rebuked, my people, and we are not without mistake, not without sin, but this invader has also blasphemed the living God. I would like to avenge the name of God, but I haven't the army, as this invader also points out. Those who do not regard prayer do not regard God, and to know a prayer warrior, is to know true change, that here I am, this is what has been said, I am at my wits end, I leave it here with you, Thy will be done, not mine, but Thy will be done, You be glorified in this. 

So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has." Job 42:8

Here is humility in that, God, if you do not intervene, I can do nothing but lose, noble or not, it will be my last breath. "Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard." This servant of the king of Assyria has blasphemed Me. Hezekiah explains the situation, does not ask for it to be handled in a particular way here, he says basically that this is what happened and we are weak. God tells him what He will do, that He will blast him and send him away with a rumor, and that he will die in his own land. God can defend His own honor, He knows the situation before you pray, you need to pray. Now word does come to the Assyrians that the king of Cush is coming after them, and so he wants to press one more time upon Jerusalem, to have their unconditional surrender. He sends a letter to Hezekiah, not to be deceived by his God, don't listen to the prophets if they convince you that you will not fall, that God will save you. Look again, I have walked over all these other gods, destroyed these other kings, just give up. It is said that we have an accuser that is constantly bringing up only part of the story, begging that we give up without a fight, but we should not forget that we also have this advocate with the Father, and that is Jesus Christ the righteous. Like Hezekiah, I know I am not right in myself and if anyone should call me out as a sinner, I will not deny it, nor will I try to stand on my own works, but my hope is in, and I am found in, the righteousness that is by faith in Christ alone. God please save us, for You alone are God, the Creator, please bow down Your ear from heaven and hear my prayer, for I am low, let them all know that You alone are God.  Isaiah sent him word that God had heard his prayer. Hezekiah had already received an answer, but he was wise not to respond so quickly to the letter. This will be for God to respond. As the daughter is protected in her father's house, so will be Jerusalem, she shall shake her head at thee and rest assured of her safety. God even goes deeper in His response, he lays out what is in men's hearts, what they probably say around the fire. Look at the might of my hands which are really the hands of so many others, but look at our numbers, our chariots. I have crossed over mountain ranges, dug wells and dried up the waters that fed cities during my siege. Look at me, the "great king." Pride does take us too high, where the air is so thin, and our minds are too warped, ill fed. You fool, you talk of things done with large armies and many slaves, damming up streams, to the God who hath parted both the Jordan and the Red Sea. This is God you approach in arrogance, pleased with yourself that you have burned up idols, who have no power, funny though, since this is God Who will have no other gods before Him. You have been made by Him, allowed to carry out justice, destroy idols, but you speak what you do not know, and you pat yourself on the back. You think you're this great ox, this behemoth, Leviathan? Well then come forth, and I will put a hook in your nose and a bridle in your mouth, and turn you back the way you came. 

Judah has lost the fruits of her fields during this, but God is going to provide for them from the ground this year and the year of rest He will provide for them, and then the third year shall they plant again. When you have done everything you can, but it is closing in around you, know that God does not save His people to their destruction, but will see His remnant through. Pray and pray again. He sends His angel, and 185,000 soldiers do not wake up. The king returns to his own land where he is killed by his own sons. 

Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.


4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.[a]
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.


16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.


18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.


23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[b] of my heart and my portion forever.


27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works. Psalm 73