2 Chronicles 33:1,2
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 34:1,2- Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
We all have a choice to make, whether we will follow and serve the LORD or follow and serve our flesh and our enemy. We see some similarities in these kings; they were both of the line of David, they were young, they both reigned in Jerusalem, they both reigned for over thirty years, and they both had a choice to make of Who they were going to serve. But that, brothers and sisters, are where the similarities stop. After those few things, we see a sharp contrast between the two.
One king decided to serve worthless idols, while the other king chose to serve the only Living God! We know that it went much better for one than the other, but the fact remains they still had a choice. They were not forced into these roles as a wicked idolater or a faithful servant. God did not make them serve Him, nor did He make them serve against Him. He gives them and us our free will to choose.
All throughout the Bible, there is a choice. The Bible often uses a phrase similar to this one: if you, then I will. That proves that we have a choice to do the “if” to receive the “then I will.” Too often, we may feel like we are stuck or doomed to repeat the sins of our family or the pains of the past. Yes, there are generational sins and curses. The Bible teaches us that, but it never says that we have to live in bondage to them nor cower in them. Christ sets us free, but we have to make the choice!
It’s interesting to me that the father of the wicked king Manasseh was a righteous man named Hezekiah. The father of the righteous king Josiah was the wicked king Amon. So yes, they were predisposed to one way or the other, but they were not confined or doomed to live it; they had a choice, and so do we. I think it’s also important to note that Manasseh finished better than he started, and Hezekiah started better than he finished. Let us choose today who we will serve AND finish well! There is life in Christ alone and only death outside of Him.
Deuteronomy 30:19,20- This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Ecclesiastes 7:8- Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.
2 Chronicles 33:10,11
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
God's offer of mercy and repentance always precedes His wrath and judgment. All throughout the Bible, God offers people a choice: repent/return to Me and live, or continue to rebel and die. The secular world would like us to believe that God brings wrath and then, when He is done punishing us, offers us a chance to come to Him. But, my friends, that just isn't true; if God's full wrath were poured out first, there would be no one left to repent. But we see the truth and the heart of our God in verses like these – His heart warming us rather than destroying us.
The Bible tells us He is patient, wishing none shall perish and that He doesn't delight in the death of the wicked. There is a caveat in those verses, though, and it is repentance, the turning away from our sins and turning towards Him. God wishes none shall perish, but the truth is some will, not because the offer’s not valid or because it isn't still on the table but because they refuse to acknowledge the Truth and serve Him with all that they are.
What a sad reality it is that Christ hung on the cross to pay for all of our sins, and yet some people reject Him, and by doing that, they will still have to face the eternal consequences for their actions. We live in the age of mercy, where God's hand is still extended to this fallen and dying world. He is saying, “Take My hand, follow Me, and live.” But the age of wrath is coming when the offer will be rescinded, and the door will be shut forever. The question is will you be at His table or outside banging on the door?
Ezekiel 33:11- Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?'
2 Peter 3:9- The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
God bless! I love you all, but His love is literally reaching out to us from Heaven! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
No comments:
Post a Comment