Walking in obedience to God.

Scripture:
2 Kings 24:20 ” It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.”

Observation:
Zedekiah was the last of the Judean and Israeli kings and was of the house of David. He had done evil in God’s sight like so many of the kings before him. He rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar rather than serve under him as God had said through the prophets. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, tore down its wall and the temple, burned down the main houses and buildings, and carried into exile thousands of Judeans and the fine articles of gold and silver from the temple, as well as tons of bronze. God had cast Judah from his presence as he had done with Samaria nearly 200 years before. The sins of Manasseh were so great that God was unwilling to forgive them and brought judgment upon Judah to allow the land to rest and recover from the innocent blood shed in her streets.

Application:
When God speaks a word over some one or place or thing, you can be sure that it will come to pass. The prophets came to the kings of both kingdoms and warned them to turn from their wickedness and serve God, but they refused and rebelled against him. They continued in their worship of false gods, which God had warned the Israelites coming out of the exodus would be a snare to them. He warned them that if they didn’t follow him and obey his commandments, he would scatter them across the nations and expel them from their inheritance. Well, the people sinned continually against God by loving demons rather than him. Thus, he put up with it as long as he could stand and then exiled the tribes into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. Once the Babylonian captivity of 70 years was over, God would bring back a remnant of Judah and Benjamin to re-settle the land and build a second temple.

It is unfortunate that Israel has never gotten the message about serving only the one, true God. To this day they vainly try to serve God through half-hearted adherence to the Mosaic law. They still don’t understand that covenant only brings DEATH! It is through the Spirit that we receive LIFE! Paul wrote , “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor.3:6). The Hebrews/Jews were to be the world’s missionaries to bring the light of the gospel to the world around them. However, they were consumed with nationalism, separation from the world, and holier-than-thou living and neglecting all of the teachings God gave them about being a light to the Gentiles, a house of prayer for all nations, the ones through whom the Seed of Abraham would bless the nations. Most never caught onto this lesson. Instead they got caught up in 613 laws and regulations of which they couldn’t observe completely because it was physically impossible.

They failed and still fail to understand that salvation comes through faith in the Messiah not observance and adherence to the law. When Jesus tried to open their blind eyes and deaf ears to teach them the words of the prophet, “The just shall live by faith,” they scoffed at him. When he tried to teach them that he was Prophet, like Moses, who would be raised up from among them, they beat him and killed him. When he proclaimed that he was the Son of God, they called him a blasphemer. When he healed people on the Sabbath or performed miracles, they accused him of having power from the devil to do such things. All throughout the history of Israel, only a true remnant of people understood that salvation comes through faith not works. Abraham received the promise by faith not through circumcision. Thus the Jews should have learned and understood that faith is what gave them and gives us hope in the Messiah. They failed to even recognize the coming of their Savior because they were filled with too much hatred of outsiders like the oppressive Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, who ruled over them for eons.

The Jews had a short period of time where they ruled over themselves in peace under David and Solomon, but sin in the house of David and the nation of Israel caused them to lose their inheritance and come under rule from foreign powers. They were scattered over the known world. To this day, despite the return o 6 million or so Jews to Israel, there are still more Jews outside Israel than inside. Why? They still refuse to accept the Lord Jesus as Messiah. They await the coming of the Messiah as a political ruler and savior rather than as their spiritual savior. They work so hard to keep the law of Moses that they doom themselves to hell like everyone else because Jesus said he is the way, truth and life with access to the Father only through him. One day soon they will have the blinders removed and experience the love of the Messiah but only after they have suffered through the Tribulation and almost been annihilated.

We need to learn to listen to the Word of God and understand that what he speaks comes to pass. He has delayed judgment upon man to give us time to repent and come to him. We have but about 60-70 years in this life to choose him and obey him, which determines where we will spend eternity. Do we act like Israel and refuse to hear the message of God that obedience is better than sacrifice and that salvation is through grace by faith, or do we do our thing and die a demon’s death? The choice is yours.

Prayer:
Father, I choose the Spirit over the letter. I have learned that I can fulfill the law not through its observance but by obeying the law of Christ by loving you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and my neighbor as myself. I am not bound by the law and thereby subject to its fated sentence of death. My righteousness comes from you not my observance of law. I live by faith, I am saved by faith, and I having my being in Christ by faith. There is a holiness and righteousness that comes from following the law, but I know that true holiness and righteousness come from the work that Jesus did on the cross by shedding his blood for the sins of many. Help me to always walk in your Spirit and have life rather than be enslaved to the law and risk death. In Jesus’ name, Amen.