2 Kings: From Compromise to Captivity
Second Kings revolves around a life principle not even God violates: persistent sin may be forgiven, but its consequences cannot be erased.
Second Kings revolves around a life principle not even God violates: persistent sin may be forgiven, but its consequences cannot be erased.
One of the haunting perils of leadership is the great divorce between what happens at the office and what happens at home. Many a man and many a woman may hit a home run at the office, but what good is it if they strike out at home? This is the dilemma Solomon faced as he rose to the position of king over Israel.
No question about it. King David remains among the brightest lights of the Bible. So significant was David that God set aside an entire book of the Old Testament to cover David’s 40 year reign…from his highest pinnacle of achievement to his lowest valley of misery and defeat.
Transition times can be disconcerting. Those who have gone through the remodeling of a home can testify to that! Likewise, changes in leadership at one’s place of employment or moves across the country or new policies and procedures set in motion bring the need to adapt. Being creatures of habit, we are disturbed by these changes.
We often discover priceless gems in the strangest places—deep in the rugged, dark corners of the earth. This is so with the book of Ruth. Like an exquisite rose blooming in a foul garbage dump, the story of Ruth adds elegance, grace, and charm to an otherwise depressing scene.
It’s rough for a nation to pull itself out of the swamp of political scandal and public distrust…but to do so several times in a row is unheard of. Or is it?
Jesus has provided us a faith which frees us from the bonds of sin and frees us for the purpose of following Him. Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s exhortation that we stand firm in our freedom.
In the book of Joshua the Hebrews invade, conquer, distribute, and settle down in the land of Canaan. The events recorded in Joshua took place over approximately 25 years. All the way through, one person stands out as God’s appointed leader and model—the man from whom the book gets its name.
A new generation was on the scene. Canaan—the Promised Land—was just beyond the border. The Hebrews were eager to invade and claim the territory. For almost 500 years, they had lived away from home, like fugitives. They longed to settle down and deepen their roots. But a very strategic matter had to be settled beforehand.
At a crucial juncture, the people doubted God’s promise and retreated into unbelief. The result? Monotonous wandering in circles for almost 40 years as all individuals 20 years and older died off, leaving a new generation to enter Canaan, the land of promise.