When Hezekiah sought to restore the observance of the Passover, he sent “a proclamation throughout all Israel…that they should come to celebrate the Passover…at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was prescribed” (2 Chronicles 30:5).

This was long after the kingdom divided. The northern kingdom (Israel) had abandoned the worship of God as He prescribed. So the proclamation admonished them to “not be like [their] fathers…who were unfaithful to the Lord… but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God” (2 Chronicles 30:7-8).

Unfortunately, many of those who heard the messengers “laughed them to scorn and mocked them” (2 Chronicles 30:10). Yet some of them had the appropriate response: “Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 30:11).

The difference between those who rejected the invitation and those who received it was their humility. Those willing to recognize and admit their failure to keep God’s law up to that point accepted the invitation. Those who were too arrogant to admit that they and their fathers were wrong did not. These same two attitudes are the determining factor today as to whether someone will accept God’s instructions or reject them.

So be humble enough to serve the Lord faithfully. Just because we (or our family) have always done something does not make it right. We need to follow the word of God, even if it means doing things differently than we have done before.

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Through the prophet Isaiah, God addressed Shebna, a steward of the royal household in Judah (Isaiah 22:15). This man served under King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:17-18). Though the king would receive a message of hope in the face of the threat from the Assyrians (cf. 2 Kings 19:6-7), the message to Shebna was not as hopeful.

God said to this steward, “What right do you have here, and whom do you have here, that you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, you who hew a tomb on the height, you who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock? Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you headlong, O man. And He is about to grasp you firmly and roll you tightly like a ball, to be cast into a vast country; there you will die and there your splendid chariots will be, the shame of your master’s house. I will depose you from your office, and I will pull you down from your station” (Isaiah 22:16-19).

Despite the grim outlook (preparing a tomb for himself), this man believed that he was important enough and worthy of honor to be remembered in this way. Yet despite his preparations to this end, it would all amount to nothing. He would lose his position and die in a foreign land. We need to learn the same lesson as this obscure Old Testament character.

So remember that we can lose everything we have worked for. Let us not think that we are more important than we are. Rather than pursuing our own course, we need to follow the path laid out for us by the Lord.

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In the midst of a section of the book of Isaiah in which God addresses several nations around Israel and the judgment that was coming against them, a statement is made that is true for every nation.

The “uproar of many peoples” and the “rumbling of nations” is likened to the “roaring of the seas” and the “rumbling of many waters” (Isaiah 17:12). The statement in the next verse, “The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters” (Isaiah 17:13), emphasizes their power and the inability that any one person has to control or stop the direction the nations are going.

Yet God is powerful enough to do this: “But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away… At evening time, behold there is terror! Before morning they are no more” (Isaiah 17:13-14). The reason God would do this was because of their sin. In this case, their sin involved plundering and pillaging the people of God (Isaiah 17:14).

Those who are faithful to God can take comfort in the fact that He sees what is being done and is able to hold the guilty accountable. Those who would harm others – no matter what position they hold – will not escape the judgment of God.

So remember that God is more powerful than the nations. Even if we face oppression, injustice, and persecution, we can put our trust in God. In the end, He will punish the wicked and deliver the faithful.

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Because of the sins of the people of Judah, God sent the nation of Aram against them to execute His punishment. Pekah, the king of Israel, joined Aram and “slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 28:6).

After carrying out this judgment against Judah, the sons of Israel also “carried away captive of their brethren 200,000 women, sons and daughters; and they took a great deal of spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria” (2 Chronicles 28:8). Though this may have been common in wars fought from human motives, this should not have been done by Israel against Judah.

So the Lord sent the prophet Oded to the army of Israel. He told them that God used them to judge Judah for their sins (2 Chronicles 28:9). However, if they brought the captives with them, they would bring “guilt” upon them and add to their sins (2 Chronicles 28:13). So they released the captives and returned them with the spoil to their brethren in Jericho (2 Chronicles 28:14-15).

There are times when Christians must judge their brethren for unrepentant sins (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14). Yet we must not go beyond the discipline God has instructed us to carry out.

So remember that judgment must be carried out in God’s way. We must “not regard [a wayward Christian] as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:15). Our goal is not to drive them away but to lead them to repentance.

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Micah prophesied during the time leading up to the Babylonian captivity. He described the spiritual condition of the people in this way: “The godly person has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among them. […] Concerning evil, both hands do it well” (Micah 7:2-3).

However, despite how discouraging the condition of the nation might have been, there was a reason for hope. Micah said, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). Earlier in this book, Micah prophesied of the coming of Christ (Micah 5:2-4) and the establishment of His kingdom (Micah 4:1-3). Neither the sin of the people nor God’s judgment of the nation would prevent this from being fulfilled.

With the confident expectation that the Lord would fulfill His promise, Micah said in the next verse, “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). No matter what might happen to him, he knew that God would lead him out of the darkness and bring about salvation. We must have this same confidence today as we face discouragement, temptation, and opposition in our service to God.

So watch expectantly for the Lord. He will save us if we are faithful to Him. Let us not allow the trials of life to discourage us so much that we lose our faith in God and abandon the hope He has given us.

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Amos revealed God’s warning of a famine coming against the land of Israel (Amos 8:11). A natural disaster like a famine can be devastating for a nation. However, God explained that this was “not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).

In those days, prophets like Amos revealed God’s word to the people. But because the people had disregarded the prophets’ message for so long, God told them that He would stop sending His word to those who refused to hear it. Though they might “seek the word of the Lord,” they would “not find it” (Amos 8:12). A physical famine would cause even the strongest among them to fall. Similarly, this famine for the word of God would affect everyone, even those who should be the most resilient (Amos 8:13).

Today, we are fortunate that we do not need to wait for God to reveal His word through a prophet. We have His will revealed to us in the Scriptures (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). However, we can neglect God’s word as they did and suffer the same effects of this spiritual famine.

So remember that we need God’s word to nourish us. Without it, we cannot survive, spiritually speaking. However, if we use the word He has revealed, we can grow stronger, healthier, and better equipped to do what God has called us to do.

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Amos revealed God’s prophecy in order to turn the people of Israel back to Him. God’s message was this: “Seek Me that you may live” (Amos 5:4).

Unfortunately, what many of them did when they faced trouble – just as many do today – was look for help in other places instead of turning to the Lord. So God said, “Do not resort to Bethel and do not come to Gilgal, nor cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and Bethel will come to trouble” (Amos 5:5). Then He repeated the admonition, “Seek the Lord that you may live” (Amos 5:6).

Interestingly, a few verses later, a similar admonition is given but with a slight change to the wording: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you” (Amos 5:14). Seeking God was about more than just acknowledging Him and recognizing His power and ability to save. They also needed to do what was right and give up what was sinful.

Many religious people today claim to “seek the Lord,” yet they are content to remain in their sin. Rather than doing what the Lord has instructed them to do, they follow the course of the world around them. Yet, if we want the Lord to save us, we must follow Him in His way.

So seek the Lord that you may live. Only He can save us. Yet we must be willing to repudiate our sins and strive to do His will in all things.

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The prophet Isaiah warned that the people of God would be going into captivity. When this happened, everyone would be affected by it: “The common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased, the eyes of the proud also will be abased” (Isaiah 5:15).

Why were they going into captivity? We often emphasize their sin. Because they disobeyed the Lord, He punished them by sending them into exile. Yet notice what the Lord said in this passage: “Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge…” (Isaiah 5:13).

They had become ignorant of God’s law. Because of this, they could not follow it and do those things that would please Him. This meant they would simply be doing whatever seemed best to them, resulting in sin that continued to compound until they were led into captivity.

Sin always comes with consequences. Not only do we become enslaved to it (John 8:34), but there are negative consequences in life when we fail to follow the way God has shown us in His word. This is why the wise man wrote, “The way of the treacherous is hard” (Proverbs 13:15).

So remember that knowledge makes freedom possible. When we know God’s word, we can identify sin and avoid it. This keeps us from becoming the slaves of sin and helps us avoid the pitfalls that plague the wicked.

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Uzziah had a promising start to his reign over Judah. “He did right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 26:4). As a result, the Lord was with him so that he had success in military campaigns, building projects, material prosperity, and national defense (2 Chronicles 26:6-15).

Unfortunately, this success led him to become arrogant, trusting in himself rather than recognizing that all of these were blessings from God. So “when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 26:16).

This is a danger for many successful people. It is not that success (in whatever area) is necessarily wrong. After all, the example of Uzziah shows that success can come from God blessing a person who has been faithful to Him. However, those who enjoy this type of success will face the temptation to become “conceited” and forget “God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). And this danger exists even with a much smaller degree of success than what Uzziah enjoyed.

So do not let success make you arrogant. Whatever we have obtained in this life is a gift from God. Rather than thinking that we do not need God, let us use our position, wealth, opportunities, and everything else we have in a way that honors Him.

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The reign of Joash ended when two of his servants conspired against him and killed him (2 Chronicles 24:25-26). After this, “Amaziah his son became king in his place” (2 Chronicles 24:27).

Given the circumstances, we might expect that Amaziah would want justice to be carried out against his father’s murderers. So when “the kingdom was firmly in his grasp…he killed his servants who had slain his father the king” (2 Chronicles 25:3).

However, many in his position of power might seek to destroy not only the guilty parties but also those who were close to them. Yet Amaziah did not do this. He refused to “put their children to death” because of what was written in the Law: “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin” (2 Chronicles 25:4; cf. Deuteronomy 24:16).

This principle is found throughout Scripture. Each person is responsible for his own sins. We will not be held accountable for what others have done (Ezekiel 18:20). When we stand before the Lord in judgment, we will give an account for our deeds, not those of anyone else (2 Corinthians 5:10).

So remember that sons are not responsible for their father’s sins. We should not take the sins of one person and hold them against someone else. Instead, we need to judge each person as an individual, just as God does for us.

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Elisha anointed Jehu to be king over Israel while Joram was still reigning (2 Kings 9:1-3). Afterward, Joram was injured in battle against the Arameans and returned to Jezreel to recover (2 Kings 9:14-15).

While Joram was in Jezreel, Ahaziah, the king of Judah, came to visit him (2 Kings 9:16). At the same time, Jehu was driving “furiously” to reach the king (2 Kings 9:20).

When Joram heard that Jehu was coming, he and Ahaziah “went out, each in his chariot…to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite” (2 Kings 9:21). Naboth was the innocent man that Jezebel conspired to kill so that Ahab, Joram’s father (2 Kings 8:25), could acquire his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16). Joram said to Jehu, “Is it peace, Jehu?” Jehu answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?” (2 Kings 9:22). Upon hearing this and realizing he was in danger, Joram fled and was killed by an arrow shot by Jehu (2 Kings 9:23-24).

Ahab and Jezebel were wicked rulers over the nation of Israel. Joram followed in their footsteps. Jehu explained that as long as their sin continued, the kingdom could never have peace. The same point is true today in the Lord’s kingdom (church).

So remember that sin makes peace impossible. If we want to enjoy unity with our brethren, we need to put away sin from our midst. Tolerating sin will only lead to more sin, division, and strife among us.

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Naaman, the captain of the army of Aram, was afflicted with leprosy. After hearing there was a prophet in Israel who could help, he received permission from his king to go and find the one who could cure him (2 Kings 5:1-5).

When he came to Elisha, the prophet sent his servant to deliver his message to Naaman – to wash seven times in the Jordan River and be clean (2 Kings 5:9-10). Initially, Naaman rejected this; but when he obeyed the prophet’s instructions, he was healed (2 Kings 5:11-14).

Naaman returned to Elisha to offer him a gift, but Elisha refused (2 Kings 5:16). However, his servant followed Naaman, lied about Elisha changing his mind, and took the gift from Naaman for himself (2 Kings 5:20-24). Elisha knew what his servant did and said, “Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?” (2 Kings 5:26). In other words, helping Naaman did not warrant such repayment. It should have been enough simply to do the good deed as he was able to do it.

So help others without needing to be repaid. We should not decide whether or not we will do good for someone based upon what we can gain from them. It is good to work and be compensated for it, but helping those in need should not be done for the same purpose.

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After Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elisha returned and was met by the “sons of the prophets” (2 Kings 2:15). These men were aware that Elisha was the successor of Elijah and that God had taken Elijah.

However, these men had an idea that they could find Elijah. They said to Elisha, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley” (2 Kings 2:16).

Initially, Elisha turned down their suggestion. But as they insisted, he eventually relented. So the fifty men “search for three days but did not find him” (2 Kings 2:17). When they returned and reported this to Elisha, he rebuked them and said, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?” (2 Kings 2:18).

What the sons of the prophets did on this occasion is not uncommon. We may get excited about some idea that we came up with and then refuse to listen to anyone who would advise us against what we planned to do. Yet, if these men had listened to Elisha, they would not have wasted three days in a futile search for someone they would never find.

So do not ignore the voice of reason. Just because we are excited about a plan we have made does not mean it would be a good idea to implement it. There are people around us who can impart wisdom to us and help us avoid unnecessary or foolish endeavors.

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The short book of Obadiah contains the prophecy of God concerning Edom. These people were the descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob. So, in a sense, the nation of Edom was kin to the nation of Israel. Yet they did not act in a brotherly manner toward them.

When violence came against the nation of Israel (“your brother Jacob,” Obadiah 10), Edom did nothing to help. Instead, they “stood aloof” as foreign armies entered Jerusalem and pillaged the city (Obadiah 11).

Yet the Lord also warned Edom, “Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster… And do not loot their wealth in the day of their disaster. Do not stand at the fork in the road to cut down their fugitives; and do not imprison their survivors in the day of their distress” (Obadiah 13-14).

The temptation would be to use the opportunity of their distress to enrich themselves. Yet God made it clear: “As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head” (Obadiah 15). In other words, even though it might seem like they could turn against “Jacob” without consequences, God would hold them accountable and be merciless to them as they had been.

So do not take advantage of others’ misfortune. If others are suffering unjustly, we ought to do what we can to help. But even if we are powerless to assist them, we should at least not join the side of the oppressor because God will hold us accountable for this.

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Before King Ahab went to battle against Ramoth-gilead, he asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to join him in battle (2 Chronicles 18:3). Before agreeing to do so, Jehoshaphat said, “Please inquire first for the word of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 18:4).

The king of Israel gathered four hundred prophets and asked if they should “go against Ramoth-gilead to battle,” and they told him, “God will give it into the hand of the king” (2 Chronicles 18:5). Yet this was not good enough for Jehoshaphat. He was not interested in the answer of the king’s four hundred prophets; he wanted to hear from “a prophet of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 18:6).

So they called Micaiah. After a brief exchange, the prophet of God said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep which have no shepherd; and the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace’” (2 Chronicles 18:16). The prophet then told the king of Israel, “The Lord has proclaimed disaster against you” (2 Chronicles 18:22).

In the end, Micaiah’s prophecy was true. King Ahab died in battle (2 Chronicles 18:34). The word of the king’s four hundred prophets proved to be worthless.

So remember that the majority does not determine truth. Even when there is an overwhelming consensus on a particular issue or course of action, that does not mean it is right or wise. We must consult the word of God to see what He has revealed in order to know what is true.

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One of the events that demonstrated the worthlessness of King Ahab and the wickedness of his wife Jezebel occurred when Ahab wanted to acquire a vineyard that was owned by Naboth. Ahab initially offered to give Naboth a “better vineyard” in exchange for it, but Naboth refused to part with it because the vineyard was “the inheritance of [his] fathers” (1 Kings 21:2-3).

When Jezebel saw Ahab “sullen and vexed” over this (1 Kings 21:4), she promised to get the vineyard for him. However, her plan was not to offer an even “better” vineyard to Naboth. Instead, she conspired to have “two worthless men” accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king so that he could be taken out and stoned to death (1 Kings 21:8-10). This happened exactly according to her plan (1 Kings 21:11-14). After Naboth was dead, Ahab took possession of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:15-16).

It is amazing how often this type of thing happens. Many people immediately conclude that a person is guilty just because someone makes an accusation against them. However, there are times when innocent people are falsely accused. Too many are quick to join the wicked accusers rather than defend the innocent.

So remember that not every accusation is credible. Even two or more people may conspire together (as in the example with Jezebel) to distort the truth and bring harm to someone. Justice demands that we keep from getting swept away with the mob (whether in person or online) and join them in their attacks against someone who has done nothing wrong.

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On Mount Carmel, Elijah won a decisive victory for the Lord over the false god, Baal. When God answered Elijah’s call by sending fire from heaven, the people said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God” (1 Kings 18:36-39). Then the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal were executed (1 Kings 18:40).

However, after this event, Elijah found himself discouraged. The queen threatened his life over what happened to her prophets (1 Kings 19:1-2). After he fled into the wilderness, he prayed to God, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:3-4).

A little later, he told the Lord, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:14). Elijah was a faithful servant of God, yet even he became discouraged.

Yet God was not done with Elijah. So He encouraged him that he was not alone (1 Kings 19:18), that he still had work to do (1 Kings 19:15-16), and then gave him someone who could help (1 Kings 19:16, 19-21). Elijah needed to continue to serve the Lord until his time on earth was over.

So remember that discouragement can destroy us. Even strong, faithful Christians can experience this. Therefore, we need to remember that we are not alone and have work to do for the Lord and then find others who can assist and encourage us.

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After the kingdom was divided following the reign of Solomon, the southern kingdom (Judah) had a mix of good and wicked kings. One of the kings who was mostly good was Asa. He “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father” (1 Kings 15:11).

A common problem during the days of the kings was idolatry. The people of God were often tempted to adopt the idolatrous practices of the nations around them. So the first thing mentioned that Asa did right was that he “put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed the idols which his fathers had made” (1 Kings 15:12).

Attempting to stamp out idolatry was necessary and commendable. Yet doing so required him to confront someone close to him – his mother. “He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron” (1 Kings 15:13). Even though this involved family, Asa was not going to allow that relationship to stop him from doing what he needed to do to please the Lord. This is a lesson that we need to keep in mind today.

So remember that God must come before family. Though it is tempting to tolerate sin in order to maintain peace with loved ones, we cannot do that and please the Lord. Jesus “did not come to bring peace, but a sword,” and if we love family “more than [Him],” then we are “not worthy of [Him]” (Matthew 10:34, 37).

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Because of Solomon’s sin, God took part of the kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam. However, Jeroboam sinned in such a way that God decided to “blot [the house of Jeroboam] out and destroy it from off the face of the earth” (1 Kings 13:34).

When Jeroboam’s son became sick, the prophet Ahijah gave Jeroboam’s wife a message for the king. God reminded him that He had “exalted [him] from among the people and made [him] leader over My people Israel” (1 Kings 14:7). Yet he did “more evil than all who were before [him]” (1 Kings 14:9). Because of this, God said He was “bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam… I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone” (1 Kings 14:10).

This serves as a warning for us. God has abundantly blessed us in this life. Not only that, but we have access to all spiritual blessings in Christ and the hope of eternal life. However, God showed with the example of Jeroboam that one who was blessed by God could still be condemned if he did not obey the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly (cf. 1 Kings 14:8).

So remember that God may condemn us, even after blessing us. We should certainly be thankful to God for all He has given us, yet we should not allow ourselves to become complacent, indifferent, or disobedient after receiving these blessings. Instead, let us serve God wholeheartedly and do what is right in His sight.

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The thirtieth chapter of Proverbs contains the words of a man named Agur (Proverbs 30:1). Like Solomon, who wrote most of the book of Proverbs, this man recognized the value of godly wisdom and, therefore, respected the word of God where this wisdom could be found.

He said, “Every word of God is tested” (Proverbs 30:5). The teachings found in God’s word apply to every area of our lives, and every time they have been tried, they have proven to be the wisest course.

The wise man then said, “He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). Notice that, after describing the “word of God” as being “tested,” he did not say that the word was our refuge (even though it certainly helps protect us from harm). He said that God is a shield and refuge to us through the word He has given.

Because of this, Agur said, “Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar” (Proverbs 30:6). We cannot improve upon God’s word. If it has been given to help protect us from harm, adding to it will not only make us vulnerable to the threats it helps shield us from, but it also puts us in line to receive God’s judgment because we corrupted His word.

So do not add to God’s words. If we truly believe in Him, we should recognize that His word is perfect and needs no improvement. Rather than relying on our own wisdom, let us put our trust in God and His word.

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