Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents

By Rod Dreher / Sentinel

Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn once noted that people often assume that their democratic government would never submit to totalitarianism---but Dreher says it's happening. Sounding the alarm about the insidious effects of identity politics, surveillance technology, psychological manipulation, and more, he equips contemporary Christian dissidents to see, judge, and act as they fight to resist the erosion of our freedoms. 304 pages, hardcover from Sentinel.

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Thoughts

In these chapters, we read about Joash, and how he was saved from the evil Queen Athaliah, who killed every child of King Ahaziah, who was killed by Jehu. Every child but one. Jehosheba was the sister of King Ahaziah, and when she heard that Athaliah wanted to kill all of his children, she hid one-year-old Joash with the priests in the Temple for six years.

That's quite a story in itself, but this next part is what I find most interesting. At this point, Joash is the only living descendant of King David. Remember God's promise to David? That there would always be one of his descendants on the throne? Yep. So God made sure that Joash was not killed.

And who else was from the house of David? Of course. None other than Jesus of Nazareth.

It would be nice if we could say that Joash grew to be a good and godly king, but such is not the case. Yes, he did right before the Lord while Jehoiada the priest was alive, but once Jehoiada died, Joash took a left turn. He turned away from God, and he and the leaders and the people of Judah began to worship false gods. God then allowed Judah to be defeated by the smaller army of the Arameans, and Joash was wounded. And then his own servants killed him on his own bed. And when he was buried, it was not in the place where the other kings were buried.

A sad ending to a life that was miraculously spared by God, wouldn't you say?

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Would that Joash had kept his eyes on God. Coming from a believing family is no guarantee. He was literally raised in the Temple, with a godly role model in Jehoiada the priest. Parents, grandparents, anyone with influence over children…it is eternally important that you impress upon your children the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today's Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 21-22 ERV, Ch. 23 NET, Ch. 24 NKJV

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