Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2183117951984132/?source_id=181918175166472

July 4th

Our bible reading today is in 2 Kings chapters 9,10,11.

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and murdered all the royal family.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭

“And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭10:7‬ ‭

“And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot King Joram between the shoulders so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭9:24‬ ‭

She “Murdered” the royal family. They “Slaughtered” 70 sons and beheaded them and sent them for an offering. And, he personally “Assassinated” the king of Israel and the king of Judah on the same day.

All of these grizzly deaths were prophesied many years before they were carried out. Did God know about them? Yes! Did God allow them? He did more than that. God ordained them. They were God’s judgment upon sin. God’s judgment upon the “unbelieving”. God’s judgment upon the “pretenders” in the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah.

We relish the Bible stories of God’s tender mercies and sufficient grace upon His own people of faith. We enjoy the passages in the Bible that show God’s goodness to His creation. But then we read passages like Jeremiah 1:10. “See, I (God) have set you (Jeremiah) this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow...‭‭And we pause to think and even question.

“Did God ordain the “uprooting” of families in Judah? Yes. Did God ordain the breaking of hearts in Judah? Yes. Did God ordain the destruction of cities in Judah? Yes. Did God ordain the overthrowing of kings in God’s promised land? The answer is Yes.

Yes, God’s holy, righteous, loving purposes were and are always perfectly accomplished in His judgments upon earth, especially for the sake of the gospel and the salvation of His children of faith.

Let’s read one more biblical illustration of God’s involvement in the judgment upon men...

“And God said to Ezekiel, “I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. “Then they shall know that I am the Lord”, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭30:24-25‬ ‭

Did you hear it? God judged Egypt by “His” sword put into the hands of Babylon. God started and finished a war between two pagan nations. And why would He do that? He would do that to reveal Himself to the nations, including Israel and Judah, including those of us who are apart of His Kingdom today in and through Jesus Christ.

Enjoy the story.

Have a great day