God keeps His promises

In 2 Chronicles 23, Ahaziah is dead and his mother has been runing things for 6 years.  By the way, in her first year she had everyone killed who might have a legitimate claim to the throne… or did she?

Joash was young and was hidden by his aunt with her priestly husband.  Now six years later we have a coup in the making.  What is interesting to me is that all this happens because of God’s covenant with David.  God had promised David that his family would sit on the throne.  Ahaziah’s mother is not from the lineage of David.  Jehoida, the priest, forms alliances with the military leaders, goes out and gets all of the priests and levites from the land, and then comes back to the temple to annoint Joash king.

How much time and secrecy does that take.  Many takeovers throughout history are thwarted because people can’t keep their mouths shut.  But God is in this one, so it works.  How about the fact that what they are doing is forming an alliance against the current ruler?  Sounds devious.  It wasn’t, it was necessary to protect Joash.

I thought that God establishes and anoints all leaders.  It doesn’t seem that he established Athaliah to rule.  He is having her removed, via a rebellion, so that His word can be fulfilled and someone from David’s lineage can sit on the throne.  Hmm, now I am actually a bit confused.  Perhaps, she was put in place to get rid of all of the others.  I do not know what kind of king Joash is going to be, but I have a suspicion that he is going to be a godly man.  Perhaps the others had turned away.  Perhaps God needed Athaliah as ruler to get rid of all of those who might opose Joash or compete for the crown.  I do know this, God’s ways are not our ways.

This truly intrigues me.  I mean, I do not have a lot of Greek and Hebrew words to impress you with as do Shoe (or Show in GC’s last blog) and Chandler.  I can’t mesmorize you with the words of Oswald Chambers.  But, perhaps I can stir up some thought that will lead Marshall or even Ben to do some actual research and answer these questions that I am pondering.

What is ultimately VERY cool to me is that God made a covenant with David and He is going to see it through.  Staying true to His word is that important.  I said David will reign so by Me he’s going to.  Stuff happens along the way but God’s plan and promise and never failed.  Now that’s a great thought.  I’m sure if Davi was watching from Heaven, he would be saying something like “not the way I would have done it, but it worked.”  He would have ensured more safety and made it all smooth from one generation to the next.  Well, that isn’t life.  But what I can stand on today is that my God will not allow His word to fall to ground.  It always brings forth fruit and accomplishes what it was set out to do.

Promises, Promises

I read Psalms 91 tonight, apparently I’m a big fan of Psalms. Psalms 91 is about safety in the presence of God. Verse 1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Now that’s  a pretty comforting verse for me, because I believe that the presence of God can be anywhere, so knowing that I abide under the shadow of the Almighty regardless of where or when is great. The main thing about this chapter that stuck out to me is verses 15-16. “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;  I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” I guess this blog goes along the lines of Chan’s post on Leviticus 26..again.  For me particularly, because in my mind, I focus on the consequence of things way too much.  In school, work or whatever, the thing that keeps me from doing something I shouldn’t is the consequence. But how often do I think to myself, “I don’t need to do this because of the benefits of Papa’s promises.” Again, Papa has changed the way I saw something. Apparently I looked at a lot things the wrong way back in my youth.

Lev. 26….again

I read it again and I think I will read it one more time.  This time the things that stuck out are how I ought to be living.  Not so much the punishment of disobedience but the promise of obedience. These great and precious promises, though they relate chiefly to the life which now is, were typical of the spiritual blessings made sure by the covenant of grace to all believers, through Christ. There were some things that stood out to me.  1.Plenty and abundance of the fruits of the earth. Every good and perfect gift must be expected from above, from the Father of lights. The fruits or the earth I guess could either mean the people we are to harvest and plant, or the giftings that are given by Dad.2. Peace under the Divine protection. Those dwell in safety, that dwell in God.  Under every circumstance there is peace somewhere, but that only comes with dwelling in God, and I am not quite sure how that works yet.  3. Victory and success in their wars. It is all one with the Lord to save by many or by few.  The battle that rages on around us will have a successful ending, not just survival or barely scrapping by but success.  4. The increase of their people. The gospel church shall be fruitful. And He add to their numbers daily, Acts 2.  How come our churches are not growing and stay and a small and low numbers?  5. The favour of God, which is the fountain of all Good.  Favour-something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; the state of being approved or held in regard: excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: 6. Tokens of his presence in and by his ordinances. The way to have God’s ordinances fixed among us, is to cleave closely to them.  A reminder or remembrance that He gives us to remind us of His presence.  7. The grace of the covenant. All covenant blessings are summed up in the covenant relation, I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and they are all grounded upon their redemption. Having purchased them, God would own them, and never cast them off.   That is just some of the promises God has given, and He has to honor or He would be a liar, to us if we humble ourselves and obey.  This time around was just as much a Holy fear moment as yesterday, I just got to see this chapter differently.

Dad let me humble myself and live in obedience to what you say.  Every statute, commandment, ordinance and testimony that you say about yourself and about me.  I so desire to have your presence and blessing and favor and peace surround my life.  Today I choose to obey everything you say.