BREAKING The CYCLE In A LAND MISLED-I —
2Kings 16:01-18; 18:01-07, 14-16; 19:1-7, 14-20, 35-37
OR:
Overcoming Political Compliance/Acquiescence
Overcoming The Politics of Spiritual Acquiescence.
Attention:
1787—Benjamin Franklin, eldest member at the Constitutional Convention—"I've lived, sir, a long time, & the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, & I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."
•King Ahaz of Judah’s reign was marked/defined by political expediency, acquiescence, & compliance.
•A land defined by those things is misled & to be pitied.
•Why/How should the cycle of misleading be broken?
•18 reasons for breaking the cycle of misleading in our land.
*In a misled land there is much that is Wasted, until that cycle of mismanagement is broken.
1—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
PRIVILEGE(16:1)
Explanation:(16:1)
16:1—“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.”
Pekah was King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for 20yrs(752-732BC). In Pekah’s 17th regnal year, the king of Judah—named Ahaz—began his regnal year(735BC).—John H. Walton in ’Chronological & Background Charts of the Old Testament’(1978)[JHWChronCharts] / ISBE(1979) / Edwin R. Thiele in ‘The Mysterious Numbers Of The Hebrew Kings.’(1983)[ERTMystNumb].
Ahaz was the 12th king of Judah(735-715BC).—ISBE(1979)
Ahaz was the son of Jotham. Jotham was the former king of Judah who had reigned 16 yrs beginning in the 2nd year of the Northern Kingdom’s Pekah(2Kgs. 15:27, 32-33).—NAC
What did Ahaz do with his privilege as king?...
•Ahaz “leaves a legacy of appeasement & syncretism unmatched to this time. Assyria can count on him for money, loyalty, & zealous acceptance of their gods.”
Argumentation:
1Kgs. 10:4-9—“And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters & their apparel, his cupbearers, & his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words & your wisdom. “However I did not believe the words until I came & saw with my own eyes; & indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom & prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men & happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you & hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice & righteousness.”
Mk. 4:9-12—“And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, “so that ‘Seeing they may see & not perceive, And hearing they may hear & not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’”
Rev. 22:14—“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, & may enter through the gates into the city.”
Illustration:
Of all the people groups in the world, we are entirely blessed & privileged to be Americans/What do you do with that privilege?/PRIVILEGE
My father was an established dentist when I was born/My parents paid for my entire undergraduate education/My parents bought my second car as a reward for graduating/I am a person of great PRIVILEGE
Application:
?Is there a wasted PRIVILEGE in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
2—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
RESPONSIBILITY(16:1)
Explanation:(16:1)
16:1—“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.”
Kingship is about sovereignty. Total authority to do as one pleases.
With kingship comes a whole host of people who bolster & underwrite the authority.
Argumentation:
1Kgs. 3:5-12—“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; & God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, & in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, & You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good & evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, & have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise & understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.”
Prov. 31:1-9—“The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink & forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink & forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor & needy.”
Acts 1:8—Jesus exhorted His disciples/followers/people—“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Application:
?Is there RESPONSIBILITY that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
3—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
YOUTH(16:2a)
Explanation:(16:2a)Youthful Bullheadedness
16:2—“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, & he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; & he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done.”
?How many times have we heard news reports of our own towns & cities filled with only young people who are willing to forego godly morality for the sake of self?
?How many times have we heard news reports of war-torn areas filled with only young people who are murderous for a particular cause that has not been well- thought-out?
Young people are stronger physically. And they seem to forget that they are mortal. They do not consider the reality that death is a part of life. Because of those attitudes, young people can become arrogant.
Yet it does not have to be that way...
Lk. 2:52—“And Jesus increased in wisdom & stature, & in favor with God & men.”
Argumentation:
1Kgs. 12:1-19—After his father Solomon’s death—“And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon & had been dwelling in Egypt), that they sent & called him. Then Jeroboam & the whole assembly of Israel came & spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, & his heavy yoke which he put on us, & we will serve you.” So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, & he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, & serve them, & answer them, & speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, & consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’--thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! ‘And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’” So Jeroboam & all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” Then the king answered the people roughly, & rejected the advice which the elders had given him; & he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!” So Israel departed to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, & he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.”
1Jn. 2:12-14—“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, & the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.”
1Tim. 4:12--5:3—“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself & to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself & those who hear you. Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger as sisters, with all purity. Honor widows who are really widows.”
Application:
?Is there YOUTH that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
4—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
TIME(16:2b)
Explanation:(16:2b)
16:2—“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, & he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; & he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done.”
?What did Ahaz do with the sixteen years with which the LORD had blessed him?...Ahaz did what he wanted to do & did not honor the true Lord of the people he governed.
Argumentation:
Eph. 5:14-16—“Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Col. 4:5, 6—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Rom. 13:8-14—“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” & if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, & let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry & drunkenness, not in lewdness & lust, not in strife & envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Application:
?What is most important to YOU in the TIME you are allotted?
?Is there TIME that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
5—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
CHOICE(16:2c)
Explanation:(16:2c)
16:2—“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, & he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; & he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done.”
?Who determines whether something—a thought, an action—is “right” or wrong?...
!God who created everything from nothing but His pronouncement to being it into existence!
Argumentation:
Josh. 24:15-18—“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me & my house, we will serve the LORD.” So the people answered & said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; “for the LORD our God is He who brought us & our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, & preserved us in all the way that we went & among all the people through whom we passed. And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
Eph. 5:15-17—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Rom. 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Col. 1:9-14—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
1Pet. 4:1-5—“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, & abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living & the dead.”
Application:
?Is there CHOICE that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
6—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
HERITAGE(16:2d)
Explanation:(16:2d)Davidic
16:2—“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, & he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; & he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done.”
What a waste of a family heritage!
David was a man after God’s own heart...
1Sam. 13:14—the prophet Samuel speaking to Saul the first king of Israel—“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart[king David], & the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you[king Saul] have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
Argumentation:
Cain wasted/discarded his godly heritage:
Gen. 4:1-9—“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, & she conceived & bore Cain, & said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock & of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel & his offering, but He did not respect Cain & his offering. And Cain was very angry, & his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; & it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother & killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?””
Jer. 3:12-15—“Go & proclaim these words toward the north, & say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the LORD. “Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city & two from a family, & I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge & understanding.”
Deut. 6:6-13, 20-24—“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, & shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, & when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates. So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, to give you large & beautiful cities which you did not build,“houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards & olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten & are full--then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the LORD your God & serve Him, & shall take oaths in His name.”.....““When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, & the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ “then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, & the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; ‘& the LORD showed signs & wonders before our eyes, great & severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, & all his household. ‘Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. ‘And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.”
2Tim. 1:3-7—“I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night & day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois & your mother Eunice, & I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power & of love & of a sound mind.”
Application:
?Is there a HERITAGE that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Statements of Benjamin Franklin regarding our need for God’s favor—“We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, & I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
Action:
The cycle must be broken in a land misled misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
1. PRIVILEGE(16:1)
2. RESPONSIBILITY(16:1)
3. YOUTH(16:2)
4. TIME(16:2)
5. CHOICE(16:2)
6. HERITAGE(16:2)
Pt#s 1-6 Presented 06/30/2019am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
