Good x Bad = Bad

1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Psalm 6; Proverbs 18:20-21

 

We’re mixed bags, for the most part. We do good things. And we do bad things. So what does that mean, practically speaking?

 

Well, in terms of our relationship with God, here’s what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that God thinks we’re great. It doesn’t even mean God thinks we’re okay some of the time.

 

God knew about the people of Manasseh, for instance. On the one hand, He knew that They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families (1 Chron. 5:24). But there was also this: [T]hey were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them (1 Chron. 5:25). So does God pat them on the back for their good points?

 

No.

 

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. – 1 Chron. 5:26

 

As far as God is concerned, it doesn’t matter how great we look if we’re also bad. Good times bad equals bad. He sees bad. He responds to bad. He punishes bad. This is not to forget that God is the one who re-creates what is bad and makes it good again. But we ought to remember that God is not interested in a mixed bag of righteousness and wickedness. In our lives, He is looking for righteousness. Which is why we must cast our lives completely into the hands of Christ. Only He can make us righteous before God. In our own strength, we will always be mixed bags.

 

Father, please help me to remember to evaluate my life honestly. Rather than trying to justify my life based on the things I do well, may I remember that in my own strength I am inadequate in my attempts to be good. In my own strength, I am a mixed bag of good and evil, and the evil corrupts the good so that I deserve Your judgment. With this honest evaluation in mind, may I then call on You, recognizing how much I need You to save me. May I remain faithful to You, because You are my only hope.

 

Actions Impact Others

1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Psalm 5; Proverbs 18:19

 

“It’ll only affect me.”

 

We may think that our actions affect no one else. We may think they’re “personal.” When friends try to encourage us to think and act in what they call “better” ways, we may be offended. What business is it of theirs what choices I make for my own lifestyle? “Who’s it gonna hurt?”

 

But Reuben’s genealogical records show that our personal – extremely personal – decisions can have long-lasting effects. Well into the genealogical records, after reading about Judah’s and Simeon’s descendants, we come to Reuben:

 

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father's marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)—the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. – 1 Chron. 5:1-3

 

You remember? All the way back in Genesis, when Reuben slept with one of his father’s concubines (Gen. 35:22)? It seemed to be almost nothing. Just a mention. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. And then the text goes on. A personal choice. No big deal, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Hundred of years later – when the Israelites have passed through hundreds of years of slavery and hundreds of years in their land, and even time in exile – when Reuben’s descendants are listed, the first thing everyone hears about Reuben is that he slept with his father’s concubine. It forever impacted the way the Israelites saw history. His rights as firstborn were given away. The nation looked to Judah as the “strongest” of the brothers, and they looked to Joseph as the one allotted the birthright of a double portion in the land. Reuben’s descendants? They just heard over and over again how their forefather messed both of these things up for them by sleeping with Israel’s concubine. They weren’t the rulers. They weren’t blessed with more land than others. They got nothing but the shameful reminder that they were the descendants of that one, that Reuben, who had slept with his father’s concubine.

 

Our choices impact tons of other people. Sometimes the impact is known, sometimes not. But behaviors have consequences. We’ve all experienced it. Adam, for instance, led all of us into sin by his sin. Fortunately, we’ve been given a way out of this. Jesus died and rose so that we could experience the consequences of His righteous life rather than the consequences of Adam’s sinful life.

 

I bet Reuben’s descendants wished there was a way someone could change what was recorded in their genealogical history like Jesus does for us all. Do we want to keep being known by Adam’s name? Or by Jesus’ name?

 

Father, help me first to remember that my behaviors have consequences and to carefully live in such a way that I don’t harm tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people by my actions. Even as I try to live righteously, may I remember that I can’t be righteous without You, without Jesus Your Son and without Your Holy Spirit. I need You. Thank You that I can be known by Your name. May my descendants be known by Your name, too. Your lineage is the only completely glorious one to have.

 

David, Descendant of Tamar

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4; Psalm 4; Proverbs 18:16-18

 

The Scriptures contain some pretty twisted stories. One that I find extremely uncomfortable is the story of Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar. She married Judah’s oldest son, who died for his wickedness. So Judah gave her his second son, Onan, to be her husband and produce a son for his brother (a cultural way of looking at things). But Onan refused to help her have a son to carry on his brother’s name, so God killed him, too. And Judah was supposed to have her marry his third son. But he was afraid his third son would die, too, so he never ended up letting Tamar marry him.

 

So Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and actually deceived her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her so that she could bear children. And she ended up giving birth to twins. This is all recorded in Genesis 38. It’s just a really twisted story.

 

But it’s important! If Tamar hadn’t deceived Judah into sleeping with her, King David might never have been born!

 

Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. – 1 Chron. 2:4

 

The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. – 1 Chron. 2:5

 

The sons born to Hezron were: Jerahmeel, Ram and Caleb. – 1 Chron. 2:9

 

Ram was the ancestor of King David (1 Chronicles 2:10-15).

 

Father, You know the course of history – from the beginning. Things that repulse us – and that repulse You! – do not prevent You from accomplishing Your purposes. You still do good to us and for us. Thank You for directing history so faithfully, no matter what people do.

 

History in a Bottle

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Psalm 3; Proverbs 18:14-15

 

I used to hate genealogies. Honestly. Think about it. You’re reading through the Scriptures, enjoying some fantastic stories and vivid descriptions. But all of a sudden, you run into this mess of names and lists of who begat whom and who succeeded whom. It slows you down! My temptation was always to speed through so that I could get on to the good stuff again. And then I realized that genealogies are supposed to slow you down.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the fascinating details of stories. Adventures, conflicts, trials, romances, wars, pictures of loyalty and betrayal – they’re all so intriguing. But while we’re reading stories, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. Genealogies give us time to remember where we are in the overall story and why the smaller stories that we love so much actually matter.

 

Here at the beginning of 1 Chronicles we find nine – yes, nine! – chapters of genealogical material. It seems boring. If we hurry through it, it will be boring, because we’ll miss all the interesting connections and all the names that are supposed to remind us about the stories we’ve already enjoyed. But if we slow down, we can re-savor all that we’ve already tasted along the way – and perhaps even pick up some details that help us understand what we’ve read in the past more clearly.

 

The sons of Ham, for instance, are intriguing. What do you notice about their names? Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan (1 Chronicles 1:8). Going back to the beginning: “The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush” (Gen. 2:13). “That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim” (Mizraim is the Hebrew word for Egypt, Gen. 50:11). “Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt” (Ezekiel 30:5). “Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha” (Genesis 10:18b-19).

 

The sons of Ham were people, but the places where their descendants settled were all known by their names! So when we read stories about people traveling through Egypt, or Canaan, or wherever, we not only have an idea where they went geographically. We also know, just by the name of the territory, how characters are related to the people who live in that land. We see long lost relatives show up. Sometimes they act as friends. Often they turn out to be enemies.

 

But this is how genealogies work. They’re like dictionaries or encyclopedias; they serve as references. Each name is an entry in the dictionary, and if we want to learn more about the connections and cultures of the Bible, genealogies are the place where we can find out what names we should study more carefully.

 

Father, thank You that You have given us these genealogies. Thank You first because they remind us of the big picture of Your work in the world. None of the peoples listed in these genealogies at any time or any place was ever out of Your sight. You are directing all of world history. But thank You also because You use these sections of names and relationships to help us understand a culture and people we would otherwise have a very hard time understanding. Help us not to overlook the gift You have given us by including genealogies in Your Word. Most of all, help us to be reminded that You know our needs, and that You see every one of our lives, no matter where we are in history. You are able to keep track of who we are, where we live, what we’ve done. You always are able to see both the big picture and the details – the forest, the trees, and the leaves. You’re amazing!

 

The Hope of the Exiled

2 Kings 23:31-25:30; Psalm 2; Proverbs 18:13

 

The last chapters of 2 Kings are some of the most disheartening chapters in the Bible. God is so angry with his spiritually adulterous people that He has finally had enough. Not only has the northern kingdom of Israel been sent into exile, but now even the southern kingdom of Judah has been exiled to Babylon. David no longer has a descendant on Judah’s throne because David’s descendants have not followed their God faithfully.

 

And yet hope is not completely lost.

 

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. – 2 Kings 25:27-30

 

So what, right? Judah’s still in exile! It’s not like Jehoiachin is back on the throne. He may be treated well, but he’s still a prisoner. Where’s the hope in this picture?

 

This little picture of Jehoiachin’s life reminds me of another Bible character’s story: Samson’s. Do you remember what happened to Samson? The Philistines cut off his hair, which had been devoted to God, and God took away his strength. Then they captured Samson. They put out his eyes. They put him to work grinding grain. It was a totally hopeless picture. Except for this one line: “But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” – Judges 16:22

 

That one line was enough to bring hope back into the story. Samson’s new growth of hair meant a new time of dedication to God as a Nazirite, which meant that God might not be finished with his humbled servant. By the end of the story, God has again used Samson to bring about a mighty victory over the Philistines.

 

It’s the same thing here. King Jehoiachin’s life wasn’t perfect yet. He was still in exile, still humbled. The Davidic descendant was not yet on his throne. But signs of God’s favor were beginning to show up in his life, and they were an indication that God might not yet be finished with David’s descendants or with His people.

 

Father, thank You for signs of hope. We live in a world where things are not good the way they will be when we’re home with You. And honestly, we Your people do not deserve better. We have not been faithful to You as we should have been. We have established our own priorities, set our own agendas, worshiped our own “gods” rather than You. But You still give us signs of Your love for us. You still meet our needs day by day. You feed us. You heal us. You allow us to live in relative comfort, though we’re not yet home. You have given us relative favor with our leaders and politicians, though in this world we should never expect such favor. Thank You for signs of hope, reminders that You still love us and that You are not finished with us. Thank You most of all that Jesus Christ has come, has suffered, has died and has risen again. Thank You that through Jesus You have given us Your Holy Spirit – a wonderful first taste of heavenly life! Your hope gives me strength to walk through the discouragement of living in a sinful, decaying, dying world.

 

A Selfless Heart for God and God's People

2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Psalm 1; Proverbs 18:11-12

 

When King Hezekiah was told that the Babylonians would one day overcome Judah, take away its wealth, and deport some of his descendants, his response was somewhat selfish: "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" – 2 Kings 20:19. Told about coming destruction, he was concerned only for his own life.

 

But King Josiah was different. He was horrified when he realized how much the Judeans had disobeyed God. He knew they were due for punishment. And his heart’s response was right. This is the message he received from God through a prophetess:

 

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, `This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.' Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.' " – 2 Kings 22:15-20

 

So his heart was right. And he would not see the destruction.

 

But for Josiah, that was not enough. He wanted to put all the nation back in a right relationship with God. Everyone needed to be saved from God’s wrath. So he brought God’s Word to the people:

 

He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets--all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD--to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. – 2 Kings 22:2-3

 

And once he had led the people to a renewed covenant with God, he led them to forsake anything that might lead them away from God. He cleared the temple of various idols, got rid of pagan priests, burned Asherah poles, dealt with male shrine prostitutes and women who served other gods, desecrated the high places, broke down shrines, desecrated an altar of child-sacrifice, removed horses dedicated to the sun, destroyed chariots dedicated to the sun, destroyed altars built by the kings of Judah, desecrated high places built by Solomon, and even went up into Israel to deal with the false worship that the Israelite kings had set up by destroying altars, desecrating high places and killing false priests (2 Kings 22:4-20). And after all this destruction, he led the people to celebrate the LORD’s Passover (2 Kings 22:21-23). Josiah continued to root out mediums, spiritists, household gods and idols from Judah and Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:24-25).

 

Josiah’s heart was selflessly devoted not only to God, but to God’s people, too. He wanted them all to know God and be saved from destruction.

 

Father, may we all be so selfless even though we don’t all have the clout Josiah had to make such sweeping changes. May we do what we can to know You ourselves and to help others know You. May we start with our families, but may we also remember our co-workers, our neighbors, our relatives, our clubs – whoever we have the opportunity to turn toward You, may we help them know You for their own good! May it not be enough for us to know that we are safe; may we seek everyone’s safety.

 

King and Pawn

2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Psalm 149; Proverbs 18:8

 

Israel had been deported by Assyria and their king Sennacherib, but Judah had not. Now, however, Sennacherib had his eyes on the kingdom of Judah, too. And he sent some officials to encourage Judah’s people to give in and surrender quickly. One of the arguments these officials made was a claim that Judah’s God had given the people into Sennacherib’s hands:

 

Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it. – 2 Kings 18:25

 

This was obviously possible. God had already given Israel into Assyria’s hands because of Israel’s sins (2 Kings 18:12).

 

But Sennacherib and his Assyrian army were clearly not interested in serving the LORD. They were using His name as a scare tactic, trying to convince Judah that their own God had forsaken them. If Sennacherib had actually been interested in serving the LORD, he could never have said:

 

Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand? – 2 Kings 18:35

 

His arrogance caught the attention of the LORD, the true God whom Sennacherib could not imagine possibly being powerful enough to save Judah from Assyria. And these were God’s words for Sennacherib:

 

Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone…. But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me and your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came. – 2 Kings 19:25, 27-28

 

Sennacherib – king of men, pawn of God. Sennacherib was powerless to accomplish anything without the LORD’s permission. That night the LORD’s angel killed 185,000 of his troops, and when Sennacherib returned to his home city and his home god, his own sons killed him (2 Kings 19:35-37).

 

Father, not only those who love You, but even the most powerful of those who oppose You and Your people are mere pawns in Your hands. You can do whatever You want. But even the most powerful man is weak and vulnerable. I find myself thanking You all over again that You choose to love any of us. We are so despicable. We are so blindly arrogant. Even those of us who aren’t rulers and world leaders strut around town as if the world should bow at our feet. Thank You for Your patience with us. You alone are truly glorious, powerful, wise, wealthy, strong. Thank You for loving little, shameful, foolish, sinful people like me.