Thursday, January 27, 2011

kings and knights

If you want to read a book (or books) that read like the movies "First Night" or "Kingdom of Heaven", i strongly recommend 1 & 2 kings in the Old Testament, I had not read them in a while and was amazed and reminded of the conspiracies, battles, and double crossing records of what happened in Judah and Israel.

As i had stated in an earlier blog, Judah and Israel where both "stuck in a rut", periodically in the rotation of kings they would get a good one that "Did right in the eyes of the Lord", however for the most part they did not.  Interestingly enough, in each situation God handled it. see verses:


8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king. (NIV 2 Ki 15:8-10)
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king. (NIV 2 Ki 15:23-25)
 
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. (NIV,  2 Ki 15:27-30)
Do you see the common denominator in each account.  One they did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and two they where assassinated.  Thought for the day is this, God will not allow those who do evil, blatantly in His sight to go unpunished.  God is not a mean God, or a God who controls us like robots.  However, those who are openly shaking their fists at God, and blatantly doing wrong, will somehow someway eventually "get theirs" (so to speak).
As you and I spend each day seeing those around us who make fun of what we believe, belittle what we do, or question our motives, remember God will handle it.....
blessings on you, and have a good day :)

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