Wednesday: At the End of the Dead End
Read 2 Chronicles 36:11-14. What do these verses tell us about the last king of Judah before the final destruction of the nation? What spiritual principles of apostasy are revealed in these texts?
Zedekiah (also known as Mattaniah) took the throne at the age of 21, placed there by Nebuchadnezzar as a puppet king. Unfortunately, as the texts say, he hadn’t learned many lessons from what had gone before with previous kings, and as a result he brought even greater ruin to the nation.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
Second Chronicles 36:14 states something very profound, a point that in many ways went to the heart of their apostasy. Amid the list of all the evil done under the reign of Zedekiah, it is said that Judah was following all the abominations of the nations
(NKJV).
There they were, hundreds of years after the Exodus, hundreds of years as the covenant people who were to be a light and a beacon to the nations (Deut. 4:5-8), and yet they were still so caught up in the prevailing culture, so caught up in the cultural and religious environment of their neighbors, that they were doing all the abominations
of the pagans.
Might there be a message there for us?
Read Jeremiah 38:14-18. What did the king ask him, and why?
The Lord had made it clear on numerous occasions that the nation was to submit to the rule of Babylon, that this conquest was punishment for their iniquity. Zedekiah, however, refused to listen, and he formed a military alliance against Nebuchadnezzar. Israel relied heavily on the hope of an Egyptian military victory. But Nebuchadnezzar was victorious over Pharaoh’s army in 597 b.c. This defeat permanently sealed the fate of Jerusalem and the nation. Despite so many opportunities to repent, to reform, to be revived, Judah refused.
We as a church have been raised up to proclaim a message to the world that no one else in the world is proclaiming. In many ways that is very similar to what Judah was to do. What lessons can and should we learn for ourselves from their mistakes?
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We as a church have been raised up to proclaim a message to the world that no one else in the world is proclaiming. In many ways that is very similar to what Judah was to do. What lessons can and should we learn for ourselves from their mistakes?
we Adventist are caught up in the frenzies and cultures of the world.
1). We are not familiar with our mission and purpose with the Lord of the Work and The Work of the Lord the more reason we are half hearted in discipling the people in our sphere of influence around us. We haven't been honest with God in this predicament like Jeremiah and we need to do that so that the coal of fire from the Throne of God burns our tongue for Holy Spirit's zeal and fervor in us to fly the message.
2). We have been caught up in the cultures, decrees of the world and we worry about how they view and accept us. These are the idols we have to eradicate with the Holy Spirit as in Romans 8 "12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received 2a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (Taken from the New American Standard Bible version)
Thus the Holy Spirit together with our willingness must eradicate the deeds and cravings of the flesh including the manias and fever of the worlds offerings. We should follow Ezekiel's warning and advice
Chapter 14
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
1 Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.
2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?
we should be wary of this verse
13 “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast,
14 even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God.
So one Idol is just being a spectator as a church member, is a sin that the Master Deceiver lures us as if it is insignificant but it will nullify our place in heaven for we are obligated to the people in our sphere of influence for their death is on our heads. I would remind us again of 1 John 3:16
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
I pray that we should be wary of our small hidden idols from our lives so we can fly the 3 Angel's Message so we can go Home.
As for me and my house, we need to plead with our Father and Saviour in Heaven to wake us up!!! That He will place a sense of urgency in our minds and seal us with His Law. That we will be faithful in proclaiming from the house top that Jesus is at the door.... His coming for His faithful church is imminent.
There was trouble among the remnant in Judah, those who had not been taken and enticed to drink of the wine of Babylon (Daniel 1:8; Ezekiel 4:13; Revelation 14:8). These were privileged, having been born in the home of truth and not forced to dwell and sing the Lord’s song in a strange land (Psalm 137:1-4); at least not yet.
Still many chose to model the environment of Babylon, adopt their corrupt ideas, practice their abominations and defile the temple of God, both the building and their own bodies (2 Chronicles 36:14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
At the same time the Redeemer was working with another remnant or faithful flock in Babylon, a group who would be called out at an appointed time, and return to a hope and a future of great value (Jeremiah 29:10-14). Of course not all would return when the Persian king gave the decree of freedom (Jeremiah 51:6-8; Ezra 1:1-4; Revelation 18:4). Yet some did respond to the loud cry (Ezra 2:1).
The Savior is ever trying with the people, and ready to recover the faithful wherever they may be found (Ezekiel 36:24); if the people will only say, “Yes Lord, to your will and to your way.” Today is someone’s opportunity. Go ahead and say, “Yes.” (Hebrews 3:7)
Jehovah's message was submit to the rule of Babylon.
Must we also submit to the "Babyylon" of today?
I don't agree with the author of this lesson when he compares the church with a nation. The analogies are soon to fall if you stick to them too firmly. The only thing we can learn from Judah's last days is that we have to obey God's word and listen to His prophets.
We should submit to the extent that the laws of men are not in conflict to the laws of God. Pay your taxes to governments (give Ceaser what belongs to him and God give him what belongs to him). Never participate in the military overthrowing of government or conniving to do like wise, this even under dictatorship rule.
Shirley,
We must not submit to the "Babylon" of today because it is one of the direct instruction to come out of her.
Patrick,
You are so right! We must be careful when we study messages that Jehovah has given in another time, place and circumstance, we must discover the principle behind the message and take that to heart.
I see the principle of this message "submit to Babylon" as being:
A complete new start.
Similar to the times of Noah when Jehovah saw that men's thought were only always evil and he had to destroy everything and start again with the remnant He saved.
Here with Israel, he was sending them into exile for awhile to realize how bad they had been and when they truly repented and desired to once more be His people He would let them return to Jerusalem
The Lord wanted them to come to their senses, and to submit to the rule of Babylon is the fruit of their disobedience
God's words through jeremiah. How is God's love and grace revealed, for i know the plans i have for you. Plans to prosper me, to give me hope. What promiss can you claime frome God for"afuture and ahope" even now regardless of your circumstances?
The Lesson is very clear " Listen and Follow God" My People perish for the lack of there knowledge .The warning of The 3 Angels has already gone out to the world \" Come out of Babylon My People \" come out of her Teaching and Corruption is that what are the kings were doing alliance with evil, The king was given a second chance by GOD to repent by surrendering to the king of Babylon, not for us to surrender to spiritual Babylon.