2Chronicles 28-30
Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Introduction
Last week we looked at three kings.
Amaziah did some good things, but he was a man of pride. His pride got the nation into trouble as he
tried to take on more than he should have.
His son, Uzziah, was a great man, a thinker, a builder. He did much to rebuild the nation and lead it
in prosperity. But he too became proud,
trying to enter into the Temple
2Chronicles 28
:1-15 Ahaz sin and trouble
:1 Ahaz …did not that which was right
Ahaz – ‘Achaz – “he has grasped”
His parents might have given him his name when he reached out and grasped
one of their fingers.
But it can kind of apply to his life, as he was always grasping for things,
always the wrong things.
Ahaz was a BAD king, one of the worst in the southern kingdom.
:2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel
He followed in the footsteps of the ungodly kings of the northern kingdom
of Israel
Possibly speaking of the golden calves that Jeroboam set
up in Dan and Bethel Jerusalem
Baalim – Ba‘al – “lord”. This is a plural form, “the Baals”. Jehoiada the high priest had eliminated Baal worship, but Ahaz brings it back.
:3 the valley of the son of Hinnom
This valley will eventually be purposely defiled and become a dump where
trash is burned outside Jerusalem
Another way of expressing this phrase in Hebrew is “Gehenna”. This is the origin of the word that will be one of the words translated “hell” in the New Testament, a place of burning fires.
:3 burnt his children in the fire
2Kings tells us it was his son:
(2 Ki 16:3 KJV) But he walked in the way
of the kings of Israel
This is talking about the worship of Molech, the god of the Ammonites.
The worship of Molech involved using a bronze statue of the god, who had
his arms stretched outward.
The little bronze statue was heated in a fire until the metal was red hot.
Then while the chanting grew louder and louder, and the drums grew stronger
and stronger, a little baby was placed alive on the red hot arms, and allowed
to burn to death.
Actually, the worship of Molech was rather practical.
The people also worshipped other gods, like Baal and Ashtoreth,
which often involved sexual immorality in the worship.
And when you've got a loose lifestyle, you end up with extra unwanted
babies.
And Molech worship took care of that.
God did not think highly of Molech worship.
(Lev 20:2-5 KJV) Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel Israel Israel
:4 under every green tree.
In other words, he worshipped anything and everything.
He was a “worship gourmet”, or a “religion connoisseur”
Lesson
A jealous God
Illustration
Someone once asked Elvis why he wore so many gold religious emblems around
his neck. He had a star of David, a cross, a crescent, etc.
He replied, “I'm not taking any chances, uh-huh, uh-huh”
God isn’t thrilled with people who take this “practical” approach, thinking that if they worship everything then they’ll be safe.
(Exo 20:1-6 KJV) And God spake all these
words, saying, {2} I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt
Some people might have the idea that God has a problem if He is jealous.
But how would you feel if your spouse decided to go out and date other people just to “cover all the bases”.
God feels the same way.
:5 LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the
king of Syria Damascus
Damascus Jerusalem
Lesson
The price of unbelief
The prophet Isaiah was on duty in these days.
He came to Ahaz and warned him about the plans that Syria Israel
But God had a way out for Ahaz:
(Isa 7:7-13 ICB) But I,
the Lord God, say, Their plan will not succeed. It
will not happen. {8} That is because
Isaiah was challenging Ahaz to believe God’s promise of deliverance.
(Isa 7:9 KJV) If ye
will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Yet Ahaz did not want to believe the Lord. God even gave Ahaz some
opportunities to help teach him to believe:
{10} Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again. {11} The
Lord said, "Ask for a sign to prove to yourself
that these things are true. It may be a sign from as deep as the place where
the dead are or as high as the heavens." {12} But Ahaz said, "I will
not ask for a sign. I will not test the Lord." {13} Then Isaiah said,
"Ahaz, descendant of David, listen very carefully! Isn't it bad enough
that you wear out the patience of people? Do you have to wear out the patience
of my God also?
At first it sounds very nice of Ahaz to say he doesn’t want to “test” (King James says “tempt”) the Lord. But the point is that He doesn’t want to give God a chance. He didn’t want to trust the Lord.
Isaiah warns Ahaz about where his unbelief was leading him.
(Isa
We’re going to see just how bad these troubles are. All
that follows is a result of Ahaz refusing to trust in the Lord. It’s the
horrible price of unbelief.
:6 Pekah the son of Remaliah
This is the king of the northern kingdom of Israel
:6 slew in Judah
This is a huge number. They have had a horrible defeat because they had forsaken the Lord and refused to trust Him.
:7 slew Maaseiah the king's son
Ahaz loses his own son, among many others.
:8 carried away captive of their brethren two hundred
thousand … to Samaria
Samaria Jerusalem
This all sounds pretty bad for Ahaz, but it could have been worse.
The writer of 2Kings records,
(2 Ki 16:5 KJV) Then Rezin king of Syria Israel Jerusalem
Even though Syria Israel
:9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded
Oded – ‘Owded
– “restorer”
This is the only time we see this man. His ministry is to the northern kingdom.
:9 ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.
rage – za‘aph – rage, raging, storming, indignation
It sounds like the hatred and anger was pretty heavy during the fighting.
Sometimes a war has to be fought. But it doesn’t have to be fought like this.
:11 deliver the captives again
Lesson
Be merciful.
The army from the northern kingdom needed to be careful.
They had been used by God to bring judgment on the southern kingdom because of the southern kingdom’s sins.
Yet they had their own sins to be worried about.
They would be judged in the same way they were bringing judgment.
(Mat 7:1-2 KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged. {2} For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall
be measured to you again.
We need to be careful about becoming angry, judgmental, or critical of others.
How do you want to be judged by others for your sins?
Have you ever been “misjudged” by someone? Have you ever had someone condemn you for something when they didn’t understand the situation correctly?
We need to be careful about forming judgments on others. What if we’re wrong?
:15 clothed all that were naked among them, and
arrayed them … to Jericho
Jericho Jerusalem Jerusalem
An amazing display of compassion and mercy.
It makes me think of:
(Mat 25:31-40 KJV) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and
all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
{32} And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them
one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep
from the goats: {33} And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the
goats on the left. {34} Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world: {35} For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: {36} Naked,
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came
unto me. {37} Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we
thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave
thee drink? {38} When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and
clothed thee? {39} Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
{40} And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me.
:16-25 From bad to worse
:16 At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings
of Assyria to help him.
Ahaz never intended to take up God’s offer of help (Isaiah 7). All along he
planned on asking Assyria for help.
He wanted the Assyrians to come and attack the northern kingdom of Israel Syria
Josephus writes,
Now this king, upon the reception of
those ambassadors, came to assist Ahaz, and made war upon the Syrians, and laid
their country waste, and took Damascus by force, and slew Rezin their king, and
transplanted the people of Damascus into the Upper Media, and brought a colony
of Assyrians, and planted them in Damascus. (254) He also afflicted the land of Israel
What’s amazing about this is that Isaiah warned Ahaz that the Assyrians would hurt him, not help him.
(Isa 7:17 ICB) The Lord will
bring some troubled times to you. Those troubles will come to your people and
to the people of your father's family. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria to fight against you.
(Isa 7:20 ICB) The Lord will use
Assyria
to punish Judah Assyria
will be hired and used like a razor. It will be as if the Lord is shaving the
hair from Judah Judah
:17 For again the Edomites had come
Edom
:18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country
The Philistines once again regained dominance in the area along the coast.
Philistia – See map
:19 he made Judah
naked – para‘– (Hiphil) to cause to refrain; to show lack of restraint; to let loose restraints
(2 Chr 28:19 NASB) he had brought about a
lack of restraint in Judah
Lesson
Set a good example
A bad example is likely to spread to others.
(1 Cor 5:6 KJV) Your glorying is not
good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump?
If others see you doing some bad thing, and then get away
with it, they’re likely to say, “Gosh, maybe it’s okay
to do this ...”
Ahaz’s bad example became the pace-car for the
nation’s race downhill.
:20 And Tilgathpilneser
king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but
strengthened him not.
Tilgathpilneser –Tiglath Pil’ecer – “thou will uncover the
wonderful bond”. Also called Tiglath-pileser
It seemed like a good idea, but in the end it hurt more than it helped.
He ended up with a huge tax burden from the Assyrians, they never restored
any of his cities to him, and in the removal of Syria Assyria
coming down and wiping out the rest of Israel Judah
Lesson
Fleshly help is deceitful.
Ahaz was trusting in his own fleshly ideas and not in the Lord.
David knew to trust the Lord.
(Psa 20:7 KJV) Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah would also get it right in regards to the Assyrians:
(2 Chr 32:8 KJV) With him is an arm of
flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles.
Trusting in the Lord doesn’t mean that you don’t take action.
But trusting in the flesh means that you aren’t trusting in the Lord.
:22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD
Lesson
When you’re struggling, don’t make
things worse!
Ahaz had been struggling because God had brought the Syrians and Israelites against him because of his idolatry.
But rather than respond in the manner that God desired, which was repentance, he responded by making things worse.
Illustration:
When you take lifesaving classes, one of the things they teach you is to be very careful when you rescue a drowning person.
The tendency of a non-swimmer is to flail their arms around wildly, and what can happen is that they can grab on and actually drown the person trying to rescue them.
Lifeguards are taught if necessary to knock you out if you’re struggling too much, so you don’t end up drowning them while they’re trying to rescue you.
Instead of fighting God’s work, give in, and it goes much easier!
:23 Because the gods of the kings of Syria
It’s kind of interesting to peek inside of Ahaz’s
mind.
He’s referring to how when the Syrians came against him (Ahaz), they raked him over the coals.
But he’s also conveniently forgetting that these gods of the Syrians didn’t help them much against Tiglathpileser.
It seems that one of the ways that he sacrificed to these gods was to build
an altar like the altar in Damascus
(2 Ki 16:10-11 KJV) And king Ahaz went to
Damascus Assyria ,
and saw an altar that was at Damascus
Lesson
What “works” isn’t always right
Amaziah worshipped the gods of the Edomites and was rebuked because he had beaten their gods.
Now Ahaz worships the “victor” gods, but that’s not right either.
What’s right?
Worship God and God alone.
What’s amazing is that worshipping God isn’t just right, it works!
Keep in mind all the destruction that Ahaz went through. Compare it to what God will be doing with his son Hezekiah. God will bring great help to Hezekiah because Hezekiah served the Lord.
:24 cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God
Not only did Ahaz bring in a new altar like the one in Damascus
(2 Ki 16:17-18 KJV) And king Ahaz cut off
the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down
the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement
of stones. {18} And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the
house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for
the king of Assyria .
Lesson
Designer worship
Sometimes we can get lost in what true worship is all about.
We can get to thinking that “true worship” means having cool music, lights, flashy kinds of stuff.
I think it’s nice that we do things “well” for the Lord, but true worship involves the heart, not the “stuff”.
:25 he made high places to burn incense unto other gods
It seems that Ahaz worshipped the Assyrian gods as well. Josephus records:
Now this king was so sottish and thoughtless of what was for his own good, that
he would not leave off worshiping the Syrian gods when he was beaten by them,
but he went on in worshiping them, as though they would procure him the
victory; (256) and when he was beaten again he began to honor the gods of the
Assyrians; and he seemed more desirous to honor any other gods than his own
paternal and true god, whose anger was the cause of his defeat: (257) nay, he
proceeded to such a degree of despite and contempt [of God’s worship], that he
shut up the temple entirely, and forbade them to bring in the appointed
sacrifices, and took away the gifts that had been given to it.[2]
:26-27 Ahaz dies
2Chronicles 29
:1-2 Good Hezekiah
:1 Hezekiah began to reign
Hezekiah – Y@chizqiyah – “Jehovah has made
strong”
:2 And he did that which was right
This is one of the best of the good kings.
(2 Ki 18:5-6 KJV) He trusted in the LORD
God of Israel Judah
:3-11 Hezekiah’s challenge to the
Levites
:3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.
Ahaz had shut the doors of the Temple
(2 Chr 28:24 KJV) And Ahaz gathered
together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the
house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him
altars in every corner of Jerusalem
Hezekiah opens the Temple
Lesson
What do you want to do today?
The very first thing that Hezekiah does is work on restoring the Temple
I kind of get the idea that he was just waiting for the day he’s be king so he could straighten things out.
The first chance he gets to be on his own, he spends it seeking the Lord.
What would you do if you had tomorrow off, and could spend the day doing anything you wanted?
You can see this living in the life of the kings:
When Jehoram got to take over from his father Jehoshaphat, the first thing he does is kill all his brothers and institute Baal worship.
When the high priest Jehoiada dies, Joash goes into idolatry.
When good king Jotham dies, Ahaz went after other gods.
When Hezekiah gets his chance, he runs to the Lord.
:4 gathered them together into the east street,
This is an open area in front of the East gate of the Temple
:5 sanctify now yourselves
sanctify – qadash – to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate
This was done by washing (Ex. 19:10 ,
14), avoiding defilement (Lev. 11:44 ),
and refraining from intercourse (Ex. 19:15 ).
They needed to get ready for work.
Lesson
Wash for work
God is gracious to use us when we are dirty.
But I have this idea that He prefers to use clean vessels.
Illustration
A country preacher was walking the backroads near
his church. He became thirsty so decided to stop at a little cottage and ask
for something to drink. The lady of the house invited him in and in addition to
something to drink, she served him a bowl of soup by
the fire. There was a small pig running around the kitchen. The pig was
constantly running up to the visitor and giving him a great deal of attention.
The visiting pastor commented that he had never seen a pig this friendly. The
housewife replied: “Ah, he’s not that friendly. That’s his bowl you’re using.”
I think that God can use “pig bowls”, but I think He prefers that we make sure the bowl is clean first.
We get dirty. Let God wash you.
:11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
Lesson
Priestly duties
The ministry of priest:
1.
Standing in God’s presence (“before Him”)
I think that sometimes I get too busy and running too fast and think that somehow God is going to fit into the two minute slot that I’ve allowed for Him.
He is God. I need to give Him top priority. I need to learn to live in His presence.
2.
Serve Him
Don’t get past being a servant. There should be nothing that we wouldn’t do for the Lord if He asks us.
3. Minister to Him
I think the idea here is not what we do “for” the Lord, but what we do “to” the Lord.
minister – sharath – (Piel) to minister, serve, minister to
The word is used in:
Ex 30:20 When they go into the tabernacle of
the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they
come near to the altar to minister, to
burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:
It’s at the “altar” that the priest “ministers”. It’s where he offers the sacrifice.
This makes me think of our worship, our “sacrifice” of praise.
Things happen when we “minister” to Him.
(Acts 13:1-3 KJV)
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and
teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch,
and Saul. {2} As they ministered to the
Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for
the work whereunto I have called them. {3} And when they had fasted and prayed,
and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4.
Pray (burn incense)
God wants us to be men and women of prayer.
:12-19 House cleaning
:12 the sons of the Kohathites…of the Gershonites
Kohath, Merari
– two of the three families of Levites (along with Gershom)
:13 of the sons of Asaph
sons of Asaph – singers
:14 And of the sons of Heman…of Jeduthun
Heman, Jeduthun – more singers
:16 brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple
Accumulated dirt as well as implements of Ahaz's
idolatrous worship (2 Kings 16:15 ).
It’s been a long time since anyone cleaned in the Temple Temple
:17 in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
They took sixteen days to clean the Temple
:20-36 Rededicating the Temple
:21 seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats…
Lev. 4 –
Hezekiah isn’t taking any chances. He’s covering all the bases concerning sin offerings.
Sin offerings were broken down by who did the sin.
If a priest sinned – a young bullock
If the nation sinned – a young bullock
If a ruler sinned – a male goat
If an ordinary person sinned – a young female lamb
:23 they laid their hands upon them:
Identification – these goats now represented the nation.
:26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
There’s music in the celebration.
:28 all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
It seems that this would have taken some time, especially if they wait
until the burnt offerings are completely consumed in the fire.
:30 …with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer
They used the old worship songs.
:34 for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
Lesson
Prepared for ministry
The Levites were more prepared. They were clean.
As a result, they were able to participate in the ministry even beyond what they had expected.
It’s not in vain that you keep yourself clean.
2Chronicles 30
:1-12 A call back to God
:1 And Hezekiah … wrote letters …to keep the passover
This Passover will take place sometime near the first year of Hezekiah’s reign, after he has had the Temple
Passover –
This was to be at the heart of Judaism.
It was a time of remembering – how God had delivered them from the slavery
of Egypt Egypt
It was to be celebrated every year, though that hadn’t been done in a while.
It centered around a Lamb and His blood.
Jesus is our Passover.
It was at the Passover that He celebrated the Last Supper, the next day going to the cross. I can’t help but think that there’s a picture here of how we ought to invite people to Jesus.
:2 to keep the passover in the second month.
In the second year after having led the people out of Egypt
Hezekiah and the people are in the same type of situation. When Hezekiah
became king and began to have the Temple Temple
:5 … for they had not done it of a long time in such sort
It’s been a long time since there’s been a complete Passover with Jews
coming from all over Israel Jerusalem
:6 So the posts …turn again ..and he will return
posts – ruwts – to run; runners
Lesson
He’s waiting for you to turn
If you turn to God and He will turn to you.
(James 4:8 NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
We can sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that we’ve strayed too far from God. In reality, all you have to do is turn around and you’ll see that He’s right there.
:8 yield …and serve …that the fierceness of his wrath may turn
These people were in the process of receiving God’s judgment because they had stopped worshipping God and had been worshipping idols. Their nation was barely hanging by a thread before the Assyrians would completely wipe them out.
We too are deserving of God’s wrath.
(Eph 2:3 KJV) …were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others.
(Eph 2:1-5 ICB) In the past your spiritual lives were dead because
of your sins and the things you did wrong against God. {2} Yes, in the past you
lived the way the world lives. You followed the ruler of the evil powers that
are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to
obey God. {3} In the past all of us lived like them. We lived trying to please
our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. We should
have suffered God's anger because of the way we were. We were the same as all
other people. {4} But God's mercy is great, and he loved us very much. {5} We
were spiritually dead because of the things we did wrong against God. But God
gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God's grace.
We too can escape God’s wrath as we “yield” to Jesus and learn to “serve” Him.
:9 if ye turn again …your children shall find compassion
Lesson
Your following the Lord affects the
lives of others.
Hezekiah’s message to these people was that if they would return to the Lord, then it would have an effect on their families and friends who had already been taken captive by the enemy.
We may get to thinking that it’s not that big of a deal that we stay close to the Lord.
Yet other people are influenced and affected by our lives.
Where would people be walking if they were walking in your footsteps?
Lesson
Give people a chance before it’s too
late.
The Passover takes place in Hezekiah’s first year. It will not be until the
fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign that the Assyrians begin their siege of the
city of Samaria
In a sense, this is a “last chance” warning to the people of the northern
kingdom of Israel
Jesus could come and take us home any day.
There is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow.
Illustration
The story is told of a family that moved into a new community. They were
promptly visited by two elders and the pastor of a nearby church who cordially
invited them to attend the services on the Lord’s Day. The man assured them
that he would come just as soon as he got straightened out. Several months
passed, and he still hadn’t put in an appearance, so the minister called again
and repeated his invitation. But he received the same reply. The fellow hadn’t
yet gotten everything straightened out, but he’d be there just as soon as he
did. A few weeks later he died, and his widow asked to have the funeral
services in the church. The preacher graciously agreed. It was indeed a sad
affair. Later when a member of the congregation asked the pastor if the man was
a Christian, he answered, “He never attended services here, and no one can
recall ever hearing him give a testimony of his faith in Christ, so I can’t
say. I only know he was a man of his word. He promised to come to church just
as soon as he got straightened out—and he did!”
:10 but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
Lesson
Some will mock
Lt. John Gomez is the brother of Kim Beller. He is currently on a guided
missile cruiser in the Persian Gulf . I was sent a copy
of a letter he wrote to his family and friends back home. In the letter he
shares his discouragement as being what seems the “lone
Christian” among a crew of 350. He writes,
…What happens, though, if this freedom of choice which we have grown so
accustomed to having suddenly is taken away? What if you weren’t able to go to
the church to fellowship with other Christians? Or for that matter what if
there weren’t any churches period? What happens if your Christian radio station
during your drive to/from work was suddenly taken away? No more Christian
friends, no more Bible studies during mid-week. Nothing.
What would you do then? How long could you hold off Satan without your friends
around to use as a crutch? Or your pastor to answer
questions? How long could you last before compromising? Now you can
begin to understand my world. Welcome to a day in the life of a Born Again
Christian stationed on any ship currently in the Arabian Gulf .
“Do not be conformed to this world” is not an easy task out here. Christians
are greatly outnumbered and make easy targets for the supernatural beings
involved in this spiritual battle called the Arabian Gulf .
…Satan is very much involved in re-establishing his kingdom. He is doing everything he can to protect his interests. His battle plan? Demoralize and render all Christians useless. Attack all Christians and make them conform to be like everyone else. Attack, attack, attack until they compromise. It is different being on a ship over here in the Gulf. We wake up and are at work. We don’t have the liberty of going home to Christian safeguards. There aren’t any church services, Bible studies, Men’s or Women’s groups. You have your Bible and that is it. At home, you can surround yourself with Christian friends. Out here things are different. For mere companionship you have to become friends with non-Christians here, because that is all you have. Satan knows this very well. He does everything he can to hinder any topics concerning Christianity. It is like clockwork. Begin to talk about Jesus or about your beliefs, and within seconds someone else will come in, or the phone will ring, or an alarm will go off. It never fails. Pulling into ports is a bitter-sweet thing in itself. You want to go and see the sights, and everyone else wants to go to bars and drink all night long. Tell someone you don’t drink and you are setting yourself up for indirect ridicule. At first they think you are kidding, but when you stand firm they are completely shocked. Then they try to get you to drink anyway. No one likes hanging out with someone who doesn’t use profanity or thinks he/she is too Holy to drink. That is how it begins. Once you are identified, you are marked as an outsider. They think you are too good for everyone else. Everyone feels awkward with you or feels intimidated being around you. Keep in mind these people are the only friends you can have out here and now they just rejected you. Satan does everything he can to smash your name into the ground. Loneliness, rejection, ridicule are all the emotional states a Christian experiences when he/she takes a stand out here. So my question to you is how long could you last? Still think the Christian military life is easy?
A few months back there were some young kids riding skateboards on the church property. I was concerned about the damage they were doing, so I confronted them. Their first response was something like mockery and ridicule. They wanted to know who I was that I should be telling them what to do. It kind of caught me off guard and I found myself instinctively drawing back.
We need to be careful about our reaction to mockery. The truth is the one who is mocking you is in a far worse place before God than you are. We need to somehow look past our feeling of humiliation and have compassion on people.
Jesus faced mocking while He was on the cross.
The crowd mocked Him.
(Mat 27:39-43 ICB) People walked by and insulted
Jesus. They shook their heads, {40} saying, "You said you could destroy
the
Jesus responded by saying,
(Luke
Even the thieves who were being crucified with Him mocked Him.
(Mat 27:44 ICB) And in the same way, the robbers
who were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Yet one of them realized that Jesus was different.
(Luke 23:42-43 KJV) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. {43}
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me
in paradise.
