King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Monday, August 03, 2020
Chapters: II Chronicles 33-35
Message: Led By Christ
Hello My Friend,
There is no doubt that those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour are truly blessed, especially if they allow Him to lead their lives. It is one thing to get saved, it is another to live our lives with Christ leading the way after we are saved. Does letting Christ lead come with affliction? Sure, but Christ gives us the strength to endure it with Him. Does it come with chastening? Absolutely, but Christ changes us into His image as we endure it with Him. Does it come with persecution? Without a doubt, but Christ gives us the courage to stand up and endure it with Him. Does it come with sorrows? Unfortunately yes, but Christ comforts us as we endure it with Him. The key to a lasting, loving, blessed life, no matter what we are going through, is to humble ourselves before Him. In fact, Jesus will help us endure every evil that the devil throws at us for our faith. [James 4:8-10 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]
The person Satan goes after more is not the one who was never saved, it is the one who is ready to be saved. If there is anyone in the Old Testament that is a testimony of how God can turn a heart from Satan to him, it is Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son who reigned in Judah after he died. Manasseh, was twelve years old when Hezekiah died, he was still a child, and under the influence of his mother. Raising him under Baal worship, he managed to completely turn the entire nation away from God, and even went as far as to sacrifice one of his children and building idols in the temple.
[II Chronicles 33:1-3,9-13 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.]
[And when he was in affliction,] Believe it or not, it is often affliction that changes ones heart to God as it seeks relief from the pain. While only God can change a heart, He knows from birth whether or not a person will become a reprobate. Now, after Manasseh reigned, his son Amon took over, he did the same thing as his father before he converted, only his heart did not change, and worshiped the idols his father made. Amon only reigned two years, his own servants conspired against him, and that was when his son, Josiah began to reign.
[II Chronicles 34:1-3,8,12 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. 8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.]
[he began to seek after the God of David his father:] Josiah did more to turn the nation of Israel back to God since David was king. First, he got his own heart right, by the time he was twenty he began purging the entire land of Israel from all the abominations that caused Israel to sin against God. At the age of twenty-seven, eighteen years later after his reign began, he had the temple repaired once again, and as they were cleaning up they found something none of them had seen before.
[II Chronicles 34:15-16,18-21 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. 16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it. 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s, saying, 21 Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.]
[Go, enquire of the LORD for me,] This ought to be the reaction of every saved, born again Christian the second they start learning of the judgments of God, and what they need to do to overturn the judgment. Josiah did just that, in fact, just to make sure he understood what was about to happen, he searched the land for someone who could explain it more, and found a prophetess who sent him a message from God that the judgment still stood. While the judgment still stood, God promised that Josiah, and anyone living who stood by Him, would not face the judgment. We who are saved know that Christ will return, and that the judgment of the entire world is coming, God promises us the same peace to our graves as long as we are faithful to Him. And even if we are to be blessed to be raptured out of here before our grave, we would not have to see the evil either as we will be safe in the clouds while it all takes place, [I Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
Josiah was a man who was not afraid to stand up to the big mouths and cry babies of the world who fight against anything moral. And he held them all accountable to follow the LORD with all their heart. Josiah was the last king to restore temple worship to the One True God before the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. Josiah’s leadership abruptly ended when he attempted to stop Pharaoh Necho’s plans to attack the Assyrians, which fulfilled the prophecy by prophetess, Huldah, that he would not have to see the destruction that was about to take place.
[II Chronicles 35:20-24 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. 21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. 22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. 24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.]
[And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.] Once Josiah died, it did not take long for Jerusalem, and all of Judah to return to evil, judgment was coming and it was coming now. God used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Judah, carrying most of the Jews into Babylon.
[II Chronicles 36:1-6 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.]
[Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon God gives those in the world ample time to repent and graciously awaits for them to believe in and accept His Son as their Saviour. God’s methods to reclaim sinners by His Word, faithful ministers, faithful servants, and by their own conscience, shows His great compassion through Christ and unwillingness that none should perish. However, He will not save anyone who will not come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son to save me from the judgment that is about to come, and for the great sacrifice that led to my salvation. I believe and know that I must be born again to be saved, and have fully trusted Your Son as my Saviour to do that. I know that I can never do anything to merit salvation as it has already been bought and paid for by Jesus, but I can live my life the best I can by allowing Your Son to lead me. Lord, Lead me and guide me, let the Holy Spirit work in me so that I am a faithful and true witness, give me the wisdom and discernment of Your Word that I might be able to given righteous judgment, and teach the Gospel in a way that all can understand and know Christ as well. While we cannot change Your mind to the coming judgment, we can be faithful witnesses to lead a few more souls to Christ before He returns. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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