14:1-15:8 - It makes
depressing reading - a lot of bad news from the north (16), a lot of bad
news from the south (22). Many people wondered, ‘Will there be peace in
my lifetime?’ Sadly, the hostilities continued for a very long time
(15:6). Were there no glimmers of hope? Was there no light at the end of
the tunnel? Had God given up on the situation? There is a Word of hope:
‘The Lord will raise up for Himself a king…’ (14). There is good news.
God is raising up ‘an army of ordinary people, a kingdom where love is
the key’. What part can God’s ‘ordinary people’ play in His
extraordinary purpose? - A very important part: ‘The Church is here for healing of the nations’ (Songs of Fellowship, 20,216). Can there be healing? Yes! - if there is love. Don’t give up hope: ‘May the God of hope…’(Romans 15:13)!
15:9-16:28
- A lot of kings are mentioned here. We soon lose track of their
names. With one solitary exception, they are all better forgotten than
remembered. Thank God for the one glimmer of light: ‘Asa did what was
right in the eyes of the Lord… The heart of Asa was wholly true to the
Lord all his days’ (15:11, 14). We need more people like Asa. God is
looking foe people who will stand out from the crowd, people who will
dare to be different. Pleasing the Lord is more important than pleasing
people. It is so easy to forget this. We want to be popular. This is all
that matters to us. If we are serious about following Jesus, we must be
prepared to go it alone: ‘Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow’ (Mission Praise, 272). Let’s honour God - in our attitudes and actions.
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