Bible In One Year-Day 136 (Friday, May 16, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings21-23. Though King Manasseh was King Hezekiah’s son, he never followed his father’s good steps in the Lord. Though he lived longest amongst the kings, his ways were quite evil in the sight of the Lord. He promoted witchcraft and idolatry in the land of Judah. His reign brought unmatched defilement in the land to the point that God couldn’t keep quiet over it anymore;

2 Kings 21:10-12 “And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.”

From God’s pronouncement, we could see that Manasseh’s atrocities surpassed that of the former inhabitants of the land and God, being a just God, judged him along that line. The cry over Jerusalem in the spirit realm was the cry of vengeance by innocent blood. Manasseh painted Jerusalem red with the blood of innocent people;

2 Kings 21:16 “Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

God sent prophets to him but wouldn’t listen; he continued carrying out his evil imaginations. Though he was of the descendant of those having covenant with God, violating the rules binding the covenant was a thing God couldn’t tolerate. Christians who abuse grace are threading the path of Manasseh. Christians who interpret God’s word to encourage flesh are threading Manasseh’s path. Those who had godly parents but have decided to go another way are in the same category. Those Christians who have compromised the faith for any reason, political or otherwise, are absolutely threading on Manasseh’s path. He was a king who made Judah to sin. Politicians who encourage ungodly act for the purpose of their selfish political ambitions are the present day Manasseh. What we read in the Bible or see around us as God’s judgment are for our examples and not fairy tales as some think;

2 Peter 2:6 “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample to those that after should live ungodly;”

Jesus Himself warned us seriously against acts that invokes God’s judgment which we have witnessed in one way or the other in Luke 13:3 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Every one of us will be given fair hearing on the Day of Judgment; the collared and non-collared Christians, the unbelievers also. Actions will be weighed and books will be read. It would be disastrous for those who have tasted grace but compromised faith in one way or the other. What Manasseh did in Judah was not a good thing. He is likened to somebody who uses God’s blessings and grace to feed God’s enemies. His grandson, Josiah was a good man, but the havoc Manasseh did still affected him despite his love for God. This is the extent to which ancestral sin could negatively affect peoples’ lives;

2 Kings 23:25 “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”

Josiah did thorough spiritual sanitation in the land of Judah and even made them to read the book of the law that was removed from governance (separation of the state and religion). It will surprise us to know that the last time Passover was observed was in the time of Joshua, Josh5:11. Josiah restored observance of Passover in the land of Judah., 2Kings23:21-22. He fulfilled the prophecy that was passed over the altar built by Jeroboam;

1 Kings 13:2 “And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.”

One may wonder why Josiah had to die a cruel death in the hand of his enemies. Josiah was born to fulfill prophecy, i.e. he was prophecy in human flesh.

We need to learn from these two major characters in the three chapters we read. What God says He would do, He will surely do it. How a man dies is not what really matter but how he lived his life as far as God is concerned. Let us live a godly life for the sake of the generation unborn. Hezekiah was to blame in this matter in that his final statement was very selfish, he never cared about the future of his descendant;

2 Kings 20:19 “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

Our next reading is to conclude 2Kings, i.e. 2Kings24&25. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Mark 6:11 “And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

Jude 1:7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Bible In One Year-Day 135 (Thursday, May 15, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings18-20. Hezekiah, an unusual King in Judah, was ruthless against idolatry. His walk with God was likened to that of David and even beyond in that he broke and destroyed the serpent Moses made for the Israelites when they were faced with some difficulties on their journey to the Promised Land. They had perverted the purpose and idolized it. Apart from that, the serpent was done with its purpose. The hatred he had for idolatry made him to remove the serpent from their midst. Unfortunately, many ministries are still following traditions, not following the leading of the Holy Spirit and this has become idols in their midst. This was what Jesus condemned within the Jews.

Matthew 15:3 “But he answered and said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

Mark 7:13 “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

This cannot redeem anyone, no matter how long one remain in that tradition.

1 Peter 1:18 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;”

Though we had Kings before Hezekiah who did what was right in the sight of God, he was different in the sense that he removed the high places which others left untouched. He made sure that his people were restored in the real way of worship in Jerusalem. King of Assyria came to ridicule Hezekiah based on his trust in the God of Israel and even extended the mockery to the God of Israel by comparing Him with other gods;

2 Kings 18:33-35 “Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?”

Hezekiah did not deny his stand with the God of the universe. It was true he had no might as the king of Assyria. He, however, went humbly into the power house of God to tender his grievance. He called Prophet Isaiah into the issue; a lesson for us to know where to go when the enemy or a problem wants to ridicule us and our God. In difficult situations we should learn to call on God in a secluded place where we could hear Him. Hezekiah is very good in tendering prayer letters before God and he was never disappointed at anytime; 2 Kings 19:3 “And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.”

Isaiah read to Hezekiah the reply of God to his letter

2 Kings 19:6-7 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.Behold, I will send a blast (or spirit) upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

From God’s response, we could notice an uncommon weapon God used, “spirit of rumor”. This spirit summoned the servant of the king of Assyria home that he was needed. Christians should be very careful about this spirit. By this spirit, churches rise against one another, men of God condemn one another concerning their callings, and enmities bred amongst Christian brethren. The enemy uses this spirit to bring division in the body of Christ. The spirit of rumor isn’t a good spirit but it could still answer to God when needed. Just as He approved the spirit of lying to deceive the prophets of Baal against King Ahab, He used the spirit of rumor to summon the servant of king of Assyria home to meet his death because he requested for the manifestation of the power of the God Hezekiah trusted in.. The king of Assyria again sent another message to Hezekiah. Again, Hezekiah tendered the evil message before God; 2 Kings 19:14 “And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” Hezekiah’s prayer was deep over this letter and God had no option but to answer. God gave a profound poetic response which wasted no time in coming to pass. Again Hezekiah received a clinical prophecy of death in chapter20, he tender it to God in prayer without wasting time. The life of Hezekiah was one that symbolized the affliction of the righteous. However, he never gave up trusting and praying to Him. The prayer he offered in each problem was deep and effectual; the prayers touched God.

Psalms 11:7 “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”

All these rages were because he pulled down the evil altars in high places. When you go into warfare against ancient gates these are the problems you face; the rage of darkness. But we need to know that God will never forsake His own. Psalm2 says “why do the heathen rage and people imagine a vain thing …” Hezekiah refused to compromise his faith and trust in God and he never regretted. The second stanza of this hymn is quite encouraging “What a friend we have in Jesus”

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

The question I have for you is “are you getting tired of writing letters to God?” I admonish you to learn from King Hezekiah; Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Our reading for today is 2Kings21-23. Keep the fire burning and alive. GOD IS NEVER TIRED OF READING YOUR LETTERS.

Psalms 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15 “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”

Psalms 97:11 “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.”

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Bible In One Year-Day 134 (Wednesday, May 14, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings15-17. These chapters are narratives of rebellious kings, mostly, of Israel. What Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the first king in segregated Israel, left behind as legacy became a stronghold for the descendants of Israel to sin against the God of their fathers;

2 Kings 17:22-23 “For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.”

God was lenient with them initially and sent messages to them by the prophets to repent.

2 Kings 17:13-14 “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.”

Unfortunately, they wouldn’t; rather, witchcraft prevailed in which they made their children to pass through the fire;

2 Kings 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

All these things they did and when God removed them from His sight, the enemy took them captive. They violated God’s command and followed other gods. God had warned them specifically against Molech, the god of sexual sin and children sacrifice just before they entered the Promised Land. The Israelites did exactly what God told them not to do.

Leviticus 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

The cry for repentance was the first message in the New Testament and the first preacher was John the Baptist. After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus continued the message;

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Apostles preached it; Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”

As a matter of fact, the message of the cross is “Repentance”. Many are carrying witnesses about unconsciously which will eventually testify on the Day of Judgment. The image some are carrying on the neck which they call the cross of Jesus and the tie knotted are witnesses to every sinful thoughts. The rings on the fingers are witnesses to bloodshed, the bangles jingle at every evil stone thrown. Those seductive dresses will talk that day. We might think they are subject to perish before then; things could be called out from nothing just for the purpose of witnessing. The things that make a Christian become captive to the enemy are SINS. God loves us just as He loved the Israelites but sin is the problem. When you put anything between you and your God, that thing will eventually become your god. God’s message till today is repentance from all known sin. Human beings are experts in giving sin different colors, but before God, sin is sin no matter what color you paint it; freedom, liberty, right, free thinking, new world etc. To make matters worse, sermons are being preached to color sin. The preacher has the right to preach any message but you have the grace to live a godly life. May I live this with us; 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil”. The reading for today is 2Kings18-20. Keep the fire burning and alive. THE RULE against SIN HASN’T CHANGED; Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Deuteronomy 18:10 “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,”

Romans 6:15 “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

Romans 7:13 “Was then that which is good made death to me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.”

Bible In One Year-Day 133 (Tuesday, May 13, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings12-14. In the book of 2Kings, so far, we notice a particular statement “the sins of Jeroboam”. Many of the kings of both Israel and Judah fell into this sin. What is the sin of Jeroboam? We recall that Jeroboam was King Solomon’s Secretary of Labor;

1 Kings 11:28 “And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.”

When the kingdom was severed from Solomon, Jeroboam was the fortunate one to be exalted by God to have ten of the tribes of Israel according to the prophecy of Ahijah;

1 Kings 11:31 “And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:”

Unfortunately, due to the fear of losing the kingdom, Jeroboam defected from the approved way of worship by making idols and likened them to the God who brought them out of Egypt;

1 Kings 12:28-31 “Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.”

This apostasy was the sin of Jeroboam. The shrines he built were the ones that the subsequent kings worshipped and these are the places referred to as the high places. These high places became points of evil decisions, witchcraft activities and satanic verdicts. As Christians, we need to do away and be totally separated from ancient worships and traditions that do not glorify Jesus. If we continue in them, we are living in the sins of our ancestors even though we claim to be Christians. Some don’t participate but indirectly support unholy traditions in one way or the other. An evil point of contact remains intact by any form of support or affiliation such as family names that still reflect idolatry.

Another way of applying knowledge of the sin of Jeroboam is that he cajoled his subjects with the idols in telling them that Jerusalem was too far for them to worship God “…and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:…”

Many church heads are in the ministry of “feel good” thereby shying away from telling the flocks the truth. The fear of Jeroboam was that he might lose his throne and people to Jerusalem.

The only King who abhorred this worship was Jehoash (Joash), because he had a good spiritual father who guided him from a very tender age;

2 Kings 12:2 “And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

Jehoash reigned for forty years. His love for God gave him the grace to contact Elisha on the sick bed where Elisha gave the last prophecy. Jehoash made the same statement Elisha made when Elijah was to be separated from him;

2 Kings 2:12 “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.”

2 Kings 13:14 “Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”

The interaction between Elisha and King Joash is a lesson for us not to give up in spiritual warfare. What happened in that room determined Joash’s victory over Syria and the number of times it would happen. The same manner, what goes on in your closet or on your prayer altar determines your physical victory. Elisha carried an anointing that sank to the bones; unfortunately, Joash did not utilize it to the fullness when it was available. We must learn how to use the anointing available at every prayer meeting to the utmost. This determines what happens next. Some write down prayer points rather than pray it with the available anointing at that moment. The prayer might not work later because the anointing for it had gone. Prayers work by reason of anointing and faith. The point at which Joash’s striking stopped was the point at which his victory stopped. A dead man tapped the anointing in Elisha’s bones and came back to life. Jesus’ anoint can revive you again, call upon Him now. The reading for today is 2Kings15-17. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 132 (Monday, May 12, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings9-11. Ahab did havoc by shedding the blood of God’s prophets through witchcraft influence of Jezebel. The cup of iniquity of the house of Ahab was full when Jezebel schemed and killed Naboth and took his inheritance for Ahab. Elijah pronounced God’s judgment on Jezebel and Ahab;

1 Kings 21:23-24 “And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.”

Ahab died three years after this pronouncement. Meanwhile, Jezebel still lived and even witnessed the reign of kings. We might be thinking why she had to live so long; this is for God to be justified as He spoke in Revelation 2:21 “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”

I have heard and read a lot of testimonies of those who had the grace and opportunity to visit hell with Jesus. The statement Jesus says according to these witnesses is that “I gave you enough time to repent, but you didn’t” Jezebel did not repent of her evil ways. She was a mother-in-law to some kings in Judah who did evil in the sight of the Lord; her evil influence prevailed (2Kings9:22);

2 Kings 8:26-27 “Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.”

Since Jezebel remained Jezebel (i.e. unchanged and unrepentant), it was time for the pronounced judgment from the mouth of Elijah to be effected. We need to recall how powerful Jezebel was in the time of Ahab. As she grew older, her influence spread; kings of Judah were being influenced. To carry out this judgment, an ordinary person could not do it no matter how skillful such was in the military. It would require a special assignment, an anointed head to do it. This was what Jehu was called for;

2 Kings 9:6-10 “And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.”

Many pulpits are Jezebel’s tables in this dispensation. It will take a special empowerment to overcome such bewitchment. The spirit of Jezebel isn’t the spirit of God but the spirit that influences God’s own to follow Baal (god of material world, seduction and perversion). Jezebel is a symbol of great evil influence on the children of the Most High God. We need to pray to God to expose the activities of Jezebel to us. This influence could be in the form of prophecies that did not come from God;

Revelation 2:20 “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”

God’s prophets are known for the truth they stand for and their prophecies cannot go down the drain;

Isaiah 44:26 “That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; …”

Many people have been influenced out of God’s presence. But I pray that God will, in His infinite mercies, restore such in the name of Jesus. Homes have been broken by ‘Jezebelic’ prophecies and her gifts have perverted judgment. The spirit of Jezebel is an unrepentant and unyielding spirit, full of manipulations and controls. Watch out for that gift and the influence afterwards. Watch out for that information and the influence afterwards; it could be Jezebel’s bait. May His grace be with you. Our next reading is 2Kings12-14. Keep the fire burning and alive