These kings in their palaces! Ruthless. Out-of-control. Massive murderers.
Yet, they did exactly what they wanted to do. I just read a quote from C.S. Lewis: "In each of us, there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it is nipped in the bud. It's not a question of God 'sending' us to hell.
Such a telling thought to throw a woman out of the window to her death. God moves and works in ways we don't understand. Wondering what they thought of this story in that day? Wondering what we think of this forcible forthright dealing with sinful natures.
May we not take lightly the things we do.
2 Kings 15:1 - What is it that these kings continually failed to get rid of the sex-and-religion shrines that were popular with the people...wonder what these kings wanted more than the love of their God---their own popularity??
II Kings 15:16 - Menahem ripped open the pregnant women because the town didn't welcome him with open arms. II Kings 16:3 They even indulged in outrageous practices of burning their own children.
These are really bad people..."all kinds of things on the sly." "They threw out everything their God had told them." "They prostituted themselves to every kind of evil available." In a lot of ways, it sounds familiar in some respects in our own country. How incredibly sad! II Kings 18:32 - "They honored God but not exclusively."
All I keep thinking about is the quote from 66 LL that says that in the midst of evil times, God's Plan is moving ahead. "Above all else, seek to know Me better and represent Me well in every circumstance, no matter how you feel...You must understand the deceptive nature of evil. [Evil today doesn't rear its head in outrageous practices in most Christian lives---it's more the deceptive evil that leads us astray. I will not be about burning my children but there's still cancer in my soul.) Evil hides itself and does its destructive work slowly, beneath the disease of necessity, reasonableness, efficiency, pragmatism, even morality, even goodness." So what is evil about my necessity, my efficiency, my morality, my goodness? Praise God HE will show us this very day where we are out of His Will. "I have a Plan to restore the Beauty of Eden, to create a community of men and women who live their lives in rhythm with My Holiness, who dance with Me into joy." HE is a Beautiful God in charge and HE chose you!
PHOTO: A Castle. Courtesy of The Commons.
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