Pride Will Bring Our Downfall

 Uzziah's Sin and Punishment

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 26

 (Related Scripture 2 Kings 14:21 through 15:38 and 2 Chronicles 27 through verse 9)

 

 What is Pride? Pride is inordinate and unreasonable self-esteem, attended with insolence and rude treatment of others.

 Pride is the high opinion that a poor, little, contracted soul entertains itself.

 Pride makes itself known when we praise ourselves, adoring ourselves, attempting to appear before others in a superior light to what we are; contempt and slander of others; envy at the excellence others possess; anxiety to gain applause; distress and rage when slighted; impatience of contradiction, and opposition to God himself.

 What is the truth of God?

 Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

 Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

 Most people see pride as positive and certainly not as sin.

 We do need to have strong self-esteem to be successful in this life here on earth.

 We must recognize our strengths and skills to be productive in this life.

 We should be proud of the abilities God has given us.

 This is acceptable pride. This is humble pride.

 I am proud that I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.

 I am embarrassed when I fail Him so often because I do not intend to.

 Pride becomes sinful when we exalt ourselves above others and think we are better than other people.

 As Christians, we may be better off than those who are lost, but we are not better than any other human being, no matter who they are.

 Our lesson today is about King Uzziah, King of the Southern Tribe of Judah.

 We know that the tribe of Benjamin also remained with Judah.

 *****2Ch 26:3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

 After the murder of Amaziah, his son Uzziah was chosen by the people to occupy the vacant throne at the age of sixteen; and for the greater part of his reign of fifty-two years, he lived in the fear of God and showed himself a wise, active, and pious ruler.

 His father, Amaziah, had been assassinated just as his father, Joash, had been assassinated.

 We should also notice that his mother Jecoliah was a Jew, and the wife of King Amaziah.

 We will see, as we go through the Books of Kings and Chronicles, that most of the good kings of Judah had Jewish mothers who had raised them with an understanding of the Word of God.

 We did not read verse 1, but Uzziah was made king in a special way.

 Judah was in turmoil with the assassination of his father and his grandfather, so the people of Judah took a firm stand and made Uzziah king, even though he was only 16.

 2Ch 26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.

 We should understand that Amaziah and Joash were kings in the line of David, and any change would have affected the kingly line to Jesus.

 God uses the will of the people to make Uzziah King of Judah.

 In the Book of Kings, King Uzziah is called King Azariah, but they are the same person.

2Ki 14:21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

 Uzziah ruled Judah for 52 years, but God did not give us much information about his good years; he quickly went from his good years to his bad years.

 No matter what we did in our best years, people will remember that time when we were not living right, especially if it happened in our later years.

 *****2Ch 26:4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

2Ch 26:5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

 King Uzziah followed in the footsteps of his father, King Amaziah, yet like his father, he did not stop the idol worship in the high places.

 Remember, it was his father who had regained control of the Edomites, but he had also hired a mercenary army out of Israel that a prophet of God had told him not to use, and Amaziah sent them back, and this caused problems for the king.

 He was, and he was later taken captive and held in Samaria. Uzziah was probably made a co-regent at this time. Amaziah was assassinated shortly after he returned to Judah, and his son Uzziah was crowned king.

 We do not know for sure who this Zechariah is, but he was certainly a prophet of God and the king's counselor.

 It is written that he had understanding in the visions of God, such as did Daniel.

 Dan 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

 Zechariah was a popular name in Judah.

Not much is known about this Zechariah, but it is obvious that God used this man as a prophet and delivered visions to him, which he relayed to King Uzziah.

We must know that our relationship with God will be based upon our obedience to His Word!

 As long as King Uzziah was doing right in the sight of God, he prospered.

 Another thing we should notice is that God will use young people in His plans if they follow in His will for them.

 Following in the first part of his father Amaziah's life was a good thing, but it seems that he also followed in the last part of his father Amaziah's life, which was a bad thing, as he turned away from the Lord.

 Zechariah had a special relationship with God, and the right teaching comes from having the right fellowship with God.

 One of the things we must learn and then teach our children is to seek God in His Word and then seek God in prayer.

 We must trust the written Word of God to be real and to be true, and this we must teach to our children.

I am a firm believer that the very first verse in the Bible is the most important verse in the Bible.

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

We will never have the right relationship with God unless we understand that He is our Creator and the Genesis story of our creation is one hundred percent true.

 Much of the Church is turning away from different parts of the Scriptures, but we must accept all the Word of God as the truth, or we can trust none of it.

 We need God's help in this wicked and evil world.

 *****2Ch 26:7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.

2Ch 26:8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

 Does anyone want to guess why Israel wins so many wars and why they lost a few?

 They win when God helps them, and they lose when God does not want them to win.

 Who is our greatest threat to safety?

 Our enemies who are closest to us!

 The Philistines shared a border with Judah, and they were a constant threat to those areas closest to that border.

 Those Arabs were probably the descendants of the Ishmaelites and also an enemy of Judah.

 Mohammed claims to be a descendant of the Ishmaelite, which would make him a descendant of Abraham. There is no way to connect his bloodline through the intermingling of the Arabic races.

 I'm so glad the Bible does not use the word race, and we are all truly born as the descendants of the same man, Adam, who was married to Eve.

 God only sees one people. The color of their skin is irrelevant! God looks into the heart!

 In typology, the greatest threat to Christianity comes from within the Church, from those whose hearts are far from the truth.

 So-called Christians who are not sincere, learn from erroneous teachings and wrong practices, but they can be found out by the truth of the Word of God.

 Why would anyone think God would give us an incomplete book or a book full of lies or misunderstanding?

Every false religion who claim Christianity uses the excuse that God has given them some special revelation, but God does not work like that.

Each one of them refuses to recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the third part of the Holy Trinity and the God of the Bible.

Those who do not recognize the Holy Trinity, best said, the Triune God, who is One God, are not part of Christianity and not part of the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Jesus is much more than just some good man.

Jesus is much more than some prophet.

Jesus is the God of the Bible!

 God says what He means and God means what He says!

 Uzziah found success at war because God helped him.

 The Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah so he would not bother them, and Uzziah was a strong king while he was obedient to God.

 King Uzziah became so confident in his strength that it began to interfere with his relationship with God because his own pride had come between him and God.

 *****2Ch 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

2Ch 26:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:

2Ch 26:18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.

 One of our biggest human mistakes is that we think we are far more important than we really are.

 We reach a point where we believe we can accomplish anything if we work hard enough, and that we do not need any help from others.

 Uzziah began to believe that he did not need God, the Word of God, His priests, nor God's prophets.

 We must understand that today the New Testament priesthood exists.

 1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

 In the Old Testament, it was impossible to combine both offices, for there was a priestly line, the Levites, and a kingly line, the line of David.

 There would forever be only one King-Priest, and He would be the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

 Today, the entire church functions as a priesthood!

 In Israel, only the Levitical line had that privilege.

 As the Church Age believers, we can go into the throne room of God at any time of the day through Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who will soon be our King.

 In Israel, individual believers could only approach God through a Levitical priest; this included the King.

 Jesus Christ is our permanent High Priest and permanent King because He can never die!

 Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

 Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

 Our Lord Jesus is Holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted into Heaven!

 Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

 Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

 Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

 King Uzziah was not the right king to take over the duties of the High Priest, much less any true priest of the Levitical line.

King Uzziah was of the tribe of Judah.

 The golden altar of incense represents Jesus Christ as our Mediator!

 1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 Aaron and the Brazen Altar was a type of Christ in His sacrificial role on Mount Calvary.

 This Golden Altar of Incense stood squarely in front of the Mercy Seat just outside the Holy of Holies, depicting Jesus Christ interceding at God's right hand, where He is today interceding on our behalf, on behalf of the true Church.

 Col 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.

Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

 There was no way God was going to allow King Uzziah to become a part of the priesthood.

 This Golden Altar symbolizes the power of prayer, and it must be through Jesus’s name to get an answer from God the Father.

Those who refuse to claim their prayers in Jesus's name will not get their prayers answered.

 Jhn_14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 This Golden Altar declares the Victim of Mount Calvary to now be Victor over Satan, over sin, and over sorrow to become King of Kings and Lord of lords.

 Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 Again, God could not allow Uzziah or any other King of Judah to come between the High Priest and His duties.

 Azariah the High Priest went in after him and took with him eighty valiant priests of the Lord, and they withstood the king.

 King Uzziah was supposed to memorize the Word of God, so he knew he was not supposed to be where he was and certainly not to burn incense on this altar.

 This is a major sin, and God's sentence would be harsh.

When we place ourselves on equal standing with the Lord Jesus, we are committing blasphemy.

 *****2Ch 26:19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.

 King Uzziah becomes furious at the priests who stopped him.

 He had the censer in his hand and thought he was fixing to do something beautiful because God had blessed him so much.

 He feels good about it, but it goes against the Word of God.

Christianity is not about feeling good; it is about obedience!

 His thoughts were "how could they have the audacity to stop an man who was so blessed by God".

 I believe this passage is in the Bible to teach us that we cannot twist the Word of God to make it okay to go against what God has said.

 It teaches us that we had better take the Word of God literally.

 We are to have great faith, but this faith cannot lead us to go our own way; we must go God's way.

 We must be saved by the way God has described to us, and it is by faith in the work the Lord Jesus has done for us to be saved.

 The Lord Jesus is the Door to Heaven, and we must go through Him.

 Jhn_10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Jhn_10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

Jhn_10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 Up to this point, Uzziah had been a good king and had not committed any major sin against God, but God had to teach King Uzziah a valuable lesson.

 We have already talked about leprosy, and it was the dreaded disease in those days.

 Leprosy was a foul cutaneous disease, appearing in dry, white, thin, scurfy scabs, attended with violent itching. It sometimes covers the whole body, rarely the face.

 God allowed leprosy to be on the forehead of King Uzziah so it could be seen by everyone. He could not hide it.

 He had then become unclean, and he would no longer be allowed into the House of God.

 It was in King Uzziah's best interest for him to leave the House of God quickly.

 *****2Ch 26:20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.

2Ch 26:21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

 When we resist the Word of God, we stand on shaky ground.

 If we go against our own High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, we may face the wrath of God.

 When it is in our mind that we are on equal ground with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are committing a terrible sin.

 When our pride tells us that we are God's greatest servant, we are walking toward the entrance of Hell, and God may never redirect our steps.

 We should be very clear: God does not need any of us!

 Luk_19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

 It would be a sad thing to be replaced by a rock!

 King Uzziah was thrown out of the Temple, and he could never enter again because he was considered unclean.

 Lev 22:3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD. 

 King Uzziah knew not to retaliate against the priests because he knew it was God who allowed this to happen to him.

 Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy because of his sin, and we never read where he ever repented of his sin.

 Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy until the day he died, and because of this, he had to live in isolation from the people of Israel and step aside from public ruling.

 Lev 13:46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

 He could no longer worship in the Temple and had to put his son in charge of the government.

 2Ki 15:7 So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

 Uzziah had been a good king up until he let pride into his life and thought he could do as he pleased and ignore the Word of God.

 Because he was a leper, he could not be buried with kings such as David and was buried in a field that was purchased to bury the bad kings of Judah.

 *****2Ch 26:22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.

2Ch 26:23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

 What did the Holy Spirit allow Isaiah to write?

 Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

 On the day that King Uzziah died, one of the greatest prophets of Israel, Isaiah, volunteered to serve the Lord.

 Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

 The Lord Jesus used many of these same words when He informed Israel that He was the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah.

 Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 

Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 Pride and self-righteousness are serious sins in the life of any person, but we must learn that these things go against the Word of God.

 We are no better than anyone else, no matter what our walk of life in this world.

 We should praise God for any skills or any talents He has chosen to give us, but He expects us to use those things in His service.

 Being attractive, or talented, or skillful are blessings from God, but we must never demean, degrade, or put down others.

 Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

 Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

 The God we serve is serious about the things He has written down for us.

 Every single Word!

 Amen    

Lean Not on Your Own Understanding

 Amaziah-The King Who Stopped Short of the Goal

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 25

 

I think the greatest thing we can learn from the Old Testament is "what not to do".

No matter how powerful we become upon this earth, we are very, very small compared to God!

 Over and over, we read how people went against the Word of God, and God had to take away His hand of blessing.

You see God does not cause our problems; He just removes His hand of blessing that would have stopped most of our problems.

God wants us to allow Him to dictate how we live our lives to gain the greatest blessings while we are alive and even greater blessings when we join Him in Heaven.

God wants to deal with us as any good Father would.

We are foolish people when we do not realize that God wants to bless us and not take away our blessings.

 People believe that God does so many things to them, when actually it's the Devil who has more freedom when God removes His hand of blessing and protection.

 We get a bird's eye view of these things in the Books of the Kings and the Chroniclers, and in the divided nation, we see how leaders rebel against a loving God, and it did not go well for them.

None of us like discipline, but for all of us, a little discipline is necessary.

 Throughout the Old Testament, God dispensed His theocratic kingdom through mediators, the prophets.

 God appointed human leaders through whom He revealed His will and made Himself known. He still does this today.

 The final ultimate form of God's theocratic kingdom will be the Millennial Kingdom governed by Jesus Christ.

There is no more important subject in the Old Testament than the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

 The Old Testament looks forward to all the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and it gives us true history so we can better understand.

 We must understand that God deals with Israel to bring her to a place of Spiritual blessing in which she will be the agent for God to bless the nations of the world.

 We now know that this will not take place until after the Rapture of the Church and the Seven Years of Tribulation, which the Church will miss.

 The Mosaic Covenant was conditional and a demonstration of God's Holiness.

 All those who would enter into fellowship with our Holy God would have to meet His Holy Standard.

 Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

 The Prophets of the Old Testament teach us how God will achieve this with Israel.

 We know the Messiah will rule this earth from Jerusalem, but the Messiah first came as a suffering Messiah through whom God offers forgiveness of sins.

This forgiveness is for the whole world, but each individual must acknowledge it.

1Jn_2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 The one thing we see in all the Bible is the continuation of sin in the human race, and there is only one race in all the Scriptures.

 Red, yellow, black, and white, we are all sinners in His sight, but we are all forgiven if we trust what God has done for us.

Rom_3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 We know the Messiah to be a descendant of King David.

 2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

 This is the purpose of God to gain as many as will accept Him into His Heavenly Kingdom.

 The Old Testament gives us the history of Israel in the way God moved these people to fulfill His purpose for them.

 Our lesson continues to show us how the divided nation of Israel and the kings in the line of David continued to fail God in His purpose, but the plan of God continued to move forward, as it still does today.

 How many of us stop short of the goals God has set for us because we have slipped backwards from time to time?

I know I have. I am a work in progress.

I also know that God does not ever change. This is why we need to study the Old Testament to learn from the mistakes made then.

 *****2Ch 25:1  Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 

2Ch 25:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart. 

 After our salvation, God the Father gives us opportunities to earn rewards that will be in Heaven when we get there.

 When an opportunity arises, we must grab it, or else we will lose that opportunity.

 God gave opportunities to the Kings of Judah to become great kings, but most of them let pride and discipline be their downfall.

 Pro_16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

 In fact, God provides opportunities to every national leader because it is God who put them in place.

 We know we just do not see great leaders anymore.

The leaders of today are poisoned by the wickedness of this world.

What did God say on the day of Noah?

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

God says the world keeps going as it always has, disregarding the sin that is in this world.

We here in America have great hope for the one who sits in the chair of the president today, but we do not know as of yet.

All we know is that he was the best choice to change the direction our nation was following, and he still is. 

Opportunities are lost by God's people because we just do not know how to discipline ourselves in the Word of God.

 When we as Christians meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds, He will probably remind us of all those lost opportunities.

 In the Books of the Kings and Chronicles, we see the lost opportunities of the leaders of Judah and Israel.

 Judah had nineteen kings and one queen, and most of them were wicked rulers.

 We must completely understand that God is not going to allow us to live like a bunch of pagans.

 Amaziah was the son of Joash, also written Jehoash, and was the ninth King of Judah.

 Joash was the son of Ahaziah, King of Judah, and the only one of his children who escaped from the wicked Queen Athaliah when she killed her own grandchildren.

 At the age of seven, Joash became King of Judah, and for twenty-three years, he did right in the eyes of God because he was led by Jehoiada, the High Priest of Israel.

 When Jehoiada died, Joash fell into the hands of bad advisors, and he revived the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth.

 When he was rebuked by Zechariah, the son of the High Priest, he had Zechariah stoned to death in the Temple.

 He had allowed the people to build worship centers on former pagan sites, and God was not pleased.

 He failed to remove the High places where the worship of false gods took place.

 False worship began to intermingle with the worship of Jehovah, and God was not pleased.

 These same things still happen today, and some inside the Church.

 People just never change from their wicked ways because they cannot without God in their lives.

 Ecc_1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

 Not too much later, he was assassinated by two of his own servants.

 Even though Amaziah was known as a mostly good king, we find that Amaziah was much like his father, King Joash, and never truly committed himself to the Lord.

From time to time, Amaziah would worship idols instead of the Lord.

We have a lot of our leaders who claim to be Christian, but the fact remains that any leader who only gives the Lord part of his heart is not really a leader at all and certainly does not belong to God.

God is an all-or-nothing God.

Amaziah did not close the "high places," which were places where false worship took place.

Amaziah did not serve God with a perfect heart.

Once Amaziah returned from his captivity in Israel, he was not much good to the people of Judah, and a conspiracy was made, and he too was assassinated.

 We cannot just be guided by the Preacher; we must be guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

 Amaziah began his reign by punishing the murderers of his father but not their children in obedience to the Word of God, but this was about all he did in obedience to the Word of God

Amaziah was not going to be the new King David.

He actually helped to bring idol worship into Judah.

 Amaziah numbered his army and became a foolish king.

 *****2Ch 25:5  Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield. 

2Ch 25:6  He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver. 

2Ch 25:7  But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. 

2Ch 25:8  But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. 

2Ch 25:9  And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. 

 Amaziah found that he had three hundred thousand men who were able to go to war.

 Notice that a man had to be at least twenty years old to serve in the army and physically able.

 Then Amaziah committed a no-no.

 He hired a hundred thousand mercenary soldiers of Israel.

 If we are God's people, then we must trust that God will provide for our victories in life.

 If Amaziah had gone to war with the help of this mercenary army and won, then he could have bragged about how great he was instead of how great God is.

 The man of God stepped in to warn him.

 It is important to God that we turn away from evil associations with the enemies of God.

Our job is to witness to them the truth of God, but we are not to become a part of the lost crowd.

 It was Edom who had refused to allow the nation of Israel to travel through their land in the exodus from Egypt.

 It was Edom who had helped round up escaping Jews to give to Nebuchadnezzar.

 We should remember Edom was established by Esau, the brother of Jacob.

We would think that one side of the family of brothers would help the other side in their time of need, but not Edom. Edom is Esau

What did God say? Rom_9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Mal 1:2  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, 

Mal 1:3  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. 

 Eventually, Edom and Moab were taken over by the Nabateans.

 King David had conquered the Edomites, and so would King Amaziah without the help of that mercenary army.

 This would not have happened had he kept that army with him.

 It is God who has the power to help, but He also has the power to take down, as many who have faced Israel have found out.

 Amaziah gave this army a hundred talents of silver, which he had promised, and sent them away, but they were not satisfied with that.

 King Amaziah had to choose between losing the hundred talents and losing the war with the Edomites. He chose to win.

As the servants of God, we cannot allow ourselves to be pushed into disobedience because of others, especially by those who do not know the Lord as their Savior.

Satan smiles every time this happens.

We must be led by the LORD and not by the circumstances we face in this world.

 *****2Ch 25:10  Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. 

 One man wrote that this army was disgraced by this rejection and disappointed with the spoil they hoped to gain and sent home empty.

 It is believed that a hundred talents were probably given to the officers who raised this army, and the soldiers themselves got nothing. This is the way greed works.

 You cannot trust an angry army of a hundred thousand men!

 They returned to Israel with great anger.

 *****2Ch 25:11  And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. 

2Ch 25:12  And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces. 

2Ch 25:13  But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil

 What did this man of God say? It may be okay to hire others who have the same hope in God and have an interest in Heaven, but God will never allow us to associate with those whom He has given over to the Devil.

 We cannot expect godliness from those who are ungodly.

 Amaziah was now convinced that he was stronger without the army of Israel than he was with them.

 The Valley of Salt ֶwas a significant geographical and military location in the ancient Near East, mentioned in several Old Testament passages. 

It is generally identified with the southern end of the Dead Sea, in the arid and salt-impregnated plain between Judah and Edom.

 It is believed to be part of the Arabah, a broad plain at the Dead Sea's southern end, bordered by salt mountains, salt marshes, and brackish water.

 Twenty thousand men of Edom died in this war with Judah.

 Ten thousand of them were just murdered, but we should understand what God said.

 This place is now called Petra. Selah and Petra are the same.

 2Ki 14:7  He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day. 

 The name Joktheel means subjugated of God.

 Today, many liberals would scream bloody murder at such a thing, but God does not ever forget the cruelty of His enemies.

 Eze 25:12  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 

Eze 25:13  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 

Eze 25:14  And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

 Oba 1:10  For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. 

 Edom or Esau is a picture of sin, the old nature of the flesh.

 Edom had always behaved as a merciless enemy of God's people and was judged for it.

 We cannot feel sorry for God's judgment of sin!

When armies were victorious in those days, they would take plunder, which could include men, women, children, cattle, and any other wealth of the defeated army.

Since there were no prisons, the defeated army was often killed to keep them from seeking revenge.

We could feel sorrow for any people if we had the opportunity to lead them to the Lord, and we did not even try.

 Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 

Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 

 While Amaziah was occupied with Edom, those soldiers from Israel showed just how foolish it was for Amaziah to associate with them.

 We next see that Amaziah becomes a foolish king.

 *****2Ch 25:14  Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. 

 We might ask ourselves, "Why would Amaziah do such a thing"?

 The only answer is that he was not completely sold out to Jehovah!

 Of all the sins we commit, false worship is the worst besides rejecting the Lord Jesus, which has no forgiveness!

 Exo_34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

 What Amaziah should have destroyed, he began to worship.

He bowed down to these false gods on more than one occasion, and he became a fool.

If false gods cannot save us, why would we consider them gods?

America is full of people today who worship material things and figures of the imagination.

No one has ever seen God, so no one can make an idol that is in His likeness.

It’s the same for Jesus Christ. We do not know what Jesus looked like except to know He took on the resemblance of the Jews.

Jesus was likely a first-century Jewish man with olive-brown skin, short black hair, a beard, and a modest, stocky build, standing around 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

We should not have objects of worship for either one, for they are no more than idols.

What had God said?

 Deu 7:5  But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 

Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 

Even a picture of said Jesus Christ can become an idol if we see it as a thing to worship.

 Another King of Judah had failed God's people.

 Amaziah had potential, but he became a failure.

 Amaziah became boastful and arrogant because of his military victory, which he would not have had if he had not listened to the man of God.

 This arrogance would cost Judah a great deal more!

We should realize that if the Kings of Judah had all lived by the Word of God, then God would never have allowed Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem, and the Middle East would be far different from what it is today.

It is the same for the Church today. If the Church is obedient to the Word of God, it will thrive because God's plan works while our plans fail.

The truth is, at this moment, the Church is failing because it has allowed the world to get inside the Church, and man's laws have overcome God's laws.

Just because a judge can decide the fate of certain people, only God can decide the true fate of all people.

Amaziah challenged the king of the Northern Kingdom, King Joash.

*****2Ch 25:18  And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. 

2Ch 25:19  Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? 

2Ch 25:20  But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

We get a close-up view of what pride can do to us if we fall into its trap.

God may have allowed Amaziah to be victorious if he had not begun his worship of false idols. 

 Truth be known, it was probably Joash, King of Israel, who had sent that army back into the land of Judah.

 We can see that the areas and the cities that are mentioned were once part of Israel, and Samaria was the chief city in the kingdom of the Ten Tribes of Israel.

 God was on the side of Amaziah until he turned his back on God and began to worship idols.

 One of our greatest problems we as humans has been that we think we are far more important than we really are

Many of us walk around thinking we are some great things, but we are nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Without the love of God, we are nothing!

 It is Okay to take a little pride in our accomplishments and our achievements, but we must never think we did those things under our own power.

 We must never look upon others as being of less value than we are!

 Self-pride and self-righteousness are enemies to our relationship with our Righteous and Holy God.

 Psa 10:2  The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

Psa 10:3  For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 

Psa 10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 

 When we go to others to solve our problems and not to God, we are just asking for failure.

 When we say goodbye to God, He will say goodbye to us.

 He will never force us to follow Him or His Words!

 2Ch 25:22  And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent. 

2Ch 25:23  And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

 The arrogance of Amaziah cost his nation dearly; even the House of God was plundered.

He was captured and was a prisoner to Israel until the death of Joash.

The wall of Jerusalem was broken down for about six hundred feet.

The treasures of the Temple were stolen.

The treasures of the king's house were taken.

Many royal hostages were taken back to Samaria.

It should be very clear that God will judge us for our sins against Him and His Word.

 *****2Ch 25:24  And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. 

2Ch 25:27  Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

It should be easy to see that the Bible is always right. Pride does go before our destruction.

When we say goodbye to God, we begin walking on dangerous ground.

Our biggest problem from the beginning of time is that we just think too highly of ourselves.

Joash was even more wicked than Amaziah.

We see that wicked people can see through the motives of other wicked people much better than we can.

Almost all wicked people are driven by the same motives!

We would be wrong if we cannot see that God is using Joash to punish Amaziah.

Amaziah would enter his own home as a prisoner and see it plundered by Joash.

A section of the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed, and Joash goes too far when he plunders the House of God.

Joash takes hostages from the house of Amaziah to make sure Amaziah does not plan to retaliate.

Joash's advantage was a surprise attack, but more importantly, God's help. Other than God punishing Amaziah, Israel was no stronger than Judah.

God had already given Israel over to destruction.

After Amaziah's exile, he ruled in Judah for fifteen more years, but he was never the same, and he accomplished nothing else during his reign.

He never returned to the Lord, and in a conspiracy, he fled Jerusalem and was assassinated, but he was still buried with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Amaziah had the potential to be a great king, but once he left the Lord and filled his heart with apostasy and self-pride, he was just a figurehead sitting upon the throne of Judah and never accomplished anything for God's people.

We just must not squander the opportunities God gives us to fulfill the purpose He has for us.

If we just follow the Word that God has given us we live a good life here on earth and a much better life in Heaven.

1) Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2) Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

3) Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not

These are mine right now but what are yours.

Amen

When There Should Have Been Revival There Was Apostacy

 A Revival Digresses to Disobedience

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 22

 Throughout society today, there is a desperate need for people to commit.

 We will never serve the Lord as we should unless we commit to Him.

 Without committing to the Lord, nothing of lasting value can be achieved.

 If we want rewards when we get to Heaven, we must commit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 If we want blessings from the Lord while we are still here upon this earth, we must make a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus said it like this: Jhn_15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: "for without me ye can do nothing".

 Unless we are committed to the Lord Jesus, we will never have a personal relationship with Him!

 Without commitment, the Lord is not with us, and we are left to ourselves as we walk through this life, and we may not have His help at all.

 We saw in our lesson last week that King Ahaziah of Judah had been killed by King Jehu of Israel.

 He was the youngest son of King Jehoram, but all his brothers had been killed by Arabian marauders.

 He reigned for only one year, as he was killed by King Jehu.

 He was the son of Athaliah, who was King Ahab's daughter and King Omri's granddaughter, who were kings of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

 She was the daughter of Jezebel, wife to King Ahab.

 Ahaziah lived an evil life before the Lord.

 He went to the kings of Israel for advice on ruling the people of Judah and Benjamin, and not to Jehovah.

 He was killed during the time he went to visit King Joram by Jehu, as we learned from last week's lesson, as God commanded.

 2Ch 22:7  And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 

 It was at this time that his mother, Athaliah, decided that she would rule Judah, and she went on a killing spree, murdering all her grandchildren.

 *****2Ch 22:10  But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. 

2Ch 22:11  But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. 

2Ch 22:12  And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land. 

 We do not have to be rocket scientists to realize that the Devil was trying to break the promise to King David and stop the miracle birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 If Satan could cause just one of the promises of God to be wrong, no one would trust the promises of God to be a fact, and none would trust the Word of God to be true.

 Ahaziah had a wicked father and a wicked mother, and he followed in their footsteps.

 He, like Ahab, his father-in-law, was just a puppet that his mother controlled the strings.

 Today, many people, including many so-called Christians, follow the example and the advice of people who are focused on the world and not on the Word of God.

 When we start following the world in the passions and the pleasures, which are short-lived, we will influence our family and friends to do the same.

 If we seek the advice of the world for our lives, we will likely follow the world in our decisions.

 The Lord Jesus teaches us to do this instead: Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

 By the providence of God, a one-year-old child was in the right place at the right time in the hands of someone who loved the Lord.

 2Ki 11:2  But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 

2Ki 11:3  And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. 

 The miracle of God's "Grace" at this time was Joash, who was a baby one year old.

 This Jehoshabeath was the wife of Jehoiada, who was one of God's priests and the Chief Priest of the Temple. Her name means "the Lord is her oath".

 Jehoshabeath was for salvation, Athaliah was out for destruction.

 Jehoshabeath served God's people; Athaliah served herself and the world.

 We can also see that this nurse of the baby Joash helped save the life of this baby, and we do not even know her name.

 At the age of seven years, Joash became King of Judah.

 *****2Ch 23:1  And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. 

2Ch 23:2  And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 

2Ch 23:3  And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David. 

 The history of King Joash is actually the history of Jehoiada the priest of God.

 In fact, the nation of Judah appreciated him so much that he was buried amongst the good kings of Judah, which we will cover in the next chapter.

 We could ask ourselves; how will the other members of the Church remember us once we are in Heaven.

 Can it be said that we have done good.

 Our first obligation is to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 God sees everything we do, and He knows us better than all others can.

 Doing good to His House means we behave in His House according to the standards He has given to us.

 1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest "know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God", which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 

1Ti 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 

 Jehoiada secured the support of the military.

Jehoiada gets the Levites to return to the Temple.

 If we know what the Lord has told us in the Word of God, then we can place our faith in what He said because God does not ever change.

 Because the Temple is the location of this gathering, we know it is done before God.

 Anytime we are doing business in the House of God we are inviting God to be a part of it!

 In this seven-year-old boy lies the hope of the future of Israel and the future of the Church.

 Did this priest realize what the Scriptures said?

 He knew the promises he made to King David and this is where he placed his faith.

 Today we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the only hope of our living in the glory world!

 Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 

 What had the Prophet Isaiah prophesied? Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 

 Joash became the next King of Judah.

 Later, we will see Manasseh made king at twelve years old and Josiah, who was king at eight years old, and Jehoiachin, who was king at eight years old.

 What did King Solomon write in: Ecc 10:16  Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 

 *****2Ch 23:11  Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, "and gave him the testimony", and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king. 

 They followed the Law of God in making Joash King of Judah.

 Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

 King Joash would rule for forty years, and he would do what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days that Jehoiada lived.

 2Ch 24:2  And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 

 He repaired the Temple that had been abused by wicked kings and priests.

 2Ch 24:7  For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim. 

 This work was financed by tithes called a Temple Tax and offerings that were freely given by the people.

 Then Jehoiada reached the end of his days.

 *****2Ch 24:15  But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. 

2Ch 24:16  And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house. 

 Priest Jehoiada had lived for one hundred and thirty years and this would be since the time of King Solomon and lived thru six other kings before he died.

 Jehoiada does not die from disease or accident, but he dies of old age.

 He had served God and his nation all those years.

 No one since Joshua had lived these many years.

 The influence of this great priest is shown when he is buried among the kings of Judah.

 People ask all the time, "How much can one man do to help a nation"?

 This priest, this one man, held back sin and helped his nation return to the Lord all the days of his life.

 In many ways, this priest was in type like the Holy Spirit.

 2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

 Once Jehoiada was gone, the evil that was in Judah began to influence Joash and turned him away from the Word of God.

When there should have been revival, the people of influence sway the king to go against the Word of God.

 *****2Ch 24:17  Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. 

 This same thing has happened in America. The Church is allowed some freedom because our nation mostly honors the freedom of religion.

 The Devil looks upon this thing and insists upon having those same freedoms.

 This was not the intent of the founders of our nation, and our whimsy governments allow the worship of the Devil or any other false religion.

 I do not consider Christianity to be a religion.

 Christianity is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Without this personal relationship, there is no Church!

Those people in the Church who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ serve religion, and religion cannot save you!

 This King turned against the teaching of Jehoiada and allowed these people in leadership positions to serve idols.

 *****2Ch 24:18  And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. 

2Ch 24:19  Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

2Ch 24:20  And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. 

2Ch 24:21  And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. 

 What did the Lord Jesus say to these leaders of Israel?

 Mat 23:31  Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 

Mat 23:32  Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 

Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 

Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 

Mat 23:36  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 

 There is a great many who believe that Zechariah the son of Jehoiada is the same man that the Lord Jesus is referring to as written in the Book of Matthew and the Book of Luke, where there is no name given for his father.

 Luk 11:47  Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 

Luk 11:48  Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 

Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

 The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, and he pronounced judgment upon these wicked men and the King that had been saved by Jehoiada turned upon God and the Son of Jehoiada and murdered him in the court of the house of the Lord.

 The Lord Jesus said between the altar and the Temple.

 Judah could not prosper during the reign of Joash.

Jehovah promised justice to Judah.

Zep 1:4  I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; 

Zep 1:5  And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; 

Zep 1:6  And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

Before we do anything in this life, we need to seek the face of God to see what He says about it!

2Co_6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Amen

The Temple and the Glory of God

 The Temple the Ark the Glory of God

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 5

After seven long years, the Temple and all its furnishings were completed.

 1Ki 6:38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

Solomon gathered the entire nation and its leaders and its priests to the dedication of the Temple.

 This gathering was no longer to Gibeon the site of the Tabernacle, but to Jerusalem the place God had chosen Himself.

 Even today the Jews are looking forward to the day they can reestablish their worship of the Lord God Jehovah in a Temple dedicated to Him.

 We certainly need a place to worship to honor God.

 Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 God Himself says it is more important to gather together today than it was back in the day of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

 If we do not dedicate our places of worship to be used for the worship of the Lord, then they will be used for anything other than that.

 Dedicate means to set apart for sacred use.

 Sacred means consecrated; dedicated; or devoted to.

 We also need to dedicate ourselves to the Lord for His use!

 Most every nation at this time had a temple dedicated to some false god, and some had many.

 This was the drive that moved King David. He wanted a magnificent temple dedicated to Jehovah the One True God.

 Most people do not realize that God is about worship, and not about buildings!

 Pagans built temples for gods who could not see, who could hear, and who could not speak to them.

 2Co_6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the "temple of the living God"; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 There is only one "Living God"!

 Jhn_6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, "the Son of the living God".

 Psa_84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the "living God".

 How can anyone serve a dead god or a god that does not exist?

 The Living God is the God we need to have reverent fear of, and even actual fear.

 Heb_10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 2 Chronicles Chapter 5 verse 1

 *****2Ch 5:1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.

 The Temple was King Solomon's greatest work.

 It was the Temple of Solomon that made the greatest impression on the known world at that time.

 People would come far and wide to see this Temple of God.

 The importance of the Temple was to ensure a central place of worship and more important a central place to offer sacrifices for sin.

 The object of the Temple was to bring about a unity of faith and national unity among the people of Israel.

 The object of the Temple was to fulfill the commandment of God to Moses.

 Moses said, when you shall obtain possession of the land and have become established, then you shall have one place in which to appear before the Lord.

 Deu_16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God "in the place which he shall choose"; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

 The Temple did provide a fixed habitation for Jehovah.

 The Temple did provide a central place of worship where all the tribes of Israel might assemble at the three annual feasts.

 It is these things that would preserve the unity of Israel.

 According to the Book of Leviticus, there must be:

 1) A place to meet Jehovah on the throne of "Grace".

2) Sacrifices made for sin.

3) Priests as intermediaries between Jehovah and the people.

4) Times in which they could approach Jehovah with daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings.

5) A ritual telling how to approach God.

 The Temple was in fact, a type of the most glorious building which is the individual believer!

 1Co_3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 King David had not only provided the plunder he had taken for his conquest for the building of the Temple, but he also provided his riches to be dedicated to the upkeep of this Temple and to pay the priests.

 David had also dedicated all the musical instruments he had to the Temple. Some he had made himself.

 These instruments are listed in First Chronicles chapter 15.

 1Ch 15:16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.

 1Ch 15:24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

 1Ch 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

 So, we know of psalteries, harps, and cymbals, trumpets, and cornets.

 A psaltery is a lyre or another type of harp just as a cornet is another type of trumpet.

 Solomon next brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple according to the instructions of God.

 The Ark was placed in the new Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place in the Temple.

 *****2Ch 5:2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

2Ch 5:3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.

2Ch 5:4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.

2Ch 5:5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.

 Many of these things from the time of Moses and those remade after the destruction of the Tabernacle by the Philistines were no longer usable for the new Temple and were stored at the Temple and preserved as relics.

 Things such as the tent and a great many of the old-time utensils, including the Brazen Serpent.

 The Feast of the Seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes called Booths, and also known as the Feast of the Ingathering.

 It was to last seven days but for the dedication of the Temple, it lasted fourteen days.

 1Ki 8:65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.

1Ki 8:66 On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.

 This is the feast that commemorates the forty-year wilderness journey.

 It is also called Sukkot.

 It is a celebration of the fall harvest and a time to build booths which are temporary shelters of branches to remember how the Hebrew people lived under God's care during those forty years in the wilderness.

 These things were repeated when the Hebrews returned from Babylon.

 Neh 8:14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:

Neh 8:15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

Neh 8:16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

Neh 8:17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua (which is Joshua) the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Neh 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

 This celebration is a reminder of God's faithfulness and protection.

 All Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord and their families usually went with them.

 Many Jewish people still celebrate Sukkot today, by building and dwelling in temporary booths for eight days.

 There are four special plants used to cover the booths, and they are the citron, the myrtle, the palm, and the willow.

 Lev 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 

Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

 Then, the elders came and took up the Ark out of the Tabernacle of David.

 It was necessary to put a new lid on the Ark. It was about five hundred years old and when opened, nothing remained but the two tablets of stone from the time of Moses.

 It originally contained two tablets that contained the Ten Commandments and Aaron's rod that budded and a pot of manna.

 Blame was put on the Philistines for the missing items.

 So, the steps to the dedication included:

 1) Placing in the treasury all the things dedicated by David. Solomon could have kept these riches of his father, and no one would have known but God, but Solomon honored the wishes of His father David.

 2) Placing all the sacred vessels and furniture in their proper position.

 3) The offering of the many sacrifices.

 4) The priests carrying into the Most Holy Place the Ark of the Covenant.

 5) As the priests came from the Most Holy Place and one hundred and twenty other priests standing east of the Altar blew their trumpets, the Levite choir burst into a song of praise and thanksgiving with cymbals and other musical instruments saying "For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.

 6) Then the cloud, a symbol of the Divine Presence and the Glory of God filled the house.

 Let's read the Scriptures.

 *****2Ch 5:6 Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

2Ch 5:7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:

2Ch 5:8 For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

2Ch 5:9 And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.

2Ch 5:10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

 We now know what happened in the dedication of the Temple so, let's look at some other things.

 Many today are concerned about the location of the Ark of the Covenant today.

 We do not know for sure if the Ark remained at the Temple when Nebuchadnezzar plundered the Temple but what we do know when the vessels were brought back from Babylonian captivity the Ark of the Covenant was not mentioned.

 Ezr 1:9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

Ezr 1:10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

Ezr 1:11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

 The staves of the Ark were at least fifteen feet long, which was about the size of the Most Holy Place.

 The staves were that long to give room for those men who carried the Ark leaving room to stay clear of the Ark.

 The staves were withdrawn as far as they could to the back wall so they would not protrude in sight at the front.

 The Ark had only the tablets of stone written by the finger of God at this time.

 Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Exo 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

 Remember it was Moses who had broken these two tablets.

 Exo 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

 Deu_10:2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.

 There was something else that was with or in the Ark.

 Deu_31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

 Probably the very same book, which (after having been some way misplaced) was found in the house of the Lord, in the days of Josiah, and publicly read by the king himself, for a witness against a people, who were then almost ripe for ruin.

 On the side or On the inside, Some say there was a little chest fixed to the Ark for such things but it is not mentioned. Some say that this book was just placed inside the Ark. There was nothing but the stone tablets that were contained in the Ark.

 This book was found later.

 2Ch 34:14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.

2Ch 34:15 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.

2Ch 34:16 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.

 The Shekinah Glory of the Lord

 *****2Ch 5:11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:

2Ch 5:12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)

2Ch 5:13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, "For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever": that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;

 Once the Ark was in place God gave His stamp of approval!

 So, it had been when Moses finished the Tabernacle, and so it was at Pentecost after the Lord Jesus began His Church, that the Holy Spirit came down in His mighty power.

 God's glory has to be the most wonderful sight we will ever see!

 Notice all the priests were in white linen robes. Does this not make us think about the white robes in Heaven?

 Rev_7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

 King Solomon now had all things in place and a platform had been erected about seven feet squared somewhat like a pulpit, so he was lifted up above the people to be seen as well as heard and it seems King Solomon acted as King and High Priest.

 We see some typology here.

 In reality, only King Jesus can be the true King and High priest when He returns to take us home and then sits upon His throne in Jerusalem.

 Immediately after the priests had performed and withdrawn and the doors of the Temple were closed, the cloud of God's Holy Presence and God's Majestic Glory filled the Temple just as He had done when the Tabernacle of Moses was completed.

 King Solomon was stunned:

 1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

1Ki 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

 Our true Holy God manifested His presence showing the public that he had accepted their labor of love in building this Temple.

 *****2Ch 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

 A man of God said this beautified this Temple much more than all the gold which it was overlaid and all the precious stones that adorned it. Yet even that glory in comparison does not match the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 God had not allowed King David to build this Temple but told him that his son Solomon would have the honor of building this Temple.

 Then King Solomon began to pray.

2Ch 6:12  And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands: 

2Ch 6:13  For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, 

2Ch 6:14  And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: 

2Ch 6:15  Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

And he continued therefore:

 Amen

God Will Give Us Wisdom

 Solomon Received Wisdom

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 1 verses 7 through 12

 

 As we begin this first lesson in the Book of 2 Chronicles, we know that King David had died after ruling all the tribes of Israel for a total of forty years.

 Seven years over Judah and Benjamin and thirty-three years over all of Israel.

 God had decided that Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, would now lead all of Israel after their marriage.

 The first act of Solomon was to take secure control of the throne of Israel.

 We know that Adonijah another son of David was trying to take control of Israel with the help of some rich and powerful leaders, but he had failed.

 Solomon's second act as the new King of Israel was to seek the Lord, worship Him, and pray for the wisdom to be King. 

 The Tabernacle was now in Gibeon, but the Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem because God had chosen Jerusalem to be the place where worship would continue.

 King David had built a special Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant.

 I believe that this tabernacle is mentioned in prophecy.

 Isa_16:5  And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

 Amo_9:11  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

 Act_15:16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

 Solomon knew where the Tabernacle was located with the Ark of the Covenant, but the Brazen Altar was at Gibeon, and this is the place where sacrifices were to be made according to Levitical Law

 The Brazen Altar was the one place where all sacrifices were to be made, and Gibeon was only six and one-half miles from Jerusalem.

 The Brazen Altar is in fact a type of Mount Calvary where our Lord Jesus was sacrificed for our sins.

 God had said if anyone offers a sacrifice and brings it not unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, offering it to the Lord then that blood would be applied to that man and he would be cut off.

 Lev 17:3  What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 

Lev 17:4  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 

 King Solomon knew this law applied to him as it did to all the children of Israel.

 King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings upon this Brazen Altar.

 It is the night after the day that King Solomon did this that the Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream.

 *****2Ch 1:7  In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 

 We first see that God knew Solomon needed some guidance just as we all do.

 We will also see that God will test King Solomon even though God knew what Solomon would ask Him for.

 Solomon had brought all the leadership of Israel and the judges with him to Gibeon.

 This included all the heads of the military.

 It was important for all the leaders of Israel to know that King Solomon would serve the Lord God of Israel.

 What a shame that our leaders will not do this because they reject the God of Truth.

 They claim God and reject His Words, and it does not work like that.

 Now our nation allows so-called scientists who boast of superior insight into the nature of things to direct our nation.

 Many scientists assert that their investigations prove that the teachings of Scripture are false, but real facts show that the Bible has no controversy with real science.

 Because Solomon and those leaders acknowledged their need for the Lord, God accepted their worship through those sacrificial offerings.

 Today God accepts our worship, if we are sincere because the Lord Jesus sacrificed Himself, and the veil in the Temple at Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom and we can go directly to the Lord in our time of need or any other time.

It was important that the veil was torn from top to bottom. If it had been torn from bottom to top, it would have meant that man had done it

 God appeared to King Solomon: 1Ki 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 

 God appeared to Solomon in a dream that was much more than a dream.

 This was one of the more significant dreams in the Bible.

 God revealed Himself in various ways in the Old Testament.

 There are many places where God spoke audibly to people.

 To Abraham: Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

 Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

 To Moses: Exo 19:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 

 To Isaiah: Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 

 God also revealed Himself through dreams as we see here with King Solomon.

 Whether it was more like a dream or a vision it was interactive and it was real and it honored God.

 God spoke to Solomon and Solomon spoke to God and prophecy was fulfilled.

 When this is mentioned in the Book of 1 Kings we can see that it is not Jehovah who responded to Solomon but it was Elohim.

 Jehovah appeared but Elohim spoke.

When we hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, He is speaking the words of His Father.

 In this passage here we see that Elohim appeared to Solomon.

 So, even though the Ark was not at Gibeon, God still met with Solomon and talked to him.

 We see that even in the times of the Old Testament, God made it clear that He was not restricted to the Holy of Holies or the Ark of the Covenant.

The Holy of Holies was a place where God met the High Priest of Israel.

 God said: "Ask what I shall give thee".

 We can take this to mean that Solomon could have asked for anything.

 We can just imagine how we would respond if the Almighty God asked us this same question.

 We know that we can ask for anything that is in the will of God for our lives, and He will give those things to us.

 What did Jesus say?

 Mat_7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 Mat_21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 Jhn_16:23  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

 Now it does not really say that God would have given Solomon anything he asked for, because God knew before Solomon asked, what he was going to ask for.

 We can be sure that God's response had nothing to do with those one thousand animals that were sacrificed.

 It was because Solomon's heart was surrendered to God at this time!

 This is the key to answered prayer! Having our hearts surrendered to the Lord.

 Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

 *****2Ch 1:8  And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 

2Ch 1:9  Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 

 It should be very clear that God knows what is in our hearts before we ask of Him!

 When we ask of God, we must have faith that He can supply what we ask for or we will never receive gifts from God.

 God is not only able, but He is also willing to give us anything, but it must be in His will for us.

 God had shown more than great mercy to David, God had also made David a rich man.

 Why might we ask?

 1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 

1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 

 David had left all those riches to be used to build a Temple for God in Jerusalem.

 At this time Solomon was certainly not a child according to our standards.

 He was probably between the ages of seventeen to twenty-two.

 The one thing Solomon knew was that he was personally inadequate to fulfill God's promises to his father David.

 The nation of Israel was too great.

There were too many people for him to govern effectively.

The task that was lying before him was just too overwhelming.

 Solomon felt helpless.

 Solomon likened himself to be a small child.

 Solomon knew he lacked the wisdom to be King of Israel.

 The laws of Moses stated that Israel had to have a king who was humble and who would remain humble.

 A king was required to read the law of God daily and follow it.

 Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

 No king was to feel he was superior to his fellow citizens.

 We know that this is a problem in the last few governments that we have.

 Those ultra-liberal Senators and Congressmen men and women treated us as inferiors!

 Solomon knew he needed God's help.

 This is exactly where God wants each of us.

 The Lord Jesus put it this way: Jhn_15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 We have found this to be very true!

 What was God's promise to David?

 2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

 We know this prophecy did not only concern Solomon but more importantly our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who could fulfill this prophecy.

 What did Solomon need?

 *****2Ch 1:10  Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? 

 What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?

 **By knowledge Solomon meant the ability to gather and understand facts.

 By definition knowledge is a clear and certain perception of things that exist.

 We have no knowledge of things that do not exist, but God has perfect knowledge of all His creation so human knowledge is very limited.

 Knowing these things then keep in mind that ignorance is the curse of God.

 We know that Jesus Christ alone possesses all the knowledge of God.

 **Wisdom is the ability to apply the facts that are learned.

 By definition, wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

 Wisdom in fact is one of the names of Jesus Christ: 1Co_1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

 We should know that Solomon became king because God was rewarding his father, King David.

 What Solomon needed the most was the 'Grace" of God.

 We see that Solomon did not have a clue on how to rule a kingdom.

 When we admit what we are, dumb sheep, then God has something to work with.

 *****2Ch 1:11  And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 

 And God speaks.

 What did God tell the Prophet Samuel before this all began?

 1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 

The word heart is used 833 times in the KJV Bible.

The heart is the center of the physical, mental, and spiritual life of all humans!

It is the heart that is at the center of our physical life.

Act 14:17  Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 

The heart and our mind are closely connected.

It is thought that our heart is the seat of our intelligence.

Pro_8:5  O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Sometimes we think with our heart.

Pro 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 

We ponder things in our hearts.

Luk 2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 

We see the heart and mind connected.

Our emotions are tied to our hearts.

God can see into our hearts, and He knows who his children are and those who are not and never will be.

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 

Now we cannot read our own thoughts into this. 

This is something God knows, and we cannot know!

The heart is the center of our spiritual life!

Job said: Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. 

It is our heart that will condemn us, but it is also in our heart where we feel the power of God.

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

It is because our heart is at the root of all our problems this is the place where God does His greatest work!

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 

Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 

Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. 

It is the heart where God sows His seed (the Word of God).

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

It is in the heart where God will make His home within us.

2Co 1:21  Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 

2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 

This is why if God wants to know us, all He has to do is look into our hearts.

This is why we can witness for the Lord.

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

This is what God saw in the heart of Solomon.

*****2Ch 1:12  Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. 

There is a principle in the Bible that we have trouble understanding and the Lord Jesus uses it: Mat_25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

We see that King Solomon had enough wisdom to offer up a wise prayer, so God increased his wisdom as the answer to his prayer.

We see that all those who make this world their end will come up short in the gifts of God.

Those who make it to the "Glory World" will not only obtain a mansion in God's home, but God will give us enough in this world that we live and take care of our families.

Yes, God gave Solomon riches and wealth and honor, but these things had another purpose.

The truth is, if we put the Lord and His ways first in our lives then, good things can happen.

It means following God's will for our lives, then blessings will come our way!

God freely gives His wisdom if we will just ask Him.

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 

Amen`