Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2
Calling all you keen Bible-readers...
What do these four names have in common: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah?
Easy, eh? They’re all kings we meet in the Old Testament.
Very good. Anything else? Well, they’re all kings of Judah, the southern part of God’s ancient people, as opposed to Israel, from whom Judah split after the death of Solomon.
Excellent. And? They’re all good kings, praised in the four books of Kings and Chronicles for upholding the worship of God and attempting to lead their people in his ways.
Very good again. Anything else?
Sadly, yes. To a greater or lesser extent, they all lost their way towards the end of their long reigns.
You could have an interesting hour’s Bible-study some time by following the fortunes of these kings through the books of Kings and Chronicles - there are too many relevant passages for me to refer to them all here. Why not try it?
One interesting thing is that whoever wrote Kings is even more admiring of them than whoever wrote Chronicles. The books of Kings, while they don’t portray them as perfect, have very little to say about them that’s bad. The books of Chronicles, on the other hand, while certainly recognising their godliness and their different achievements, don’t shrink from drawing attention to their lapses.
Here’s just a sample. Asa was undoubtedly a great and courageous man of God. But 2 Chronicles 16 tells us that when he was rebuked by the prophet Hanani “he was so enraged that he put him in prison.” And “at the same time he brutally oppressed some of the people.” Enraged...brutally oppressed: mmm... ugly words to be spoken of a man of God.
Or Hezekiah. Truly a spiritual giant, he has long been one of my favourite Bible characters. So I feel all the more sad when I read (in 2 Chronicles 32) that “his heart was proud” and “he did not respond to the kindness shown him”, so that “the Lord’s wrath was upon him and on Judah and Jerusalem”. It does seem, to be fair, that this lapse was only temporary; but it still leaves a nasty taste.
I’ll leave you to check up on Jehoshaphat and Josiah for yourselves: their faults were certainly less glaring, but what comes across is men who, under certain circumstances, trusted in their own wisdom rather than walking in step with God as they had previously done.
Where is this foray into Old Testament history leading us?
I suggest three important lessons.
First, we are reminded that the Bible is to be taken as a whole, not just in bits. Kings and Chronicles run parallel, but each provides something the other doesn’t - Kings gives us the history of Israel as well as Judah; and Chronicles, as we have seen, gives us the not-so-praiseworthy aspects of the lives of these good kings. Get to know the whole Bible!
Second, don’t expect perfection from anyone, even those you have come to respect most. If you put people on pedestals - and, let’s face it, we all have our “heroes” - you could be in for some big let-downs, for we all have “feet of clay”. Christ alone is our teacher, leader and example. Let’s “fix our eyes” on him and him alone, as the writer to the Hebrews suggests.
Third, let’s get it into our heads that it’s important to end well. We have probably heard it said many times that if the Christian life is a race, then it’s a marathon rather than a sprint. Anyone can make a start if they put their mind to it. But what about keeping right on to the end?
Thank God for those fellow-Christians who have reached old age still walking close to God after many years, and who bear the honourable scars of battle. Of course, they’re not perfect, any more than Asa and the rest. But they have demonstrated staying power; they’re not just shooting-stars who impress for a year or two and then fade into oblivion. (I imagine we’ve all met a few of those here-today-gone-tomorrow people in our lives as Christians.)
It’s not easy to decide why our quartet of kings had their lapses. Complacency, after years of success? Pride and self-satisfaction, forgetting that they were still totally dependent on God? Ignoring good advice? Whatever, they sadly lost their way.
And so may I. And so may you. It’s worth watching out for these things in our own lives.
Another thought occurs to me... But no, I’ve run out of space, so I’ll plan to come back to it next time...
Oh God, thank you for the honesty of your word, and the way it portrays great figures of faith with their warts and all. Help me to learn from them, and to be able to say with your servant Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Help me, Lord, to end well. Amen.
Calling all you keen Bible-readers...
What do these four names have in common: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah?
Easy, eh? They’re all kings we meet in the Old Testament.
Very good. Anything else? Well, they’re all kings of Judah, the southern part of God’s ancient people, as opposed to Israel, from whom Judah split after the death of Solomon.
Excellent. And? They’re all good kings, praised in the four books of Kings and Chronicles for upholding the worship of God and attempting to lead their people in his ways.
Very good again. Anything else?
Sadly, yes. To a greater or lesser extent, they all lost their way towards the end of their long reigns.
You could have an interesting hour’s Bible-study some time by following the fortunes of these kings through the books of Kings and Chronicles - there are too many relevant passages for me to refer to them all here. Why not try it?
One interesting thing is that whoever wrote Kings is even more admiring of them than whoever wrote Chronicles. The books of Kings, while they don’t portray them as perfect, have very little to say about them that’s bad. The books of Chronicles, on the other hand, while certainly recognising their godliness and their different achievements, don’t shrink from drawing attention to their lapses.
Here’s just a sample. Asa was undoubtedly a great and courageous man of God. But 2 Chronicles 16 tells us that when he was rebuked by the prophet Hanani “he was so enraged that he put him in prison.” And “at the same time he brutally oppressed some of the people.” Enraged...brutally oppressed: mmm... ugly words to be spoken of a man of God.
Or Hezekiah. Truly a spiritual giant, he has long been one of my favourite Bible characters. So I feel all the more sad when I read (in 2 Chronicles 32) that “his heart was proud” and “he did not respond to the kindness shown him”, so that “the Lord’s wrath was upon him and on Judah and Jerusalem”. It does seem, to be fair, that this lapse was only temporary; but it still leaves a nasty taste.
I’ll leave you to check up on Jehoshaphat and Josiah for yourselves: their faults were certainly less glaring, but what comes across is men who, under certain circumstances, trusted in their own wisdom rather than walking in step with God as they had previously done.
Where is this foray into Old Testament history leading us?
I suggest three important lessons.
First, we are reminded that the Bible is to be taken as a whole, not just in bits. Kings and Chronicles run parallel, but each provides something the other doesn’t - Kings gives us the history of Israel as well as Judah; and Chronicles, as we have seen, gives us the not-so-praiseworthy aspects of the lives of these good kings. Get to know the whole Bible!
Second, don’t expect perfection from anyone, even those you have come to respect most. If you put people on pedestals - and, let’s face it, we all have our “heroes” - you could be in for some big let-downs, for we all have “feet of clay”. Christ alone is our teacher, leader and example. Let’s “fix our eyes” on him and him alone, as the writer to the Hebrews suggests.
Third, let’s get it into our heads that it’s important to end well. We have probably heard it said many times that if the Christian life is a race, then it’s a marathon rather than a sprint. Anyone can make a start if they put their mind to it. But what about keeping right on to the end?
Thank God for those fellow-Christians who have reached old age still walking close to God after many years, and who bear the honourable scars of battle. Of course, they’re not perfect, any more than Asa and the rest. But they have demonstrated staying power; they’re not just shooting-stars who impress for a year or two and then fade into oblivion. (I imagine we’ve all met a few of those here-today-gone-tomorrow people in our lives as Christians.)
It’s not easy to decide why our quartet of kings had their lapses. Complacency, after years of success? Pride and self-satisfaction, forgetting that they were still totally dependent on God? Ignoring good advice? Whatever, they sadly lost their way.
And so may I. And so may you. It’s worth watching out for these things in our own lives.
Another thought occurs to me... But no, I’ve run out of space, so I’ll plan to come back to it next time...
Oh God, thank you for the honesty of your word, and the way it portrays great figures of faith with their warts and all. Help me to learn from them, and to be able to say with your servant Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Help me, Lord, to end well. Amen.
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