Devotions
Just yesterday, I heard someone say that he didn’t like devotions. If I remember correctly, he said he didn’t like them because, more or less, they weren’t in-depth enough of the word of God.
I can see what he means, but I disagree. Here is why.
In my opinion, devotions are allegories in that the writer is trying to take a situation and tie it to the word of God. In some ways, they are like the study bible where you can get additional insights to help illuminate or add detail to a particular passage in the Bible. Where I agree with him, I think, is that devotions shouldn’t replace studying God’s word and asking the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the wisdom there in.
To illustrate this, I want to accomplish 2 things with one section of the Old Testament. The first challenge was thrown down by Pastor Patrick at a Bible study where he challenged us to read 2 Kings, chapters 21-23, and to note whatever we felt was noteworthy. I’ll try to do this and a more comprehensive look at these chapters in the following. But before I do that, I want to tie in what Pastor mentioned in his sermon regarding those people that God puts into positions of power.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV
Patrick, quite correctly, held this up to our face as both a chastisement to the smack talk and worse about our elected leaders but, more importantly in my assessment, pointing to the promise of leading a peaceful and quiet life.
Back to 2 Kings. These chapters tell a brief story of two kings of Judea, King Manasseh and King Josiah. I would describe this grandfather and grandson as polar opposites of each other. Manasseh was about the worst King you could imagine. He encouraged and supported all kinds of idolatry and evil practices.
“And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.”- 2 Kings 21:2-6, 9
When I think about evil reigns like Hitler and Nazi Germany or Hamas or Stalin, they might be vague copies of Manesseh. Eventually, his abominations and the abominations he encouraged caught up with him but not until he reigned 55 years.
“And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.” - 2 Kings 21:10-13
After he died (I didn’t see where he died from anything other than age), his son, Amon was installed as king but he only reigned 2 years before a coup brought him down. The people, desiring peace, got rid of the coup leaders and installed Manesseh’s grandson Josiah as king. King Josiah reigned 31 years (he was 8 when he was installed as king) and he died battling Egypt (Egypt was coming to the aid of the Assyrians and Josiah went to stop them but that is a different story).
Anyway, during the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah wanted to repair the temple and in the process, the secretary of the royal court obtained the forgotten book of the law and read it to the king. I didn’t see anything that commented on Josiah’s reign before that but he was only 26 when he sent word to start the temple repair. When Josiah heard the word of the book of the law,
“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.” - 2 Kings 22:11
In other words, he humbled himself before God. After inquiring of the prophetess, they found out that Judah had crossed the line where God was going to punish them by letting them be conquered and sent into exile. God also promised not to do this until Josiah died because of his penitence and humility attitude. Thus ended chapter 22.
Chapter 23 details the reforms that Josiah implemented. Without diminishing them, they were many including restoring the Passover, ended with this verse.
“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” - 2 Kings 23:25
Mighty high praise that not even David received. The chapter concludes with the military engagement against the Egyptians that ultimately resulted in Josiah’s death and burial.
When I read these chapters, I have to acknowledge
• I think about historical time different than contemporary time. By that I mean that 31 years of Josiah’s reign doesn’t sound like much compared to the 55 years of Manesseh. However, I’ve seen lots of changes in my similar duration lifetime. I can’t imagine our current governments having leaders in power that long (absolute power corrupts absolutely). I remember a conversation I had many years ago suggesting that two terms of a president followed by two terms of his wife as president (16 years) would be enough to change a generation and the course of the country.
• Even though Josiah spent most of the second half of his reign reforming worship and being described as there being no king like him, the crime had been done and punishment was coming. Some things can’t be fixed.
• Josiah humbled himself when he heard the word of God. Devotions can be good in helping you focus on one aspect or see an example of an application but that doesn’t eliminate the need to get into the word of God yourself.
• At the end of chapter 23, right after Josiah was buried in his own tomb, his son Jehoahaz was anointed and even though he only reigned 3 months, it was stated that he did what was evil in the sight of the lord. This tells me that we have to be on everlasting vigil to not slip into sin.
Just like Pastor Patrick did for me, I encourage you to read 2 Kings 21-23 for yourself and see what you can glean from it.
