As I make my way through the Old Testament again, I find more truth and joy with each reading. One of the things that has been impacting me is how foolish hereditary succession is for leadership and the constant need to stay vigilant regarding false idols and gods. I am not disagreeing with God for saying David would never lack for an heir on the throne and I realize this is why they maintained hereditary succession. What I know and they did not is this heir is Jesus and it is not about an endless line of human king's sons.
What men then and now hear when they think about succession is, the current king's son must ascend to the throne, but this was not what God was talking about. God was talking about Jesus who already existed at this point, we just did not know it as God's plan was not made clear to us yet. Hereditary succession does not work in business and it does not work in politics. Kids who grow up with affluence rarely appreciate the challenges everyone else faces to make it everyday. They often take for granted their privileged positions and are unaware everyone else does not have the same blessings. Just look at Rehoboam, the son of Solomon for an example. Seldom is a son worthy of the mantle of leadership because his father held it!
Currently I am in 2 Chronicles and it is amazing how well some of David's heir's led the Southern Kingdom and how utterly corrupt the kings of Israel generally were. Abijah replaced Rehoboam, who replaced Solomon on the throne. Under the leadership of Abijah and by the hand of God Judah struck down 500,000 chosen men of Israel in chapter 13. Unfortunately, we read at the end of chapter 13 how Abijah could not be satisfied with one woman, and instead took 14 women as wives, without mention of how many women he may have had as concubines. Acquiring additional wives is a policy of disaster and not the way of the Lord. The line of David failed to learn this time and again, repeating the sins of their fathers over and over again.
Asa replaced Abijah on the throne. Asa did what was right and good in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chron 14: 2). What did Asa do? He removed foreign altars and idols and broke pillars and cut down groves. This means those pillars, altars, and foreign gods were present during the reign of Abijah, let us not forget and remember how Solomon's many wives turned his heart from the Lord and to false gods. Chasing idols and women destroys one's relationship with God and when leaders stumble, the nation follows suit and stumbles right along with them. Bad leaders will often result in bad people so you can never vote for the lesser of two evils and think you are winning the bargain.
We are given a refresher into God's thinking by the prophet Azariah in 2 Chron 15: 1-7 in an effort to guide the king rightly. God does not force himself into our lives. God is with us when we are with Him. We must constantly remind ourselves of this, lest we fall away. Asa takes this message to heart and put away the idols from Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities and out of the hill country and he repaired the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem. Think about this. This is the 15th year of Asa's reign and all these things are in the kingdom, yet the prior kings each removed them also. It makes you wonder how these idols and false gods kept getting built and worshipped again by the end of each king's reign. We must constantly pluck and eradicate idols from our presence as they creep in and stick around right under our noses.
Even doing right and trying to keep Judah and Benjamin faithful, Asa breaks fellowship with God. Asa removes the treasures from the temple and gives them to the Syrian king to form an alliance in 2 Chron 16: 1-4. Asa forgot the words of Azariah and tried to buy an alliance to get himself out of trouble. Asa even threw the prophet in prison who reminded him of the words of God instead of repenting and seeking God's forgiveness. We can be such a hard-hearted people.
This is when the son of Asa becomes king of the Southern Kingdom. Jehoshophat is faithful and seeks God and defeats Israel. He strengthens the cities and God rewards not only him, but the whole kingdom with peace. God put a fear of the Lord in all the surronding kingdoms and Jehoshophat is able to build up stockpiles and strengthen their defenses. Things are going really well for the SOuthern Kingdom.
Wouldn't you know it, when we get to chapter 18, Jehoshophat decided to form an alliance with Ahab of Israel, picking the lesser of two evils in his mind! It seems we never learn doesn't it. What suckered Jehoshophat in? Ahab invited him to visit and showered him with praise and sacrifices and then said, "hey brother, why don't you join me in fighting Ramoth-Gilead. Together we can smoke that dude!" As I was reading chapters 17-20 the last two days I was just crestfallen and disapointed over and over again. Here we had a king getting it and doing it and then he falls for the same thing and stops relying on God and forms a stupid alliance. We are so fickle!
Thankfully another prophet visits Jehoshophat as he returns from the losing battle and shows him the error of his ways in 2 Chron 19: 1-3. You will notice even Jehoshophat had to destroy idols and wreck the Ashteroth's. Each and every king must do this when they take the throne and then continue doing it during their reign or those idols return like weeds amongst the wheat. Thankfully by the time we get to chapter 20, Jehoshophat has recovered and when faced with an enemy who far out numbers them and will certainly defeat them, he leads the Southern Kingdom in prayer to God for divine guidance and assistance and God destroys the enemy for them.
Why can't we do the same? Why must we trust in bad alliances with bad men against bogus boogie men no less? Why must we think more and bigger armies is always the answer? When was the last time the United States, or any nation for that matter, honestly went to their knees in prayer and supplication and sought God's divine wisdom and judgment and then trusted in the Lord to solve whatever the dilemma was?
Are you not tired of the king trying to keep you in a constant state of agitation against pretend enemies as justification for the king to transfer vast amounts of wealth to the military industrial complex and their friends, which miraclously finds its way to the kings pockets and those of their friends. When will we wake up and see the depravity of these kings. If you think the kings of Israel were bad, have you looked the presidents of the United States?
Saints, we are being played the fool by these kings. They are not righteous and they are not godly. Stop trusting in them for your salvation as their ways lead to death. Jesus is on the throne. God did not lie. There is an heir of David on the throne for all who will follow Him. Only He deserves your loyalty. God has not forsaken us, but we are leaving him and trusting in false gods and bad kings and we are reaping the effects of our lack of faith. God has never ceased being good to those who are faithful, but most of us have left Him in the lurch and pursued unrighteousness. Our high country is filled with altars and we have groves planted all over the place. Nearly everyone has an Ashteroth in their home and they watch it 8+ hours a day and keep it fed.
God could care less how much money you have. God could care less how big your house is or what you drive. Do you love Him and your neighbors? Do you? Do you trust God or do you seek bad alliances with bad men for your safety and your security? There is a better option. Jesus is on the throne. Why do we ignore Him? Please, do not go to your grave worshipping false idols and seeking their protection. Seek ye first the kingdom of God!