May the mumbling commence!
In life, sometimes we feel like we are in way over our
heads. We feel involved in intrigues we
cannot understand. In times like these,
we need someone we know we can trust.
Think about Joash, a seven-year-old, who was hidden in the Temple for
the vast majority of his life.
What might he have been thinking about the machinations
that pitted the priest Jehoiada against his mother Athaliah, who had killed all
my siblings? Read from Second Kings
chapter eleven:
When Athaliah heard all the noise made by the guards and
the people, she hurried to the Lord's
Temple to see what was happening. And she saw the newly crowned king standing in his place of authority by the
pillar, as was the custom at times of coronation. The officers and
trumpeters were surrounding him, and people from all over the land were
rejoicing and blowing trumpets. When Athaliah saw all this, she tore her clothes in despair and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"
Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders who were
in charge of the troops, "Take her out of the Temple, and kill anyone who tries
to rescue her. Do not kill her here in the Temple of the Lord." So they seized her and led her out to the
gate where horses enter the palace grounds, and she was killed there. Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the
king and the people that they would be the Lord's
people. He also made a covenant between
the king and the people. And all
the people of the land went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They
demolished the altars and smashed the idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan
the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
Jehoiada the priest stationed guards at the Temple of the
Lord. Then the commanders, the Carite mercenaries,
the guards, and all the people of the land escorted the king from the Temple of
the Lord. They went through the gate of the guards and
into the palace, and the king took his seat on the royal throne. So all
the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was peaceful because Athaliah had
been killed at the king's palace.
Joash was seven years old when he became king. (Verses 13-21)
Joash didn’t have much choice but to trust Jehoiada, a
priest of the Lord. Thankfully, Jehoiada
was faithful to the Lord and faithful to Joash.
The priest led Joash and the rest of Judah in a purging of Baal worship
in Judah. Joash also set about protecting
the vulnerable seven-year-old king.
May we have equal luck in trusting our Christian leaders
today! Lord, help me to be a minister
who is faithful to the Lord and to the people most vulnerable in my life. In this way, I may be given opportunities to
spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
May I preach like Paul! Read from
Acts chapter twenty-six:
“I preached first
to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to
the Gentiles, that all must turn from their sins and turn to God-- and prove
they have changed by the good things they do. Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this,
and they tried to kill me. But God
protected me so that I am still alive today to tell these facts to everyone,
from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and
Moses said would happen – that the Messiah
would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead as a light to Jews and
Gentiles alike."
Suddenly, Festus shouted, "Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!"
But Paul replied, "I am not
insane, Most Excellent Festus. I am speaking the sober truth. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I
speak frankly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they
were not done in a corner! King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?
I know you do –"
Agrippa interrupted him. "Do you think you can make me a
Christian so quickly?"
Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might
become the same as I am, except for these chains."
(Verses 20-29)
Paul makes no apologies for preaching the Good News of
God. Paul is not afraid to look foolish
or crazy. And all of Paul’s efforts are
focused in on bringing other people into a saving relationship with Jesus. Indeed, Paul wanted to positively affect
everyone he came across. May we be so
bold!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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