Title: King Jehoahaz
Memorize: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 13:1-9 (Nkjv)
1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
3 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.
7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.
Message:
King Jehoahaz ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the death of his father, King Jehu. Jehoahaz’s reign was marked by sin and disobedience. The Bible reading for today shows that Jehoahaz was a wicked king who followed the example of his predecessors and worshiped idols. As a result, the Lord became angry with Israel and allowed their enemies, the Arameans, to oppress them. In distress, the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. However, despite the sin and disobedience of the people of Israel, the Lord still heard their cry for help and had compassion on them only because they turned back to Him (2 Kings 13:4-5).
The life of King Jehoahaz teaches that sin leads to suffering. When you turn away from God to worship idols or pursue selfish desires, you open the door to the enemy to afflict you. The consequences of sin may not always be immediate, but they will come eventually, especially when a sinner fails to repent.
Beloved, if you are living in sin, repent and forsake them now, and God will show you mercy.
Key Point:
God despises sin.
HYMN 3 – DRAW ME NEARER
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
CHORUS:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee
Bible In One Year: Numbers 11:24-13:33 Mark 14:22-52
AUTHORS: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
PASTOR MRS FOLU ADEBOYE