Episode Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:08.669
Let's turn to second chronicles, Chapter
Eleven, and here the second of three
2
00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:21.269
episodes given to us about king rayabalm. So, Second Chronicles Chapter Eleven,
3
00:00:21.309 --> 00:00:29.420
let's give our attention to God's word. When rayebalm came to Jerusalem, he
4
00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:34.460
assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin. A hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors
5
00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:40.450
to fight against Israel, to restore
the Kingdom of Rayebalm. But the word
6
00:00:40.530 --> 00:00:46.210
of the Lord came to Shemah,
Shemiam, the man of God, say
7
00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:50.320
to Reyebalm, the son of Solomon, King of Judah, and to Israel
8
00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:55.759
in Judah and Benjamin. Thus says
the Lord, you shall not go up
9
00:00:55.799 --> 00:01:00.759
or fight against your relatives. Return
every man to his home, for this
10
00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.510
thing is from me. So they
listen to the word of the Lord and
11
00:01:04.430 --> 00:01:11.109
returned and did not go up against
Jerobalm rayebalm lived in Jerusalem and he built
12
00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:18.150
cities for defense in Judah. He
built Bethlem, Bethlehem, eatum, Tacoa,
13
00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:26.579
Beth Tsursoko, Oudulam, gaff Morsha, zippa or Zif Odryam, Lakish
14
00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:33.530
Ozka, Zora Ajalon, and Hebron
fortified cities that are in Judah and in
15
00:01:33.650 --> 00:01:38.170
Benjamin, he made the fortress strong
and put commanders in them and stores of
16
00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:44.250
food, oil and wine, and
he put shields and spears in all the
17
00:01:44.329 --> 00:01:51.319
cities and made them very strong.
So he held Judah and Benjamin, and
18
00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:55.920
the priests of the Levites, who
were in all Israel, presented themselves to
19
00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.430
him from all places where they lived. For the Levites left their common lands
20
00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:07.150
and their holdings and came to Judah
and Jerusalem because Jerobalm and his sons cast
21
00:02:07.269 --> 00:02:10.789
them out from serving as priests of
the Lord and he appointed his own priests
22
00:02:10.909 --> 00:02:15.259
for the high places and for the
goat idols and for the calves that he
23
00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:20.180
had made. And those who had
set their hearts to seek the Lord,
24
00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:24.099
God of Israel, came after them
from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem
25
00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:30.569
to sacrifice to the Lord, the
God of their fathers. They strengthened the
26
00:02:30.610 --> 00:02:35.210
Kingdom of Judah and for three years
they made Yubalm, the son of Solomon,
27
00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:39.250
secure, for they walked for three
years in the way of David and
28
00:02:39.449 --> 00:02:46.159
Solomon. Rayabalm took as his wife
Mahalaf, the daughter of Jeremath, the
29
00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.039
son of David and of Abihail,
the daughter of Eliab, the son of
30
00:02:52.039 --> 00:03:00.150
Jesse, and she or him sons
Jush Shamaiah and Zaham. After he took
31
00:03:00.389 --> 00:03:04.789
Maka, the daughter of Absalom,
who bore him Abijah, a tie,
32
00:03:05.150 --> 00:03:10.990
Zizza and Shell O. Myth Rayabalm
loved maca, the daughter of Absalem,
33
00:03:12.509 --> 00:03:19.539
from above all his wives and concubines. He took eighteen wives and sixty concubines
34
00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:27.250
and fathered twenty eight sons and sixty
daughters, and rayabalm appointed Abijah King.
35
00:03:28.889 --> 00:03:32.169
Sorry, the rayabalm appointed Abijah,
the son of Mah Cod, as chief
36
00:03:32.289 --> 00:03:38.330
prince among his brothers, for he
intended to make him king, and he
37
00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:43.599
dealt wisely and distributed some of his
sons through all the districts of Judah and
38
00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:47.080
Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and
39
00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:53.240
procured wives for them. This ends
the reading of God's word. May he
40
00:03:53.319 --> 00:04:03.669
bless it to us. Last time, when we considered King Rayabalm, newly
41
00:04:03.789 --> 00:04:10.500
minted King Rayobalm, we saw what
a fool he was. Crazy fool,
42
00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:15.780
a stupid fool, a fool who
made some decisions which had very, very
43
00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:20.459
terrible consequences. You remember what happened
newly meant. It is king. He
44
00:04:20.660 --> 00:04:29.009
goes to the older advisors, probably
as a formality, previous men who had
45
00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:32.970
reigned with Solomon, and he says
to them, what should I do with
46
00:04:33.129 --> 00:04:36.529
these people? They're asking me,
the people of Israel are asking me,
47
00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:43.439
to lighten their load, to reduce
their labor, and the older men say,
48
00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:46.519
go for it, it's a good
idea. If you do it,
49
00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:50.759
you'll have their loyalty forever. He
disregards their advice and then he goes to
50
00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:57.189
younger men, men his own age, men he'd probably already determined he was
51
00:04:57.310 --> 00:04:59.509
going to listen to, and he
says, what do you say I do?
52
00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:04.790
And they say, well, tell
them that your little think del or
53
00:05:04.870 --> 00:05:10.540
little finger, is thicker than your
father's thigh and that you're going to come
54
00:05:10.579 --> 00:05:14.899
down on them harder than they had
ever had before. My father disciplined you
55
00:05:15.019 --> 00:05:21.050
with whips, I will discipline you
with Scorpions. That's right. This is
56
00:05:21.129 --> 00:05:27.329
the ray of the advice ray of
Balem takes and as a result, the
57
00:05:27.449 --> 00:05:31.649
people, rebel Israel under Jarre Boehm, says, we're out of here,
58
00:05:32.290 --> 00:05:34.290
we're not going to listen to you. We're not going to beay you.
59
00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.240
Go each to his own country,
to his own city. We're done with
60
00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:45.079
you. Judah, the southern portion
of what if we've been calling in chronicles,
61
00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:51.629
all Israel is now divide. Did
Judah and Benjamin in the south Israel,
62
00:05:53.350 --> 00:05:59.629
in the north? Raya Balm ruling
over the South Israel, and Jeremont
63
00:06:00.389 --> 00:06:05.860
Jarabalm a ruling over Israel in the
north. Raya Balm's on the run.
64
00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:15.339
They kill one of his chief men, assassinate him and he is struggling to
65
00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:20.970
survive. This was chapter ten.
In that chapter we see it various ways
66
00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:27.930
in which Raya Balm exercised a great
foolishness and suffered the consequences for it.
67
00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:30.810
But we also see in that chapter, and in this one as well,
68
00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:35.959
that these things were not just accidents
outside the control of God, but they
69
00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:41.600
were coming about because of God's will. They were coming out, they were
70
00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:46.750
happening because of God's sovereignty over the
earth and everything that is in it.
71
00:06:47.750 --> 00:06:53.389
That's a point that's emphasized again here
at the very beginning of this chapter.
72
00:06:53.430 --> 00:06:57.550
Raya Balm, you read the first
three roads. When Ya Balm came to
73
00:06:57.589 --> 00:07:02.300
Jerusalem, he assembled the House of
Judah and Benjamin, a hundred eightyzero chosen
74
00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:12.300
warriors. This number, by the
way, is we're not exactly sure what
75
00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:15.850
is meant by this, whether it's
a hundred eighty thousand to a man or
76
00:07:16.089 --> 00:07:20.610
collections of people. Nevertheless, it
the main point is that he gets this
77
00:07:21.170 --> 00:07:26.490
group of men together, these chosen
warriors, to go and fight Israel.
78
00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:31.560
The specific reason given to restore the
kingdom to Raya Balm. But God sends
79
00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:35.839
his Prophet. We read in verse
to this Man of God, say to
80
00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:40.399
Yabalm, the son of Solomon,
King of Judah, and to all Israel
81
00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:46.110
in Judah and Benjamin. That's an
interesting phrase, isn't it? All Israel
82
00:07:46.269 --> 00:07:50.430
in Judah and Benjamin. It reflects
the reality that Israel, which once encompass
83
00:07:50.550 --> 00:07:56.870
this large territory under Solomon in some
ways, and primarily in a spiritual way,
84
00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:03.740
is now being concentrated in the southern
kingdom. Say to these people,
85
00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:09.860
don't go verse four. Thus says
the Lord. You shall not go up
86
00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:15.610
or fight against your relatives. Return
to your houses. This thing is from
87
00:08:15.769 --> 00:08:20.689
me, God tells them. This
thing, that this is happening, is
88
00:08:20.129 --> 00:08:28.759
from me, and this is where
things change. Before Ya, Balm took
89
00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:33.960
terrible counsel failed to recognize what it
would recognize it for what it was.
90
00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:41.190
Here he listens and it changes.
He listens to wisdom them, the wisdom
91
00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:46.230
of the Lord himself, and it
says this in verse. For so they
92
00:08:46.429 --> 00:08:52.269
listened to the word of the Lord
and returned and did not go up against
93
00:08:52.269 --> 00:08:56.620
Jeroboam. Why is this significant?
Well, aside from just telling us a
94
00:08:56.659 --> 00:09:01.419
little bit about history, this happened
and this didn't happen, which is important
95
00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:07.379
and interesting. What it's doing is
it's setting up a pattern, a pattern
96
00:09:07.460 --> 00:09:18.169
of obedience brings about blessing, disobedience
brings about curse. Obedience brings about blessing
97
00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:24.840
from the Lord, disobedience brings about
his breath. This is a pattern that
98
00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.480
we're going to see played out throughout
kings and it's based on the Covenant that
99
00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:33.840
God made with David. Remember,
he said to David I want I will
100
00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.480
raise up a son after you and
if he follows after me, I will
101
00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:39.590
be there for him, I will
bless him, I will protect him,
102
00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:45.110
I will keep him. This is
the promise that he made to Solomon and
103
00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:48.230
as we look at Solomon's I'm sorry, the promise that he made David,
104
00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:52.139
and as we look at Solomon and
each son after him, we're asking this
105
00:09:52.220 --> 00:09:56.500
question. Does he obey the Lord? Does he stay with the Lord,
106
00:09:56.779 --> 00:10:01.419
does he follow after David and Solomon, or does he go another way?
107
00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:11.490
Another way that is going to be
typified by Jeroboam Jarobalm becomes the antithesis of
108
00:10:11.610 --> 00:10:15.929
how things are supposed to work.
If with Rayabalm in the southern kingdom,
109
00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:20.330
we see that obedience to the Lord, listening to his council, brings about
110
00:10:20.330 --> 00:10:24.960
blessing and security and honor, in
the a northern kingdom, we're going to
111
00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.960
see the opposite with Jerobom and does
not bring about these things, but it
112
00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:41.110
brings about ruin and destruction and idolatry. Rayabalm listened to God and his blessed.
113
00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:45.269
He is at this moment anyway,
being a very good king, a
114
00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:48.870
godly king, not a perfect king, as we perhaps came to your mind
115
00:10:48.909 --> 00:10:54.299
when we're reading about all those wives
and concubines, but a king who,
116
00:10:54.340 --> 00:11:00.899
in many ways is following after the
Lord. I want you to consider some
117
00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:05.730
of the blessings that God pours out
on Rayebalm. Notice how he's able to
118
00:11:05.809 --> 00:11:11.289
strengthen and secure what God gives to
him. We read this particularly in verses
119
00:11:11.690 --> 00:11:16.370
five through twelve. Rayubalm lives in
Jerusalem and he built cities for a defense
120
00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:22.960
in Judah. Read a very large
list of them. Calls them fortified cities.
121
00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:28.200
And Benjamin. He makes the fortresses
verse eleven strong, puts commanders in
122
00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:33.029
them, stores of food, oil
and wine. They were gonna be set
123
00:11:33.750 --> 00:11:39.870
these fortresses, these cities were not
going to run out of food or oil
124
00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:46.429
or wine. They were ready and
they were strong. To Verse Twelve,
125
00:11:46.549 --> 00:11:48.539
not only do they have all these
supplies, they had shields and spears.
126
00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:56.899
He made them very strong, and
so he held Judah and Benjamin. So
127
00:11:56.419 --> 00:12:01.929
God gives to him security and strength
because he listened to him. What would
128
00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.049
have happened if he had done the
opposite? Oh, we can't say for
129
00:12:05.169 --> 00:12:07.169
sure. We don't know, we're
not God, but we do know that
130
00:12:07.330 --> 00:12:13.330
similar things happen to other people and
happened to Saul. When kings are told
131
00:12:13.409 --> 00:12:18.039
to stay and they go, they
get spread too thin, their armies get
132
00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:22.919
depleted, they lose ground. The
opposite happens here with Raya Balm, but
133
00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:30.149
in his obedience the Kingdom is made
secure. But it's not just a physical
134
00:12:30.309 --> 00:12:35.750
strength, it's not just the supplies
and the commanders and the weapons, but
135
00:12:35.870 --> 00:12:41.350
there's spiritual strength that happens in Judah
as well, and this is important because
136
00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:46.220
ultimately this is what God is most
concerned about. In a sense, the
137
00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:52.220
northern kingdom under Jeroboam will have a
measure of strength as well, armies and
138
00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:56.899
power and fortified cities, but they
will not have this, the spiritual strength
139
00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:03.889
that God blesses Raya Balm and Judah
with. What do I mean? We
140
00:13:05.009 --> 00:13:11.370
get this from verses three, I'm
sorry, thirteen through seventeen, we're told
141
00:13:11.570 --> 00:13:20.879
this. This terrible situation happens when
Jerobalm and rheabalm divide, when the northern
142
00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.360
part of the kingdom divides from the
southern part of the kingdom. It's not
143
00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:33.470
merely a physical divide, but it's
a spiritual one. Because what happens in
144
00:13:33.509 --> 00:13:39.149
verse fourteen? The Levites left their
common lands and their holdings in the northern
145
00:13:39.190 --> 00:13:45.460
part of the Kingdom and came to
Judah and Jerusalem. Why? Because JEROBOAM
146
00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:50.100
and his sons cast them out from
serving as priests of the Lord and he
147
00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:54.179
appointed his own priests for the high
places and for the goat idols and for
148
00:13:54.340 --> 00:14:01.129
the calves that he had made.
I want you to imagine yourself for a
149
00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:07.210
moment as a levite from the northern
Kingdom of Israel. When he says here,
150
00:14:07.490 --> 00:14:09.559
when the chroniclers says, that they
left their common lands, in their
151
00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:16.480
holdings, were talking about the inheritances
that God had given them since the time
152
00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:22.759
of Moses. People had been living
here for generations. You remember, the
153
00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:28.190
Levites didn't have a particular land,
a particular region in Israel like all the
154
00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:33.590
other tribes. They were dispersed.
They were dispersed throughout the tribes and and
155
00:14:33.789 --> 00:14:39.659
were dispersed for the reason of ministering
to the tribes. They were there as
156
00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:46.259
God's priests and servants to care and
teach and and and and instruct the people
157
00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:48.539
in the ways of the Lord and
in turn, the people were to supply
158
00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:54.850
them with their needs, animals and
land and money and various things. But
159
00:14:56.009 --> 00:15:01.250
what did Jared Bom do? He
takes away the inheritance of God from an
160
00:15:01.289 --> 00:15:07.159
entire tribe within his region and he
kicks them out, not because of some
161
00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:11.639
disobedience, not because they were doing
a bad job, not because they had
162
00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:18.879
aposticized from the Lord, but because
he wanted goat idols and he didn't want
163
00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:24.909
these servants of Yahweh mucking that up. He had built golden calves, just
164
00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:31.149
like Aaron, and Israel had built
down on the ballot base of Mount Sinai,
165
00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:37.820
committing these great and terrible sins that
would plague the kingdom of Israel,
166
00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:43.980
the northern Kingdom of Israel, for
quite a long time and would eventually be
167
00:15:45.179 --> 00:15:54.330
exiled for it. He kicked out
the priests and they went to Jerusalem.
168
00:15:56.730 --> 00:16:00.529
They're going to Jerusalem. was obviously
a bad thing for the northern kingdom,
169
00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:07.519
but oh that was a good thing
for the southern kingdom. This great influx
170
00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:14.279
of ministers, of people that had
been dedicated by God himself to serve the
171
00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:25.269
people. Verse Seventeen they strengthened the
Kingdom of Judah for for three years they
172
00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:29.110
made Yobalm, the son of Solomon, secure, for they walked for three
173
00:16:29.110 --> 00:16:33.139
years in the way of David and
Solomon. You see, that's the archetype,
174
00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:37.379
that's the model, that's the pattern
that people that these kings are supposed
175
00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:41.899
to follow the way of David and
Solomon, and that's what the Levites did
176
00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:48.889
and as a result they strengthened the
Kingdom of Judah. So all this to
177
00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:53.769
say, in Rayobalm's obedience and Rayobalm's
listening to the word of God, we
178
00:16:53.889 --> 00:17:00.210
see that his kingdom is strengthened,
blessed not only with physical power and strength,
179
00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:06.920
but spiritually they are strengthened as well. Instead of falling in and giving
180
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:11.240
over to the idolatry of Jerobalm,
they are giving themselves over to the Lord,
181
00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:17.710
to his temple, to his sacrifices. They set their hearts to seek
182
00:17:17.829 --> 00:17:22.150
the Lord God of Israel and they
came from all the tribes of is real
183
00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:27.549
to Jerusalem to sacrifice to him,
the God of their fathers, not a
184
00:17:27.710 --> 00:17:34.900
goat idol, but God himself.
The last way, and just to mention
185
00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:40.099
this briefly, we see God blessing
ray of Balm is in his family.
186
00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:47.970
Barrenness is and and the end of
a line is often the sign, or
187
00:17:48.690 --> 00:17:52.730
is one of the many signs,
of curse under the old covenant, and
188
00:17:52.890 --> 00:18:00.599
this is particularly true of the Kings. You remember that David's kingdom began with
189
00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:06.799
the finishing out of Saul and his
sons. But what do we see happening
190
00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:15.230
here, Raya Balm's family flourishes.
Now the DISCUSSI. Discussion about polygamy will
191
00:18:15.269 --> 00:18:18.910
have to wait until another time.
I will say, though, that,
192
00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:25.950
though, though chronicled here, it
doesn't necessarily make it a good thing or
193
00:18:26.029 --> 00:18:32.460
an okay thing. God design marriage
to be between one man and one woman,
194
00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:37.019
and Solomon, after taking these wives, his own many wives, is
195
00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:41.569
one of the great reasons that the
southern kingdom would eventually fall, and Jarobalm,
196
00:18:41.730 --> 00:18:45.769
or, I'm sorry, Raya Balm, will see problems there as well.
197
00:18:45.930 --> 00:18:52.529
Nevertheless, we do see a fruitful
family and we also see that these
198
00:18:52.730 --> 00:18:59.079
various names that are listed are connected
in particular to the Line of David.
199
00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:03.839
This is the way the chronicler is
once more further connecting a ray of balm
200
00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:11.269
to the DIVIDIC Kingdom. So why
does all this matter? Why does it
201
00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:15.710
matter to see ray of balm listening
to this good counsel, paying attention to
202
00:19:15.789 --> 00:19:19.589
the word of God and being blessed
for it, while on the other hand,
203
00:19:19.950 --> 00:19:25.539
seeing rayabalm throw off the Lord God, the God of their fathers,
204
00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:30.420
the God of a covenant, and
giving himself and his kingdom over to idolatry?
205
00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:37.019
One reason we this is important is
because in this we see God's keeping
206
00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:42.210
his promise to David. Rayabalm was
the Chosen One of Solomon, and God
207
00:19:42.289 --> 00:19:47.809
is keeping that promise. We it's
also important to us because it's through this
208
00:19:48.009 --> 00:19:52.960
line that Jesus will come. The
son of David is not extinguished, the
209
00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:59.359
son of David is not trampled Jereboam
doesn't eventually win the day here, crushing
210
00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:03.720
out by his idolatry and military power, the Kingdom of God. We see
211
00:20:04.119 --> 00:20:07.589
God working in all of these things, these things coming from his hand and
212
00:20:08.069 --> 00:20:14.990
ultimately being fulfilled in Jesus. But
the last reason I want to mention to
213
00:20:15.109 --> 00:20:22.380
you is that in the seeing these
two kingdoms, a split of two kingdoms
214
00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:27.380
diametrically opposed to one another, we
learn a pattern and we come to see
215
00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:34.339
the Kingdom of God clearly, particularly
as it relates to the king. There
216
00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:41.849
are two kingdoms here, an evil
one and a good one. The evil
217
00:20:41.970 --> 00:20:47.769
one that is captive to ambition,
idolatry and blindness, that is without grace
218
00:20:47.809 --> 00:20:51.839
or the means to it. The
Levites left, the worship of God left,
219
00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:57.119
but the Kingdom of God in the
southern kingdom was a good one and
220
00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:03.680
where do we see it's goodness?
In its worship, in its refuge,
221
00:21:03.349 --> 00:21:10.029
in its strength and its protection,
in its food for body and soul.
222
00:21:10.309 --> 00:21:15.190
The people of God were being taken
care of because the king was following the
223
00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:22.619
word of the Lord. This pattern
of not following the word of the Lord
224
00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:27.700
and rushing headlong toward hell, and
following the word of the Lord and finding
225
00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:34.970
oneself closer and closer to heaven,
this pattern never changes and in fact it
226
00:21:36.170 --> 00:21:41.450
only widens, because when Jesus comes, and he comes as the perfect king,
227
00:21:42.170 --> 00:21:48.200
as of one who doesn't make any
fault or fail in every way or
228
00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:52.240
an end in any way, he
takes all the safety and security of Raya
229
00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:59.960
Balm that was sort of flying spiritually
high above the northern kingdom and he just
230
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:06.710
soars up into the highest places,
even heaven itself, when King Jesus reigns
231
00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:10.750
and rules over his kingdom. And
we ask, was he obedient to the
232
00:22:10.829 --> 00:22:17.059
word of God? Did the king
follow the counsel of the Lord? Did
233
00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:22.180
he do so in a way that
would provide us safety and provision for both
234
00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:26.140
our body and our soul? The
answer is yes, yes, yes,
235
00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:30.450
yes. At every point where we
can see and see see and recognize ray
236
00:22:30.529 --> 00:22:36.289
of Balm's success and the blessing that's
poured out on him. We see in
237
00:22:36.369 --> 00:22:41.490
a small picture, our Lord and
our Savior. We see the strength and
238
00:22:42.329 --> 00:22:52.039
protection and glory and grace that Jesus
provides us. Now I mention this because
239
00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:59.630
this is sometimes hard to see.
The Kingdom of Heaven under Jesus is not
240
00:22:59.670 --> 00:23:04.190
always so obvious. For Raya Balm, you could go to a map,
241
00:23:06.069 --> 00:23:08.109
draw it out, say, okay, there's this border and here's this city,
242
00:23:08.190 --> 00:23:11.549
in this city, in this city. You could map it all out.
243
00:23:11.829 --> 00:23:15.220
You can't do that with the Kingdom
of Heaven as it is today.
244
00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:22.900
Jesus is he rules, rules over
all of us in all kinds of different
245
00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:27.329
places. The Gospel has gone out
into the world and we find ourselves not
246
00:23:27.529 --> 00:23:33.089
bound in a geographic area. In
some ways that makes it more glorious.
247
00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:37.450
It's everywhere, it's over the whole
world, but sometimes it makes it harder
248
00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:47.640
to see. To paraphrase one of
the earliest ridings after the New Testament.
249
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:52.640
Early is Christian writings after the New
Testament in the epistle to diagnosis. We
250
00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:57.349
read there that, speaking of Christians, they everyone has a fatherland, but
251
00:23:57.470 --> 00:24:02.829
every fatherland is foreign. Don't know
if I have that exactly right. It's
252
00:24:02.869 --> 00:24:10.019
from memory, but you get the
idea. Christians don't reside in this one
253
00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:15.859
particular place in this one particular time. They're everywhere. They have fatherlands,
254
00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:19.740
they have home countries all over the
place, all over the world. They
255
00:24:19.859 --> 00:24:23.410
exist everywhere. The kingdom is found
everywhere, and yet at the same time
256
00:24:25.410 --> 00:24:30.970
every fatherland is foreign. They're living
as so journals and exiles all over the
257
00:24:30.049 --> 00:24:33.690
world, and that makes it hard
to see. With ray of Balm you
258
00:24:33.809 --> 00:24:40.799
could go to the giant st more
room of wine, let's say that's upon
259
00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:44.640
VAT's drums, upon drums, and
say wow, okay, we're set.
260
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:51.319
We don't have that here at Covenant
Well, have vast store houses filled with
261
00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:56.430
shields and weapons and food and oil
and wine. That's just not here,
262
00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:03.750
and so can be hard to see. The Kingdom of God under Jesus,
263
00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:10.220
though it's infinitely more secure, infinitely
more stable, it's hard to see.
264
00:25:10.220 --> 00:25:15.460
The Kingdom of God is also mixed
up in the world and it's mixed up
265
00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:19.220
even in the church. Jesus,
our king, says that the wheat and
266
00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:26.210
the tears are growing up together.
And even in ourselves. The goalliness that
267
00:25:26.289 --> 00:25:32.130
we see in these levites is a
wonderful thing, but we also know our
268
00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:36.880
own weaknesses. We know that we
often fall into, I cut, various
269
00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:42.319
kinds of idolatry. Nevertheless, though, the kingdom is hard to see and
270
00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:48.240
it's mixed even in our own hearts. You know it's there and I submit
271
00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:52.990
to you that you can see it
in some ways. You see it in
272
00:25:53.150 --> 00:25:59.789
the love of one brother for another. You see His grace and the way
273
00:25:59.910 --> 00:26:04.220
that our lives are encouraged and strengthened
in the midst of our weakness and our
274
00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:11.420
brokenness. He remains there. He's
steadfast. Love endures forever. You hear
275
00:26:11.619 --> 00:26:15.259
the Kingdom of God in the preaching. You see it in his servants,
276
00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:21.769
you see it in the administration of
the sacraments and baptism and communion. You
277
00:26:21.890 --> 00:26:25.609
see the Kingdom of God, and
Jesus is kingship of it, as lives
278
00:26:25.650 --> 00:26:30.849
are changed, as people grow,
as we hope, even in really hard
279
00:26:30.930 --> 00:26:37.880
times, even in weakness and sorrow
and suffering, there is an essential hope
280
00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:45.599
that belongs to us as Christians and
you can't take that away and you see
281
00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:53.150
it and you feel it. We
experience it and we hear it. Jesus,
282
00:26:53.230 --> 00:26:56.109
of course, does provide for us. He provides for us everything we
283
00:26:56.230 --> 00:27:00.910
need, and he promises us not
only that in this life but in the
284
00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:04.660
life to come, there comes a
day when the Kingdom of God will no
285
00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:10.299
longer be hidden and veiled and growing
up mixed like it is now, but
286
00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:17.410
it will be clear and evident,
with perfectly definable boundaries and perfectly the citizenship
287
00:27:18.089 --> 00:27:25.329
well known and vindicated. But for
now, that leaves us with a choice
288
00:27:26.369 --> 00:27:27.930
in a lot of ways. Here
in this world, now we are,
289
00:27:29.009 --> 00:27:34.000
like the Levites, seeing both the
Kingdom of God under Jesus and the Kingdom
290
00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:41.440
of the world under many antichrists,
Satan himself, and we have this choice
291
00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:45.670
to make, like the Levites had
to make. Well, I stay here,
292
00:27:45.589 --> 00:27:51.109
and will I give myself over to
idolatry? Well, I give myself
293
00:27:51.230 --> 00:27:56.549
over to blindness and sin, or
will I run across the border and find
294
00:27:56.670 --> 00:28:03.740
my home in the Kingdom of God? It leaves us with this this choice
295
00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:07.660
that we, each of us,
have to make, and sometimes it will
296
00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:12.809
be a choice of great sacrifice.
When the Levites left, they left their
297
00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:18.250
homes, their families, their cities, their houses, their vineyards, their
298
00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:25.049
flocks. They left at all,
but they did so for the best reason
299
00:28:25.170 --> 00:28:32.839
of all, because they knew that
ultimately, the Kingdom of God was not
300
00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:37.279
tied up in the land, though
it was expressed there and though it was
301
00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:44.029
typified there, the Kingdom of God
belonged to something much greater and that God,
302
00:28:44.190 --> 00:28:48.349
even in the midst of this divided
kingdom, this break up, this
303
00:28:48.710 --> 00:28:52.390
idolatry and all the rest, that
God would take care of them. And
304
00:28:52.549 --> 00:29:00.660
he did, and even through them
he strengthened the Kingdom of Judah. As
305
00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:03.259
each of you think about your own
lives and the choices that you have to
306
00:29:03.420 --> 00:29:10.529
make, I ask you to think
about Jesus, to think about him in
307
00:29:10.730 --> 00:29:15.650
his kingship, in his power.
Read through the New Testament and consider what
308
00:29:15.009 --> 00:29:21.930
the Bible says about the strength of
Christ, the power and victory he has
309
00:29:22.009 --> 00:29:26.799
over darkness, over the healings that
we mentioned earlier, over demons, over
310
00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:34.039
authorities, over everything. And when
you consider Jesus is powerful and kingly strength.
311
00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.430
I call on you, exhort you. I say do not remain in
312
00:29:41.869 --> 00:29:45.509
the northern kingdom, do not remain
in the kingdoms of this world, when
313
00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:52.029
the Kingdom of God is at hand. How do we enter into it?
314
00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:56.980
We don't have to travel anywhere.
We simply give ourselves over to Jesus,
315
00:29:57.859 --> 00:30:04.740
to trusting in him and following in
his ways. May God enable us to
316
00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:11.569
do these things. May God establish
his kingdom here among us and in this
317
00:30:11.809 --> 00:30:18.089
world, and may we all wait
with that great hope for the consummated form
318
00:30:18.130 --> 00:30:22.559
of it to come. Let's pray
together and ask that God would help us
319
00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:23.160
in these things.
