The Kingly Wisdom Of Christ (2 Chronicles 10)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:06.040 Let's turn to second chronicles ten. You may be seated second chronicles chapter ten. 2 00:00:10.949 --> 00:00:17.030 These next two chapters we enter into a new, new part of the 3 00:00:17.149 --> 00:00:23.140 story here in chronicles. Ever since first chronicles ten, actually, we've been 4 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:29.940 thinking about Israel's kings. First Saul and his sons and first chronicles ten, 5 00:00:30.100 --> 00:00:36.490 and and then time it with David and then Solomon. Now the story will 6 00:00:36.969 --> 00:00:41.729 move a little bit more quickly as the chronicler gives to us a history of 7 00:00:41.810 --> 00:00:48.770 these kings, in Judah in particular. And so tonight we hear about King 8 00:00:48.850 --> 00:00:57.439 Rayabalm in chapter ten. Let's give our attention to God's word. Raeubalm went 9 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:00.159 to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 10 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:03.909 And as soon as Jerebalm, the son of NAIBOT, heard of it, 11 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:10.150 for he was in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon, then Jerebalm 12 00:01:10.310 --> 00:01:15.989 returned from Egypt and they sent and called him, and Jerobalm and all Israel 13 00:01:15.109 --> 00:01:22.620 came and said to Rayebalm, your father made are yo heavy. Now, 14 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:26.379 therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us and 15 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:32.180 we will serve you. He said to them come to me again in three 16 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:37.730 days. So the people went away. Then king ray of Balm took counsel 17 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:41.890 with the old men who had stood before Solomon, his father, while he 18 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.769 was yet alive, saying how do you advise me to answer this people? 19 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:52.799 And they said to him, if you will be good to this people and 20 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:57.000 please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants 21 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:04.390 forever. But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took 22 00:02:04.469 --> 00:02:08.110 counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him 23 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:14.430 and he said to them, what do you advise me that we answer this 24 00:02:14.590 --> 00:02:19.219 people, who have said to me, lighten the yoke that your father put 25 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:23.580 on us. And the young men who had grown up with him said to 26 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:28.460 him. Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, your 27 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:31.889 father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us. Thus shall 28 00:02:31.930 --> 00:02:37.250 you say to them, my little finger is thicker than my father's thighs, 29 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:42.810 and now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will 30 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:47.000 add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will 31 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:54.400 discipline you with Scorpions. So jerobalm and all the people came to Rayebalm the 32 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:58.990 third day, as the king said, come to me again the third day, 33 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:04.509 and the king answered them harshly and forsaking the counsel of the old men, 34 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:07.590 King Rayabalm spoke to them, according to the Council of the young men, 35 00:03:08.150 --> 00:03:13.819 saying my father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. 36 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:17.939 My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with Scorpions. 37 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:23.219 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a 38 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:27.889 turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, 39 00:03:28.009 --> 00:03:32.650 which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeribalm the son of Nibot. And 40 00:03:32.729 --> 00:03:37.090 when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people 41 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:42.000 answered the king, what portion if we in David, we have no inheritance 42 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.120 and the son of Jesse. Each of you to your own tents, O 43 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:49.759 Israel, look now to your own house, David, and all Israel went 44 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:53.360 to their tents, but Rayabom reigned over the people of Israel who lived in 45 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:59.870 the cities of Judah. Then King Rhaboem sent to Hadaram, who is task 46 00:03:59.990 --> 00:04:03.750 master over the forced labor and the people of Israel stoned him to death with 47 00:04:03.949 --> 00:04:10.979 stones, and King rayabalm quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So 48 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:26.250 Israel has been in rebellion against the House of David to this day. In 49 00:04:26.370 --> 00:04:30.850 proverbs one thousand, three hundred and ten, we read by insolence comes nothing 50 00:04:30.889 --> 00:04:38.490 but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. This and many 51 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:46.519 other proverbs are displayed for us and illustrated for us in ray of boems failed 52 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:55.750 leadership here in first chronicles, chapter ten. We, the Americans here anyway, 53 00:04:55.750 --> 00:05:02.949 are about to go to vote in a few days and least. Leadership 54 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:08.220 is something that a lot of us have been thinking about. Good leadership, 55 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:12.779 bad leadership, and it's important in any area of our life, in our 56 00:05:12.819 --> 00:05:19.819 families and our countries. Having good leaders is a valuable thing, incalculable in 57 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:26.889 its value. If that's true in our in the Common Kingdom of this world 58 00:05:26.930 --> 00:05:31.370 and all these various fears in which we live our lives, how much more 59 00:05:31.490 --> 00:05:38.000 is that true in the Very Kingdom of God? How important is it that 60 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:45.360 the one who rules over God's kingdom be wise? How important it is it 61 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:48.480 that the one who rules over God's kingdom, over his people, over his 62 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:54.230 church, over this redemptive and everlasting kingdom, be one who is not a 63 00:05:54.509 --> 00:06:00.589 fool, this one who is called to represent God to his people and represent 64 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:06.899 the people to God. This king should be great, this king should be 65 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:13.139 the greatest of them all, and we've seen something of that. We've seen 66 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:16.339 a taste of that with David and Solomon, these great men, as the 67 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:21.769 Chronicler, showed us their glory, their splendor, their wisdom. Solomon, 68 00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:30.970 rayobalm's father, in particular, is praise for his great wisdom and ability. 69 00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:35.079 But here in this king and ray of Balm, we do not see wisdom, 70 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:44.959 do we? We see great, great foolishness. Why that wisdom is 71 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:46.829 essential in the Kingdom of God is, I think, obvious for a lot 72 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:54.350 of reasons, and we see it partly in the cost of what rayobalm experienced. 73 00:06:55.350 --> 00:07:00.740 What did Rayobalm's foolishness cause him? Well, he lost his honor among 74 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:08.139 half the country, he lost his glory. Now he has a divided kingdom. 75 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:13.699 He lost a portion of his land. Beyond these kinds of things, 76 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:20.170 now we see that brother is against a brother. There's this murder or assassination 77 00:07:20.410 --> 00:07:27.490 of hot ram. There's fear everywhere, this division of the Kingdom you read 78 00:07:27.529 --> 00:07:30.240 in these last few verses, when, in hearing these words, there they 79 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:34.439 are in Israel, this northern part of the kingdom, in Shechem, they're 80 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:39.639 ready to give their allegiance to Raya Balm. They say, what would you 81 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:42.959 have us do? Lighten our yoke. You see, they're ready to serve 82 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.550 him. He says, come back to me in three days. And what 83 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:47.829 do they do? They come back to him in three days. They're ready, 84 00:07:48.189 --> 00:07:56.470 least by all accounts here, but whence? When Raya Balm says these 85 00:07:56.589 --> 00:08:01.060 words, these hard words, I will make your yoke heavy, I will 86 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:05.060 add to what my father did. I will discipline you, not with whips 87 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:11.379 but with Scorpions, they turn on him. The exact opposite of what the 88 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:18.649 old men, the elders from Solomon's administration predicted. They turn on him. 89 00:08:20.170 --> 00:08:24.009 Each to your own tens or Israel. Look now to your own household, 90 00:08:24.009 --> 00:08:28.240 David. This is these are the words of I'm taking my ball and I'm 91 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.639 going home. Forget you, I'm done with you. They leave. They 92 00:08:31.679 --> 00:08:35.159 say we're done, we have nothing to do with you. You go do 93 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:37.840 what you want to do. We are going to be up here, we 94 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:41.990 are going to rule ourselves. And that's what ends up happening. Is Jeroboam 95 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:50.990 takes over and Raya Balm is forced to leave Israel and go fleeing to Jerusalem. 96 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:54.980 And then, in this ironic twist, hot OAM, Ray a balm, 97 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:58.139 sends for Hotteram, the task master, the one who was in charge 98 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:01.059 of forcing all of this Labor to happen. And what do they do? 99 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:05.779 They stone him, probably with some of the same stones that they he were 100 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:11.090 going to be asked to build with. Can you, I wonder how difficult 101 00:09:11.090 --> 00:09:18.129 it would have been to find a replacement for Hatter Um? Not Easy Anyway, 102 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:22.649 you see that ray of Balm's kingdom is immediately falling apart. He's barely 103 00:09:22.889 --> 00:09:30.240 started, and all because of his foolishness. Here the king is to be 104 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:35.919 acting with wisdom and glory and honor, reflecting God's own glory and honor. 105 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.309 The kingdom should be united, the people should be united, but instead they're 106 00:09:41.590 --> 00:09:48.590 fighting, all because of Rayobalm's foolishness. So it's appropriate for us to take 107 00:09:48.629 --> 00:09:54.100 a moment and consider exactly where the mistake happened, what it is that he 108 00:09:54.259 --> 00:10:00.460 did wrong meditating on these things will help us to avoid foolishness in our own 109 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:05.620 lives, as well as to see how truly wise Gesu is, how great 110 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:09.450 a king. He is, not a foolish one who takes counsel from bad 111 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:15.850 people, but takes his counsel from the Father Who's in heaven. So Raya 112 00:10:15.889 --> 00:10:22.200 Boem's foolishness. Let's consider it. Let's start, however, by noting something 113 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:28.320 he got right. He sought advice. That's a good thing. That's a 114 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:33.120 good start. The proverbs, over and over again, extol the virtues of 115 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:39.269 going and seeking advice. Proverbs and fifteen says, for example, wise men 116 00:10:39.669 --> 00:10:43.950 listens to advice, or I read to proverbs one thousand threeen ten. Those 117 00:10:43.990 --> 00:10:48.429 who take advice is wisdom. With them is wisdom. It's a good thing 118 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:52.139 to go for advice. The problem wasn't in he is going for advice, 119 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:58.059 it was to whom he went. And then what he failed to notice once 120 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:03.490 he heard it. The first people he went to. We're not so bad. 121 00:11:05.610 --> 00:11:11.610 He goes to these older men. Age throughout the proverbs is often a 122 00:11:11.769 --> 00:11:18.960 sign of wisdom. You've a sign of naivety and immaturity and inexperience, not 123 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:24.639 necessarily sinful in and of itself, but not necessarily the best place to go 124 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:28.840 for a good counsel either. Well, Raya Boem goes to the older men 125 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.429 and he asked them this question. He says, what should I do? 126 00:11:33.669 --> 00:11:37.309 How do you advise me to answer this people, and they give him this 127 00:11:37.389 --> 00:11:41.470 good advice in verse seven. If you will be good to this people and 128 00:11:41.669 --> 00:11:46.429 please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever. 129 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:54.659 There's a good we have a historical reason to see that. Their advice 130 00:11:54.899 --> 00:12:00.259 was something that was commonly followed in the ancient nearest and perhaps in some places 131 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:05.570 today, when a new king was established in a new place in other parts 132 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:09.570 of the world at this time, oftentimes there would be slaves would be released, 133 00:12:11.289 --> 00:12:16.360 debts would be forgiven. Why? King wants people to think well of 134 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:18.440 him. They wants them to serve them. He want they he would want 135 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:24.159 them to be happy with him. But instead, and this is what the 136 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:28.600 elders advise, he abandons the counsel of the old men, we read in 137 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.669 Verse A, and he takes counsel with the young men who had grown up 138 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:37.789 with him and stood before him. And here's where he goes wrong. But 139 00:12:37.029 --> 00:12:41.710 actually, if you read closely, you'll see that he went wrong even before 140 00:12:41.830 --> 00:12:46.259 this point. If you picture in your mind Ray abaum sort of approaching two 141 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.139 groups, let's say two committees, the committee of the old men the committee 142 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:54.299 of the young men, and he goes to the committee of the old men 143 00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:56.179 and he takes their advice, or here's their advice, and he goes to 144 00:12:56.179 --> 00:13:00.450 the committee of the young men and here's their advice, and then goes back 145 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:03.129 through his chamber and considers it for a while. You've got the wrong picture. 146 00:13:05.450 --> 00:13:09.090 He goes to the old men and asks or advice, having already determined 147 00:13:09.529 --> 00:13:13.360 who he's going to listen to. He's not going to the old men out 148 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:18.120 of sincerity. He's not going to the elders of his father's administration because he 149 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:24.440 respects them. Doesn't say why. Perhaps political reasons or some other thing, 150 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:30.710 but notice that he abandons the counsel that he takes from them before he ever 151 00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:35.669 hears the counsel of the others. Then he when he bet he abandons it, 152 00:13:35.029 --> 00:13:39.350 he goes to the others and says, what do you advise that we 153 00:13:39.789 --> 00:13:46.620 answer this people who have said to me before. He asks how do you 154 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:50.740 advise me to answer this people? But when he goes to the young man, 155 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:52.580 he says, how do you advise? We answer. You See, 156 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:58.490 he is already he already has picked his team. He knows who he's playing 157 00:13:58.610 --> 00:14:03.169 with. He's chosen these young men, and it text emphasizes several times why. 158 00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:07.210 These are the people that he grew up with, these are the people 159 00:14:07.330 --> 00:14:15.080 that he knows, these are the people that he respects. Well, being 160 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:20.639 young isn't always a fault. Paul Tells Timothy not to let others disrespect him 161 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:26.269 for his youth. On young men are expected to grow in wisdom and sometimes 162 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:31.470 exceed it beyond even that of older men. So he makes a, perhaps 163 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:35.990 at a tactical error in going to the young men, but we know for 164 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:41.980 certain that he's wrong when we hear the advice. There is no mistaking that 165 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:48.059 ray of balm is acting in foolishness. When we hear the advice of these 166 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:56.009 people. You read what they say. We see in verse ten, they 167 00:14:56.090 --> 00:15:00.289 say tell the people your father made are your are you o heavy and you 168 00:15:00.610 --> 00:15:05.409 but you. I'm sorry, that's what the people said. They they advise 169 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:11.679 him to say my little finger. There it is. Is Thicker than my 170 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:20.629 father's thighs. This is a very bold thing to say from a young man 171 00:15:22.149 --> 00:15:30.789 who is preceding King Solomon in Power and glory, in Majesty, in influence, 172 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:35.980 in wealth at every level. There was never a king that match Solomon, 173 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:43.940 and these young men, perhaps desiring to flatter and gain influence with this 174 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:50.169 young man Raya Balm, they advise him to take the advice and to press 175 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:58.490 down hard upon the people. It's hard to say exactly whether this word Scorpions 176 00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:04.480 means the bad things that we have around here. It could also mean the 177 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:11.919 kind of whip that perhaps was used with on Jesus's back, where sometimes these 178 00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:17.039 kinds of whips were afford to his Scorpion let whips, although later on these 179 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:22.830 are whips where pieces of metal or or glass or sharp rocks are tied to 180 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:26.629 the ends of the whip. So, in other words, it's not just 181 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:30.269 a whip that hits your back with a snap, but it hits and it 182 00:16:30.590 --> 00:16:37.460 digs and it tears and it rips. Either way, whether we're talking about 183 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:48.210 Scorpions themselves or Scorpion whips, we see the cruelty with which this king wants 184 00:16:48.289 --> 00:16:55.250 to treat his people. And this is what he fails to see. He 185 00:16:55.490 --> 00:17:03.120 fails to see the cruelty in their response. Proverbs Twenty eight fifteen, like 186 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:07.920 a roaring lion or a charging bear, is a wicked ruler over a poor 187 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:15.750 people, a ruler lacks understanding and as a cruel oppressor. But he who 188 00:17:15.789 --> 00:17:22.509 hates unjust gain will prolong his days. Remember, these are the wisdom of 189 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:30.339 his time. Some of these proverbs were very likely written by Solomon's own hand. 190 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:36.460 This is his father's advice. These are things that he has been told 191 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:41.980 as a king in his reigning, like a roaring lion or a charging bear, 192 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:47.970 is a wicked ruler over a poor people, a ruler lacks understanding. 193 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:53.730 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor. Why are these things not 194 00:17:53.769 --> 00:18:00.400 ringing in ray of Balm's ears when he hears this bit about Scorpions and heavy 195 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:08.160 yokes and cruel treatment? Proverbs twenty nine two. When the righteous increase, 196 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:15.589 the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people grown. You 197 00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:19.349 think they're going to give you their obedience? Ray a balm, that's not 198 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:25.349 what the proverbs say. Indeed, it's commanded even in God's law. You 199 00:18:25.470 --> 00:18:32.380 shall not rule over him ruthlessly. You shall fear your God. Cruelty is 200 00:18:32.660 --> 00:18:37.339 not godly, but its two thousand five hundred forty six. You may bequeathed 201 00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:41.769 to them, to your son's after you, to inherit as a possession forever, 202 00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:45.490 or you may make slaves over them, but over your brothers, the 203 00:18:45.569 --> 00:18:51.890 people of Israel, you shall not rule one another ruthlessly. Don't do it. 204 00:18:52.329 --> 00:18:57.480 Don't do it. Well, these are the words that we have in 205 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:03.279 proverbs about cruelty. This Roy of boem fails to detect. He also fails 206 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:10.230 to protect, detect the flattery in this little finger thighs comment. But flattery 207 00:19:10.390 --> 00:19:15.109 is dangerous, proverbs two thousand hundred and twenty eight. A lying tongue hates 208 00:19:15.109 --> 00:19:22.549 its victims. A flattering mouth works ruin. What did you expect, riblem 209 00:19:23.029 --> 00:19:30.339 flattery works ruin. When he hears the flattering words of these advisors, he 210 00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:34.619 should say I know where this is going, ruin, and turn away. 211 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:41.289 Or Jude Sixteen, he wouldn't have had this, but true. Nevertheless. 212 00:19:41.970 --> 00:19:47.690 These are grumblers, malcontents following their own sinful desires. They are loud mouth 213 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:52.839 boasters showing favoritism and gain advantage these are the people, these are sinners that 214 00:19:52.960 --> 00:20:00.680 the Lord speaks of, people that use their mouths for their own sinful desires. 215 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:08.789 Well, hearing the wicked counsel cruelty, flattery APPs also pride, ambition. 216 00:20:11.710 --> 00:20:17.269 Does Royal Balm remember the words of Psalm One? One blessed is the 217 00:20:17.349 --> 00:20:25.140 man who walks not in the council of the wicked. He doesn't hear it. 218 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:33.460 He doesn't hear it, these words from David it's grandfather. Blessed is 219 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:37.849 the man who walks not in the council of the wicked, nor stands in 220 00:20:37.049 --> 00:20:44.769 this way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. So you 221 00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:52.839 see Rayo Baum's foolishness. He goes after his own desires, he hears what 222 00:20:52.000 --> 00:21:02.359 he wants to hear and in it all he falls into ruin. Well, 223 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:06.910 this is very much the bad news of this story, and this overall is 224 00:21:06.990 --> 00:21:11.190 a kind of bad news story. Here we see Israel going the Kingdom of 225 00:21:11.309 --> 00:21:18.460 God, going from its height of power so quickly into failure. It's a 226 00:21:18.539 --> 00:21:27.140 great reminder of our own foolishness and how bad the bad consequences it can cause, 227 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:33.529 how far things can fall. But we also learn a second lesson, 228 00:21:34.009 --> 00:21:38.809 and that is that God is in control of it all. Again to the 229 00:21:38.890 --> 00:21:45.769 proverbs, proverbs twenty one one. The king's heart is a stream of water 230 00:21:45.970 --> 00:21:51.319 in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. Whenever 231 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.759 I think of this proverb by I think of my kids washing their hands, 232 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:00.869 especially when their first learning. They hold their hands under the sink and they 233 00:22:00.950 --> 00:22:06.349 just play with the water and just watch where it turns. You can direct 234 00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:08.509 it this way or that way, you can cut it, you can open 235 00:22:08.630 --> 00:22:14.150 you can move this stream as it comes down so easily a child's hand, 236 00:22:14.829 --> 00:22:22.819 just turning it the king's heart. The King's heart powerful, strong, willing, 237 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:29.140 choosing, deciding, commanding my little finger, and so on and so 238 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:33.809 forth. The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the 239 00:22:33.930 --> 00:22:40.690 Lord. He turns it wherever he will. This is always true, but 240 00:22:40.809 --> 00:22:47.200 explicitly mentioned here in Verse Fifteen. So the king did not listen to the 241 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:52.240 people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the 242 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:59.109 Lord that Yahweh might fulfill his word. I won't get into that now, 243 00:23:00.029 --> 00:23:03.670 but here are enough. You see that the Lord has spoken a word to 244 00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:11.950 a prophet he's made a decision and he will bring things about. Is rayabalm 245 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:17.779 still responsible for this fall? Absolutely, it's his foolishness that caused this all. 246 00:23:18.299 --> 00:23:22.259 And yet, at the same time we see that God is sovereign over 247 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:32.809 it all. God's sovereignty in the midst of our foolishness teaches us a couple 248 00:23:32.849 --> 00:23:38.769 lessons. It applies in some very helpful ways for our lives. One way 249 00:23:40.049 --> 00:23:44.680 is it should teach us and warn US away from foolishness. If God is 250 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:48.319 the Great King, if God is in control, and how dare we go 251 00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:52.359 against him? Instead of going against him, instead of going after foolishness, 252 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.630 we should go to the king, we should seek his counsel, we should 253 00:23:56.670 --> 00:24:02.470 study his word. Blessed is the man who walks now and the counsel of 254 00:24:02.549 --> 00:24:07.509 the wicked. But on who? Who? On who meditates day and night 255 00:24:07.710 --> 00:24:11.700 on the Law of the Lord? That's what a good king does, a 256 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:17.700 good husband, good boss, a good presidents, a good wife, a 257 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:25.089 good child. We meditate on the law of the Lord. The fact that 258 00:24:25.210 --> 00:24:29.569 God is in control doesn't make us say, well, guess I'll do whatever 259 00:24:29.690 --> 00:24:32.890 I want. No, means that we go to him, who is in 260 00:24:32.970 --> 00:24:36.809 control and we seek his counsel, we seek his advice. It means we 261 00:24:36.930 --> 00:24:41.039 seek to do his will and we asked that his will would that he would 262 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:45.319 do it in us, as the one who is in control. So it 263 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.799 guides our actions in this way. It shows us where our obedience lies, 264 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:56.109 it shows us where we should seek it. God sovereignty, in the midst 265 00:24:56.109 --> 00:24:59.829 of our foolishness, or in light of our foolishness, is also a great 266 00:24:59.829 --> 00:25:07.859 assurance to us as well, because we're all fools, at least sometimes, 267 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:14.500 and in our sin we're born into kind of foolishness. Before we're saved in 268 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:18.299 Jesus Christ, before we are joined with him, before the spirit regenerates in 269 00:25:18.380 --> 00:25:26.569 us a new life, we're always fools, always bent towards the wrong thing, 270 00:25:26.690 --> 00:25:29.890 the foolish thing, the flattering thing, the cruel thing, the prideful 271 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:38.480 thing both. Jesus is our king that begins to change. The king who 272 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:45.680 rules over the hearts of kings also rules over our own hearts, and the 273 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:48.960 king who rules over our Chil our hearts, is not a ray of bone. 274 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:59.029 Kind of King. King Jesus is and ever wise King. Try to 275 00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:07.700 think of one example where Jesus does a foolish thing. Try to think of 276 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:12.539 one moment where Jesus took a fool's advice and said yeah, that sounds like 277 00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:18.420 a good idea, and then regrets it later. How could I have been 278 00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:25.289 so foolish? There isn't one. There isn't one. It's not for lack 279 00:26:25.410 --> 00:26:29.369 of trying. There's people all around him in his ministry and his life, 280 00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:33.640 sating himself. Promises to give him the kingdoms of the world, he promises, 281 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:37.960 he gives him counsel. Do these things and you will be glorious. 282 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:47.549 Jesus rejects it over and over and over again. Instead, he always, 283 00:26:48.549 --> 00:26:52.710 and again and again and again, goes to God, his heavenly father, 284 00:26:53.789 --> 00:27:00.549 his father, I'm from all eternity. Indeed, Jesus himself is our great 285 00:27:00.589 --> 00:27:06.779 counselor is God himself? Jesus, unlike Rahabalm and like all of us, 286 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:12.460 has no need for advice. Isaiah nine six. For to us a child 287 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:17.490 is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be 288 00:27:17.609 --> 00:27:26.170 upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty God, 289 00:27:26.369 --> 00:27:36.200 everlasting father, Prince of peace. When Jesus comes to rule, he takes 290 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:41.720 the world on his shoulders, and he does so as mighty God, as 291 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:48.430 everlasting father, as wonderful counselor as Prince of peace. Instead of dividing people, 292 00:27:48.549 --> 00:27:52.190 instead of dividing the church and the Kingdom of God, he brings us 293 00:27:52.230 --> 00:27:57.109 together, Male and female, Jew and gentile, slave and free together, 294 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:03.460 he makes what is broken whole. He brings wisdom out of foolishness, he 295 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:11.900 brings righteousness out of sin, and he's our king, he's our ruler, 296 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:18.930 he's our protector, he's our counselor he's our mighty God. And so we 297 00:28:19.049 --> 00:28:23.809 have a god to go to, a God who saves us, a God 298 00:28:23.970 --> 00:28:32.279 who rules over us, and so we have assurance, we have comfort, 299 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.920 we can go about our activities in this world and our vocations and whatever callings 300 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:41.549 God has called us to and know that, though we are falling all over 301 00:28:41.589 --> 00:28:47.069 ourselves, that we're constantly making mistakes, though we're constantly falling into sin, 302 00:28:48.349 --> 00:28:55.069 God is in control. Jesus is in control, and he does so always 303 00:28:55.269 --> 00:29:06.740 and controls these things with perfect wisdom all the time. So when we consider 304 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:12.210 the foolishness and some foolishness in our own hearts, in our leaders, in 305 00:29:12.369 --> 00:29:19.289 our country, in our world. We've course, would repent, turn from 306 00:29:19.369 --> 00:29:23.960 it and seek after God and the salvation that he gives. But we also 307 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:30.519 don't need to fear. There's foolishness all around us and there's foolishness in our 308 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:36.599 hearts, but with God, the King Jesus, ruling over it all, 309 00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:45.150 we need not fear. And so, if you are voting these next Tuesday, 310 00:29:45.869 --> 00:29:51.549 I'd exhort you not merely to cast your vote into a ballot box, 311 00:29:52.750 --> 00:29:57.460 but to put it also before the throne of grace, before King Jesus, 312 00:29:57.740 --> 00:30:04.299 and trust him that, no matter whatever happens, he is king, he 313 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:11.769 is ruling and he is wise. Let us pray