2 Kings 14:23-25 - In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam
son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one
years. He did evil in the eyes of the
LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which
he had caused Israel to commit. He was the one who restored the boundaries of
Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of
Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the
prophet from Gath Hepher.
Many evil kings were allowed to reign on the thrones of
Judah and Israel. God allowed their evil but eventually used it to discipline
his people. The evil kings were not allowed
to reign forever…..but were usually captured or assassinated by another ….their
subjects being held in captivity. Then
God used the hard times they endured to speak humility and restoration of his
word into their lives.
But this evil king…Jeroboam ll…was allowed to reign for 41 years…God
tolerating his worship of the golden calves he had made. His evil was so great that many referred to
it in later writings. His evil became
the benchmark for measuring evil in the world….other kings being judged as
being ‘as evil as’ king Jeroboam ll.
Here’s the thing that caught my heart this morning….even
though Jeroboam was evil….God was still in charge. Just because God was allowing evil to have its
way with the world…he knew what was going on…and was using it to accomplish
something great. For this evil king…in
his tyrants and rampages against the neighboring countries…was capturing up
land and restoring the boundaries lost by other kings. God was in total control of his evil heart …and
even used it to restore the boundaries of Israel.
It gives me great comfort to be reminded of God’s sovereign
power over evil this morning. I hesitate
to turn on any news these days….so I don’t have to listen to the great evil
that surrounds me. But this scripture contains the promise God made to us…that
we as a people would never be completely destroyed…and his great love is always
listening to our pleas for protection and help.
Father…thank you for reminding me that you are in total
control of the chaos I see and hear around me each day. Help me to rest in your wonderful love and feel
the peace that surpasses my human understanding when I am surrounded by the
evil you are allowing and using to accomplish something great in my life. Show me how to spend more time with you in
prayer over the things I see that I feel are evil…and ask your help to overcome
and deal with the chaos. Amen.
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