Recently I have been reading some of 1Kings…these guys didn’t get it. However there are so many good lessons from it. I told a friend of mine that I was reading Kings and she told me when she was in Sunday School that was pretty much all she learned about; The Kings. Because I was so moved by the stories I read I was shocked that they would teach young people such heavy stories! Talk about guilt tripping young people, there is so much sacrifice and strife, no wonder kids turn away when they start to use their own brain, talk about legalism! However, I am finding I am looking at these stories with a heart of sorrow for God. God gave us stories like the ones in Kings to show us what makes him cry and what makes him smile. there is sorrow but amazing redemption in these stories, it’s good stuff….but super heavy for young people when not used in the proper context.
So because of this my friend didn’t think of it the same way I did as she said she was bored of the Kings, as it was taught so much to her at a young age. How can this be? 1Kings is all about the mistakes; the things that upset God. These Kings had favor, but through sin and hard hearts and selfish power they were harshly punished for their choices. Then 2Kings is all about redemption. the Kings that loved God and did his will; yes they made mistakes but king David was God’s favorite…he redeemed the Kings!
I just finished the story of King Ahab and how he died and then how his descendants lost it all and instead of turning back to God they worshiped a false god named Baal. It is really interesting and there are so many things in that story about many different aspects and levels of God and his unfathomable love for us! The Bible really is all about Jesus and the gospel, we just don’t see it in the Old Testament as we let the “history” and stories get in the way. When we take it out of context and true meaning it loses value.
God loved those Kings so much and gave them so many chances…gave them so many words through prophets, dire warnings…but they just didn’t listen. Knowing God loves us…like really really loves us, and wants us intimate with him, not listening or turning from the things they were doing makes God so sad. We make God sad when we get out of his plan and purpose for us. God weeps for so many people who he loves that are missing purpose and not listening to his loving warnings. We, as devoted believers, need to weep for them too, and share his love with them, so God can delight in them like he delights in us!
I don’t want I make God cry by not breaking my heart for what brakes his. The stories of the Kings are stories that make God cry and then they are stories that make God delight in a joyful way through redemption. There is always hope in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that we can not be insensitive to what makes God sad, learn from the mistakes of the Kings so we can then make him happy...
No comments:
Post a Comment