“What’s the Scoop on…….Athaliah and Jehosheba?”

The two women that Pastor Grace chose to teach about were unknown to all of us, their stories buried in the accounts of the kings of Judea and Israel found in 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings. The contrast in the legacy that these women left taught us some important lessons.

Before I begin, I want to warn you that the family relationship between these two women is complicated. Pastor Grace gave us a copy of their family tree which greatly helped. For the purposes of this post I am going to focus on what was most relevant to the lesson she taught.

First we will look at Athaliah.  She was the daughter of Queen Jezebel of Israel, a woman notorious for her depravity. (At this time in history, Israel and Judah stood divided.) Athaliah married King Jehoram, a king of Judea.  Jehoram continued the evil practices of his fathers, eventually dying in disgrace.  After Jehoram died his son Ahaziah was crowned king. He followed the evil practices of his family before him, encouraged to do so by his mother Athaliah.  After reigning only a year, he too died.  At this point Athaliah, his mother, saw a great opportunity to seize power.  She commanded that all of Ahaziah’s heirs (her own grandchildren!!) be put to death, securing her place on the throne on Judah. Her quest for power eventually resulted in her own brutal death.

Now let’s look at Jehosheba.  She was the daughter of King Jehoram (husband of the evil Athalaih, her step-mother).  Her family tree is not much different than her half-brother’s, Ahaziah.  Despite the legacy of evil in her life, Jehosheba married Jehoida, the high priest of the Lord.  As Athaliah carried out her evil plan to destroy the royal heirs, Jehosheba is able to rescue one child, her nephew, from death.  She combined her faith in the Lord with action. This child, Joash, is taken and hidden in the temple of the Lord for seven years. At eight years old Joash became king of Judah, following in the ways of the Lord.  Probably due to the influence of both Jehosheba and Jehoida in his early years as king, Joash instituted religious reforms in Judah.

Pastor Grace made some important points in comparing these two women and the legacy they left behind.  We can apply these lessons to our own lives.

Your family heritage does not dictate who you will become.  

Both Athalaih and Jehosheba shared a family heritage and probably grew up in similar cultural surrounds but the paths of their lives couldn’t have been more different. Athalaih choose the path of darkness.  This didn’t have to be the case.  Jehosheba’s choices resulted in a much different path.  Jehosheba purposely choose to align herself with God.  This choice did not come without cost.  She risked her own life to save Joash. 

The same is true for us.  Pastor Grace pointed out that many of us come from backgrounds that were far less than ideal.  We may have had many influences in our lives that were ungodly.  This can’t be an excuse for continuing to live in darkness.  We will have to stand before God on our own and answer for our own choices. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Who you surround yourself with will influence who you become.

The man Jehosheba  married was a follower of the Lord God. And not just a follower but a man committed to the ways of the Lord.  Reading 2 Kings 11 and 12, you can see what a mighty man of God  Jehoida was.  As he followed the Lord, so did she.  As Pastor Grace pointed out, “bad company corrupts good morals”.  We need to be very careful of who we spend most of our time with.  God calls us to be lights in this world but those closest to us should be people who are wholly seeking after God. We will become who we hang out with.

God has called us for a purpose.

God had a very specific job for Jehosheba.  Pastor Grace pointed out that He has specific plans for us as well.  She reminded us that Satan will try to steal the purpose that God may have for us, often by undermining our confidence. We have to recognize his lies for what they are.  No one has the power to take away what God has ordained. 

Athaliah and Jehosheba were women whose fates were shaped by the choices they made.  One stopped at nothing to gain what she desired.  The other choose to follow God and live a life of faith. Thank you Jesus that we have the power to make the right choice!!

“Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” Luke 9:23-24.

"What's the Scoop on........Huldah?"

Arlene’s message for Tuesday’s Bible Study was aptly entitled Who in the World is Huldah? Although Huldah was unknown to all of us, Arlene taught many things about her that we could apply to our own lives.

We meet Huldah is 2 Kings 22.  She is a prophetess of the Lord during the reign of King Josiah.  King Josiah was the son of Amon and the grandson Manasseh.  When Josiah  became king of Judah he inherited a land overcome with idol worship and other practices that were detestable to the Lord. King Josiah did not follow the traditions of his fathers. “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left“ (2 Kings 22:2).

In the 18^th year of King Josiah’s reign the Book of the Lord is discovered in the Temple and is brought to him.  After hearing the words of the book King Josiah is deeply convicted.  “"Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us” ( 2 Kings 22:13).  He sends his officials, among them the high priest, to inquire of the Lord regarding the message. The men seek out Huldah, a prophetess of the Lord.

Arlene taught us five important things about Huldah.

First Thing : She was a Prophetess.

“Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah,” (2 Kings 22:14).

Arlene differentiated the role of the prophet in the Old Testament from that of the prophet in the New Testament.  In both Testaments,  prophecy was (and is) a gift given by God for the purpose of hearing what God was saying and then speaking it.  In the Old Testament it was primarily a foretelling.  This means to tell about an event before it took place. In the New Testament the role was primarily forthtelling.  This means to speak out.

In the Old Testament the words spoken by the prophet were usually not found in the written scriptures.  They were spoken by God directly to the prophet. These words were considered infallible.  In the New Testament the words of the prophet most often bring a challenge or encouragement.  These words can be fallible, as scripture shows.  Paul tells us not to despise prophecy but to test it. “Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Thess. 5:19-20).  It should be noted that all prophecy must be in agreement with the authority of God’s written word.

Arlene pointed out that both Old Testament and New Testament prophecy are vital for correction and encouragement.  “He who prophecies edifies the church”  (1 Cor. 14:4b).

Second Thing : She was a teacher.

“She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District.”  (2 Kings 22:14).  According to Jewish tradition the Second district was called the University district.  Jewish tradition also tells us that Huldah was a teacher.  She, along with her husband, probably trained Josiah in the ways of the Lord when he was young and she probably had a school for women.

Third Thing : She had a good reputation.

“Go inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found.”  (2 Kings 22:13).  It was the High Priest who sought Huldah out.  She must have had a solid reputation as a faithful woman of God and was honored as such.  Arlene noted that Huldah’s contemporaries were Jeremiah and Zechariah yet the high priest went to her.  Like Huldah, we can have a reputation that causes others to seek us out and to have the favor of the Lord upon us. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”” (Proverbs 3:3-4).  Huldah had that kind of favor.

Fourth Thing : She was a prophetess who was confident in her gift.

“This is what the LORD says”  (2 Kings 22:16).  Huldah spoke with boldness and confidence.  This shouldn’t be confused with pride.  When we are walking in the confidence of God we can accept the truth of scripture:  “apart from me you can do nothing” from John 15:5c  and  from Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ”.  Confidence is something that God has given us and we shouldn’t give people the power to take it away.  God tells us in Hebrews 10:35a “So do not throw away your confidence”.          

Fifth Thing : She operated in the power of the gift and not the power of the flesh.

“They took her answer back to the King.” (2 Kings 22:20 ).  Because of the power of the Holy Spirit behind Huldah’s words they were accepted and then acted upon.  We will not see God’s power working in us unless we step out of our comfort zone to do what we could never do without Him.  We need to walk in the gifts He has given us.

As a last point, and one Arlene didn’t even have in her notes but felt compelled to address, was centered on the proverbial gorilla in the room.  What do we do with this passage?

“This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched” (2 Kings 22:16-17, emphasis added). 

God  deals with groups and individuals.  While God was going to deal with his children for the abominations they committed he would also deal very differently with Josiah because of the attitude of repentance he displayed. “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.'" So they took her answer back to the king” (2 Kings 22:19-20, emphasis added).

When King Josiah repented, God relented. Arlene brought us to Isaiah 48:9-11 which gives us insight into the Lord’s character regarding judgment.  “For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:9-11).

Arlene pointed out two things from this verse. 1) God chooses to refine us, not wipe us out.  He wants to transform us into beautiful vessels. 2) God does this because it is who He is.  By cutting us off, His name would be defiled because we are His. 

Going back to 2 Kings 22:16-17 (see above),  we can see why God was angry.  Although His children had forsaken His way, God’s desire was to bring them back to a place where they could experience his blessing, enjoy life, and demonstrate to the world how wonderful it is to be under God’s leadership.  God’s correction is always meant to bring us to a place of blessing.  All we need to do, like Josiah, is repent.  Not only did he repent, but the king instituted a religious reform in Judah that was the most sweeping ever during the time of the divided kingdom. 

To conclude, we may not all be Huldahs with a gift of prophecy, but we can all be like Josiah and have the same sweeping effect in our own sphere of influence.  We repent, He relents!  You need not be afraid of the gorilla in the room. 

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth” (Psalm 67:1-4).

Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel: Verse 8

A few weeks ago in Sunday service Pastor Ken spoke about the difference between ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t’.  This got me thinking.  In my life there are many things I can’t do.  A few of them are as follows:  I can’t clap (with  any kind of rhythm), I can’t go to Australia next week,  I can’t buy a Range Rover, I can’t calculate compounded interest rates in my head,  I can’t buy a few more dogs and I can’t walk into Starbucks with a gun, demanding  a grande café mocha.  I am sure you could name a few of your own!

Why is this?  We all have physical, financial, and time limitations in our lives.  Some things we can’t do because they are unwise. Some things are just illegal.

But what about spiritual limitations?  Today we begin memorizing verse 8 in our Bible Memorization Project.  For many, many years I said I couldn’t memorize scripture.  I tried to do it but, to be completely honest,  I gave up after a week or so.  The truth is, I can do it because I am doing it now.  What I’ve learned is that it does take effort. It’s a conscious pursuit.  Pastor Ken said last year, memorizing scripture is a spiritual discipline.  It is not a one day marathon. If you spend just 15 minutes a day concentrating on your current verse and reviewing those you have already memorized, God’s Word will become a part of you.

The Word says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).   We read in Mark 10:27, “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God”. God tells us in Phil. 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ,  who gives me strength”.  In Joshua 1:8 God also says “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night”. If God is saying all this it seems pretty clear that we can memorize scripture.  He wouldn’t tell us to do something we couldn’t do.

Like those of you who committed to embark on this challenge, I want to be faithful to do what I told God I would do, that is memorize His Word.  He has met me in this.  If you are hearing in your head ’you can’t do this’, that is not God’s voice. I really want to encourage you.  You can do this!! If you are on track – excellent!! If you are not – get back in the race! Memorizing His Word is really about you and Him.  God will bless you as you walk in obedience and faithfulness in what you have set out to do.

So tell me, what is your 8th verse?

"What's the Scoop on........Potiphar's Wife?"

Tuesday in Bible Study Sandee taught about temptation using the notorious wife of Potiphar as an example.  We can read about her exploits in Genesis 39.  As you may remember, Potiphar’s wife attempted to entice Joseph into an adulterous affair, not just once but time after time. Joseph held fast to his convictions.  After being turned down once more, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of attacking her and he is thrown into prison. 

Before delving into Joseph’s encounter, Sandee taught us about the actual word ‘temptation’ and how it used in scripture.  Many verses that use the English word for ‘tempt’ or ‘trial’ are translated from the same Greek word ‘PEIRASMOS’.  Usually when someone is being enticed to evil the word is translated as temptation.  When there is a testing present that aims at a spiritual good the word is translated as trials.

How We Are Tempted

Sandee pointed out three ways that Joseph was tempted.  These temptations can be found in1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world”.  

1.  Lust of the flesh: "Come to bed with me!"  (Gen 39:7b). 
2.  Lust of the eyes:  Joseph was well built and handsome. Potiphar’s wife looked    at him longingly.

3.  Pride of Life: “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife” (Gen 39:9b).

It is important to remember that temptation itself is not a sin.  Even Jesus was tempted. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Sandee compared the temptations that Joseph faced to those that Jesus encountered from Satan.

           
1. Lust of the Flesh: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread"     (Mat 4:3).

2. Lust of the eyes: “The devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” (Mat 4:8).

3. Pride of Life:  “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me” (Mat 4:9).

How We Prepare for the Battle Against Temptation

Sandee gave us five ways that we can arm ourselves against the temptations that are sure to come.

1)  We need to spend time in the Word of God. This goes beyond a cursory reading of scripture.  We really need to know what God says. We need to study His Word. We need to commit it to memory! As Sandee pointed out, we may not have our bibles with us when confronted by Satan. (For those of you joining us in the Bible Memorization Project – keep it up! For everyone else – its never to late to hide God’s Word in your heart!!)

2)  Be ready for the battle.  It tells us in Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes”.  Ephesians 6:13-17 goes on to give us detailed instructions on how we do this.

3)   Watch and pray. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."  (Mark 14:38).

4) Be alert and self-controlled. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
 

5) Be strong in faith. “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:9).

Strategies for Fighting Temptation

When temptation actually comes our way we are not powerless. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  We can resist the temptation. Joseph clearly resisted the temptation that Potiphar’s wife presented. In James 4:7 God says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. We can  run away from the temptation. It says in 2 Tim. 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness”.

Sandee noted something significant about Joseph.  He resisted. He did what was right in God’s eyes yet he was falsely accused and sent to prison.  So what do we do when we face similar circumstances? The answer is found in James. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).  We also know from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will show us a way out.  Looking at the example of Joseph’s life we see that he lived by faith. He forgave those who contributed to his problems. He trusted God.

“For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. (1 Corinthians 10:13, The Amplified Bible).

Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel - Verse Seven

Hello my models of memorization!!!!

Right off the bat I want to tell you that I am steamed.  I fell for it again.  When will I ever learn?  I have had an extremely rough week and my faith has been rocking back and forth like the proverbial ship on a stormy sea.  I don’t mind telling you that fear has been seeping into every available nook, cranny and crevice in my spiritual armor.  I had worries about health, worries about finances, worries about kids, worries towards extended family members, worries about friends, economy, the weather, not having enough, having too much, I said too much, I said too little, I shouldn’t have gone there, I should have gone there, I did too much, I did too little……just making myself crazy with worry.  Worry, worry, worry.  Then my biggest and I mean my biggest mistake was my solution.  Ok I will just not worry.  Has anyone ever tried that and has that actually worked?  Never does for me.  The more I try not to worry it seems it only initiates a new worry, I start to worry about my not worrying.  

Then today, I happen to read an old post on the blog. What Are You Standing In? and my very own words gave me the great big old spiritual shake I needed to get me back on track.  The post talks about a memory verse I had been working on “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.”  (2 Corinthians 1:24)  I was reminded that if we are standing in our circumstances and our worries we will not stand for very long because we as Christians walk by faith and not by sight.  The solution is not to try to worry less but to activate my faith and trust God more.  Everything that I was worried about, I realized, was just a plain old nuts and bolts faith issue.  The enemy had kept me looking down at my circumstances rather then up at God.  I don’t need to just stop worrying but I need to take every one of those troubles and entrust them to God.  I need to step out of the circumstances and situations, which by the way I have no control over anyway, and step into the realm of faith. 

Why am I sharing this today?  Because the very verse that God used to snap me out of my week long self absorption with worry was a memory verse from last year.  When I stumbled across the post the verse wasn’t new to me, but it did remind me of what I already knew from the time I was memorizing it.  That, my dear wonderful co-laborers in memorization, is why we do this; so that we are equipped and ready for anything.  As we commit our scriptures to memory, we are arming ourselves for the obstacles that lie ahead and not necessarily what is in front of us today. 

How I love God’s word.  I can’t tell you enough how God has changed my life because of it.  His Word means everything to me and I am so thankful that I have the privilege to know Him through it.  That is why I am passionate about studying it, memorizing it, and singing it.  God has turned my world upside down because of His inspired Word and I just am filled with gratitude that He opened my eyes to see Him in it.   Not only has He done it in the past but He is still doing it.  I love that about Him. 

So that is my testimony for memorization.  I bet you have one too.  If you do, please share it with others as a word of encouragement to them.  It might just be the thing that sets them on the path to Bible study and memorization.

Ok well today is Bible verse memorization number 7.  What’s your verse?  Here is mine:

“Puts up with anything.  Trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.”  1 Cor 13:7 MESSAGE

Love you guys.  What a joy and privilege it is to memorize along with you.