Ahaziah

Ahaziah.  The Hundred Years’ War between France and England (1337-1453) and the subsequent War of the Roses, which involved the squabbles of royal succession in England (1455-1487), can claim no bragging rights for complicated storylines. The knot of kings and queens in Israel and Judah in the mid-9^th Century B.C., tangled by name duplications, assassinations, usurpations, and a curious mixture of the Greek way to count years versus the Jewish way, unilaterally seizes the prize for complicated storylines! Yet, it seems that the more one studies it, the more one gags upon its bile.

The ancient nation of Israel was intractably divided following its Civil War (931 B.C.) during the abysmal reign of Rehoboam (931-915 B.C.). The ten tribes in the north separated from Jerusalem to become Israel. The two tribes in the south reduced to Judah. Israel and Judah, despite their historic brotherhood, hated each other. Neither kingdom was good, but the northern kingdom of Israel was noticeably worse in terms of their kings. The low tide line of morality in Israel seemed to coalesce around the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, who flaunted their worship of Baal and Asherah. God promised to judge them (1 Kings 21:23-24).

Jezebel died a horrible death for her sins (1 Kings 21:23). Ahab died an unlikely death, too, for his sins (1 Kings 22:34). But the rot of Ahab and Jezebel continued for many years to infect Israel and contaminate Judah. Ahaziah, son of Ahab and Jezebel, was crowned in 854 B.C. A weak and inconsequential ruler, Ahaziah reigned only two years, because, like his parents, he died a supernaturally unnatural death associated with his worship of Baal (853 B.C.). But Ahaziah’s sister, Athaliah, married the king of Judah, Jehoram—which was also the name of the next king of Israel after Ahaziah (sometimes shortened to Joram). Indicative of his lawlessness, Jehoram (of Judah) killed six of his younger brothers (2 Chr. 21:4). Athaliah apparently already had a son, Ahaziah (named for her brother, the short-lived king of Israel), from before marrying Jehoram (of Judah), who was now the heir-apparent in Judah. When Jehoram (of Judah) was also assassinated, Athaliah placed Ahaziah (of Judah) on the throne (2 Kings 8:26). He was twenty-two years old and only reigned one year (841 B.C.). Yet, she advised Ahaziah (of Judah) “in doing wickedly” (2 Chr. 22:3), which is to say, she trained her son in his grandmother’s (Jezebel) idolatry. When Ahaziah (of Judah) was killed by Jehu (of Israel) while visiting his uncle Jehoram (of Israel), Athaliah killed everyone left in the royal family at Jerusalem who might have had a claim to the vacated throne of Ahaziah—her grandchildren!—so that she could usurp the throne of Judah herself (2 Chr. 22:10) in 846 B.C.

But Jehosheba, the daughter of Jehoram (of Judah) and stepdaughter of Athaliah, who had married the high priest, Jehoiada, secretly rescued her infant nephew (Jehoash, shortened to Joash) from Athaliah’s assassination attempt (2 Chr. 22:11). When Joash was old enough to be crowned king, the priests who guarded Joash killed Athaliah (2 Chr. 23:15). Thus, all of Ahab and Jezebel’s allies were judged; the wound closed, somewhat.

The complicated storylines of the kings and queens of Israel and Judah are difficult to follow but easy to summarize: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

What Is This That You Have Done?

What Is This That You Have Done?  The Scriptures exclusively have the answers to questions that humans all over the world, all throughout history have been asking: (1) Who is God? (2) Who am I? (3) What went wrong? (4) How can it be fixed? (5) What comes next? Each of those universal questions drives the ones who “ask, seek, and knock” (Matt. 7:7) to Jesus Christ.

But the Scriptures also have an all-star list of stand-alone questions, too. A running list of the Bible’s questions yanks a gut-wrenching thread through the book of Genesis. The first question in Genesis is layered in nuance and thick in deception, but clearly draws a perimeter for every subsequent answer between what God says and what God does not say. “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (Gen. 3:1). The second, third, fourth, and fifth questions in Genesis, asked by God, betray the first humans’ dreadful answer given to the first question asked by the serpent: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9), “Who told you that you were naked?” (Gen. 3:10), “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Gen. 3:11), and “What is this that you have done?” (Gen. 3:13).

Questions, sometimes more than our meager and masquerading answers, are the real windows into our souls, especially when our answers have departed from or added to the words of God. To Cain at the jealousy which he showed against his brother Abel, God asked, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (Gen. 4:6-7). Instead of answering God’s probing questions, which were very similar to God’s pursuant questions of Cain’s parents, “Cain spoke to Abel his brother” (Gen. 4:8), which was a ruse for premeditated murder. Again, God’s question cuts to the quick: “Where is Abel your brother?” (Gen. 4:9). However, Cain’s sly retort to God cannot cover his deceptive heart or treacherous deed: “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9). “And the Lord said, ‘What have you done?’” (Gen. 4:10), which was the exact question he asked in Genesis 3:13.

The next recorded question in Genesis, again echoing the Fall, waits until the life of Abram when he sojourned in Egypt. He coached his wife, Sarai, to deceive Pharaoh by saying that she was his sister. “So, Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?’” (Gen. 12:18). While the excuses might be obvious—fear, self-preservation, disbelief—there is no suitable answer that solves Adam’s sinful pattern and practices from spreading even to the righteous life of Abraham.

Isaac, Abraham’s son, faces the same question in Genesis 26:10 when he also conceals the identity of his wife, Rebekah, from the king of Philistia. “Ahimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us?’” Jacob, Isaac’s son, asks the same question of his uncle, Laban, when Laban deceitfully switches Leah for Rachel on Jacob’s wedding night. “What is this thing that you have done to me” (Gen. 29:25). Joseph, Jacob’s son, asks the same question of his brothers when he pretends not to know them from his unexpected position as the prime minister of Egypt. “What deed is this that you have done?” (Gen. 44:15). The excuses we give cannot satisfy the question since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). God doesn’t accept our excuses but offers us his answer—his sinless Son offered for our sins

Another Glory for the Moon

Another Glory of the Moon.  The Native American practice of naming the full moons—always twelve, but every two or three years thirteen per year—is fun. As their legend goes, the thirteen scales (e.g., scutes) on a turtle’s shell (e.g., carapace) form a lunar calendar. Each moon is named for an observable characteristic in the loop of seasons that the mythic turtle carries slowly in his march through the year. This morning the Sturgeon Moon presented its orange-yellow face in the wee hours before dawn. In four weeks from today, a thirteenth moon for 2023 will appear, or Blue Moon. Harvest Moon (September), Hunter Moon (October), Snow Moon (November), Cold Moon (December) finish out the year. Wolf Moon (January), Ice Moon (February), Worm Moon (March), Pink Moon (April), Flower Moon (May), Strawberry Moon (June), and Buck Moon (July) bring us back to Sturgeon Moon (August).

The take-away is not the myth, which is somewhat understandable whenever special revelation from God is absent from a culture still waiting for the gospel to reach its creative center, but the relative glory that belongs to the moon. Paul harnesses the pattern that is observable in the natural world in his explanation of resurrection. “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). His point is that we can’t guess at the final form by merely observing its beginning. The way that the moon moves and shines is different from the way that the sun moves and shines, which is different from the ways that the stars move and shine. As with so many other issues, the Corinthians were backward; importing their culture into their understanding of doctrine instead of using doctrine to understand their culture. (Such is not merely a Corinthian malady since we all do the same unless the Spirit halts and inverts the natural process of understanding.) They assumed that the physical world was only evil and therefore had no part to play in God’s ultimate resurrection. Paul, however, argued that our resurrection must be physical, too, merged with the spiritual—that we can’t import the way things look now into our understanding of the way things will be then. But rather, “God gives [each] a body as he has chosen” (1 Cor. 15:38). What is most important is not the beginning but the ending. God breaks observable patterns. It is his prerogative and his glory to do so.

The moon’s glory is not intrinsic; it does not “shine” from within itself. The moon’s glory is extrinsic; it “shines” only by reflecting the light from another source, the sun. Yet within its own designed purpose as a reflector, the moon has a glorious role to fill. It governs the night (Gen. 1:16). The larger the angle relative to the sun, and the closer the orbit, the brighter the moon becomes, waxing gibbous until it is finally, fully aligned. When it is at its zenith, it grabs the attention of every person in the night. The moon, though not the light, becomes a light in a dark place. The moon enlightens the night of the presence and the approach of the Day.

I Will Remember

I Will Remember.  A low level of Vitamin B12 has been linked to “impaired cognition and memory along with a sensation of tingling and numbness” (nih.gov PMC7077099). Somehow, that physical deficiency and those physiological symptoms are not the reasons why we are prone to forget God and all his instances of faithfulness. We forget because we are leaky vessels, “jars of clay” (2 Cor. 4:7). Obviously before, yet oddly also after redemption, we are chronically permeable when it comes to the work and the word of God. We suffer temporary amnesia. Although God could and has delivered us in ten thousand ways, we easily forget.

Correspondingly, it is not a surprise that the word remember is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible and more than a few times in the form of a command, such as: “Remember the wondrous works that he has done” (1 Chr. 16:12) and “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).

Interestingly, the psalmists in various psalms petition God to remember, as if God were like us in this matter, prone to forget. Psalm 74 contains a string of such requests: “Remember your congregation which you have purchased . . . remember Mount Zion where you have dwelt” (vs. 2), “Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs” (vs. 18), and “Remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day” (vs. 22). But God is not like us; he is not prone to forget. Therefore, the word remember is not about recalling data but action. O God, bring to mind your people, your promises, your power, your provision and, therefore, intervene!

Appropriately, toward becoming more like God in this matter of remembering, of bringing to mind in order to act, we must elicit God’s help. O God, help us to remember. Cause us to connect your faithfulness in the past with our confidence in your faithfulness in the present. Overcome our amnesia! By God’s help, we rehearse God’s faithfulness to our own ears and to the ears of others for the purpose of action. Psalm 77 contains a string of such prayer-infused disciplines, with increasing intensity and intentionality, where we repeatedly place ourselves in the position of remembering. “When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints” (vs. 3). “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart; then my spirit made a diligent search” (vs. 6). “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (vs. 11). Remembering is not automatic; it is learned. Yet, remembering, if separated from action, is less than the biblical admonition, “Remember the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:20). As we remember, we obey. And as we obey, we have more and more instances to remember that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

Your Children's Children

Your Children’s Children.  Not counting the biblical patriarchs (Adam to Moses), during other more normal ancient epochs as supported by the archeological record, the average life expectancy was a scant 26 years old. Reaching adulthood, let alone parenthood, was never a guarantee. In the Roman era (100 bc to 400 ad), if infant mortality were excluded, a person on average might see 40 years. An aristocrat in Medieval Europe, if he or she reached adulthood, might have 40 more years as an adult. In contrast to 1850, where less than half the people reached their 50th birthday, after 1900 with hospitals and a better understanding of hygiene, 97% of the people in England reached their 50th birthday.

More than ever, since health records became routine, grandparents are blessedly common. The Legacy Project estimates that 70% of all adults in America will become grandparents in their lifetimes, which compared to the ancient world is a truly staggering figure. Perhaps the scarcity of grandparenting references in the Scriptures corresponds to the rarity of grandparents in the general population during biblical times. Nonetheless, what little the Bible does say about grandparents, mostly in a few psalms and proverbs, is vaulted.

“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come” (Psa. 71:17-18). “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children” (Psa. 103:17). “The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!” (Psa. 128:5-6). “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous” (Pro. 13:22). “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Pro. 16:31). “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Pro 17:6). “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair” (Pro 20:29).

Promoting from adult to parent to grandparent status is an honor that not all of us will have. If we are fortunate enough to have grandchildren, then we are fortunate enough.

Incline Your Ear

Incline Your Ear.  The outstretched arm of the Lord to save (Exo. 6:6). The outstretched hand of the Lord to judge (Isa. 5:25). The outstretched tent, or tabernacle of the Lord to provide community (Exo. 33:7). These and many more uses of the verb, “incline, stretch, bend, extend” (Hebrew: natah) show God’s action to lean toward us. Joshua, therefore, does not hesitate to challenge the people of Israel to incline their hearts toward the Lord, which in the same action involves forsaking their persistent pursuit of idols (Josh. 24:23). But one of the most prevalent ways that God stretches, inclines, bends, extends himself toward us is when we pray. Within the imagery of natah, God cups his ears, so to speak, to listen intently to his children when we call upon him in faith, and sometimes out of desperation. Notice God’s active listening posture in verse 6 of Psalm 17 in direct contrast to the wicked ones who, in verse 11, incline, bend, stretch their eyes toward self-advancement at the expense of others.

 

 ¹ Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

 ² From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

 ³ You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

 ⁴ With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

 ⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

 ⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.

 ⁷ Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

 ⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

 ⁹ from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies wh

 ¹⁰ They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

 ¹¹ They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

 ¹² He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.

 ¹³ Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

 ¹⁴ from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.

 ¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Opportunity to Return

Opportunity to Return.  The Fourth of July wasn’t the day that the famous signer of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, predicted would become a day of festival for the newly formed nation. He naturally thought it would be July 2^nd, the day that the Second Continental Congress agreed upon severing all political ties with Great Britain, a decision which was considered an act of treason against King George III. Because the dozens of corrections that Congress suggested took until July 4^th for the Committee of Five, principally Thomas Jefferson, to incorporate—the document bore its revised date. It took another month (August 2, 1776) for the 56 signers to contribute their ink, a point of no return.

Of the 56 to follow John Hancock, who was the first to sign with such large letters so that the king would certainly see his name, only one reached extreme old age: Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland (age 95). Yet even Carroll, like the rest of the 56, was not exempt from paying the ironic price of independence. Literally or figuratively or both, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” often cost these men and their families life, liberty, and happiness. A quick review of their losses is worthy of review, but they saw and were sustained by the thought of a better tomorrow and a better country. All were men of means and well-educated who could have easily sent others to do the dirty work of fighting but didn’t. Famously imperfect and/or perfectly infamous in other ways (41 of the 56 were slave owners), they each did their part in the Revolution. Most of them paid dearly for it before they were ever rewarded by it or honored because of it.

Far from saying, or even implying that America or any part of it is “God’s Country,” which is theologically ridiculous to suggest, there is yet something vaguely similar between those 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and those countless others in biblical history who dared to believe in a future that their present conditions could not feasibly support, except that they believed what God had promised more than what their eyeballs could see. “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:13-16). Faith was, and is, considered an act of treason by this world’s rulers.