2 Kings 24 Joel 3 Hebrews 6 (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)
1 Kings 23
In this Chapter we read
about the glorious reforms of one of the most righteous kings in Israel’s
history, v25 says that there was no king before or after Josiah who turned to
the Lord with all his heart, soul and might and followed God’s law like he did.
Josiah recovered the book of the Law of Moses, cleansed the temple of all its
idols and burned down all the altars that had been set up by Solomon for the
worship of his foreign wives’ gods and that had since been embraced by the
kings that succeeded Solomon. Josiah also brought back the celebrating of the
Passover and appeared to have brought Israel back to the Lord.
Yet despite all of
Josiah’s reforms, dragging Judah
from the pit of idolatry and back into worship of Yahweh, he was not able to
fully appease God’s anger that burned against Judah’s idolatry. So after showing
his supreme leadership by leading his army out against the Egyptians and dying
in battle, this wonderful king was replaced by Jehoahaz, another godless king,
and under him and his successor Jehoiakim, Israel slid right back into its
wicked idolatry.
Joel 3
In vs 1-8 we read about
how God is going to redeem Judah and Jerusalem by punishing her enemies who have inflicted
so much suffering onto her. In v4 God sarcastically addresses Tyre and Sidon,
the two Gentile cities who had treated God’s people so harshly, asking them
what exactly He had done to them that deserved the kind of treatment that they
had inflicted on the Israelites and promises them a full repayment.
In vs 9-21 are a poetic
section that continues on to the end of the book, the judgement which is
prophesied in vs 1-8 of this chapter is now a full, terrible war cry from the
Lord Himself in these verses. In that famous v10, God calls even the farmers
and the peaceful workers of the land to turn their agricultural tools into
weapons and stand tall as His warriors. The Lord has made His decision, and
that decision is the Valley of Jehoshaphat where God will execute His judgement on Israel’s enemies, a judgement so terrible that even
the heavens would tremble at it (v15).
The poetic ‘war cry’
section finishes with God’s promise that Egypt
and Edom will be desolate whilst Israel will thrive and multiply for many generations
to come and God will dwell with them in Zion.
Hebrews 6
The writer addresses
the Hebrew believers to move on in their faith, not concentrating on all the
dead ceremonial and religious acts but rather becoming mature believers and
followers of Christ. There is a solemn warning in v4 about apostasy; those
believers who had tasted all the wonders of God’s salvation but turned away
from it (like the seed that was sown in rocky places in Mark 4) that it will be
impossible for them to turn back because they will be living under a curse;
like a garden that bears thorns and thistles it is no longer of any purpose but
to be burned (v8).
In vs 13-20 the Hebrews
are reminded of the promise that God made to Abraham and how when God make a
promise, it is impossible for Him not to keep it because He does not lie and
His Word is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (v19) a promise that the
believer can anchor their faith on because God’s promises are secure and
steadfast.
The writer finishes
this chapter by reminding the Hebrews that it is Jesus Christ Himself who has
been behind the curtain into Holy of Holies as a “forerunner on our behalf” so
that through Jesus Christ our Great High Priest forever the believer can now
come to God.
(Trinity College
student)
