2 Kings 9-11 Deep Diving Bible Study

GOOD MORNING SIBLINGS!

Grab some coffee, crack open that Bible, and let’s get armored up!
Today’s readings are 2 Kings 9-11

Click here to read these passages on BibleGateway.

Rabbit Trails

Word of the day: Apostasy. Definition from Websters is – an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith.

What’s going on?  In our readings right now, we are witnessing YHWH’s warning turning into YHWH’s wrath – warnings can only last for so long.

Hitting The Slopes
The decline of both the southern and northern kingdoms have ramped up in our readings as of late and we see their leaders boldly leading them down that slope, but the people willfully follow. It is worth noting that the leaders of Israel were a surprisingly good representation of the people they led, despite this not being an elected position. As the people went deeper and deeper into their Apostasy, YHWH appointed them kings that represented this.

Had YHWH abandoned His people?
Absolutely not.

He is faithful, even during the times (plentiful though they are) that we are not.

• We see this in the prophets He sent, bringing truth and guidance to those who would seek and obey.
• Also in the giving of his His commandments and taking the time to clearly show us how they are blessings that will keep us from harm and often self inflicted curses.

In our time, one of the many ways we see His faithfulness to us is our free and open access to His Word. Never before has a people had such unfettered access to the Word of God. We can literally have it in the palm of our hands at a moment’s notice. Where previous generations had to search scripture by first seeking out a copy of one of the scrolls and then hoping they could read and then pouring over every word, we can speak a request to our phones and have it pop up within a second.
Just think, In 1900 only 21.4% if the world population was literate. In 2000, that number had risen to 81.88%, just in time for smart phone Bible apps. We have access to a myriad of translations as well as the original languages it was written in. Never before have so many of God’s people had such free access to His instructions.

Thankfully, this is sparking a Biblical renaissance, with countless Believers realizing the importance of reading the Word for themselves and beginning in Genesis to do just that.

From there the spark becomes a flame as the Holy Spirit pulls us deeper and ignites a passion for God’s truth with the realization that:

YHWH didn’t give us the Bible so we could have someone else read it for us.

The Father is bringing about a great hunger among His people to know Him, to seek Him, and then He is showing that there is more to walking in the way. It is about a daily, abiding, ever deepening relationship with Him.
May we grow ever closer with each passing moment!

However, it is uncomfortable, even disturbing, for many of today’s Believers to read that YHWH holds accountable and takes action against a people turned to evil. In present day, many have been taught to overlook the many facets of justice, righteousness, and truth in the Father’s character and have replaced him with a passive all permissive father figure who does little in the way of actually being a father other than to serve us.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear”
~ 2 Timothy 4:3

Few other notes:

-We are headed to the exile and dispersion of Israel, which we will reach by the end of this book and which is just now, in our time, beginning to come to a close as the tribes of Israel begin to come together once more from the ends of the earth.

-Did you catch that Jehu killed both the king of Judah AND the King of Israel?

-2 Kings 9 – Jehu was made king to rid Israel of rampant and government endorsed Ba’al worship and to destroy the dynasty of King Ahab. Jehu was to be a ruthless king, unrelenting in his assignment which gave him free reign to exterminate the enemies of YHWH. But in the end, we see that while the Father used him as a tool, Jehu did not have a heart wholly faithful to YHWH. Still, YHWH gave him credit in the matters in which he was faithful.

-2 Kings 10:6 By having these men kill the king’s descendants, Jehu had them trapped as accomplices in His rise to power plus he couldn’t be personally blamed for their deaths.

Man, what a day in the word! I’m gonna have to decompress with some Psalms!
Psalm 16 is my favorite. If you like, tell me yours in the comments in the group today.

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