DAY 160 Read 1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 16; 1 Kings 16.
Today's reading: Conditions in the northern kingdom degenerated from bad to worse, each king adding more evil to the existing apostasy.
Memory gem: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Thought for today:
"The apostasy introduced during Jeroboam's reign became more and more marked, until finally it resulted in the utter ruin of the kingdom of Israel. Even before the death of Jeroboam, Ahijah, the aged prophet at Shiloh who many years before had predicted the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne, declared: 'The Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.' 1 Kings 14:15, 16.
"Yet the Lord did not give Israel up without first doing all that could be done to lead them back to their allegiance to Him. Through long, dark years when ruler after ruler stood up in bold defiance of Heaven and led Israel deeper and still deeper into idolatry, God sent message after message to His backslidden people. Through His prophets He gave them every opportunity to stay the tide of apostasy, and return to Him....Even in the darkest hours, some would remain true to their divine Ruler, and in the midst of idolatry would live blameless in the sight of a holy God. These faithful ones were numbered among the goodly remnant through whom the eternal purpose of Jehovah was finally to be fulfilled."--Prophets and Kings, pp. 107, 108.
NOTE: No attempt is made in these brief notes to explain the chronology of various reigns and events. Many factors concerning Hebrew reckoning must be considered in order to understand precisely the order of events. For example, "the six and thirtieth year of Asa" (2 Chronicles 16:1) has to be the thirty-sixth year of Judah as a separate kingdom in order for Baasha to provoke war with Asa.
Today's reading: Conditions in the northern kingdom degenerated from bad to worse, each king adding more evil to the existing apostasy.
Memory gem: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Thought for today:
"The apostasy introduced during Jeroboam's reign became more and more marked, until finally it resulted in the utter ruin of the kingdom of Israel. Even before the death of Jeroboam, Ahijah, the aged prophet at Shiloh who many years before had predicted the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne, declared: 'The Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.' 1 Kings 14:15, 16.
"Yet the Lord did not give Israel up without first doing all that could be done to lead them back to their allegiance to Him. Through long, dark years when ruler after ruler stood up in bold defiance of Heaven and led Israel deeper and still deeper into idolatry, God sent message after message to His backslidden people. Through His prophets He gave them every opportunity to stay the tide of apostasy, and return to Him....Even in the darkest hours, some would remain true to their divine Ruler, and in the midst of idolatry would live blameless in the sight of a holy God. These faithful ones were numbered among the goodly remnant through whom the eternal purpose of Jehovah was finally to be fulfilled."--Prophets and Kings, pp. 107, 108.
NOTE: No attempt is made in these brief notes to explain the chronology of various reigns and events. Many factors concerning Hebrew reckoning must be considered in order to understand precisely the order of events. For example, "the six and thirtieth year of Asa" (2 Chronicles 16:1) has to be the thirty-sixth year of Judah as a separate kingdom in order for Baasha to provoke war with Asa.
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