Mon.’s Devo - Following God

Read: 2 Chron. 35:1-36:23, 1 Co. 1:1-17, Ps. 27:1-6, Pr. 20:20-21 Josiah did everything right. He had just celebrated the feast of Passover and Unleavned bread when Necho, the king of Egypt came to fight against Syria. Josiah went to oppose him. Necho tried to reason with Josiah, telling him that he didn’t come to fight Josiah but Josiah refused to stop. They fought in the valley of Meggido, the place where the last battle, Armageddon will be fought. Josiah was killed in the battle. His son, Jehoahaz was taken captive to Egypt and his brother, Eliakim, made king. Necho changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was evil and was carried to Babylon in chains. His eight year old son, Jehoichin reigned three months and ten days and was evil. He was carried to Babylon also. Every time a king got carried to Babylon, they took pieces of the temple with them. His brother, Zedikiah became king of Judah. He actually got to rule eleven years! During these times God sent prophets and His word to the people but they rejected His words and mistreated the prophets. God finally had enough and sent the Chaldeans to punish them. They killed many and took the rest captive. They burned the temple and all its vessels. They had not let the land rest like the law had instructed so God made sure the land got to rest all the Sabbaths it had missed which were seventy. At the end of the seventy years the king of Persia made a proclamation to encourage all the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. If any story in the Bible shows the sovereignty of God it is this one. God is in control of good and bad kings and He moves them like pawns on a chess board. It would all have been different if they had just stayed faithful to God and obeyed His laws and served Him with all their hearts. We could learn from this. Members of the churches in Corinth were having trouble with unity of faith. Paul encouraged them to come together and have the same mind. Lord, may your people everywhere turn to You and seek you with all their hearts that You might heal our land.