Sat.'s Devo - A Living Sacrifice

Read: 2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; Romans 12:1-21; Psalm 22:19-31; Provebs 20:8-10 Joash was seven years old when he became the king and followed the advice of Jehoiada the priests who had raised him as long as Jehoiad lived. *** During the wicked rule of Athalia, she had taken all the sacred objects in the Temple and used them in worship to Baal and Ashterah. He had them restored and told the priests to collect the Temple tax of the people. When he learned they were not doing this, he took a chest to be made and set outside the gate leading to the Temple and the people could put their money there. He would then have the money used to restoring GOd’s Temple. The worship at the Temple was carried out according to the law as long as Jehoiada lived. When he died at 130 he had done so much good for Israel that he was buried with the kings in the City of David. *** After his death, the leaders came to Joash and persuaded him to abandon the Temple of the Lord and worship Ashram poles and idols. God sent Zechariah, Jeshoiada’s son to ask them why they had abandoned the Lord to worship idols because now He would abandon them. Joash ordered Zechariah stoned to death. His last words were, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death.” *** God would avenge his death. That Spring, the Arameans marched against Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the nation. They took much plunder back to Damascus. They left Joash severely wounded and his own officials killed him in his bed for killing Zechariah. Amaziah, a son of Joash became the next king. *** He was a good king but didn’t follow the Lord with his whole heart. He executed the men who had killed Joash although he did not kill their innocent children. He took inventory of his own army and thought he needed more so he paid 7,500 pounds of silver to hire an extra 100,000 men from Israel. *** God sent a prophet who asked him why he had hired men of Israel when they were God’s enemy and he would not fight with them. When Azariah asked about what to do he told him to send them home and to rely on Him to repay the money spent. Amaziah obeyed and sent them home though they were very upset not to be able to fight. He met the army of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 Edomites and captured the same amount. The took the ones he had captured and threw them off a cliff. *** The disgruntled Isralites went home killing and pillaging the cities of Judah as they went. *** Amaziah had brought back the idols of Edom and set them up in the Temple greatly angering the Lord. He sent a prophet to ask him why he was worshiping a god who couldn’t even deliver its own people. Amaziah answered the prophet disrespectfully with anger. The prophet told him that since he had refused to take his advice, GOd would destroy him. *** Amaziah decided to challenge Israel’s king Jehoash to a battle. Jehoash tried to tell him he wouldn’t win but he was determined to fight feeling invincible after winning against Edom. Israel won a great victory in the battle and Amaziah was captured and brought to Jerusalem to see it demolished and plundered. Much of its wall was torn down and much of the treasures in the Temple were taken by Israel. Amaziah was assassinated by his own people in Lachish. His body was returned to Jerusalem where he was buried in the City of David. *** Paul urged the people to give their bodies to the Lord to honor him. He warned them not to copy the behavior and customs of this world but to let God transform their minds and the way they thought. He warned them to be humble in their estimation of themselves and to honor each other’s gifts. We are like a body with many parts and we work together when we let each do their part. *** Truly love one another and serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. Be empathetic, helpful, humble, and kind. Never seek revenge or evil on anyone - that is God’s job. Try to live in peace with everyone. Rule over evil, don’t let it rule over you. *** All of this is such good advice in living the daily Christian life. May we put our hearts to seek God and what is good for his kingdom.