Wed.’s Devo - We are Adopted!

Read: 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Romans 9:25-10:13; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 20:2-3 Jehoshaphat became king when his father Asa died. Jehoshaphat was a good king who honored the Lord and didn’t worship Baal. He fortified his kingdom and removed the Pagan shrines and Ashram poles from Judah. He sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah the Book of the Law of Moses. Because God was exalted in Judah, all the other nations feared him and none came to fight him. He grew his army more than twice the one his father had. *** Jehoshaphat became wealthy and famous in the world. Ahab of Israel sought an alliance with him giving his daughter to marry Jehoshaphat’s son. Jehoshaphat went to Samaria to a great banquet honoring him and his officials. Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to join armies to recover Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. Ramoth-gilead means the heights of an everlasting witness. *** Jehoshaphat agreed to go to war with Ahab but first wanted to ask the Lord said about it. He asked for a prophet they could ask. Ahab brought all his prophets of Baal and they did all sorts of rituals and told him he would be successful in his endeavor. Jehoshaphat asked if Ahab had a prophet of God and Ahab knew of one that he didn’t like because Michaiah never said anything nice to him. Jehoshaphat rebuked him for having such an attitude about God’s prophet so Ahab sent for him. *** Michaiah had been warned to go along with what the kings’ prophets said but he said he would only say what God told him to say. He told Ahab very sarcastically what his prophets had said and Ahab got upset with him and told him to say the truth. He told him that he saw all Israel scattered on the mountains and their master killed. When Ahab got mad, he explained that the Lord wanted Ahab to enter into battle so that he would be killed and the way to get him to do that would be if his prophets told him he would be successful. *** Ahab had Micaiah arrested and put in prison in Amon until he returned. He was to be fed nothing but bread and water. Micaiah told him that he would not return safely. *** Ahab and Jehoshaphat went into battle the next day. Ahab had disguised himself as a normal soldier. The Syrians had been told to only fight the king of Israel. When they couldn’t find him a man shot a random arrow at the forces of Israel and it hit the chink in Ahab’s armor. God drove that arrow to the exact spot. Ahab bleed out all day sitting in his chariot. He died that afternoon as the sun was setting. *** In Romans, Paul quoted Hosea and Isaiah who foretold the adopting of the Gentiles into God’s family. The Gentiles easily became a member of God’s family by faith while Israel struggled to be righteous enough by trying to keep the law. They stumbled over the rock in the road which was Jesus. The children of Israel refused to see Jesus as the way to salvation and kept trying to do it their own way. *** In the law in Dueteronomy it says that the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart. Paul explains that that was the message of faith that he preached. They must declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead and they will be saved. Anyone, Jew or Gentile who believed in him would be saved. *** Lord, thank you for making it so simple and easy to be your child. Thank you for adopting us into your family.