“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord our God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
The king of Judah made many good decisions but one bad one landed him in battles that lasted the rest of his life. He might have avoided this, first by always trusting God, but second, when he made his mistake, he should have repented and asked for mercy. Instead, when he heard God’s verdict he became angry at the prophet who gave him the message, threw him in prison, and in his rage started oppressing others.
There are parallels for me. God expects me to trust Him in every situation. He might send me to a doctor when I’m sick, or use people to supply my needs, but I’m to go to Him first, with everything. When I don’t I should not be surprised if life gets complicated.
Another parallel is that sometimes I hear a message from God and don’t like it, but instead of dealing with my attitude, I attack the messenger. Not physically, usually with my mouth, and usually not directly. I just mutter and complain under my breath and make life miserable for those around me.
The grace and mercy of God is always available. All that king had to do was turn to Him. All I have to do is turn to Him. He honors a humble and contrite heart, and forgives those who confess their sin. He is faithful to those who are faithful.
The king of Judah did not have a personal relationship with God. He could have, but he preferred his own ways. Today is the same. Many people prefer their own way, and instead of knowing His mercy and grace, they are left to eventually discover that life without God means life without His blessing. I've learned that the hard way.
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