Breaking The Cycle In A Land Misled-1

BREAKING The CYCLE In A LAND MISLED-I —

2Kings 16:01-18; 18:01-07, 14-16; 19:1-7, 14-20, 35-37

OR:

Overcoming Political Compliance/Acquiescence

Overcoming The Politics of Spiritual Acquiescence.

Attention:

1787—Benjamin Franklin, eldest member at the Constitutional Convention—"I've lived, sir, a long time, & the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, & I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

•King Ahaz of Judah’s reign was marked/defined by political expediency, acquiescence, & compliance.

•A land defined by those things is misled & to be pitied.

•Why/How should the cycle of misleading be broken?

•18 reasons for breaking the cycle of misleading in our land.

*In a misled land there is much that is Wasted, until that cycle of mismanagement is broken.

1—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...

PRIVILEGE(16:1)

Explanation:(16:1)

16:1—“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.”

Pekah was King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for 20yrs(752-732BC). In Pekah’s 17th regnal year, the king of Judah—named Ahaz—began his regnal year(735BC).—John H. Walton in ’Chronological & Background Charts of the Old Testament’(1978)[JHWChronCharts] / ISBE(1979) / Edwin R. Thiele in ‘The Mysterious Numbers Of The Hebrew Kings.’(1983)[ERTMystNumb].

Ahaz was the 12th king of Judah(735-715BC).—ISBE(1979)

Ahaz was the son of Jotham. Jotham was the former king of Judah who had reigned 16 yrs beginning in the 2nd year of the Northern Kingdom’s Pekah(2Kgs. 15:27, 32-33).—NAC

What did Ahaz do with his privilege as king?...

•Ahaz “leaves a legacy of appeasement & syncretism unmatched to this time. Assyria can count on him for money, loyalty, & zealous acceptance of their gods.”

Argumentation:

1Kgs. 10:4-9—“And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters & their apparel, his cupbearers, & his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words & your wisdom. “However I did not believe the words until I came & saw with my own eyes; & indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom & prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men & happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you & hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice & righteousness.”

Mk. 4:9-12—“And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, “so that ‘Seeing they may see & not perceive, And hearing they may hear & not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’”

Rev. 22:14—“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, & may enter through the gates into the city.”

Illustration:

Of all the people groups in the world, we are entirely blessed & privileged to be Americans/What do you do with that privilege?/PRIVILEGE

My father was an established dentist when I was born/My parents paid for my entire undergraduate education/My parents bought my second car as a reward for graduating/I am a person of great PRIVILEGE

Application:

?Is there a wasted PRIVILEGE in our/your Land’s Governance?

?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?

2—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...

RESPONSIBILITY(16:1)

Explanation:(16:1)

16:1—“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.”

Kingship is about sovereignty. Total authority to do as one pleases.

With kingship comes a whole host of people who bolster & underwrite the authority.

Argumentation:

1Kgs. 3:5-12—“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; & God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, & in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, & You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good & evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, & have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise & understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.”