Our Very Politically Incorrect God: 2 Kings #01
This is an exposition of 2 Kings 1:1-18. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sundya evening, May 15, 2016.
Intro:
We live in a rapidly changing world. You remember the advertisement that was used to show how vastly different this new car model was from the previous versions was, “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” If we were to use that expression to state how things are changing today we’d have to say, “This is not your Oldsmobile.” Morally and culturally change is occurring at a dizzying pace. 5 years ago same sex marriage seemed impossible. Today not only is it legal but if you are opposed to it you are considered a hate monger and are clearly on “the wrong side of history.” If someone had said to you a year ago that the federal government would threaten to withhold federal funds from a state because that state passed a law saying you need to use the public bathroom that corresponds with your biological sex you would have thought they were out of their minds. That happened this past week. In today’s world gender is flexible. Gender is not determined by anatomy but psychologically. How do you perceive yourself? To those of us who are thoroughly grounded in a biblical worldview – this is pure madness. We find ourselves pushed to the margins as the world becomes unrecognizable. Someone said to me, not long ago, “I’m worried about this election. I think the outcome of this election might bring the judgment of God.” I said, “Look at our choices – I think this election is the judgment of God!” Throughout our history as a nation we have enjoyed majority status. The Judeo-Christian worldview has hold the predominant position. That is no longer true. We are beginning to experience what our brothers and sisters around the world have been living with their entire lives. What are we to do when we are in the minority? How does our message change now that we no longer have the upper hand? It doesn’t change! Our assignment has not changed. We are to remain faithful to the faith. Faithful to our God. Faithful to the task assigned no matter what happens within our culture.
If anything we double down on our effort.
We become even more passionate and determined to remain faithful.
Thesis: In an age of moral relativism and inclusiveness we, the Church, must be faithful in setting forth the God of Scripture.
Our task is not to preserve the American way. Our aim is not to ensure the American experiment continues. We are a Gospel people who are citizens of the kingdom of God and our primary loyalty is to our king. Our first loyalty is the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. We are to faithfully and accurately represent the God we serve. Our text this evening is found in 2 Kings 2 Kings 1.
Text: 2 Kings 1:1-18
No one likes to start in the middle. If I’m going to watch a movie I want to watch it from the beginning. I don’t want to try to figure out what has happened and try to get my bearings in the story. 2 Kings begins in the middle of the story. In fact it opens with the paramedics gathered around the broken body of king Ahaziah who has fallen from the second floor. But 2 Kings hasn’t always been 2 Kings. It used to be part of Kings. The Greek translations of the Old Testament divided the book of Kings into 1 and 2 Kings probably due to the length of the book.
So to catch you up – 1 and 2 Kings tells the story of Israel’s monarchy. The story begins with the last days of king David and concludes with the southern kingdom of Judah in Babylonian exile. It covers the time period of roughly 970 to 586 b.c. One writer says that the story of 2 Kings is the story of the fall of God’s people. The Northern Kingdom, Israel falls in 722 and the Southern Kingdom, Judah in 586. If you take 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings together you will find that the nation Joshua led into Canaan to be a witness to the surrounding nations becomes instead an imitation of those nations! God’s people reject God and thus God comes against them in judgment.
The big picture can be outlined as:
- The Golden Age (David and Solomon) – 1 Kings 1-11
- The Torn Kingdom – 1 Kings 12 – 2 Kings 17
- The Last Days – 2 Kings 18 – 25
With that background let’s look at our text in 2 Kings 2 Kings 1.
Let’s get the immediate background – 1 Kings 22:51-53.
Ahaziah is the son of Ahab and Jezebel – the guy didn’t stand a chance!
R.G Lee – “Ahab the vile human toad of a man that squatted on the throne of the nation. Jezebel the beautiful adder coiled next to the toad.”
Ahazaiah is a chip off the old rotten block – 1 Kings 22:53 – He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.
2 Kings 2:1-2 sets the context: After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.
Ahaziah has had this terrible accident and is dying or at least fears he is dying and what does he do? He seeks not the God of Israel but the god of Ekron. He dispatches messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub whether he would recover. 1 Kings 22:53 makes it clear this was his default position. This was his habit, his custom. This was no small matter. This was the rejection of the God of Israel. This was an affront to God.
As with all Old Testament narratives we should be asking, “What does this text reveal about God (Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God of the Bible)?” Scripture is the revelation of God. Meaning not just that God breathed it but that He is the focus of the revelation.
As we walk through these 18 verses I want to note 4 characteristics of the God of Scripture. This is the God we are to preach.
- The God of Scripture will tolerate no rivals. (1:1-8)
- The God of Scripture will not be silenced by petty tyrants. (1:9-12)
- The God of Scripture deals graciously with the humble. (1:13-15)
- The God of Scripture makes no idol threat. (1:16-18)
Conclusion:
May we be faithful to present the God of Scripture in this age of moral relativism and inclusiveness.
- A God who tolerates no rivals.
- A God who will not be silenced.
- A God who is merciful to the humble.
- A God who does not make idol threats.