00:00 Introduction and Special Announcement

00:17 Pastor PJ's 40th Birthday and Fun Facts

02:14 1 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 13-16

03:30 The Reign of Abijah and Asa

08:41 Lessons from Asa's Reign

13:26 Concluding Thoughts and Encouragement

Well, welcome to Tuesday, June 25th, 2020

fours edition of the daily Bible podcast.

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Now today's edition is a special one.

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And I'm going to tell you

why in just a quick moment.

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Okay.

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You ready?

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Today.

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Is pastor DJ's birthday.

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And how fitting is it that he's not here?

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It's totally not fitting.

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Right?

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He should be here.

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He should be talking to you.

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Sharing the wisdom and the

understanding that he's attained

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at these 40 years of life.

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But sadly, he's not here.

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But did you know.

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There are a few people you might know

who share a birthday with pastor PJ.

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In fact, one of them.

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Is George Michael.

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Uh, I don't really know a whole lot

about him except for the song faith.

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I think, that's the only

song that he's done.

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He probably has a few more.

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Uh, but pastor PJ in light

of the fact that you share a

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birthday with George, Michael.

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I'd like to encourage

you to keep the faith.

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You got to have faith, faith, faith.

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Faith faith.

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You also share a birthday

with George Orwell.

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Um, Uh, and that's the guy who

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a couple other books out there.

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I know he's got a couple of, but 1984 is

probably the most, the most famous right.

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Yeah.

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So 1994, perhaps a day, pastor

PJ, you can listen to George

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Michael's faith while reading.

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1984 by George Orwell.

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In fact, what year were you born, buddy?

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I wonder if he's 40 today and today's,

you know, that's when you go, oh, no.

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Is it possible?

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Hold on.

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I'm going to do some quick math here.

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Oh, you were born.

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1980.

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Okay, this just got better.

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I had no idea when I brought that up, but

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Listening to George Michael's Bape.

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Please do that today.

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All of us would be so much

happier if you did that.

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Okay.

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And we have one more, uh,

one more surprise for you.

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Okay.

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Uh, for those of you listening.

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I would like you to go

to best pastor ever.com.

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Okay.

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Best pastor ever.

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Dot com.

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I trust you'll enjoy that.

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I sure do.

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Hey.

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In all seriousness.

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Happy birthday, pastor BJ.

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We love you.

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Okay.

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Let's jump into the

Bible reading for today.

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We're looking at first Kings chapter

15 and second Chronicles 13 through 16.

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Now in first Kings chapter 15, we

do have four Kings listed here.

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Yep.

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1, 2, 3, 4.

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Uh, but we're really only focusing

on two of those Kings today.

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So in chapter 15, we begin

with a bijum or again Abijah.

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If you're looking at second Chronicles.

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He reigned says here in verse

two for three years in Jerusalem.

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And his mother was Mecca.

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Um, it's pronounced differently.

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It's spelled differently in second

Chronicles, but there you go.

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A note here, his heart was

not wholly true to the Lord.

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And that's what you find

out about his rain here.

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His reign is not a good one

because he's not wholly true.

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The there's something about having

a whole heart before the Lord.

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So many times we're divided.

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We just have divided hearts.

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I can't help, but think of the song.

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Unite my heart to fear your name.

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The division and our hearts are often

at war it's like we have to fight.

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Often.

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To make our hearts United before the Lord.

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But even though.

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We struggle with this.

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And even though a bijum didn't have

a United heart before the Lord, God

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still blesses the Southern kingdom

for the sake of David, his father.

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That's what you see in verse three, there.

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We'll come back to him in a few moments.

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We're going to jump to EISA and

the second half of chapter 15

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and the book of first Kings.

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We learned that EISA is a good king.

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He verse 11 did what was right in the eyes

of the Lord as David, his father had done.

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So he already has a positive verdict.

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In fact, Most of what we're going to read

in second Chronicles is going to be the

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Chronicles of EISA a lot of ink spilled

on him because he's such a good king.

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It says here in verse 14.

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Uh, the high places were not taken away.

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At least not all of them.

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We see in second Chronicles

that he does do something.

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But it's not a full eradication.

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We see in the second half of verse

14 here, the heart of EISA was

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wholly true to the Lord all his days.

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And so he's kind of a contrast

to who you see in a bijum Abijah

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Abijah halfhearted at best.

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EISA even though he's a mixed figure and

we're going to see some of those here.

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He's still fully devoted to the Lord.

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And I want that to be your commendation.

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Wouldn't that be so good to

have that about your life?

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Matt pastor Ron wholly devoted to

the Lord all the days of his life.

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Pastor PJ.

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Uh, Jeff, Joe, Rameen Steven fully devoted

to the Lord all the days of his life.

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And that's what I'm going for and

hope for the same is true for you.

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So EISA he rules in the second

half of chapter 15 here.

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We find that he's at war

with bay Isha, bearish.

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She is going to be one

of the Northern Kings.

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We'll learn about him in a few moments.

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Um, But Basha begins this.

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It's kind of a it's aggressive act.

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He's settling a city.

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He's reinforcing a city.

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That's on the very Southern

tip of the Northern kingdom.

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And perhaps even on the Northern

tip of the Southern kingdom.

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So as an act of aggression, At

least that's how ACS sees it.

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But much.

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To our dismay.

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EISA doesn't go to the Lord.

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In fact, he goes to Ben, Hey dad,

the king of Syria in Damascus.

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And instead of asking the Lord for

help, he asks Ben, Hey dad, for help.

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And he says, here's some money.

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Why don't you break your covenant with the

Northern kingdom and instead of working

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for them, how about you work for me?

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And you attack the Northern kingdom.

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And that's exactly what Ben,

Hey dad, does he listens?

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And he attacks the Northern kingdom

takes away a few of its cities.

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And then while bay shows

preoccupied, With that offensive.

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EISA goes and takes all of the

fortification that was begun in

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the city of Ramah, which is where

they were doing the work there.

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So that's not a good thing.

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Even though his heart

was devoted to the Lord.

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He still had a pretty significant misstep.

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There we'll come back

to him in a few moments.

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We see in the last.

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The last part of chapter 15 may dab.

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And bay Usha, nade dab.

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And.

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Misha or nursing Northern Kings.

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Maybe I'm doesn't rule for very

long, but he does rule evil.

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He wrote a rule of evil

he's there for two years.

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Does what's evil on the side of the Lord.

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God, doesn't like it Basha

comes out of the woodwork.

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Now, remember Nate dabs,

one of, uh, One of.

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Jeroboam as kids.

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So Basha.

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Issues a coup.

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Kilz name dab and everyone

else in Jera Balaam's house.

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This actually fulfills one

of the prophecies given by,

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uh, Hijah the Shiloh night.

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This is in chapter 14,

verse 10 in particular.

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And so this is God's will.

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At work?

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No God does not command evil.

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God does not issue commands to murder.

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But God is sovereign behind all

things and he can use sin sinlessly

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and that's what happens here.

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And verse 33 in the final few verses of

chapter 15, we learned about bear show.

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And the third year of EISA king of Judah.

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So there's a time marker for us.

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Bear show, the son of a hijab

began to reign over Israel at

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Tirzah and he rained for 24 years.

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You'll notice here that tourism.

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Is listed as the capital or at

least where he's ruling from.

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There's going to be a few places

that end up kind of functioning

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as a Northern kingdom's capital.

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You'll see, check them

function as a capital tears.

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And then of course, some Marriott.

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.

Second Chronicles 13 then.

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We see the other side of the

story of Abijah Abijah, who

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was also known as a bijum.

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And this one, you see that

there's war between Abijah and

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Jeroboam Abijah the Southern king.

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Jeroboam the Northern king.

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And in this particular battle,

Jeroboam uh, confronts them.

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He's seeking to do

something he should not do.

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And so a Biser responds and

says, did what you're doing.

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Is not good.

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He said, but as for us in

verse 10, the Lord is our God

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and we have not forsaken him.

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You guys need another, on the

other hand have done evil.

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He says at the end of his speech, oh, sons

of Israel do not fight against the Lord.

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The God of your fathers

for you cannot succeed.

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Jeroboam doesn't listen.

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He continues, his affront.

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And he is fully routed.

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God defeated.

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Euro BOMA says in verse 15.

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God gave them Israel

into the hand of Judah.

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He did this because in verse

18, Judah relied on the Lord,

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the God of their fathers.

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And so even no first Kings 15 says that

Abijah who is also known as a bijum.

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Isn't a good king.

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His heart's not fully true to the Lord.

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Part of, it was part of the heart.

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Was there.

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And this is one of those times

you didn't rain for very long.

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But in his reign, there was at least

one instance where he demonstrated

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trust in the Lord Yahweh way, and God

delivered him that second Chronicles 13.

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Second Chronicles, 14, 15, and 16.

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We'll take all these together.

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And chapter 14, we see ACEs rain in Judah.

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Now, this is interesting because

he says here, it says here in

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verse two, EISA did what was right

and good in the eyes of the Lord.

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His God.

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He basically cleans house takes away.

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The altars breaks down the pillars.

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He commands Judah to seek

the Lord has got him.

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He's just crushing it.

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This is exactly what God would want.

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And consequently God blesses him for this.

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Uh, he builds his kingdom.

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He builds his military.

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And then he's tested.

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Soon thereafter zero, the Ethiopian

comes out against him and EISA responds.

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Commendably look how he

responds here in verse 11.

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He says help us all Lord,

our God for we rely on you.

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And in your name, we have

come against this multitude,

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you know, we're defenseless.

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We need you God,

consequently, God answers.

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And he routes the Ethiopians.

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And, and AC and his team has his

military are able to plunder them.

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And it's a lot of plunder.

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After this victory and chapter 15

as Ariah, the son of Odette comes

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and meets him and says, look.

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Hear me EISA and all Judah and Benjamin.

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Remember those two tribes are

working together as kind of one tribe

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defacto and the Southern kingdom.

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He says the Lord is with

you while you are with him.

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If you seek him, he will be found by you.

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But if you forsake him, he will

forsake you for a long time.

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Israel was without a true

God without the true God.

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And without a teaching

priest and without law.

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But when in their distress,

they turn to the Lord, the

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God of Israel and sought him.

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He was found by them.

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I love that.

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They see Kim, God wants to be found.

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He's not hiding, trying to keep

himself from you playing hide and seek.

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God wants to be found by you.

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In fact we're told in the new Testament,

if you seek him, you'll find him right.

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To seek the Lord with all your

heart, soul, mind to drink.

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So he says, so you're look,

you're going to be blessed.

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They were, you're going to be blessed.

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Keep doing what you're doing, essentially.

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Don't let your hands be

weak for your workshop.

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You're awarded.

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That's the final words of

Azariah the son of Odette.

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And in verses eight and following.

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Uh, EISA hears it and he's

like, all right, let's do this.

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And so he gets really excited.

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He starts.

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He starts.

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Repairing what had been,

what had been lost.

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He renews the covenant.

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He gathered all the people of Judah and

Benjamin and get this people from Ephraim.

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Bria Manasseh and Simeon

who are residing with them.

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There's lots of people that,

that deserted the Northern

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kingdom when they went astray.

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They're now residing in

the Southern kingdom.

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And he says, all right, guys,

we're going to follow the Lord.

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And we're going to take this seriously.

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We're going to seek the Lord.

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And if you're not going to do

that, you're going to be put

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to death no matter who you are.

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All Israel, all Judah rather

rejoices at the heart and sought

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him with their whole desire.

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They sought the Lord

with their whole desire.

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And here you go.

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And he was found by them.

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And the Lord gave them rest all around.

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So EISA.

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Is is.

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Crushing it right now.

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He's got his he's riding on cloud nine.

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He's doing a great job, even deposes.

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Uh, miikka the queen mother

because of her idolatry.

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He's just doing a great job.

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It says here in verse 17,

nevertheless, the heart of EISA

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was holy true all his days now.

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This is not entirely true because

in the next chapter, we're going

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to see some qualifications to this.

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But I think the point here

is at ACEs rule as a whole.

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Looking at the broad scope

of it is, is mostly good.

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But it's going to end on a bad note.

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Let's look at chapter 16.

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This is the 36th year of his reign.

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After a long period of peace Basha king

of Israel comes up against, and we just

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read about this at camp, but now we have

a little more, a little more to this.

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We just learned that instead of

trusting the Lord, he trusted Ben.

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Hey dad.

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He gives him lots of money.

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Empties as treasuries and says, please go

against the Northern kingdom on my behalf.

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And that's what happens.

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But in verse seven, , the Sierra came

to EISA king of Judah and said, why

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have you relied on this other guy?

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He says, because he relied

on the king of Syria.

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And did not rely on the

Lord, your God, the army.

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Uh, of the king of Syria has escaped you.

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In other words, you would have not

only defeated the Northern kingdom, you

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also would have defeated the Syrians.

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You would have had full conquest.

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He says in verse nine.

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Uh, and nae nae.

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And I says in verse nine

for the eyes of the Lord.

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Run to and fro throughout the whole

earth to give strong support to

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those whose heart is blameless.

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That is.

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God is actively looking for

ways to support the righteous.

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And of course we know in the new

Testament, our righteousness is by Christ.

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He's made us righteous and we can

know with certainty, God is for us

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because of what Christ has done.

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And the final years of his life, EISA.

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Response poorly.

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In fact, uh, he says here.

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Eh, EISA was angry with the sear and

put him in the stocks and prison.

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For, he was in a rage, the, with him

because of this, because of what?

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Because of what And I said in

EISA inflicted cruelties upon

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some of the people at that time,

we don't know what that means.

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But clearly this is not a good thing.

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God gave EISA foot disease.

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And even then it says here yet, even

in the disease, he did not seek the

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Lord, but sought help from physicians,

nothing wrong with going to the doctor.

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But we don't put our trust in the doctor.

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We put our trust in the Lord.

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And that's not what he does.

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ACO slept at this.

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Father's dying in the

41st year of his reign.

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So even though predominantly

successful, he doesn't end well.

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I pray.

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That's not the case for you.

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And for, I let this be a reminder for

all of us that starting well doesn't

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mean finishing well, Finishing well

and starting, well, not the same thing.

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We have to be on guard a whole lives.

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We can't quit because we're tired.

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We can't quit because we're having

a bad day or a bad week or a bud bad

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month or a bad year or a bad season

of years, whatever that might be.

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We keep pursuing.

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We keep falling because he's worth it.

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And when the end of time comes,

we're not going to regret.

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Working hard and even spilling

our blood if necessary.

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We will regret Crump compromise.

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We will regret not giving our best.

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But we'll never regret serving the Lord.

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And that concludes today's reading.

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Hey, thank you so much

for joining me today.

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I really appreciate you joining us to

do the Bible reading program together.

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It's so good for you.

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It's good for all of us

as good for the church.

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Hey, if you're a member, pastor

PTO today, I'm sure he wouldn't

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mind a text message or two.

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So if you're thinking about him, text

him, maybe he needs that encouragement.

363

Have a great day.

364

I look forward to seeing you

all tomorrow for another edition

365

of the daily Bible podcast.