January 20th, 2013
2 Chronicles 24 (2 Kings 12)
“Choosing Counselors”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. — John 5:24
Background Information:
- The forty-year reign of Joash is dated variously between 840 and 796 B.C. The OT chronology informing this study dates his rule from about 835 to 796 B.C. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 538)
- (v. 3) The remark in verse 3 is hardly incidental, in view of Judah’s recent history. Jehoiada chose wives for Joash both to ensure the continuation of the house of David after its recent near-destruction and to avoid the kind of disaster Jehoshaphat had brought on the kingdom in marrying off his son to an ungodly spouse. The Lord blessed David’s house with “sons and daughters.” This little verse also makes clear to us how closely associated Joash and Jehoiada must have been in those early years and how great an influence the priest had upon the crown. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 273)
- (v. 5) The Levites do not emerge in an entirely good light, because of their apparent reluctance to put the king’s measures into effect (v. 5). No reason is given for their tardiness, but 2 Kgs 12:4-8 implies that they were not being entirely honest with money received. Perhaps some of the influence of Athaliah had affected even the guardians of the Temple. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 209-10)
- (vss. 5-6) It seems likely that the king’s request raised the anxiety level a bit for the house of Levi. After all, if these funds were to be used for a massive project of repair and restoration, what would be left for them to use to buy their daily bread? Not only that, but just the fact that the king was ordering them to use these funds must have seemed threatening to the Levites. If they obeyed him, they would be conceding the right to oversee fiscal matters in the temple. Then as now, there were no prerogatives so jealously guarded as those that had to do with money. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 274)
- (vss. 5-6) In the wilderness Moses had imposed the census tax “for the service of the Tent of Meeting” (Ex 30:16). Later in that same book, it becomes clear that the service mentioned included the actual building of the tabernacle itself (Ex 38:25-28). Joash refers to this as “the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel” (v. 6). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 275)
- (v. 6) How many projects fail because their movers and shakers assume a consensus that is not there! After a long while, it must have become embarrassingly clear to everyone that the commands of the king were not being carried out. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 274)
- (v. 6) Concerning the “tax imposed by Moses,” 2 Kgs 12:4 specifies three sources of revenue: “money collected in the census,” a half-shekel per head (Ex 30:14; 38:26; Mt 17:24; cf. Neh 10:43); “money received from personal vows,” in substitutionary redemption payments, varying from three to fifty shekels (Lv 27:1-8; Num 18:15-16); and “money brought voluntarily to the temple.” (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 514)
- (v. 6) Ex 30:11-6; 38:25-31 point to the temple tax that Moses prescribed for the Nation of Israel. The temple tax was still in effect at the time of Jesus as pointed out in Mt 17:27.
- (v. 6) The Temple tax was still in effect at the time of Jesus. When Peter did not think that they could pay it, Jesus miraculously produced the necessary coin from the mouth of a fish (Mt 17:27). (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 77)
- (v. 7) The desecration of the sanctuary included structural damage as well (24:7). The reference to the “sons of . . . Athaliah” (24:7) is puzzling, since she had them murdered. Perhaps the expression is used figuratively to denote her followers or adherents, or perhaps her sons conspired in the desecration of the temple before their own deaths. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 538-39)
- (v. 12) If we combine the account here with information gleaned from its parallel in 2 Kgs 12, we learn that king and priests came to a compromise of sorts at this meeting. The king took the direct burden of responsibility for the restoration of God’s house off the priests’ shoulders. In turn, the priests conceded the king’s right to work with the chief priest in collecting the census tax for the project. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 275)
- (v. 14) The money left over, then, was used to make “articles for the LORD’s temple” (v. 14). In this way we can easily resolve what to some is a contradiction between this account and 2 Kings. There it is said that the money collected was not spent “for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD” (2 Kgs 12:13). We understand this verse to mean that the king gave strict instructions that the project be carried out under a no-frills policy until the large-scale and necessary work of structural repair had been completed. Once it was, however, the Chronicler adds that there was enough money left over to take care of the temple furnishings as well. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 276)
- (v. 14) There is apparent conflict between v. 14, which says that some of the money collected from the people was used to make “utensils for the house of the Lord”, and 2 Kgs 12:13f., which states expressly that such use was not made of the money. The Chronicler, who must have had 2 Kgs 12 before him, can hardly have perpetrated so plain a contradiction. He may have felt that his phrase “And when they had finished…” explained the matter, suggesting that while money was not applied to utensils during the time of the repairs, it was so applied when the repairs were completed. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 210)
- (v. 15) Chronicles tells us that he lived to be one hundred and thirty, longer than either Moses or Aaron; this long lifespan is surely intended to demonstrate God’s blessing on Jehoiada. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 195)
- (v. 16) By virtue of his regency over his young ward Joash, Jehoiada was somewhat a priest/king, and he is given a royal burial among the graves of the kings, a sharp contrast to the burial of Joash (24:25). The role played by Jehoiada may reflect also the growing influence of the high priest in the absence of a monarchy during the post-exilic period. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 192)
- (v. 16) We note first that his is the only non-royal death that the Chronicler records in this formal way. Because of his vital work in restoring the house of David to the throne, and for his efforts in reestablishing the true faith in Israel, he was given the great privilege of being buried with the kings. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 277)
- (v. 19) Joash is like a spiritual chameleon, changing his behavior to fit those who are around him. Joash never really had a heart for the Lord–he is more influenced by others. God’s desire is not to bring judgment and destroy Joash but to see him turn from his evil ways and live. In light of this, God sends prophets to warn him, but Joash refuses to heed their warnings (24:17-19). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 91)
- (v. 21) The first passage that comes to mind is Lk 11:47-51, where one of the “woes” uttered by Jesus specifies “the blood of all the prophets…from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.” There is a reference to the canon of the Hebrew Bible, which starts with Genesis and finishes with Chronicles. God’s Word form beginning to end is chock-full of evidence of His people’s rejection of His messengers. “This generation,” warns Jesus, would have to pay the price for the backlog of those martyrdoms. The repetition of the phrase “this generation” at Lk 21:32 in the context of a prediction of the fall of Jerusalem clarifies this reference and directs the readers’ mind to the events of A.D. 70 (cf. Mt 23:35; 24:2). The incident of Chronicles is regarded as the culmination of the OT record of human rejection of God. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 334-35)
- (v. 21) The scene of the crime is nearly as horrifying as the crime itself. Death was a major source of uncleanness in ancient Israel: unburied carcasses of humans or animals, carnivorous birds and animals or scavengers that live off of death, even mourners and the period of mourning itself all were ritually unclean. When stoning is commanded in the law (ironically, this penalty is normally reserved for crimes against God, such as blasphemy or idolatry), the sentence is to be carried out outside of the town, where it will not bring defilement upon the community (see, for example, Lv 24:14; Nm 15:35; Dt 17:5). That Joash orders Zechariah stoned to death in the sacred temple precincts shows his contempt, not only for the son of the man to whom Joash owed his very life, but also for the temple itself. Zechariah’s last words are a cry for God to see and avenge, not only Zechariah’s innocent death, but the willful defilement of God’s shrine. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 196)
- (v.22) It is possible that Jesus’ reference to the death of Zechariah is pointing to this event in 2 Chronicles.
- (vss. 23-25) We also learn from 2 Kings that the Arameans did not gain the plunder so much from battle as they received it in tribute. Joash turned it over to Hazael to persuade him to cease and desist from his invasion. It is to the Chronicler, however, that we owe the information that there was a battle between the Arameans and the Judeans, and that in this battle the leaders who had enticed the king into idolatry were killed and the king himself was severely wounded. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 283-84)
- (v. 24) with few men: several times the Chronicler has stressed that a small Judean army could defeat an enemy which was numerically superior if they would rely on God (cf. 13:3 with 13-18; 14:9-13 and 20:2 with 20-23). Now, however, the tables are turned because they had forsaken the Lord (see on v. 18). (H.G.M. Williamson, The New Century Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Chr, 325)
- (Vss. 25-26) Joash was murdered ON HIS BED by two men of alien birth, connected with Ammon and Moab; the implication of this point, not found in 2 Kings, would appear to be that when king (or people) turn to alien gods, their judgment will be at the hands of alien instruments of divine wrath (cf. Jer 5:19 for a similarly balanced judgment). (Peter R. Ackroyd, 1 & 2 Chr, Ezra, Neh, 161)
- (v. 26) Interestingly, the writer is careful to note that prominent among the conspirators are Zabad and Jehozabad–both sons of non-Hebrew women (24:26). It is as if the Chronicler seeks to emphasize the irony of the situation since these “mixed-blood” Israelites have a greater sense of justice than the king and citizens of Judah. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 542)
The question to be answered is . . . What can we learn from the Chronicler’s message communicated in 2 Chronicles 24?
Answer: When Joash listened to godly counsel or advice, things went well for him and Judah. Later, when Joash listen to ungodly counsel, things fell apart. So . . . if you don’t want to be an ignoramus, listen to godly counsel. The question we need to constantly be asking ourselves is . . . how do you know when advice or counsel is from God?
Socrates was a Greek philosopher who went around giving people good advice. They poisoned him. -Anonymous
If stock market experts were so expert, they would be buying stock, not selling advice. -Norman Augustine
My father, a pastor, met with a couple who wanted to marry in his church. When he raised the subject of premarital counseling, the two were quick to nix it.
“We don’t need counseling,” the bride-to-be assured him. “We’ve both been married several times before.” (Michelle Patterson, Readers Digest, 09/09, 71)
The Word for the Day is . . . Advice
What can we learn about the significance of who you listen to for advice?:
I. Joash listened to the godly counsel of Johoiada and over the long haul things went well. (2 Chr 24:1-16)
Throughout Chr a king’s attitude to the Temple and its worship has been a measure of his righteousness. Joash’s measures, with his reference to “the tax levied by Moses” (cf. Ex 30:11-16) and his enlisting of the Levites, is therefore exemplary. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 209)
The importance of the change lies in the shifting of financial responsibility for the upkeep from king to people. The account of it is not intended to diminish Joash’s real concern for it, however. Quite possibly his own resources did not stretch to doing the job properly. And clearly the responsibility was not imposed upon a grudging people (v. 10); rather was the king’s zeal welcomed, showing how, in his righteous period, the people recognized that the way of blessing was that of obedience. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 209)
Like David and Solomon, he saw as one of his chief concerns the spiritual welfare of his people, and that meant he needed to attend to the physical condition of God’s house, where the Lord had promised to meet his people. By this time the temple had fallen into disrepair. It had suffered the indifference and neglect of rulers who cared more for their idols than for the house of the living God. But more than this, it had suffered the plunderings of Athaliah, “that wicked woman,” and her followers (v. 7). From the book of Kings, we get the impression that the walls themselves had become so deeply fissured and cracked that a full-scale renovation was in order. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 273)
II. Joash listened to the ungodly counsel of a bunch of suck-ups and over the long haul things fell apart.(2 Chr 24:17-27; see also: 2 Chr 10:8-10; 22:3-4)
In ten years from the death of Jehoiada, Joash was so utterly another man that you cannot recognize in him one feature of that godly disposition which distinguished his earlier years. He is a sad illustration of the deceitfulness of the human heart; of the weakness of the natural man; and of the perishing nature of that impulsive goodness which rests solely for its permanence upon the constraining influences of others. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 110)
Zechariah must have been like a brother to Joash, because they grew up together. Joash has a choice to heed the warnings from this close confidant, but instead he orders the death of Zechariah to be carried out at the very place he was anointed king by Jehoiada. It is a terrible sign of how quickly our hearts can forget. Oftentimes–even when we speak the truth in love–the truth is the opposite of what people want to hear (24:20-22). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 91)
This was the first time a legitimate ruler in Judah had died because of a conspiracy against him. But was this treason, or was it God’s justice? Without sanctioning violent revolution, the Chronicler still makes it plain that this was sin paying its wage. In a supreme act of treachery, Joash had murdered Jehoiada’s son, who in a supreme act of faithfulness had helped put Joash on the throne. Joash gave no thought to the way Jehoiada had kept faith with him. Therefore the Lord gave him measure for measure. He had once been kept safe in a bedroom (22:11), only to be murdered in his bed. There is no safe place left for someone who has abandoned the Lord. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 285-86)
The Chronicler says that his officials “paid homage” to him, a very unusual expression for our author to use. As the Chronicler normally employs it, the Hebrew word refers to the flat-on-the-face reverence shown by a worshiper towards God. This is the only instance where the Chronicler makes use of it for the homage of subjects towards their human king. Perhaps he means to suggest that Joash’s officials were able to influence him by exaggerated acts of devotion and by shameless flattery. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 279)
Conspiracy against Zechariah, in which the king played a leading role, is requited by a court conspiracy against Joash (vv. 21, 25, 26). The king who “killed” Zechariah was himself “killed” (vv. 22, 25). The forsaking of God is repaid (vv. 20, 24). It is made very plain that what one sows must eventually be reaped. Ironically the tables are turned on Judah by the victory of a small Syrian force in fighting “a very great army” (v. 24). Once again God shows Himself on the side of the outnumbered, as in 13:3-18 and 14:8-15, but this time He is backing Judah’s foes! (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 335)
Just as he had been receptive to the good counsels of the priest, so he now yields entirely to pressure from what must have been a powerful Baal-party among the leaders of the people (v. 17), men who must have enjoyed favor and prestige under Athaliah. In this respect Joash shares a characteristic with Rehoboam who lost most of his kingdom because of his susceptibility to the wrong influence (2 Chr 10). Yet his change of heart seems far more savage and violent than Rehoboam’s, because of his former advantages and commitment, and especially because of his murder of the prophet Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son (v. 21). This element of ingratitude, central to Chronicles’ final condemnation of Joash, supplies a variation on the theme of apostasy which we have met in other kings (e.g. Rehoboam, Asa). Joash’s murderous response to love (the word “kindness” is the same as that which is often used for the love or grace of God) exposes apostasy in its most abominable form. It has a reverberation in the parable of the vineyard (Mk 12:1-12), where the murdered son represents Christ himself. The NT further recalls this incident when Jesus refers to it to castigate Israel for its crimes (Lk 11:49-51) cf. also, again, Heb 6:4-6. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 210-11)
As the prophet Habakkuk learned just prior to the Babylonian exile, God often accomplishes the judgment of sin among his people by means of foreign invasion (cf. Hab 1:6-11). Such is the case here, including the slaying of Judean officials and the plundering of Jerusalem (2 Chr 24:23b-c). The motif of “tit for tat” retribution is seen again in the killing of the Judean leaders, most likely the same individuals who led King Joash into apostasy after the death of Jehoiada (24:23b, cf. V. 17). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 542)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: Five questions we need to ask to make sure we are receiving good advice:
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
He who won’t be counseled can’t be helped. —Benjamin Franklin
A hunting party was hopelessly lost. “I thought you said you were the best guide in Maine!” one of the hunters angrily said to their confused leader. “I am,” replied the guide. “But I think we’re in Canada now.”
A- Does the counsel of your advisee line up with the Word of God?(Ps 1; 119; Prv 1:1-7; 2:1-11; 9:10; 21:16; Acts 17:11; 2 Tm 3:16-17; 1 Jn 4:5-6)
If we want God to guide us, our attitude needs to be right. Here are some guidelines as to how we can play our part in arriving at right decisions.
First, we must be willing to think. It is false piety, super-supernaturalism of an unhealthy pernicious sort that demands inward impressions with no rational base, and declines to heed the constant biblical summons to consider. God made us thinking beings, and he guides our minds as we think things out in his presence.
Second, we must be willing to think ahead and weigh the long-term consequences of alternative courses of action. Often we can only see what is wise and right, and what is foolish and wrong, as we dwell on the long-term issues.
Third, we must be willing to take advice. It is a sign of conceit and immaturity to dispense with taking advice in major decisions. There are always people who know the Bible, human nature, and our own gifts and limitations better than we do, and even if we cannot finally accept their advice, nothing but good will come to us from carefully weighing what they say.
Fourth, we must be willing to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves. We must suspect ourselves: ask ourselves why we feel a particular course of action will be right and make ourselves give reasons.
Fifth, we must be willing to wait. “Wait on the Lord” is a constant refrain in the Psalms and it is a necessary word, for the Lord often keeps us waiting. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. (James Packer, Your Father Loves You, 13)
In 1902, during the height of an extremely tense diplomatic showdown with Britain and Germany over their forcible recovery of debt service in Venezuela, several key military advisors were summoned to the White House. When they entered Roosevelt’s office they found him furiously poring over a well-worn Bible and an exhaustive concordance. After a long and uncomfortable silence during which the president never acknowledged their presence, one of the generals cleared his throat and addressed the great man, “You asked for us, sir?” Without looking up from the volumes before him the president responded, “Well, don’t just stand there men. I need help. I can’t remember why I hold to the Monroe Doctrine. I know that it’s got to be in here somewhere.” Still not quite comprehending what he wanted them to do, the men moved toward his desk, whereupon the president handed each of them a Bible to peruse. “Get to work, men,” he told them. “I can’t act without warrant. I can’t pronounce policy without precedence or precept.” (George Grant, Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt, 174-75)
B- Does the counsel of your advisee make reasonable sense? (Isa 44:18-19)
We need to be discerning about what we listen to and what we are quick to believe. The Talmud asks, “Why do human fingers resemble pegs?” and then answers, “So that if one hears something unseemly, one can plug one’s fingers in one’s ears (Babylonian Talmud; Ketuvot 5b).
The great problem confronting us today is that we have allowed the means by which we live to outdistance the ends for which we live. We have allowed our civilization to outrun our culture, and so we are in the danger now of ending up with guided missiles in the hands of misguided men. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
During WWII, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, “Sir, I am not a brave man. The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.”
Years later, when Patton’s autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general; “I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears.”
I have quit listening to the radio talk shows. Why? Because they have started to make sense. When you are working in an insane asylum and the patients start to make sense it is time to get out of there quick. – Steve Brown
C- What has been your experience in observing others who followed this counsel? (Job 12:12-13; 36:12; Prv 1:8, 20-33; 16:22; 23:22-23; Heb 13:7)
No one is more confusing than the fellow who gives good advice while setting a bad example.
Give advice; if people don’t listen, let adversity teach them. —Ethiopian Proverb
Nothing is more likely to turn persons away from a pastor’s guidance than that pastor’s own behaviors that clearly reveal that he does not take his own precepts seriously: When they observe that our actions are unworthy of the words we utter, they turn to blasphemy, saying that it is a myth and a deception. (II Clement, Sec. V, par. 13, AF, 66)
The personal behavior of the care giver is an important test of the authenticity of his public speech. The responsible behavior of the pastor is the strongest evidence his hearers have that he takes his own counsel seriously. (Thomas C. Oden; Classical Pastoral Care, 24)
BEWARE: of the person giving advice who stands to benefit from you following their advice.
D- What help can the Church, both present and past, tell you about this advice? (Prv 4:1; 1 Cor 10:1-11; Rom 15:4)
E- What can we learn from Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor about listening to advice? (Isa 9:6; 11:2; Mt 12:42; 17:5; Mk 9:7)
The Lord says amazingly less than one would expect concerning order in the Church. For a good reason, it is essential for His sheep to know His voice. The Church must be ruled and guided by the Head rather than by formulas. He is purposely vague concerning even important issues so that we have to seek Him. The NT is full of the best counsel the world has ever heard, but the Lord and His apostles were careful not to lay down many general rules and regulations for the churches. They knew that every rule could prevent that church from seeking the Lord for themselves. (Rick Joyner, There Were Two Trees in the Garden, 177)
Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”), counselor for millions, regularly tells her correspondents that sexual fantasy is normal and harmless—and even beneficial so long as the imagined illicit relationships are not carried out. She goes even further, blasphemously saying that the teaching of Christ on lust is one of the most damaging religious teachings ever put upon the human race. (R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of Grace, 132)
E1- If you have ears to hear SHUT UP and listen. (Prv 4:20; 5:1, 7; 7:24; 8:32-34; 13:1; 14:29; 15:31-32; 18:13; 19:20, 27; 22:17; 23:19; 25:12; Isa 28:23; 30:9; Mt 15;10; Lk 8:18; 9:35; Acts 3:22-23)
Although the prophets were faithful in their warning, the people were unfaithful in their listening. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 280)
Being President is a lot like running a cemetery. You’ve got a lot of people under you and nobody’s listening. -Bill Clinton
The word listen – contains the same letters as the word silent.
Leonardo da Vinci himself once observed that the average person “looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking.” (Mark Batterson, Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, 50)
Perhaps the more important question for us is how to develop the capacity to “fear the LORD” so that we may receive sound instruction and accept wise counsel. The key to answering this question is found in the word “listen,” since it is the wise who “listen and add to their learning” (Prv 1:5). In fact, the exhortation to “listen” to the instruction of the biblical wisdom tradition is repeated more than a dozen times in Proverbs (e.g. 1:8; 4:1, 10). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 555)
The Bible shows awareness of the importance of solitude and silence in attentive listening to others and to God. We have the example of Job, who understood that grasping instruction requires silence or “quiet” for “attentive listening” (Job 6:24). In another instance, Job reminisced about his own role as an elder when “men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel” (29:21). We also have the example of Jesus, who often retreated to “lonely places,” seeking solitude and silence for prayer (Lk 5:16). It seems certain that Jesus sought solitude and silence both to pray and to listen to his Father, since he only did exactly what the Father had commanded him (Jn 14:31). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 557-58)
Covey has correctly observed that most of us have had little, if any, training in the communication skill of listening. To counter this deficiency, he promotes what he calls “emphatic listening.” By this he means an approach to communication that seeks first to understand rather than to be understood. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak. They’re filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into other people’s lives.” Empathic listening does not necessarily mean agreement with the speaker, but it does seek to truly understand the verbal communication of another individual by getting inside the speaker’s frame of reference. “The essence of emphatic listening is not that you agree with someone; it’s that you fully, deeply, understand that person, emotionally as well as intellectually.” (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 556)
E2- If you don’t have ears to listen, pray to God to give you ears to hear and a heart and mind to accept. (Ps 92:6; 119:25, 44, 169; Prv 1:1-7; 4:5-9; 8:5-6; 9:6; 23:22-23; Isa 6:9-10; Dan 2:30; 9:22-23; 12:8-10; Mt 13:13-15; Lk 24:45; Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Eph 1:8; Col 1:9; Philm 1:6)
A woman went to Andrew Murray with the problem of feeling she couldn’t pray. He said, “Why then, do you not try this? As you go to your inner chamber, however cold and dark your heart may be, do not try in your own might to force yourself into the right attitude. Bow before Him, and tell Him that He sees in what a sad state you are, and that your only hope is in Him. Trust Him, with a childlike trust, to have mercy upon you, and wait upon Him. In such a trust you are in a right relationship to Him. You have nothing — He has everything.” The woman later told Murray that his advice had helped her. She discovered that her trust in Christ’s love for her could help her pray, even when prayer did not come easily. (Our Daily Bread, November)
E3- Know that life giving counsel always leads to the death of your pride, arrogance and self-sufficiency. (Prv 3:5-6; 12:15; 13:10; 14:12; 16:25; 18:20; Jer 11:8; 17:23; 25:3-4; Mt 10:39; Mk 8:34-35; Jn 12:24-25; Eph 4:18)
If one does not have the fear of the Lord, kings and people alike turn in self-reliance to their “own wisdom” (Prv 3:5, 7; 18:2; 26:12). Although this “way” of one’s own wisdom seems right, it leads to death in the end (14:12; 16:25). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 555)
The better the advice, the harder it is to take.
“Be yourself” is about the worst advice you can give to some people.
When a man won’t listen to his conscience, it’s usually because he doesn’t want advice from a stranger.
People should not forget the mama whale’s advice to the baby whale, “Remember, it’s only when you spout that you get harpooned.”
Spiritual warfare is the blood, sweat, and tears of dying to one’s self and listening to God. (David Powlison; Power Encounters:Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare, 119)
I say that we must talk to ourselves instead of allowing “ourselves” to talk to us! Do you realize what that means? I suggest that the main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now [the psalmist’s] treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you…Why art thou cast down?–what business have you to be disquieted?…And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who he is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: “I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, 20)
Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church is but how short they are when watching a good movie.
Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible and how easy it is to read 200-300 pages of a best selling novel.
Funny how small our sins seem, but how big their sins are.
Funny how we demand justice for others, but expect mercy from God.
Funny how people want God to answer their prayers, but refuse to listen to His counsel.
E4- The Word of God is life. The Wonderful Counselor, if heeded, can change the core of your being and make you a new creation. (Dt 30:15-20; 32:47; Ps 34:11; 111:10; 119:24, 37, 104, 107, 130; Prv 9:10; Mt 12:42; Lk 11:31; Jn 5:24; 6:63, 68; Acts 17:11; 2 Cor 5:17; Phil 1:6; 2 Pt 1:4; 1 Jn 1:1-3; 3:1-2)
Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (Jn 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of Him (Prv 2, 3). Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein. (Harvard 1636 Student Guidelines)
But though man cannot change nature God can. He can impart strength to the weakest character. Therefore the way to be firm in what is good, is to take God for your guide and support, and not man (Gal 6:4, 5; Phil 2:12, 13). (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 104)
Men may constrain us to a temporary amendment, but God alone can control us to a lasting change of character and heart. Circumstances can make any one of you religious for a time, and give you feelings and habits which will make you appear religious to others, and what is worse still, lead you to suppose that the outward appearance is the effect of inward principle. But nothing but the grace of God, and the love of His name and His truth, can produce that piety of heart which withstands temptation, and lives when all earthly agencies are gone which nursed it, because it lives in Him who was pleased to make those earthly agencies the means of grace to the soul. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 104)
It is the biblical notion of the fear of the Lord that fosters reliance on God and receptivity to divine wisdom, in contrast to self-reliance and dependence on one’s own understanding. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 557)
If you look at your past and are depressed, it means that you are listening to the devil. But if you look at the past and say: “Unfortunately it is true I was blinded by the god of this world, but thank God His grace was more abundant, He was more than sufficient and His love and mercy came upon me in such a way that it is all forgiven, I am a new man’, then all is well. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, 75)
If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless again.
…Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know that they need any forgiveness. It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power–it is after all this and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk. When you are sick, you will listen to the doctor. (C. S. Lewis; Mere Christianity, Bk. I, 38-39)
The Gospel is Good News about what has been done. It is NOT good advice about what you should do. That is every other religion. — Tim Keller
Do you believe everything the tabloids say?
Do you believe everything the weather channel has to say?
Do you believe everything politicians have to say?
Do you believe everything television has to say?
Do you believe everything the newspaper has to say?
Do you believe everything the Bible has to say?
Then why do we spend more time listening to people than listening to God through the Bible?
Behind the tragedy of Joash’s reign, however, there is the message of hope that pervades 1 and 2 Chronicles. If the people would listen to the prophets, if they would turn to God, God would restore their blessing, and the latter glory would be greater than the former glory. (John Sailhamer, Everyman’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 100-01)
Worship point: The more you consider how much God has done to prepare and allow us to hear godly counsel the more you will worship Him for His grace, love and patience with us.
If what you have to say to someone is very important, you will require their undivided attention. With few exceptions, so also the Holy Spirit does not speak to us until we slow down, tune out the static, and give Him our heart in focused attention. To walk in true discernment, we must be quiet before God. We must learn how to listen. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 79)
Spiritual Challenge: Think! Think about every value, every piece of counsel or advice, about every proposition, about every world-view that confronts you. Think: Is it from God? Think: Will this idea hold up if pushed to the limit? Think: What results can I observe in the lives of others who have adopted this value or idea? Think: Does it lead me to Jesus the only One who can save me and the world?
SIDE BY SIDE
They lie on the table side by side
The Holy Bible and the T. V. Guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride,
Not the Bible, but the T. V. Guide.
One is used daily to help folks decide.
No, not the Bible, but the T. V. Guide.
As the pages are turned, what shall they see.
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the T. V.
So they open the book in which they confide.
No, not the Bible, but the T. V. Guide.
The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse before they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be.
Not from reading the Bible, from watching T. V.
So then back to the table side by side,
Lie the Holy Bible and the T. V. Guide.
No time for prayer, no time for the Word,
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.
Though forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
But, It is found in the Bible, not on T. V.
Writing about God’s sure guidance, British pastor Frank W. Boreham recounted a time when a minister visited his home in New Zealand. Being young and inexperienced, Boreham sought the counsel of his guest. He said that one morning they were sitting on the veranda, looking out over the golden plains to the purple sunlit mountains. He asked the minister, “Can a man be sure that in the hour of perplexity he will be rightly led by God? Can he feel secure against making a false step?” “I am certain of it,” exclaimed the minister, “if he will but give God time! As long as you live, remember that. Give God time!” (Tim LaHaye, How to Study the Bible for Yourself, 95-96)
Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing ‘dance’ at the end of the word
And I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn’t flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
And attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw ‘G’: I thought of God, followed by ‘u’ and ‘i’.
‘God, ‘u’ and ‘i’ dance.’ God, you, and I dance. (Email sent by Sharon Ladd 04/01/08)
Quotes to Note:
The perfect use of a wise adviser is not to determine for us what we shall do in every particular case that day by day arises; but to help us to store our minds with sound principles, such as we may call up for our own direction when any emergency requires them. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 104)
What a poignant lesson Joash provides on the need for maturity! Parents and older Christians need to provide guidance to children and new believers. But guidance is not the same thing as dependency; the goal of Christian instruction is for believers to become so knowledgeable in God’s Word that they function properly even if they do not have immediate access to someone who will direct them. Eventually, Christians should become teachers themselves (1 Jn 2:27; Heb 5:12; 2 Tm 2:2). (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 77)
Paul appears to have translated the temple tax into a corresponding obligation laid upon his missionary churches to support the headquarters church in Jerusalem, which was going through a period of economic stringency (see Rom 15:25-28, 31; 2 Cor 8-9). Both Paul and the Chronicler were applying a typological principle. The Chronicler emphasized that the obligation laid down in the Torah to maintain the tabernacle in the old dispensation was still relevant in the new era of the temple. Paul in turn moved from a temple-oriented liability to a corresponding one in the Christian epoch. This typologizing insists that dipping regularly into pocket and purse remains a measure of the believer’s spirituality. “God” still “loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 333-34)
Nor should we spend our time dipping into just any authors; we should read the best. For this reason even Philip, king of Macedon, wanted Alexander to learn his first lessons from Aristotle, and the old Romans took care that when they turned their children over to a school, they were first educated in Vergil. Both had the best of reasons. For what has been sown in young minds puts down deep roots and there is no force that can afterwards pull it up again. Hence, if they become accustomed to the best [teachers and authors] from the beginning, they will use and possess them always as their paramount authorities and guides. But if they imbibe any errors, twice as much time will be needed: to shake out errors, and then to inculcate true precepts. (Richard M. Gamble, The Great Tradition, 321)
When you listen to God He hears you.
Christ:
The Wonderful Counselor
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