When the whole city is at peace, will we live in peace forever? We dream of making a fortune, retiring early, and living comfortably for the rest of our lives. A man once told me that he met a coworker he used to work with who married the woman he fell in love with at first sight and thought he had it all figured out, but now theyre separated, and when their kids are older, theyll go off to find their own happiness. But unlike his coworker, he saw himself living differently from the worlds standards, because unlike his coworker, there are things in the community 'ranch' that can be solved by talking about them. There is no heavens in this world unless you learn your lessons, so its most important to learn lessons while living in this world. Today, lets take a look at what it means to give and receive lessons.
First, the mother of faith is necessary.
In the seventh year of Jehus reign in northern Israel, Joash became king and reigned in Jerusalem for 40 years. Joash grew up in a disadvantaged environment where his father, Ahaziah, and his mother, Zibiah, had never been held in their arms, let alone had fond memories of them, and where his own family tried to kill each other. But because of this disadvantage, Joash received the most important gift of his life: a lesson from Jehoiada. His mothers name, Zibiah, means 'gentle deer,' a name of faith that fits well with Beelzebub, the well of oaths. She would have died or been exiled with Athaliah when he exterminated her grandchildren, but because she was a mother of faith, she is recorded in the Bible. Its not necessarily that she was a mother of faith that she was alive to help, its that she was a mother of faith. And why mothers are important is because theyre not made of clay, theyre made of bone, and they have a huge impact. Joash was raised as an orphan, but God knew him and didnt abandon him, just like Jehoiada said, 'God knows everything.' If youve come to believe through the labor of your parents, theyre the best parents you can have. When you have this kind of faith, you can count on God to make your children your spiritual heirs and continue the lineage of faith.
Second, takes heed of the instructions he received.
In Jeremiah 29:26, Jehoiada is mentioned as the head of the priests and is buried in the tomb of the ten kings, even though he was not a king. Jehoiada not only saved Joashs life, he made him king, and he 'taught' him. The word 'taught' is the same root as 'torah,' which means law, so he taught Joash with the law, the word of God, not with human experience and knowledge. There are many kings in the book of Kings, but Joash is the only one who was taught with the word. When we are taught by God, our relationships are complete, and our spouses and children can truly connect with us. It wasnt his good circumstances, character, or brains that enabled Joash to be instructed by the Word it was his miserable situation and disadvantage as a 'steamed orphan' that enabled him to be instructed, and it was the presence of the best teacher, Jehoiada. He grew up in hardship, but because he was instructed by the Word, he walked uprightly in Gods sight all those years. But then Joash, who had experienced tremendous grace, couldnt be honest with himself after Jehoiada died because he hadnt been taught. The Word of God only gets deeper as you meditate on it, and deeper means you see your own sinfulness, which is why self-reliance is so important.
Third, (Joash) still gave sacrifices to the high places.
Joash walked honestly under Jehoiadas instruction for forty years, but 'he did not remove the high places,' is the conclusion of Joash and all the kings of Judah. This is how difficult it is for even the mighty Jehu, who grew up in good circumstances and experienced grace, to be wholeheartedly loyal to God. No matter how honestly a leader acts in the eyes of the Lord, the people will follow their own altar to the high places that they cannot remove. That is why the leader of a nation and a church family is so important. God gave Judah the lamp of David to make Judah weak, and though it looks the same, the inability of southern and northern Israel to turn away from sin is different. Southern Israels inability to remove the altar is due to weakness, but Northern Israels inability to leave Jeroboams golden calf is due to wickedness. Northern Israel is a nation that left the seed of Jesus and rebelled against him, so it is a nation of works, not faith. There is something that the world looks at and envies, and that is the worship to the high places.
It is a deep-rooted desperately wanting material blessings under the name of faith, so when I meditate and apply the it that I cannot remove through the Word, I see my sin deeply and remove it little by little, and hoping that eventually God itself becomes my only hope.
This is a community sharing from a new family who registered at Daegu Chapel during the June Evangelism Festival.
This is a remarried family with my baby and your baby, and they were very devoted Buddhists. However, on May 15th, when they went to the temple on the day of the April Budhas birthday, the wife started driving the car to go downhill and accidently hit four passers by killing three and hospitalizing one. After this incident, She said that all of his in-laws go to church, so she went to church for the first time in her life against her will, and she felt at peace at the moment she entered the church. She thanked us for our hospitality, saying that she hoped that God would take pity on her and guide her to grow in faith because she didnt know anything. Such amazing acts of generosity abound at the Daegu community 'ranch'.
During the lesson, the mother of faith is important, not good or bad, but if you believe in Jesus, she is the best mother. To do that, you must receive the lesson well. But because we are weak, we can still have high place like worship, so its not about forgiving and being forgiven, right or wrong, but now that we have received the lesson, lets get rid of our persistent materialistic worship, so that we can stop hoping to have material blessings, and let God itself be the prizes.
