Reading through the Book of 2 Chronicles, the kings of Judah and Israel are assessed either as “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” or “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” Usually, what determined whether they did right or not is who they worshipped. If they gave into worshiping idols and other gods, then they did not do what was right. If they broke down altars and destroyed idols so that God may be worshipped, then they did what was right.

But what determined whether a king would do right or wrong? That’s the part that I’m baffled by. There is no recognizable pattern. For example, King Uzziah did right initially. But later his pride gets to him and he is punished by God. His son, Jotham, does what is right and avoids the mistake of his father (which is nice!). But his son, Ahaz, goes terribly wrong and he brings Judah into disaster. However, his son, Hezekiah, reverses this trend and does right and reforms Judah.

Up and down it goes… What does this show? God is sovereign. He does what He pleases. I don’t believe He only passively reacts to the inner decisions of the kings, but actively gives them into their own sinful cravings and wrongful worships.

What are we to learn from this? Humility. We can’t control anyone. And that includes our children, our parents, and even ourselves. We may vow that we will follow the Lord to our dying breath, but unforeseen circumstances in the future might knock us out of it. All we can do is hang onto God today and cry mercy. When I wake up tomorrow, if His sovereign and loving hands withdraw from me, then I will no longer be following.

Hang on to God today. You WILL see the pattern one day and see that it was His love and mercy that guided it all..

PH