Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Throughout the book of Kings, we have seen that our author has one basic test for a king: Does he do what is right in the sight of the LORD – or not? And what it means to do what right (or evil) in the sight of the LORD is always focused on worship. Worship will have profound consequences on everything else in life! Why do you do what you do in worship? Tonight we watch Ahaz conform his worship to the standards of the nations around him. "Ah! I like that altar! We should do it that way!!" The last four kings of Judah have all been "good" kings. Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, and Jotham – all worshiped Yahweh at his temple. They had their problems (often described as allowing worship at the high places) – but for more than 120 years, Jerusalem was governed by four reasonably good kings. Until Ahaz. Ahaz is the one king of Judah of whom it is said, "He did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD" There are several kings who did evil in the sight of the LORD (e.g., Jehoram and Ahaziah back in chapter 8 – or Man

Do you see what Paul did with Psalm 68? "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." In Psalm 68, God ascends on high and receives gifts from men. In Ephesians 4, God ascends on high and gives gifts to men! But Paul is not mis-quoting Psalm 68. Rather, Paul is thinking about the whole of Psalm 68 – not just verse 18. He blends verse 18 with verse 35 – because in Jesus God has arisen and ascended – and Jesus is the God who gives power and strength to his people Today is sometimes called "Ascension Sunday." Technically Thursday was Ascension Day – since Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. We could have a special service on Ascension Day – or we could remember it on the following Sunday – which then also sets up Pentecost Sunday next week! But why do we celebrate the Ascension?

We're back to the short, swift, boring narrative. One boring king after another. There are two periods in Israel's history where you see this rapid-fire style: 1 Kings 15-16 and 2 Kings 14-16. Both start with a Jeroboam, and then run quickly through seven kings. There are lots of conspiracies, coups, and dynastic changes. Israel is in turmoil. But of course, if you look at the layout of the book of Kings, we were due for another boring section! Many have noted that these "boring" sections seem very intentional. Our author wants you to understand that sin is boring. Rebellion against God is not interesting. It's boring. And so he tells the story of rebellious kings in a very formulaic, boring way. The interesting stories are told about the prophets – or faithful kings who sought to return to the LORD...

We have come to the end of our journey through Psalm 119. As we come to the concluding pair of stanzas, we find a word that we have not heard much in the whole Psalm: "Praise" (verses 164, 171, and 175). In all of the intimate conversation between the Psalmist and the LORD, the word "praise" only arises here at the end. Even as the Psalter as a whole ends with a crescendo of praise (Psalms 146-150), so also Psalm 119 ends with praise as well. Another unique phrase is found in verses 166 and 174: "your salvation, O LORD." The word "salvation" has been used a couple of times in the Psalm, and the name of Yahweh has frequently occurred. Last week we saw that the Psalmist cried out to the LORD to save him (v145-146), and pled with the LORD for mercy in the context of talking about salvation (v155-156). But only here does "your salvation, O LORD" become the central theme. The connection between stanza Shin and stanza Taw is made especially clear because this phrase "your salvation, O LORD" occurs in the sixth line

Have you ever noticed that the death of Elisha seems to be hanging in the middle of nowhere? We haven't heard from Elisha in the last four chapters. Indeed, after the anointing of Hazael and Jehu, Elisha disappears. Elisha had been anointed during the reign of Ahab. He took Elijah's place just after the death of Ahaziah. The bulk of his ministry was focused on the 12 years of Jehoram, the son of Ahab, and his last act was to send a son of the prophets to anoint Jehu. Jehu reigned for 28 years, but we hear nothing of Elisha for those 28 years. Jehoahaz reigned for 17 years, but we hear nothing of Elisha for those 17 years. For 45 years, Elisha is silent. Only now on his deathbed does Elisha break his silence. Elisha's ministry was very focused. In life he fulfilled the ministry of Elijah – reminding Israel that they were going to die, but pointing them to a hope beyond the grave. And in death Elisha points them to that same hope: in the face of their enemies, Israel's only hope is that the Word of the LORD wil

As we draw near to the end of Psalm 119, the Psalmist makes it clear that the point of this prayer is a matter of life and death. A dozen times in Psalm 119 the Psalmist says "give me life." Four of those times are in today's two stanzas: verses 149, 154, 156, and 159. God created Adam after his image and breathed the breath of life into him. But in his rebellion Adam forfeited life. And ever since the sin of Adam and Eve death has haunted all of humanity. Death stalks you, too. It lurks around every corner, waiting to ensnare you. Your time here is limited. Your time is running out. Will you spend it seeking after vain and empty pleasures? Or will you spend it seeking after the One who has conquered death and gives life to those who seek him?!

2 Kings 11 starts off with a bizarre episode of a grandmother killing all her descendants. We've heard in recent years of mothers killing their children, or children killing their parents, but it's rare that you ever hear of a grandmother killing her grandchildren! What is going on? Athaliah guarantees that she will have no legacy. All she cares about is what happens in her own lifetime. I suppose you could say that she was the original Ayn Rand – "the universe dies with me!" But all this takes place to fulfill the word of the LORD. We have now reached the end of the house of Omri. Jehu has slaughtered everyone belonging to Omri and Ahab in the northern kingdom. And now in chapters 11-12 we hear about how the curse of Ahab affects the house of David. Because Joram, the son of Jehoshaphat, married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab (and probably of Jezebel as well: while the text does not state the name of her mother, Athaliah was certainly raised in a house where Jezebel was the dominant force). But either way, t

And so now in the last half of Psalm 119 we are looking at life in the "already" and the "not yet." Jesus Christ has established his kingdom. He is seated at the right hand of the Father as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But we do not yet see all things in subjection to him, rather, "we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death." (Heb 2:9) And in this time in between the resurrection of the Christ and his return in glory, our hope is in the righteousness of God as it is clearly revealed in Jesus Christ...

"I hate the double-minded" Is hatred ever appropriate for the Christian? The last line of our text today, verse 128, "I hate every false way," is much easier to handle. Of course we hate every false way. Of course we hate evil generically considered. But to hate the "double-minded" means that we are hating people. Is this just an Old Testament mindset? Or is it ever appropriate for a Christian to say, "I hate the double-minded"? Let me start by reminding you that Jesus said that we are to love God with all our hearts, and that we are to love our neighbors (even the least loveable) as ourselves. So there is no way that Psalm 119:113 will contradict the command to love God and neighbor. As we will see, it is your love for God – and for the double-minded themselves – that requires you to hate the double-minded...

Last time we saw the beginning of the destruction of the house of Ahab, and tonight we will see its utter eradication from the face of the earth. This is a reminder to us of how our Lord Jesus Christ overthrows every antichrist. Every power that arrays itself against the Lord and his anointed will be overthrown. Last time we saw how Jehu is the only "christ" in the northern kingdom of Israel. He is the only anointed king in the history of the northern kingdom. He is also the closest thing to a good king that Israel ever had. In faithfulness to the word of the LORD, he assassinated both Joram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, self-consciously bringing to pass the word of the LORD through the prophet Elijah. Jehu has killed the leaders of the house of Ahab, but that is not all that Elijah had said. It is not enough to overthrow the antichrist, you must destroy everything that belongs to him...

[Sung Psalm: 16] This is an adaptation of Melito of Sardis' sermon "On the Passover" ("Peri Pascha"). A current English translation starts on page 37 of this book: https://sachurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/On-Pascha-Melito-of-Sardis.pdf

Do you remember Jezreel? Jezreel means (in Hebrew) "God will sow." But it was in Jezreel that Ahab turned a vineyard into a vegetable garden. The vineyard was a picture of Israel – the vine whom God planted in the land – the vegetable garden was a picture of Egypt. A vineyard takes years to develop, and lasts for generations. A vegetable garden may come and go, and may last for only a season. And it was here in Jezreel that Ahab and Jezebel had put Naboth to death in order to steal his vineyard (1 Kings 21). And now the son and the grandson of Ahab are gathered in the city where Ahab and Jezebel had done this wicked deed. The blood of Naboth cries to heaven for vengeance against the house of Ahab. As the martyrs cry out throughout all generations: How long, O LORD, faithful and true, until you avenge our blood! The house of Omri has demonstrated itself to be an anti-Christian dynasty. We don't usually use the word "Christian" to refer to the OT church. But "Christ" is simply the Greek word for "anointed one,

In Elijah, God was trying to provoke Israel to repentance by sending his prophet to the Gentiles. In Elisha, God has given up on Israel as a whole, but calls the remnant – the sons of the prophets – to faithfulness in spite of the apostasy of their rulers. Now, let's remember where we are in the book of Kings: the book of Kings starts with the establishment of the house of David; then tells of the division of Israel and the establishment of the northern kingdom; It then tells of the establishment of the house of Omri in Israel (and Elijah). 2 Kings 2 is the transition from Elijah to Elisha. Now we are going to hear of the death of the house of Omri (and Elisha); then we are going to hear of the death of the northern kingdom of Israel and finally we will hear of the death of the house of David - except unlike the rest of the death and destruction in the book of Kings, the house of David will not be utterly destroyed. Kings will end with hope. The Temple will be destroyed. The Kingship obliterated. The People e

One of the key words for stanza 12 was "forever" (olam). "Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." (v89) "Forever, I will not forget your precepts" (v93) That same word continues to play an important role in stanzas 13-14 (verses 98, 111, 112). This pair of stanzas both opens and closes with "forever" and in the middle it talks about the path (verses 101, 102, 104, 105). In other words, verses 97-112 are all about how to walk the path of life in the light of forever...

Nowadays we are very "present" focused. We are very shortsighted – only thinking about our immediate future: what we will eat, what we will wear, or at most what we will do in a few months or a few years. We buy computers that will last for 2-3 years. We have a "disposable" mentality – everything is designed to last for a few months or a few years. In such a transient world, "longing for forever" may seem out of place – or out of touch...

What should you think about when you sing these lines? "Although the proud smear me with lies, I keep your decrees from the heart. Their hearts are unfeeling and hard; I love what your precepts impart." Do you struggle with singing about the "proud" in this way? Do you feel "proud" – as though you are saying "I'm better than them"? We live in a day that delights in absolute equality. No one is better than anyone else, and no one wants to say "I'm better than them." And yet, as I speak, the sports world is obsessed with "March Madness" the beginning of the baseball season, and debates about who is the GOAT – the greatest of all time – in the NBA. As a nation we are obsessed with ranking everything. Everything is about being "the best" "the fastest" "the most" -- everything except morality. When it comes to morality, everything is equal. Or so some would say...

Kings has told us stories of the battles between Israel and Syria. The military-political strife between Ben-Hadad and the northern Kingdom of Israel dominated the era of the Omride dynasty. Kings has also told us micro-histories - little stories of little people on whom God had mercy and preserved them in the midst of the apostasy of the nation. 2 Kings 5 tells a very different sort of story. It does not tell the story of God's mercy to one of the faithful sons of the prophets – rather it tells the story of the curse of the best of the Israelites (Gehazi). It does not speak of God's protection of Israel, but of his blessing upon the very man who was tasked with destroying Israel! Brothers and sisters, we must beware lest we become too smug in our position. We are far too quick to identify the good guys and the bad guys in our day. Would you have given Naaman a chance? It would be as though a general from Hamas came to town. He had previously been known for conducting raids and kidnapping your children. On th

Today we are looking at the 7th and 8th stanzas of the Psalm. The seventh stanza begins with the letter "zayin." This seventh stanza is the stanza of memory – rooted in the word "zachar" which means "remember." Zachar is the first word of verses 49, 52 and 55. Even as the seventh day of Exodus 20 is the day of rest – and remembering - so also the seventh stanza of Psalm 119 is the stanza of remembering. And, not surprisingly perhaps, the eighth stanza of Psalm 119 is the stanza of promise. The remembering of the Sabbath day, and the remembering of the seventh stanza, points back to the creation as well as the redemption from Egypt, but it also leads up to the inheritance of the eighth stanza – the promises of God, as well as my own promise to keep your words. There are five clear connections between the stanzas: 1) both refer to "night": "I remember your name in the night, O LORD" (v55) "At midnight I rise to praise you (v62) (this word is found nowhere else in the Psalm) 2) both stanzas refer to "your promis

Our passage tonight is pervaded with death. It starts with a widow crying out, "Your servant my husband is dead." The Shunammite woman is barren (lifeless), and when God gives her a son, the son dies. The sons of the prophets nearly die of eating poisonous gourds, and a famine threatens death. (Indeed, next time we will see the living death–leprosy–that afflicts Naaman). Elisha is a prophet who brings life out of death by the Word of the LORD...

What was the sin of Jeroboam? Jeroboam had made two golden calves and told the people to worship Yahweh through the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. God had said for the people to worship him at Jerusalem, but the kings of Israel feared that the people would return to the house of David, and so they devised their own way to worship. (This is a good reminder that it is not merely who you worship, but also how you worship; God does not take kindly to being worshiped in a manner of our own devising.) And yes, there is a sense in which Jehoram is an improvement over Ahaziah. If a man who is a murderer and a thief has a son who is only a thief, then that is an improvement! But that is not repentance. The house of Omri must die. To be the best king in an apostate dynasty is like saying, "He was the nicest ax-murderer I've ever known!" This is the story of the book of Kings. - Reforming kings are not enough. - Sin is not a problem that can be "reformed" away. - The cyclical pattern of the book of Kings (like that