Vina Valenzuela

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Hi guys! This is Vina once again. Now, it's time for 2nd Kings.

This book is sad and brutal at the same time. This may even be the inspiration of GOT. Moreover, it is difficult to talk about something because it is the same story with 1st Kings, just different characters.

But their main difference: In here, the time was ripe. Both the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah received the ultimate consequence of their unfaithfulness and idolatry: exile.

The former was conquered by the Assyrian Empire led by Shalmaneser, the latter by the Babylonians by Nebuchadnezzar. Their lands had been looted and destroyed. Their conquerors also relocated new groups of people to inhabit them.

There were still a list of Kings from both kingdoms before the exile  but I wouldn't discuss it here. I would like to focus on the lessons or "what-we-can-get-out-of-it" part. But don't worry, I'll share a short infographic about some selected kings.

So here are they:

1) People have free will.

Your faith and actions are of your own choice. It was disappointing that David's descendants had been in rebellion against God. But to each his own and a person can choose to walk in the ways of his fathers or not.

2) The Word of God is alive.

When Israel entered into a covenant with God, they were warned:

Follow God = Blessings

Disobey God = Curse

 Despite knowing this, they still chose to reject God and worship false idols. They have even forgotten Moses' laws. They did not care about the whereabouts of the Book of Law which was only found when King Josiah ordered the repair of the temple. Because they have turned away from God, they had to face the consequences of their actions.

3) God is still merciful.

Even though God is a God of Justice, He had showed mercy and consideration many, many times.

During Hezekiah's time, God saved Jerusalem from the Assyrians. When the king also fell ill and was about to die, he appealed to God, who listened to him and added 15 years to his life.

Secondly, when Josiah found the Book of Law, Shaphan, the secretary, read it aloud to him and he wept because they did not follow through the covenant. God had mercy towards Josiah and assured him that he would not be able to see the destruction of Judah.

Lastly, Jehoiachin, the exiled king of Judah was treated well by Nebuchadnezzar even if he was a prisoner.

4) Abortion is the modern-day child sacrifice.

Manasseh and Ahaz both sacrificed their sons to false gods, in particular Molech. This made God super duper angry as this Canaanite practice has always been detestable to Him.

In Leviticus 20: 1-5, He commanded the Israelites not to do it and that He will set his face against whoever does it.

Now, in modern times, we do not believe in those ancient gods. But it's worse because we have made ourselves Molechs. We have sacrificed our children for our own sake and convenience.

Some people abort their babies because it is bad for their finances, careers or even for their figures. Yes, that happens. People do not want their babies because it will make them fat or gain stretch marks.

The bottom line: They don't want their child. And so, they will play God and decide whether the child will live or not.

But then, who are we to decide if an innocent being will live or die?

Some say that even if the baby was given up for adoption, he would still be a liability and will live a bad life. But then, who are we to decide on his fate? That human being has free will and choice. He can create his own destiny. He might be alive because of wrong choices but that doesn't mean that his life will be in ruins.

Some also say that adoption and foster services will just put a strain on a country's finances. But, isn't abortion eating a lot of budget too? Instead of funding abortions, maybe we should allocate the money to the right, guilt-free alternatives.

So yeah, those are just some of my take-aways.

Second Kings was really sad. The chosen people, Israel who was supposed to be distinct from others and set a holy example, failed to be faithful to God.

I think God's heart was crushed. It was a long period before he punished them through exile. He might have been hoping for a revival but the people just went on with the cycle of sin - they would repent at one time, but the next second, they would commit the same sins again.

 The human heart is indeed flawed. It is a cold, hard stone. In strict standards, no one of us is really worthy of heaven. All have fallen short.

God could choose to remain it that way. Never mind the humans. They're evil anyway.

But instead, He gave us grace. He sent His only son to a be ransom for many. Up to now, this truth is unbelievable and truly heart-warming. #sentimental #teary-eyed

Well, that's all. Hope we?ll remember that always! May God bless us!

You can listen to this article: http://bit.ly/firstkings 

Hey there! This is Vina once again. Now, as promised, this will be the 2nd episode of my 1 Kings Journal. In the first one, I?ve talked about God?s restorative mercy towards David through blessing Solomon, his oldest son with Bathsheba.

After Solomon?s reign, the united Kingdom of Israel was split into 2: the northern, which retained the name ?Kingdom of Israel? and the southern kingdom, which is Judah. The narrative discusses interchangeably the succession of each kingdom which can be confusing. So patience is necessary!

As a recap, King Solomon valued wisdom so much that he asked it from God and God granted it to him. We saw the wonders and benefits of wisdom. Sadly, his son and successor, King Rehoboam rejected it. When the forced laborers asked him to lessen their load, he did not listen to the sound advice of the elders but instead to his younger advisors.

[Side Note: these forced laborers were his father?s workers in the construction of the temple and the palace.]

He rejected the elders? advice and did not lessen the laborers? load. He even mocked their leader. And so, this led the northern tribes to rebelled and Kingdom of Israel separated.

[Please note that there was a time before that Israel, under King Ish-boseth, Saul?s son, was separate from Judah who chose David as their king.]

You know, wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord and humility of heart. We reject prudence and just judgement because we are arrogant and self-centered. We cannot accept that we are wrong. We feel that we are always right. And we are really making ourselves gods: holy and infallible in our sight.

King Rehoboam and the other kings rejected wisdom. To be fair, King Asa of Judah and his son and successor, King Jehoshaphat had been faithful and committed to God. But there were also times they rejected Him, which were stated in more detail in 1 and 2 Chronicles.

Because the kings had no fear of the Lord, they went on to prostituting themselves and their people to false gods. By doing so, they had set an incorrect, unholy royal endorsement to idolatry.

They rejected wisdom and so, they, their families and their constituents suffered horrible consequences. The Kingdom of Israel had very unstable, brutal power-grabbing successions. The land could not be at peace and unnecessary bloodshed is the norm. These wars and political volatility took a great toll on the social, economic and psychological well being of the people.

The most notable king who rejected God and wisdom altogether in 1 Kings is King Ahab of Israel. King Ahab is the son of Omri who also usurped power from the previous King Zimri. King Ahab married Jezebel, a Canaanite princess. Like Solomon, he was indoctrinated by his wife to worshipping other gods, in particular, Baal.

When he was also deciding on what to do with Ben- Hadad, the King of Aram, he listened to his advisors who just echoed his mistaken conviction to let him go. King Ahab listened to people who would just build up his selfish ego and would not lift a finger to correct him. He had forgotten that it was God who delivered Ben-Hadad to him as a punishment for him and the Arameans for belittling God, limiting Him as ?God of hills, not of valleys?.

Furthermore, when the prophet Micaiah told him not to attack Ramoth Gilead, he just dismissed it as biased. He remarked that the prophet was always against him, that he advised such because he had always hated the king. He did not see Micaiah as helpful and concerned. Because his ego was hurt, he thought that Michaiah was just really against him. The rejection of this wise warning has cost him his life. He was killed in the battle of Ramoth Gilead.

Wisdom really played a big part in 1 Kings. If we humble down and listen to her, we will reap abundant benefits. But if we don?t, we will have to face the equally bad outcomes of our choices.

Another thing I?ve learned from 1 Kings is that the good guys (aka those who follow God) usually do not have it all. A faithful person could just be at the background, working for evil people, such as Obadiah who was King Ahab?s in charge for the palace. I could just imagine how scared and vulnerable he was.

If the King and Queen would decide to kill him for his beliefs or remove him from work or make up things to make him suffer, they could easily do so. He might also be thinking that he was an imposter, doubting his faithfulness to God because he was serving a master who rejects God. I really believe that he was dealing with conflicting values.

Moreover, Elijah, the Tishbite had faced persecution, loneliness, fear and exhaustion. I could feel the weight of what he was facing when he said, ?I am alone..?, ?they are trying to kill me?.., ?I am the only one left?..., ?I am tired?..

I admire this person. Right from the time he was introduced in the Bible, he depended solely on God. God?s provision was so great in his life. After prophesying that there will be drought because of Ahab worshipping Baal, he fled and God sustained him by having the ravens feed him. He was also fed by a widow whose son he healed.

He also challenged and defeated Baal?s prophets when he had his offering burned up miraculously at Mt. Carmel. Moreover, he made it rain after the long, long drought. Queen Jezebel was angry at him for killing Baal?s prophets. When he fled from Jezebel, he was fed by an angel which strengthened him to travel 40 days and nights to Mt. Horeb. Upon which, he experienced great wind, then earthquake, then fire and after a gentle whisper, asking him: ?What are you doing here, Elijah??

His travel of 40 days and nights and his encounter with God on Mt. Horeb in that gentle whisper? This was reminiscent of Moses? experience of God when Israel was about to enter a covenant with Him.

God not only provided for him and enabled him to perform miracles but he also listened to him and granted his requests. When Elijah asked for a successor, he sent him to Elisha.

The lives of Obadiah and Elijah. They came from different backgrounds. But both loved God. Their stories were full of misery and hardships.The world is not for us. We are not promised easy, comfy lives.

Sometimes, we feel scared and alone because the people surrounding us may not approve of us. We may be labeled as weird and we may have to cut off relationships. We may face discrimination or bias because of our beliefs. We might be forced to self- censor ourselves because of fear we will offend someone. And we may get tired believing, preaching, keeping our faith, defending God and just doing the things we do.

But then, God will strengthen and provide for us. We might not be guaranteed a tangible reward but a spiritual one. So we just hang in there.

#vinasjournal #vinasjournalph #theBible #1Kings #solomon

So in 1 Kings, we see an old David who had given his throne to Bathsheba?s son, Solomon, in fulfillment of his promise to her. But more than that, God chose Solomon himself. Thus, when Adonijah set himself up as king, Nathan, the prophet, rushed to stop it. Adonijah is David?s older son by a woman named Haggith.

Solomon?s way to power was really easy and smooth, compared to David?s. He only had 2 people who posed real threat to his power: Adonijah and Joab. If you know, Joab is the commander of his father?s army. Both of whom, he eliminated.

He also had Shimei, one of Saul?s relative who cursed David, killed. But it was Shimei?s carelessness because Solomon warned him that if he gets out of his property, he will be killed. Which he did when he followed his slaves who escaped.

EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT FOR SOLOMON. God loved him so much, even when he was still a baby. He was given the name, Jedidah, which means beloved of the Lord. God showed Himself to Him twice in 1 Kings which is amazing because I have never recalled that I?ve read something that says that God showed Himself to David.

He was favored not because of his own doing but because God?s love was just so overwhelming. Remember, Solomon was there because his father lusted over a married woman. So, God?s choosing him is a sign of God?s restorative mercy towards David; it erases all wrongs.

 God asked Solomon what he wanted and he said wisdom. God was pleased and granted it to the young king. That was a very wise thing to ask. Solomon knew he needed it because to gain wisdom is a really long, difficult and humbling journey. You can?t just get it by reading or studying or observing. You really need to let experience teach you, not just once or twice but many, many times. It is not bought by money, social status nor IQ. You have to go through different seasons of your life, through brokenness, suffering, joy and many others, to gain wisdom. This is why we associate with old age.

But Solomon did not have to go through all of that because God gave it to him. Being given that, he was able to reap the fruits of wisdom effortlessly. Israel was able to build a very luxurious palace and temple. They had a really strong military, very good diplomatic relations, a booming economy. They grew richer. There was peace and order. King Solomon himself was known all throughout the world for his wisdom. Even the Queen of Sheba was impressed with him.

But then wisdom is not enough to make one?s heart really after God?s because as Solomon grew stronger and more influential, he also turned away from Him. As political alliances, Solomon married many, many women of noble statuses. I think he also married them to show off how powerful and attractive he was. So in way, they are like his ?trophy? wives and they turned away his heart to their gods. He began worshipping their idols.

It was just all gradual and slippery. I think it?s quite special when the King dedicated a place in the palace for his wife, the Pharoah?s daughter. I believe that David and the other husbands in the OT also adored their spouses but not in a way that they are deemed necessary by the authors to include in the scriptures. And so, that note was to show his great affection, generosity and attachment to his wives and concubines.

The queen mother was a factor in his attitude towards women. He respected her deeply and so, he learned to treat women well. There is nothing wrong with caring for your spouse. It is actually great and desirable in all relationships.

But then this shows the importance of your spouse in every aspect of your life. You are united to this person. You and your spouse are one. Thus, you can find yourself between two big, colliding rocks when you choose someone who doesn?t put God first. It becomes God vs. your spouse. It is a pointless struggle.

He should have learned from his forefathers and his father the perils of having affairs and getting multiple wives. Abraham was torn to send Ishmael and Hagar away upon Sarah?s request. Jacob?s domestic life was full of bitterness between the two sisters who are his wives. David had sons from different mothers who fought with each other and brought grief to him. But then, things are different in the past and so, probably he was compelled to take in as many wives as he can as a display of power. 

Unlike David, he didn?t repent and regretted his actions. He just accepted it and went on in his business. But soon enough, he started to feel the consequences. The once peaceful borders were now under attack again. 

I think one of the reasons he didn?t repent was that he became too comfortable in his own ways. His ego grew so big because of the enormous influence, riches, fame and prestige. It blinded him. I think he was also undisturbed because He would not be punished but his descendants.

Solomon was so fortunate because his father is David and God considered that. So his punishment was quite soft. God did not take away all Israel from them. He allowed David?s line to continue ruling in Judah. With this I remembered Exodus 20: 5-6:

I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God kept his promise even when David?s descendants were turning away from Him, He never really left them in ruins without hope. There is always that promise of restoration.