Hazael king of Syria...set his face to
go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred
things that his fathers...had dedicated...and his own sacred things,
and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and
in the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria.
Hazael and the Syrian empire, situated
to the north of Israel, were strong and brutal. The prophet Elisha
wept when he first met Hazael, who at the time was only a servant,
because he saw in advance all the atrocities that Hazael would commit
against the Israelite people (2 Kings 8:11-12). Extremely warlike,
Hazael repeatedly attacked the kingdom of Israel eventually taking
the land God had given as an inheritance to the tribes of Gad,
Reuben, and part of Manasseh east of the Jordan River (2 Kings
10:32-33). This put Hazael and his army within striking distance of
the southern kingdom of Judah and its capital city Jerusalem which
contained the Temple of the LORD and the palace of the king. King
Jehoash had every reason to fear, except one: God had already proven
His faithfulness and rescued His people from superior military forces
many times. All Israel had to do was to cry out to Him and to trust Him. King
Jehoash, however, instead of trusting God, took what was God's from
the temple and paid it as tribute. Sacred items that were to be
dedicated to the worship of God were instead defiled and used as a
ransom.
How cheaply do we hold what belongs to
God in our lives? Recently we had a garage sale and I encountered
one of the “garage sale personalities”, the person who insults
you and your merchandise as a tactic hoping to get a better deal. After
selecting several (dirty!!) items, her total due was $2.25. I
rounded the price down to $2 and she nodded and gave me an aggressive
“Unh-huh!” She paid me with a $20 bill, took her purchases in
triumph and left. All I could feel was sadness. She had sold her
kindness, a fruit of the Spirit, for 25 cents and thought she had won
a victory.
As we examine our lives, we must
consider what has value in God's sight and look at what we hold as
important with an eternal focus. The fruit of the Spirit belongs to
God. It is a gift from Him to be used for His purposes. By the
presence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives we will be judged.
We will be examined, evaluated, and sentenced by one who knows our
every thought. Recognize and hold on to what is valuable.
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