YOU CHOOSE
Matthew 1:9-10 NKJ
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
Happy New Year!
I hope you are expecting some great things this year! We serve an awesome God, and as we come closer to Him, the possibilities are greater than what we could ever accomplish on our own.
Our Bible 365 New Testament plan starts this year with the book of Matthew. This book was written for Jewish people and highlights the Jewishness of Jesus and how He was the fulfillment of Scripture. Matthew presents Jesus as the King of the Jews, the long awaited for Messiah. An interesting note is that many modern Jews have been taught that Jesus was a Gentile figure. Some have been taught that Jesus was a Catholic creation. This first chapter of Matthew is a revelation to Jews when they see Jesus as totally Jewish. They realize they do not have to leave their Jewish heritage to receive Christ. Rather, He is the fulfillment of their Jewish heritage.
Our verses for today depict the lineage of the Kings of Judah. All of these kings were recorded because they were in the lineage of Jesus. Reading their stories in the Old Testament book of Second Chronicles, we find an unusual pattern of good kings and bad kings. Uzziah was a good king. However, he made some big mistakes at the end of his life, which is a sober warning to all of us to not let down our guard as we walk with the Lord. Uzziah had a son, Jotham, who was also a good king. And that makes sense to us: good begets good, right?
Not exactly because Jotham, a good king, had Ahaz, a horrible king. Ahaz destroyed some of the articles of the temple of God and set up altars to foreign gods all over Jerusalem. So Jotham, a good king, had Ahaz, a bad king, and the good-to-good pattern is broken. Ahaz the bad had Hezekiah, a good king. Hezekiah was a very good king, and the book of Second Chronicles devotes chapters to Hezekiah’s actions. He brought reform to Jerusalem and helped turn the people back to God. He was a very good king with a very bad father.
Hezekiah, the good king, had a son named Manasseh, who set a standard for bad. This guy set up an idol in the temple of God and caused his children to pass through fire, which was a heathen worship practice. Manasseh was deep into witchcraft, sorcery, and fortune tellers. Bad king, very bad king. One interesting note about Manasseh was that he was made a captive of the Assyrians, and they put a hook in his nose. But when he was in prison, Manasseh humbled his heart, and God delivered him out of captivity. God’s mercy is amazing!
So here is the takeaway from these verses. Everyone has to choose their own path. Everyone has to choose how they will respond to God. Good kings who loved God had sons who rejected God. Bad kings who rejected God had good sons who did right in God’s sight. We choose, and it’s God who gives us a choice. As parents, we want to do everything possible to have a life with God that our children will follow, but it will still come down to their choice. But even if you have parents that want nothing to do with God you can still choose to love Him and serve Him all your life.
For parents, the very best we can do is live for God and pray for our children. If you, as a parent, planted good seeds in them, then believe God for those eternal seeds to grow. If you did not serve God until later in life, you can still pray and ask God to send someone to your children. God is merciful and desires for your children to come to the knowledge of the truth.
PRAYER
Dear Father, as this new year starts, I choose to follow you. I choose to live this year in closer relationship with You and as more of a blessing to others. Thank You for Your love, Your favor, and Your blessings. I am looking forward to a great year with You!