Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: 2 Chronicles 19:5-7

By

2 Chronicles 19:5-7    "And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,  (6)  And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.  (7)  Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts."

Jehoshaphat was reprimanded when he came back from helping the army of Israel. The Lord sent a prophet to him and, in essence, scolded him for helping those who hate God. But he also commended him for the good things Jehoshaphat had done. It was at that point that Jehoshaphat went throughout Judah to encourage, exhort, and direct the people into the ways of the Lord. No, he was not a Levite. He was not a priest. He was not a prophet. But his heart was set upon the Lord and wanted what was best for his people.

As he went through the cities of Judah, he appointed judges in the land. As he appointed the judges, he told them that they were not there for men, but for the Lord who would direct them in their judgments. He warned them not to take gifts nor to respect the position, power, wealth, or influence of any individual. All were to be treated equally and justly according to the law of God.

As I think on these things, my mind asks: "Was Jehoshaphat a perfect man?" The answer, of course, is no he was not. But as Jehu, the prophet, told him, "He had prepared his heart to seek God."  There are no perfect people on the face of the earth. There has only been one who walked in perfection. His name is Jesus. But God uses imperfect people in His kingdom to bring His glory into our focus.  

Let us pray for our leaders that their hearts would be set to seek the way of our Lord God.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more