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| Salvation |
PRAYER - "I Have Heard What The Prophets Said"
You do not have to be praying for God to be listening. He hears EVERYTHING you say. God condemned the false prophets. "I have not sent these prophets, ...I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied." "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed." Using your tongue to prophesy without divine unction can land you in BIG trouble with God.
Jeremiah 23:26,31 - "They are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;...I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith."
PRINCIPALS - "Josiah - Shallum - Jehoiakim - Jehoiachin - Zedekiah"
Josiah, the last righteous king, died in 609 BC. His evil son, Jehoahaz (Shallum), ruled only three months before being taken to Egypt and murdered - as prophesied. His brother, Eliakim (Jehoiakim), ruled eleven years under Egyptian tribute. He died when Nebuchadnezzar seized Jerusalem. His uncle, Jehoiachin (Jeconiah), ruled three months before he was taken to Babylon. Finally, Zedekiah resisted the Babylonian siege for eleven years, until Judah was utterly destroyed in 586 BC.
Jeremiah 22:11 - "Thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, ...he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive."
PRINCIPLES - "Woe To The Pastors That Scatter The Flock"
If you are a leader, beware! "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. ...Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings." God vowed to feed them with wormwood and gall (bitterness). You will be replaced. God will find
someone right for the job.
Jeremiah 23:4 - "I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD."
PROPHECIES - "The Prophesied Death of Jehoiakim"
It makes no sense when a righteous man's son becomes extremely evil. Josiah was one of Judah's most righteous kings, but his son, Jehoiakim, was vain, selfish, and wickedly unjust. God said, "thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence." God sentenced him to death without a proper burial - no one knows where.
Jeremiah 22:18-19 - "Thus saith the LORD... They shall not lament for him, ...He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem."
WALKING THROUGH FIERY ALTERS
Here’s another bible study!
Righteous Indignation
Saul shrank back from being king, and many in Israel opposed his appointment. That all changed after Ammonites declared war on Jabeshgilead. When Saul heard the threat, righteous indignation from the LORD rose up in him. He took an army to Jabesh and whipped the Ammonites soundly. At Gilgal, Israel made Saul king, and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. God can turn a reluctant participant into a gallant hero, even in the eyes of his detractors.
1 Samuel 11:6 - "The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, anger was kindled greatly."
The Sin Of Prayerlessness
The Prophet Samuel was a hands-on man of God. He worked intimately among the people,
making intercession for them, and leading them into the will of God as a nation. Because of Samuel's powerful role, two kings, Saul and David, established the kingdom of Israel, and it became a great nation. He was driven by the belief that it was a sin not to intercede. Oh,how we need that same conviction today!
1 Samuel 12:23 - "God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you."
If Ye Rebel...
Samuel was deeply disturbed about Israel's untimely demand for a king. He reminded
them that God advanced their former leaders - Moses, Aaron, and their judges; but God
was always their king. They still wanted an earthly king, so God gave them one, with stern warnings: I will destroy you and your king if you do wickedly. Samuel then called down thunder and rain on them all day - a token demonstration of God's wrath, to make them fear God.
1 Samuel 12:25 - "But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king."
Doing Right Things the Wrong Way
Saul, Jonathan, and 3000 men had smitten a garrison of Philistines. But the Philistines regrouped with 30,000 chariots, 6000 horses, and countless soldiers. Saul prepared to attack them. Samuel was en route, but Saul impatiently and improperly offered burnt offerings without him. Samuel arrived and rebuked Saul for breaking the Law. He prophesied that his kingdom would not pass to his descendants.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 - "...Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, ...for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue."
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