Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 9:30–10:36, Gal 1:1–2:21, Prov 7:1–9
Today’s Theme: Zeal for The Gospel
There are multiple themes today including zeal for the Lord and the balance we must have alongside zeal for God. The strongest theme is Paul’s point that there is only one Gospel and it is only by this Gospel that salvation is available by grace for all people.
Paul tells us about his call in the Gospel and the Proverbs encourage us to have a zeal for God’s word which is the Gospel so both themes are joined together in our zeal and passion for the one and only true Gospel.
2 Kings 9:30–10:36
Shallow Jezebel
When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. (2 Kings 9:30, ESV)
This was probably to try and allure him or maybe it was mockery. It shows how shallow Jezebel was and the mentality and spirit associated with her name today is also shallow and manipulative.
Judgement fulfilled
When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, (2 Kings 9:36, ESV)
God fulfilled His terrible word of judgement and justice on this cursed woman.
A man of conviction
select the best and fittest of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne and fight for your master’s house.” (2 Kings 10:3, ESV)
This is a noble man of war, full of conviction, that is why they fear him, he backs his talk. Spiritually we should also be like this.
Be jealous for God’s word
Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” (2 Kings 10:10, ESV)
Jehu was jealous to see the Lord’s word performed, we can learn from his passion.
Finish the job
So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining. (2 Kings 10:11, ESV)
This was a man who finished the job, he left nothing undone. Again let’s learn the lesson and be finishers.
I had a task at work once which was given to me at the last minute with a tight deadline, I just had to block out time in my calendar, get my head down and just get it done… and it was done.
This attitude and determination to finish should apply to everything in our lives as believers.
Don’t compromise
He said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them. (2 Kings 10:14, ESV)
This was a no compromise man, there were no grey areas, we should not be people who compromise God’s standard.
Have zeal for God
And he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he had him ride in his chariot. (2 Kings 10:16, ESV)
He really did have great zeal for the Lord. Be like Jehu, have zeal for God.
Kill sin
And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to Elijah. (2 Kings 10:17, ESV)
This is how we need to deal with sin… Without mercy we MUST kill sin.
Zeal and care
Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” (2 Kings 10:23, ESV)
In his Zeal he still cares for God’s people, this is a crucial balance to have as zeal on its own will make us callous.
A fresh start
Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.” (2 Kings 10:24, ESV)
The 80 men symbolise a fresh start, new beginning. This is the only remedy to sin, a new life in Christ.
Idolatry’s end
And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. (2 Kings 10:27, ESV)
The house of idolatry became a stinking sewer.
Zeal and consideration
But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin. (2 Kings 10:31, ESV)
Zeal and energy without careful consideration, counting the cost, discipline, self control and consistency can lead to disaster.
Galatians 1:1–2:21
God makes Apostles
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. (Galatians 1:1, ESV)
God makes Apostles not man
A glorious summary
who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:4–5, ESV)
A summary of the Gospel and of the doctrines of grace in particular.
Don’t distort the gospel
not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7, ESV)
People still want to do this saying it is down to personal interpretation, which is illogical, words and messages ACTUALLY mean something.
Don’t be accursed
As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:9, ESV)
A false gospel is no trifle, it is a serious thing.
Seek God’s approval, not man
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10, ESV)
Lord please help us to remember this
God’s good news
For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:12, ESV)
This is not man’s Gospel, it’s God’s.
Called by grace
But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, (Galatians 1:15, ESV)
Election and calling, parallel truths, it is only by grace that we are effectually called.
Is God glorified by your life
And they glorified God because of me. (Galatians 1:24, ESV)
They glorified God specifically because of Paul’s life and testimony. Can the same be said of your life?
Submit to your leaders
I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. (Galatians 2:2, ESV)
Paul was not a law unto himself but submitted himself to other leaders, how much more should we.
Don’t be a legalist
to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (Galatians 2:5, ESV)
Do not yield to legalism, in doing so you may be causing the Gospel message to perish in the ears of your hearers.
Just ONE Gospel
On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (Galatians 2:7, ESV)
In both cases it is THE Gospel not two different gospels. The way of salvation is the same for the Jews and the Gentiles.
Walk in the gospel
But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (Galatians 2:14, ESV)
It is visible and evident if we walk in the truth of the Gospel we proclaim so there is no need for religious or cultural legalism.
Saved to, not by good works
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16, ESV)
We are saved when we put our faith in Jesus not when we keep the law. We will keep God’s moral law as a result of being saved not to be saved.
Evidence of true salvation
For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. (Galatians 2:18, ESV)
The evidence of true conversion is in what we do.
The Christian Mantra
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
This whole verse should be the mantra of our lives.
Don’t nullify grace
I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:21, ESV)
A strong and valid point
Proverbs 7:1–9
Desire teaching
keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; (Proverbs 7:2, ESV)
We should earnestly desire teaching and keep it as prized.
Write the word on your heart
bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:3, ESV)
This is a good prayer to pray, you can pray that God would help you to write His word on your heart as you read it and hear it preached. This has been something I have prayed since I was young.
Wisdom should lead to sanctification
to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words. (Proverbs 7:5, ESV)
The practical end of wisdom is sanctification.
Don’t be simple
and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, (Proverbs 7:7, ESV)
This describes so many of us, caught out so easily, we need to wise up and live in sanctification.
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.