Tuesday, September 14, 2010

2 Chronicles 33.1-25, Colossians 1.24-2.7 - Lectionary for 9/14/10

Today's readings are 2 Chronicles 33.1-25 and Colossians 1.24-2.7.

After king Hezekiah we find his son, Manasseh, doing evil in the sight of the Lord. He surpassed all the kinds of evil which were done before. Manasseh was a really bad king. See, though, that when he was captured by the Assyrians he was moved to repentance, probably out of fear for his life. He turned to the Lord and was changed, eventually regaining his freedom and becoming one of the better kings of Israel.

We learn several things from this passage in 2 Chronicles. First, we see that sons are not always like their fathers. Manasseh did not follow the model he received from his father Hezekiah. Manasseh's son Amon did not follow the model he received either. Yet while Manasseh was moved to repentance, Amon was not. Manasseh became a good king by God's mercy. Amon was a bad king for both years of his reign.

Second, we see that it doesn't matter how bad our past is. God can redeem our lives for his service, to do good instead of evil. No matter what kind of a shipwreck we find our lives in, our Lord can pick us up and use those broken, disjointed pieces for his good. We are not defined by our past. We are defined by repentance and by what our Lord is like. And the Lord does not change. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. His mercy endures forever. He is the one who defines us, motivates us, enables us, and uses us to love and serve our neighbor as he has loved and served us.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com


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