Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20040411.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part L: Blessing By Trusting God's GRACIOUS FAIRNESS
(2 Kings 14:23-29)
  1. Introduction
    1. Throughout Scripture, it is a foundational truth that God punishes disobedience and blesses obedience to His Word; Deuteronomy 28 summarizes this truth for those living under the dispensation of the Law.
    2. However, there are times when people have sinned and deserve God's punishment, but when God has not yet clearly communicated to them that He is about to discipline them, causing us to wonder if God is FAIR in how He disciplines. We may even wonder if God is about to punish us for some sin that we may not be aware of our having committed, leading us to feel "caught off guard" in relating to God!
    3. 2 Kings 14:23-29 records a wonderful illustration of God's gracious FAIRNESS in this realm as follows:
  2. Blessing By Trusting God's GRACIOUS FAIRNESS, 2 Kings 14:23-29.
    1. When king Jeroboam II, son of Johoash king of Israel (in the Northern Kingdom) came to Israel's throne, he did that which was evil in God's eyes by continuing to practice all the sins of Jeroboam I, son of Nebat who had initially led Israel into idolatry, 2 Kings 14:23-24:
      1. Jeroboam II, son of Johoash ruled for forty one years in Israel, the longest reign to date of any of the kings of Israel, 2 Kings 14:23; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 565-566.
      2. However, he followed in the idolatrous ways of Jeroboam I, the first of the Northern Kingdom's kings who had introduced false golden calf idolatry to keep the people of Israel from worshipping in Judah's Jerusalem, 2 Kings 14:24 with 1 Kings 12:26-30.
    2. However, God did NOT YET punish Jeroboam II or Israel as they deserved, but gave the nation relief from oppressive domination by Gentiles in great kindness , 2 Kings 14:23, 25a, 26, 28:
      1. Though God had implied He would make the earthly years of His people short were they to disobey Him, God allowed Jeroboam II of Israel a relatively long reign of 41 years, one year longer than even the good and great king David himself, 2 Kings 14:23 with 1 Kings 2:11 in view of Deuteronomy 6:2.
      2. Besides, God allowed Jeroboam II and Israel great military success, 2 Kings 14:25a, 28:
        1. Excluding the Southern Kingdom of Judah, God let Jeroboam II regain "Israel's boundaries to approximately their extent in Solomon's time" by capturing Lebo Hamath 150 miles northeast of the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee) and lands down near the Dead Sea, cf. 2 Kings 14:25a NIV; Ibid., p. 566.
        2. Jeroboam II captured Damascus and Hamath, meaning he probably regained Israel's territory east of the Jordan that Hazael had taken, making Israel a formidable nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, 2 Kings 14:28; Ibid.; Aharoni and Avi-Yonah, The MacMillan Bible Atlas, 1968 ed., p. 89.
      3. Scripture at 2 Kings 14:25-26 tells us God let Israel gain some relief from their Syrian oppressors by giving Jeroboam II such conquests, and that in accord with prophecies to that effect announced by Jonah, the son of Amittai [who ministered to Nineveh (cf. Jonah 1:1)].
    3. The reason God treated Israel so well arose from His gracious FAIRNESS, 2 Kings 14:26-27:
      1. First of all, God saw that everyone in Israel from the slave to the free man suffered under Syrian oppressors, and that there was no one around trusting the Lord in faith so as to deliver Israel as in the days of even the judges, 2 Kings 14:26 NIV. Hence, God graciously wanted to give His helpless people relief from such a helpless situation.
      2. Second, in all FAIRNESS to Israel, though she deserved punishment, God had not YET TOLD the nation He was about to punish her for her sin, 2 Kings 14:27 NIV. Hence, God used even the sinfully idolatrous king, Jeroboam II to deliver Israel from some degree of relentless Gentile oppression.
Lesson: Though Israel DESERVED God's PUNISHMENT, SINCE God had NOT YET INFORMED the nation He would DO so as WAS His GRACIOUS HABIT, and SINCE no one was FAITHFUL enough even to be USED by God to DELIVER them from oppressors, God in GRACIOUS FAIRNESS let even IDOLATROUS Jeroboam II deliver Israel from SOME enemy oppression.

Application: We need NOT fear we are about to be CRUSHED by God's DISCIPLINE for some sin we CAN NOT KNOW we that have committed: God's GRACIOUS FAIRNESS is to be TRUSTED so we can be SURE that HE will let us KNOW where we ARE in our RELATIONSHIP to Him and His will!