II Kings 16

Ahaz did evil in sight of the LORD in Judahverses 1-4

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham

king of Judah began to reign

twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign

and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem

and did NOT that which was RIGHT in the

sight of the LORD his God

like David his father

But WALKED in the way of the kings of Israel – yea

and made his son to pass through the fire

according to the abominations of the heathen

whom the LORD cast out from before the

children of Israel

and he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places – and on the

hills and under every green tree

Syria and Israel attack Jerusalemverses 5-6

Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel

came up to Jerusalem to war – and they besieged Ahaz

but could not overcome him

At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria

and drove the Jews from Elath – and the Syrians came to Elath

and dwelt there unto this day

Ahaz pays Assyria to attack Syria and Israelverses 7-9

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria – saying

I am your servant and your son – come up

and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria

and out of the hand of the king of Israel

which rise up against me

And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD

and in the treasures of the king’s house

and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria

And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him

for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus – and took it

and carried the people of it captive to Kir – and slew Rezin

Ahaz meets Assyria king in Damascusverses 10-13

And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria

and saw an altar that was at Damascus

and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar

and the pattern of it

according to all the workmanship thereof

And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from

Damascus – so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from

Damascus

And when the king was come from Damascus – the king saw the altar

and the king approached to the altar – and offered thereon

and he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering

and poured his drink offering

and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings

upon the altar

Ahaz has new altar placed in Temple areaverses 14-16

And he brought also the brazen altar – which was before the LORD

from the forefront of the house

from between the altar and the house of the LORD

and put it on the north side of the altar

And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest – saying

Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering

and the evening meat offering – and the king’s burnt sacrifice

and his meat offering -with the burnt offering of

all the people of the land

and their meat offering

and their drink offerings

and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering

and all the blood of the sacrifice

and the brazen altar shall be for me to

INQUIRE by

Thus did Urijah the priest – according to all that king Ahaz commanded

Ahaz removes brazen oxen from Temple areaverses 17-18

And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases

and removed the laver from off them

and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it

and put it upon the pavement of stones

and the covert for the Sabbath that they had built in the house

and the king’s entry without

turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of

Assyria

Record of Ahaz’s reignverses 19-20

Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did

Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

And Ahaz slept with his fathers

and was buried with his fathers in the city of David

and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father. (5869 “sight” [‘ayin] means eye, appearance, appearance, understanding, presence, eye, or mental and spiritual faculties)

DEVOTION: Contrast is necessary many times in our life. We have to contrast what we know is right with what we know is wrong. We have to discern what is obedience to the LORD and what is not.

We have to know the difference between what is pleasing to the LORD and what is not. Here we have a king that didn’t care to please the LORD. He was willing to sin and didn’t care what the LORD thought of his actions.

David was a king that was not perfect but he did try to please the LORD on a regular basis and because of his actions the LORD promised him that he would have a descendent on the throne of Judah until the final king Jesus would reign in Jerusalem.

Here is a king that did all kinds of pagan practices including allowing his son to pass through the fire to a false god. There was human sacrifice that was against the LORD’S commands.

Ahaz was one king who would do anything to help him win a battle even to the point of compromise with heathen kings. He wanted the king of Assyria to help him and looked at the way he worshiped his false god and brought that worship back to Jerusalem for the children of Judah to worship.

Our hearts have to ask proper questions when we come to worship the one TRUE God of the Bible. What type of worship would be pleasing to HIM even if it is not pleasing to our way of thinking about worship? The standard is set in the Word of God for proper worship of the LORD.

No matter what the ruler of the country teaches, or the ministers in our churches teach, it must be the same as what the Word of God teaches. Our doctrine has to be Biblical doctrine. Our worship has to be Biblical worship.

CHALLENGE: Our pastors have to be true to the Word of God first and foremost every Sunday.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. (7810 “present” [shachad] means gift, bribe, payment from one nation to another for protection and as an acknowledgment of submission, or hush-money)

DEVOTION: It didn’t seem to make a difference that Ahaz stole the silver and gold from the LORD. He was more concerned about fixing the problem rather than going to the LORD with the problem and asking HIM for a solution to the problem.

He took all the silver and gold and gave it to a heathen king because he feared the king more than God. This shouldn’t have happened to someone who was the king of the nation the LORD promised to bless.

Today we find that this is happening many times in regular Christian’s lives. They look for a solution that doesn’t honor the LORD instead of going to the LORD first with a problem they try to solve it their own way.

God has promised to bless HIS people if they are willing to serve HIM faithfully. HE will provide all their needs and protect them from their enemies if they allow HIM too. This is the promise of God to HIS people.

Today those who have accepted Christ as their person Savior have the same promises from the LORD that HE will help them when they face any problems. Those who are believers need to turn their problems over to the LORD for HIS solution.

Too often even today we find those who claim Christ trying to solve their own problems their own ways instead of turning to the LORD in prayer and waiting on HIM to solve their problems.

To take the LORD’S money to pay for our problems is wrong. We need to stop buying things we can’t afford and then taking our tithe from the LORD to pay our bills. If we honor the LORD, we will manage our money the way HE wants us too and then all the bills will be paid after we take ten percent and give it to HIM each paycheck.

CHALLENGE: Trusting the LORD is not easy but it should be for those who genuinely know HIM as their personal Savior. Give to the LORD first and then pay your bills with what is left. Trust HIM!!

: 10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. (1823 “fashion” [damuwth] means shape, model, likeness, something intended as a guide for making something else, pattern, similitude, or draft)

DEVOTION: New is better right? Change is good right? Here we have the king of Judah going to the capital of Assyria and observing their form of worship. He saw an altar that impressed him and sent instructions to the priest to build such an altar in the Temple area for worship.

Now we know that the LORD designed every detail of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. HE also designed the Temple in Jerusalem. The people followed HIS instructions to the letter. They didn’t change anything in regard to his blueprint of the Temple.

Ahaz liked what he saw in Assyria and decided it was good for Jerusalem and the worship of the LORD. He was wrong. The priest was wrong. They were both doing what was not pleasing to the LORD and didn’t seem to care what HE thought of the changes.

We need to continually review our thoughts with the thoughts of the LORD. HE is to win each of these times of evaluation regarding what is proper worship and what is not in our churches.

Change is not always good if it is a change away from the standard the LORD has set for our worship and doctrinal stand. We are living in a new age but it doesn’t mean that just because the century mark has moved that God want us to establish new ways of worship.

We are to continually seek first the kingdom of God and all that is necessary will be added to our worship of HIM. Change is not always necessary to please HIM.

CHALLENGE: Change is something we do to please ourselves too often.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. (6680 “commanded” [tsavah] means ordered, directed, appointed, bid, charge, or set in order)

DEVOTION: Israel worshiped false gods on a regular basis. Their kings did evil in the sight of the LORD. The nation was going further and further from the LORD.

Now we have Ahaz as the king of Judah. He is following the example of the kings of Israel. He is not doing what is right in the sight of the LORD. He has his son go through the fire, which was a practice of a pagan religion. He offered sacrifices at places other than the Temple of the LORD.

Ahaz was under attack from the king of Syria and the king of Israel. Instead of calling on the LORD for help, he turned to the king of Assyria. He paid the king of Assyria to attack Syria. He did.

Then Ahaz went to Damascus to see the king of Assyrian. He liked the altar that he saw in Damascus. He sent a pattern of the altar to the priest in Jerusalem. He told him to build an altar like the one in Damascus. He replaced the altar of the LORD with this one. He changed the directions of the LORD regarding the laver. The king was leading Judah into false worship.

The priest listened to the king rather than to the commands of the LORD. The priest followed the lead of the king instead of the king obeying the LORD. Here we have the religious leader and the king leading the people of Judah away from the instructions of the LORD.

This is happening in many nations and churches today. Society and government are making rules regarding what can be preached and what cannot be preached. We need to watch who we listen too in the local church.

There are people of influence in every church and sometimes these people want their own way rather than God’s way. Whom are we listening too today? Remember that we cannot be politically correct and Biblically correct at the same time in our present society.

Check out the instructions of those in leadership positions with what the Word of God requires.

CHALLENGE: Always obey the LORD over the instructions of religious or political leaders. Our life on earth is short. Our life in eternity is forever.

: 18 And the covert for the Sabbath that they had built in the hours, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria. (4141 “turned” [muwcab] means winding about, surrounding, remove, change the direction of movement, change over, or to cause to follow a roundabout route)

DEVOTION: Ahaz changed the way the people worshiped the LORD. He changed the way that he worshiped the LORD as the king. He had a special way to enter the Temple from the palace.

This all changed to please the king of Assyria. Ahaz wanted to please this heathen king in such a way that the worship of the LORD took second place in his eyes. He was willing to change the looks of the Temple courtyard. He was willing to give some of the Temple implements to the king of Assyria.

What are we willing to change in our worship of the LORD to please those who attend our worship services? Does the music need to change to please the people rather than the LORD? Does the preaching have to change in order for the people to feel more comfortable when they come to worship? We hear about pastors who like to tickle the ears of the people who come to their church.

Ahaz wants to please this heathen king to keep him protecting the tribe of Judah from their enemies. This was more important to him than pleasing the LORD.

The problem was that the priest was willing to do any of the changes the king wanted. There was no standing up to the king when he was asked to take parts of the Temple apart and build a different altar to worship from in the Temple area.

Our responsibility is to change to the way the LORD wants us to do things not what any one person or group of people want us to do to change the church into something that pleases them rather than the LORD.

Our commitment MUST be to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth as HE prescribes in HIS Word. Any change dishonors HIM and is not true worship.

CHALLENGE: Watch what you are willing to change in your church to please the people. Obedience to the LORD is the only way to receive blessing.

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Book of the chronicles of the kings of Judahverse 19

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Urijah the priestverses 10-16

False priest

Built an altar like one in Assyria

King ordered him to sacrifice on false altar

Took brazen altar from house of the LORDverse 14

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Book of the chronicles of the kings of Judahverse 19

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 2, 8, 14, 18

God – Elohim (Creator)verse 2

LORD his Godverse 2

Sight of the LORD his Godverse 2

House of the LORDverses 8, 14, 18

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Pagan nationsverse 3

Rezon – king of Syriaverses 5-7, 9

Tiglathpileser – king of Assyraiverses 7-12

Helped Ahaz

Went against Damascus

Killed Rezin

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Not right in the sight of the LORDverse 2

Son passed through the fireverse 3

Walked in the way of the kings of Israelverse 3

Abominations of the heathenverse 3

Worship in high placesverse 4

Worshiped under every green treeverse 4

Urijah the priest build different altarverse 11

Urijah sacrificed on different altarverse 15

Urijah the priest did what the king commandedverse 16

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Right in the sight of the LORDverse 2

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Ahaz – son of Jothamverses 1-19

Rule over Judah

20 years old

Reigned 16 years in Jerusalem

Did not do what was pleasing to the LORD

Followed the examples of the kings of Israel

Sacrificed his son in the fire

Followed detestable practices

Sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places

Israel and Syria came up against him

Sent for help to Tiglath-pileser

King of Assyria

Saw altar in Assyria and had priest build one and sacrificed on it

burnt offerings

meat offering

drink offerings

peace offerings

Commanded Urijah the priest to sacrifice on false altar

Removed the laver

Made room for King of Assyria in the Temple area

Acts written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah

Pekah – king over Israelverses 1, 4

Jerusalemverse 1

David verse 2

Children of Israel verse 3

Hezekiahverse 20

Began to reign in Judah

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

When Ahaz dies about 715 b.c., he is succeeded by Hezekiah, his son. He leaves a legacy of appeasement and syncretism unmatched to this time. Assyria can count on him for money, loyalty, and zealous acceptance of their gods. Judah’s king seems genuinely pleased to serve a powerful master who can deliver him from regional foes. No doubt he feels safe, but the historian duly notes the ways in which he has exceeded Jeroboam’s wickedness. (House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 338). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

18 Not content with these “reforms” in the ceremonial furnishings, Ahaz went still further. The king’s own covered stand that opened into the inner court, together with his private entrance to that place, were removed “in deference to the king of Assyria.” The exact impact of these words is difficult to ascertain. Whether Tiglath-pileser wanted less prestige to be held by his new vassal or felt that such a special royal place might indicate too close a tie to an established religion that might later foster a spirit of independence against Assyria is uncertain. At any rate the wholesale changes were either made at the Assyrian king’s suggestion or were done to gain his pleasure. (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, pp. 244–245). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

16:17, 18 Ahaz made further changes in the temple at Jerusalem. First, he removed the side panels (“borders”) and “laver” from the portable stands (cf. 1Ki 7:27–29, 38, 39). Second, he removed the large ornate reservoir called “the sea” from atop the 12 bronze bulls to a new stone base (cf. 1Ki 7:23–26). Third, he removed the “covered way,” probably some sort of canopy used by the king on the Sabbath. Fourth, he removed “the outer entry,” probably a special entrance to the temple used by the king on Sabbaths and feast days (cf. 1Ki 10:5). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ki 16:17). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

16:15–18. Ahaz then commanded that all regular offerings be made on the … new altar. He would use the bronze altar only for seeking guidance probably from the Lord. Uriah cooperated with the king’s wishes.

Ahaz also took the basins from the 10 bronze movable stands (cf. 1 Kings 7:27–40), removed the massive bronze … base from under the Sea (cf. 1 Kings 7:23–26) and substituted a stone stand. He also took down the Sabbath canopy (evidently a covering erected in the courtyard to shade the king and his retinue when they visited the temple), and removed the royal entryway outside the temple (a special ramp or stairway that only the king used to enter the temple). What Ahaz did with the pieces of furniture he removed is not explained. It is clear, however, that he willingly disobeyed God who had approved the use and arrangement of the bronze altar and the other furnishings and deferred to Tiglath-Pileser III in order not to offend or anger the Assyrian ruler. Ahaz’s other acts of idolatry are recorded in 2 Chronicles 28:2–3, 22–25. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 2 Kings. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 569). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

14–16 The following verses catalog Ahaz’s further religious innovations, all of which speak clearly of his deepening apostasy. The prescribed brazen altar was transferred from facing the sanctuary entrance to the northside (v.14). Accordingly all future offerings would be made on the recently dedicated Damascene altar (v.15). The brazen altar would henceforth be used by Ahaz in connection with his divination practices, indicating Ahaz’s involvement in Assyrian cultic rites. (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 244). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

Religious compromise (16:10–18; 2 Chron. 28:22–25). Not only did Israel and Syria attack Judah but God also brought the Edomites and the Philistines against Jerusalem. Ahaz sent word to the king of Assyria to come and help him. His message was that of a flattering flunky, what we today would call a “bootlicker.” He called himself Tiglath-pileser’s “servant” and “son,” a strange posture for a descendant of David to take before a pagan ruler. To encourage the Assyrian king even more, Ahaz took wealth from the temple, the palace, and the princes and sent him a gift. Actually, Ahaz made Judah a vassal nation under the control and protection of Assyria. Ahaz had no living faith in the Lord and put his trust in the army of Assyria instead, and this cost him dearly. Indeed, Assyria did defeat Syria, but then Tiglath-pileser summoned his “son” and “servant” to Damascus to give an account of himself and to receive orders. Gone were the days when the kings of Judah and their armies were feared by the nations!

King Uzziah had tried to meddle with the ministry in the temple and the Lord gave him leprosy, but Urijah the high priest did anything the king commanded, even if it meant disobeying the Law of Moses. We aren’t sure whether copying the pagan altar was wholly the idea of Ahaz or whether the king of Assyria commanded it. Perhaps Tiglath-pileser wanted this altar in the Jewish temple to remind the king and people of Judah that they were now under the authority of Assyria. Ahaz was not devoted to the faithful worship of Jehovah, so it’s likely that this altar was copied simply to satisfy his pride. He would have a royal altar like the one in Damascus! Consequently, the God-designed altar of the Lord was shoved to one side.

All of this is a picture of what often happens in Christian ministries today: somebody sees something out in the world that would “fit” into the Lord’s work, and the church starts to imitate the world. Moses was commanded to make the tabernacle according to what God showed him on the mount (Ex. 25:40; 26:30; Heb. 8:5), and likewise the temple was constructed according to the plans God gave to David (1 Chron. 28:11, 12, 19). The Jews didn’t appoint a building committee and vote on the design. But today, the church is becoming so like the world that it’s getting difficult to tell them apart. A. W. Tozer wrote,

Aside from a few of the grosser sins, the sins of the unregenerated world are now approved by a shocking number of professedly “born-again” Christians, and copied eagerly. Young Christians take as their models the rankest kind of worldlings and try to be as much like them as possible. Religious leaders have adopted the techniques of the advertisers: boasting, baiting, and shameless exaggeration are now carried on as a normal procedure in church work. The moral climate is not that of the New Testament but that of Hollywood and Broadway.

Ahaz thought that the Lord would be pleased with sacrifices offered on this magnificent new altar, but he was wrong. The Lord doesn’t want sacrifice; He wants obedience (1 Sam. 15:22–23); and Ahaz worshiped the gods of the heathen nations (2 Chron. 28:23). No fire from heaven ignited the sacrifices placed on that pagan altar (Lev. 9:24), because the Lord had rejected it. The religious novelties in churches today may excite and entertain the people, but they don’t edify the church or exalt the Lord. The sanctuary becomes a theater, worship becomes entertainment, ministry becomes performance, and a congregation becomes an audience. The measure of all this is not the glory of God but the applause of the people.

But replacing God’s altar with a pagan altar was just the beginning. King Ahaz also “remodeled” the laver and the ten movable stands that held the ten basins for preparing sacrifices (1 Chron. 28:17; 1 Kings 7:23–40). Apparently he needed the precious metal for his own purposes, so he took it from the Lord. But to please the king of Assyria, Ahaz had to remove his own royal entryway to the temple as well as the royal canopy (or dais for his throne) that he had placed in the temple. Tiglath-pileser was now in charge, not King Ahaz,

However, the king could never have made all these changes without the cooperation of Urijah, the high priest (16:10, 11, 15, 16). When King Uzziah tried to rebel against the Word of the Lord and enter the temple, the high priest Azariah with eighty other priests successfully withstood him (2 Chron. 26:16ff); but Urijah and his priests compromised, disobeyed the Law of Moses and gave in to their king. Once compromise begins, it continues to grow; and all that it takes for evil to triumph is for weak people like Urijah to let leaders have their way. Ahaz not only replaced the altar and removed metal from the furnishings, but he finally took all the vessels for himself, closed the doors of the temple, and set up altars in the streets of Jerusalem (2 Chron. 28:24–25). “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (1 Cor. 5:6, nasb; see Gal. 5:9). Once we allow worldliness to get into the church fellowship, it will quietly grow, pollute the fellowship and eventually take over. It was not until the reign of his son Hezekiah that the temple Ahaz defiled was reopened and sanctified for ministry (2 Chron. 29:1–29).

When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal tombs (16:19–20; 28:26–27). In this, he joined Jehoram (2 Chron. 21:20), Joash (24:25), and Uzziah (26:23), and Manasseh would join them (33:20). The unbelief and unfaithfulness of Ahaz did great damage to the kingdom of Judah, some of which his son Hezekiah would be able to repair. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2002). Be distinct (pp. 112–114). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor.)

FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

Selfishness is the foundation for all conflict. When two hearts want different things – and neither is willing to sacrifice for the sake of the other – conflict arises. Selfishness is the cause of war, crime, and interpersonal conflict. By looking out for ourselves, we think we can get what we want from life. In contrast, the Lord teaches us that humility, not selfishness, results in satisfaction in life. Promote yourself, and wars and conflict result. Even God is against you (v. 6). But live, in humility and wars and conflict cease, assuming all parties participate. And the Lord will lift you up. (Quiet Walk)

THE OFFENSE OF CHRIST’S TEACHING

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10
What has offended mankind above everything else is the simplicity of our Lord’s way of salvation. There is nothing that annoys people so much as the true doctrine of the cross, the doctrine of the blood of Christ and of the rebirth. Look at those people whom we read about in John 6. There they are; our Lord has said to them in essence, “I am the living bread. I am the bread of life. I have come down from heaven to give you new life that is life indeed.” And it was that which made them go from Him and decide never to listen to Him again.
Let me put it again like this. If Christ had come and told us that the way of salvation was to consider a great, noble, and wonderful teaching and then to resolve to set out and do it, why, we would have liked it. Christ said in effect, “If man could save himself, I would never have come into this world. God gave the people in past ages an opportunity of doing this. He gave them a law and told them when He gave it to them, ‘Do that and it will save you; live that life and you will be righteous in My sight.’”
If man could have saved himself, there would have been no need for the Son of God to come to earth. Indeed, His coming is proof that people cannot save themselves. Our Lord constantly said that, and that is what annoyed people so much. He said, “I have come to give My life as a ransom for many, for nothing but that could ever save those souls of yours and reconcile you to God. And,” He said, “it is as simple as this: I have purchased your salvation—I offer it to you as a free gift.”
A Thought to Ponder
If man could have saved himself, there would have been no need for the Son of God to come to earth.

(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 63-64., by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Atonement
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” (Genesis 6:14)
It may be surprising to learn that God’s instructions to Noah concerning the Ark’s design contain the first reference in the Bible to the great doctrine of atonement. The Hebrew word used here for pitch (kaphar) is the same word translated “atonement” in many other places in the Old Testament.
While the New Testament word “atonement” implies reconciliation, the Old Testament “atonement” was merely a covering (with many applications). As the pitch was to make the Ark watertight, keeping the judgment waters of the Flood from reaching those inside, so, on the sacrificial altar, “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11), keeping the fires of God’s wrath away from the sinner for whom the sacrifice was substituted and slain. The pitch was a covering for the Ark, and the blood was a covering for the soul, the first assuring physical deliverance, the second spiritual salvation.
However, not even the shed blood on the altar could really produce salvation. It could assure it through faith in God’s promises on the part of the sinner who offered it, but “the blood of bulls and of goats” could never “take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
Both the covering pitch and animal blood were mere symbols of the substituting death of Jesus Christ, “whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25). Through faith in Christ, our sins are “covered” under the blood, forgiven by God, and replaced by His own perfect righteousness, by all of which we become finally and fully reconciled to God.

(HMM, The Institute for creation Research)

Liz cried for joy when she and her husband received the birth certificate and passport for their child, making the adoption legally binding. Now Milena would always be their daughter, forever part of their family. As Liz pondered the legal process, she also thought of the “true exchange” that happens when we become part of Jesus’ family: “No longer are we held down by our birthright of sin and brokenness.” Rather, she continued, we enter into the fullness of God’s kingdom legally when we’re adopted as His children.

In the apostle Paul’s day, if a Roman family adopted a son, his legal status would change completely. Any debts from his old life would be canceled and he would gain all of the rights and privileges of his new family. Paul wanted the Roman believers in Jesus to understand that this new status applied to them too. No longer were they bound to sin and condemnation but now they lived “according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). And those the Spirit leads are adopted as God’s children (vv. 14–15). Their legal status changed when they became citizens of heaven.

If we have received the gift of salvation, we too are God’s children, heirs of His kingdom and united with Christ. Our debts have been canceled by the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice. We no longer need to live in fear or condemnation. (By Amy Boucher Pye, Our Daily Bread)

In Character Forged from Conflict, Gary Preston writes about Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China during and after World War II: Gladys’s suffered terribly during her journey across the mountains of China to bring a hundred orphans to safety in Sian in Shensi. Ranging in age from four- to fifteen years old, these children were saved because of Gladys’s faithful obedience to God. But it was not without cost. When Gladys arrived in Sian with the children, she was gravely ill and almost delirious. She suffered internal injuries from a beating by the Japanese invaders in the mission compound at Tsechow. In addition, she suffered from relapsing fever, typhus, pneumonia, malnutrition, shock, and fatigue. Through her ordeal, Gladys learned more about obedience to Christ. She learned to choose Christ over anything else life had to offer—so much so that when the man she loved, Colonel Linnan, came to visit her in Sian as she was recovering and asked her to marry him, she declined. In her heart, she knew she could not marry him and continue the work God had for her among the children of China. Out of her obedience to God, she said goodbye to Linnan at the train station, and they never met again. Gladys continued serving God faithfully in China and England until she died in 1970. Gladys was given a mission by God to minister to orphans in China. Paul was given the mission to preach the word of God. Paul took great responsibility to preach the word of God at great cost to himself.

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