Topic: No Respecter Of Persons [DCLM Daily Manna 16 September 2020 Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

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Text: 2 Kings 15:1-12 (KJV)

1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.

2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:

5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

Key Verse: “In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months” (2 Kings 15:8).

MESSAGE:

Matthew Henry said, “The greatest of men are not only subject to the common calamities, but also to the common infirmities of human nature; and, if they be guilty of any heinous sin, they lie as open as the meanest to the most grievous strokes of divine vengeance.” And because sin is like leprosy, even kings are not immune from its effect.

Also read: Open Heaven 16 September 2020 – Choose Your Company Wisely

Our passage today tells us the stories of two kings, one in Judah and the other in Israel. The first is Azariah (also known as Uzziah) the son of King Amaziah of Judah who reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. He started as a good king “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done” (2 Kings 15:3). The book of 2 Chronicles chapter 26 gives more details of his prowess and achievements.

However, in today’s reading, no such information is given to us except about the leprosy that affected him. The Bible says God smote him with leprosy till his death. He started so well but ended poorly. The second king, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, reigned only for six months over Israel. He started as a bad king and ended still as a bad king. He was assassinated by Shallum, who took over the kingdom after his death.

The story of the two kings reminds us of the reality of divine judgment awaiting everyone. Kings wield such great power that they could assume they are beyond divine rebuke. A leper is a leper, even if he becomes a king. As Azariah was unceremoniously bundled out of the palace, so will God remove every leper from His presence.

The only solution to treating the sin of leprosy is through repentance and confessions of sin to the Lord Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who died to take away the sins of the world. Anyone, big or small, who comes to Him in humility, will receive pardon and cleansing from stains and blemishes of sins.

Thought For The Day: Sin destroys; Jesus delivers.

The Bible In One Year: PROVERBS 1-3

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.