The Best of the Best - July 25 Readings: 2 Chronicles 13-14, Acts 19:21–41, Psalm 88:1–3, Proverbs 18:14–15

Links to July 25 Readings: 2 Chronicles 13-14, Acts 19:21–41, Psalm 88:1–3, Proverbs 18:14–15

In 1 and 2 Kings each of the kings of Israel and Judah were reviewed and graded. In 1 and 2 Chronicles only the kings of Judah receive a report on the character of their reign. In our passage today, judgments are made about both Abijah (13:21-14:1) and Asa (14:2).

There are four general categories of kings that will be encountered in the annals of Judean royalty.

• There are the wicked kings. There are not many of those, but they are kings who give themselves over fully to the practice of idolatry. The common tread is that they engaged in a particularly vile form of worship - sacrificing children to the pagan gods. 
• There are bad kings who do not follow the ways of God and do not obey the law. They are often idolatrous, but do not engage in the evil of child sacrifice. 
• There are good kings of Judah. These are men who honor Yahweh and live in obedience to the law. However, the good kings often fail to get rid of the high places where idolatry took place. They were not involved in idolatry, but they did not destroy it either. 
• Finally, there are the great kings of Judah, those like King David. These were very rare. They not only followed God, but they acted to destroy idolatry in Israel and purify the Temple of God for pure and holy worship to take place. 

There were a lot of good kings, like Abijah and Asa. But there were very few great kings, those who took an aggressive view of idolatry and worked to destroy it in the land.

But it was these kings that actually led the land to revival and restoration. The wicked kings brought judgment and destruction on the land. The bad kings led Judah into trouble and hardships - the consequences of their sin. The good kings led Judah toward some of God's blessings. But the great kings, the kings that not only served God but destroyed anything that would lead Judah into idolatry, those who would cleanse the Temple and worship God.

The question for us today is pretty simple. If you are reading this, it is not likely that you will live your life like the wicked or bad kings, ignore God and rejecting his word. But are you willing to settle for just being like the good kings or are you willing to go all the way to spiritual greatness?

Are you willing to allow the Spirit of God to chase every trace of idolatry and disobedience from your life? Are you willing to tear down the high places, those parts of your life that create temptation and lead you into sin? Are you willing to surrender yourself to radical obedience and faith and to live for the glory of God?

Would that none of us would be willing to settle for anything less than spiritual greatness!

Father, give me a heart for you, to love you with every fiber of my being. Remove all those high places from my heart that I might walk in complete and pure devotion to you.