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THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

The Books Of The Chronicles: God's Preservation Of His Davidic And Levitical Covenants

XXXIX. Objectively Responding To Disturbing Evil

(2 Chronicles 27:1-9)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Ever since the posting on the Internet of the video of the murder of black man George Floyd by a white police officer, there has been a growing reaction to that event that itself is turning into a disturbing evil:

(1) Two important, politically liberal writers resigned from their respective jobs this month in protest over the matter: (a) "Andrew Sullivan," a "notable journalist" left "New York Magazine," opposed to "'the new orthodoxy' that America is 'systematically racist, and a white-supremacist project, from the start,' which is the central thesis of The New York Times' 1619 Project." (Michael Barone, "The Trump contagion," Republican-American, July 20, 2020, p. 8A) (b) Bari Weiss, editor of The New York Times itself, also quit her job with a " resignation letter" that claimed, "'A new consensus has emerged in the press, but perhaps especially at this paper: that truth isn't a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else," Ibid.

(2) These writers have a legitimate concern: earlier, the National Museum of African American History And Culture in Washington, D. C., part of the Smithsonian Institution, posted a chart titled, "Aspects And Assumptions Of Whiteness And White Culture in the United States." ("Smithsonian Defines 'Systemic Racism' And 'Whiteness' As Hard Work Ethic, Individualism, Family," ussanews.com; 7-16-2020) It implied that white racism is defined by certain ideals such as "'the individual is the primary unit,'" "'self reliance,'" "'independence,'" "'autonomy,'" "'nuclear family'" (a male husband and father and a female wife and mother and their mutual offspring), "'husband breadwinner and head of household,'" "'wife homemaker and subordinate to husband,'" "'objective, rational linear thinking,'" "'hard work is key to success,'" "'Protestant work ethic,'" "'no tolerance for deviation from single god concept,'" "'respect authority,'" "'heavy value on ownership of goods, space, property,'" "'plan for the future,'" "'rigid time schedules,'" "'justice based on English common law,'" "'protect property and entitlements'" and "'be polite.'" (Ibid.)

When President Trump and conservatives complained that the far left view promoted by the chart was not fitting for a museum that was funded by American taxpayers, museum officials removed the chart from its display.

Need: However, we ask, "How would God want us to respond to disturbing evils in our era?!"

I. When Jotham came to the throne of Judah, he subjectively reacted to his father Uzziah's unsettling life by following his good deeds while shunning his one big evil sin, 2 Chronicles 27:1-2a:

A. Since Jotham's father Uzziah had generally followed the Lord, Jotham also followed the Lord, 2 Chr. 27:1-2a.

B. However, reacting to the traumatic punishment God had inflicted on his father when God struck him with leprosy to the day of his death for entering the Holy Place in the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense like an Aaronic priest (2 Chron. 26:16-23), Jotham correctly stayed out of the Holy Place, 2 Chronicles 27:2b!

II. However, Jotham's subjective reaction to his father's unsettling life only hindered him from closely, objectively heeding Scripture, producing sin and divine discipline in his own life, 2 Chron. 27:2c et al.:

A. 2 Chronicles 27:2c claims the people of Judah still acted corruptly, and 2 Kings 15:35 reveals this involved the people of Judah burning incense in worshiping God on the high places around the nation.

B. To the contrary, Deuteronomy 12:2-8 explicitly prohibited God's people from worshiping Him at any location except the tabernacle [or temple, 2 Chronicles 7:12], for even worshiping God at any of the many high places around the nation led to compromising with pagan worship that was typically conducted in such high places.

C. So, as Uzziah sinned in burning incense in the temple's Holy Place where he was not Biblically to worship, Jotham sinned in letting the people burn incense in the high places where they were not Biblically to worship!

D. Jotham achieved some good objectives as Judah's king (2 Chronicles 27:3-9), but God began to punish Judah for her sinful worship, sending Rezin king of Aramea and Pekah king of Israel against her, 2 Kings 15:37.

Lesson: Jotham reacted to his father's unsettling life by subjectively heeding his good deeds, not his sin, but by not closely, objectively heeding Scripture, Jotham let his subjects sin akin to even his father's sin, leading to discipline.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our atoning sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) Instead of subjectively reacting to unsettling evils we see and thus inadvertently sinning and facing God's discipline ourselves, may we closely, objectively follow Scripture!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

(1) To apply this message, we closely, objectively heed Scripture on each unsettling issue that we noted in our introduction regarding the unsettling chart of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of African American History and Culture. We do so as follows:

(a) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'the individual is the primary unit,'" Matthew 18:11-14 presents Jesus as teaching a good shepherd's leaving 99 sheep in the fold to go in search of 1 lost sheep. Christ added, "(S)o it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." God values every individual!

(b) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'self reliance,'" 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV commands us, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

(d) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'autonomy,'" 1 Corinthians 7:23 ESV commands: "You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men."

(e) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'[the] nuclear family'" (a male husband and father and a female wife and mother and their mutual offspring), Genesis 2:20-25 with Exodus 20:12 reveal God instituted the nuclear family and He rewards those offspring who honor their birth parents in their nuclear family with long lives.

(f) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'[the] husband [is] breadwinner and head of household,'" 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:25-33a and 1 Timothy 5:8 teach these roles and functions for the husband and father of the family.

(g) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'[the] wife [is] homemaker and subordinate to husband," 1 Timothy 2:12-15 with Titus 2:4-5 teaches the woman was formed by God at creation to be in the submissive role to the man and to make homemaking her primary function.

(h) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'objective, rational linear thinking,'" Luke 14:28-30 records Jesus as teaching the need for a man to sit down and calculate the cost of building a watchtower in a vineyard before starting to construct it lest he start and not be able to finish the watchtower, what required objective, rational, linear thinking.

(i) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'hard work is key to success,'" Proverbs 14:23 NIV states: "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."

(j) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'[the] Protestant work ethic,'" 2 Thessalonians 3:10b KJV states that ethic as follows: " . . . (T)his we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."

(k) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'no tolerance for deviation from single god concept,'" Exodus 20:3 KJV quotes the Lord at Mount Sinai as saying, "'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.'"

(l) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'respect authority,'" Romans 13:1 NIV states: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."

(m) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'heavy value on ownership of goods, space, property,'" Exodus 20:15, 17 NIV state: "You shall not steal . . . You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

(n) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'plan for the future,'" Proverbs 24:27 NIV asserts: "Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house." Also, Jesus' directive on planning for the construction of a watchtower for a vineyard (see "(8)" above) in Luke 14:28-30 exemplifies planning for the future.

(o) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'rigid time schedules,'" Proverbs 24:30-34 teaches that a little sleep and a little slumber leads to greater procrastinations that eventually produce financial ruin.

(p) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'justice based on English common law,'" 1 Peter 2:13 NIV orders: "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men . . ."

(q) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'protect property and entitlements,'" we refer to Exodus 20:15, 17 NIV as noted in "(13)" above.

(r) On the alleged white racist ideal of "'be polite,'" Colossians 4:6 ESV asserts: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." This entails being polite.

(2) Accordingly, the alleged "white racist" ideals above as proposed in the Smithsonian Institution's museum chart are actually Biblical qualities that Marxists oppose via their Communist Manifesto, for that manifesto promotes the abolition of private property, dependency on the government with a loss of individuality, abolition of the family, abolition of eternal truths, abolition of religion and abolition of morality coupled with a revolution against the existing social and political order . . . ("Goals, 'Communist Manifesto,'" learn-usa.com) The real issue in this chart is its Marxist opposition to Scripture, so we simply counter that opposition by closely, objectively following Scripture!

May we believe on Christ Who died as our atoning sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life. May we respond to unsettling evil and/or its reactions by closely, objectively following Scripture.