Rev. Don Campbell
2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 48
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, July 19, 2019
“WE ALL HAVE CHOICES”
A few days ago, we mentioned good king Hezekiah, who cleansed the temple, restored its worship, organized the priests, and sought God with all his heart (2 Chronicles 29-31), preventing for a time the fall of Judah. We will now consider this reign more fully. The inspired historian says: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city” (2 Kings 18:3-8).
Such faithfulness is commendable in every age, but Hezekiah lived in a time when society was corrupt to the core: “From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil. Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners” (Isaiah 1:6-7).
Centuries before, Joshua had set before all Israel a choice: “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15).
Whether good or evil, regardless of what others have done, are doing or may do in the future, we must make choices every day. Several years ago, I penned an article entitled “From Victim to Victor: A Healing Journey by Way of the Cross,” which I introduced with the following:
The victim mentality, or victimhood, exists around the world from the individual to the national level. That people, individually and collectively, have been victimized—injured by someone in some way—is hardly disputable. On the national level, there have been ethnic cleansings, apartheid, genocide, and ghettoization. On the individual level, there is sexual abuse, spouse abuse, and child abuse, which is perpetrated by those nor¬mally believed to be the protectors of the very ones they abuse. Then there are victims of crime, victims of drunk or drug-dazed drivers, victims of disease, and victims of accidents. Lesser victimizations result from gossip, unfair treatment in the workplace, and the inequalities of life. No person has gone very far in life without having suffered some form of victimization. And most people don’t get very far in life without having victimized another in some way. Out of these real victimizations, grows victimhood.
Victimhood defines who we are, dominates our thinking, and debilitates us emotionally—and sometimes physically. Victimhood keeps us focused on the past with its hurts, thereby robbing us of the present with its joys. Victimhood may be politicized for the benefit of the politician. It may be stoked and stroked for the gain of the healer, whether he or she is a religious charlatan, a medical quake, or mental health kook. Victims may wear their victimhood as a badge of honor. Some even have a pathological need for a victimizer so that they can maintain their role as victim. This pathology is not absent from the parsonage.
We can choose not to be defined by our past; we can choose not to be defined by society; we can choose not to play the blame game; we can choose to serve God with all our heart, as did Hezekiah.
CONNECTIONS
1. One trap Satan loves to use is to seduce us into believing that whatever dangers there are in what we are choosing to do today, we can quit anytime we want to. He then convinces us that we can’t quit. Whether drug or alcohol abuse, promiscuity, or some other cherished sin we hold so close to our bosom, we can quit. It may not be easy, but the first step is to choose the right. Are you making choices today that you may regret tomorrow?
2. Have you made a choice or choices in the past that have enslaved you in the present? The journey to victory begins at the cross of Christ where we let go of both our sins and the sins committed against us. Is it possible? (See 2 Cornthians 5:17).
[Anyone desiring a pdf copy of my article “From Victim to Victor,” may send a request to doncampbell1943@gmail.com]
