November 11: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered . . . 2 Kings 11:2a
The role of God’s people in this fallen world is well-represented by the decisive action of Jehosheba, whose name means Oath of The LORD. Bible prophecy symbolizes the church as a woman*. There are two kinds of churches: the true and the false, as summarized in Revelation chapters 12 and 17.
In today’s text we see Jehosheba, an aunt to Joash, proactively rescuing her baby nephew from his own grandmother. She (Jehosheba) stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered. Are not all people The King’s sons and daughters? Our enemy the devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He is the originator of murder. He starts off with deception so convincing that people are tricked to unwittingly follow him into a maze of deceptive traps.
We, like Jehosheba, are to “steal” them back! The earthly ministry of Jesus consisted of loving care for the physical and spiritual needs of hurting people. He deliberately and systematically reclaimed stolen “territory” of people’s hearts and minds, all rightfully His. There is a proactive role given to the church to follow in the footsteps of Jesus: to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), equipping people to make correct, life-affirming decisions, even as they relinquish the false beliefs propagated by the spirit of antichrist. Jesus, and later Paul, pled with people to avoid deception. The great deceiver will say that his followers made their own choice to follow him, thus bringing about their own deaths.
Our enemy has wrought such confusion among the professed people of God, that His church must purposefully seek to unite in truth—the whole truth—without any mixture of error. It is the mixture of error that renders much preaching and teaching not only powerless to change lives, but deadly. The adversary doesn’t mind if messages go out to the world under the name of Jesus, as long as the messages are mixed with error. Isaiah warned about this very thing (see Isaiah 4:1). It’s our enemy’s most effective way to ensure that people are subtly being murdered.
Jesus prayed for unity among His followers. His prayer in John 17, is known as the high priestly prayer. This divine intercession makes it clear that unity is essential if the church is to provide for God’s lost children a glimpse of the beautiful humility and brilliant glory that will draw them to the Savior and Redeemer.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” John 17:20-22
*Jeremiah 6:2, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:25, Revelation 12:1