Taken From The Evil To Come

Taken From The Evil To Come

One thing I love about the Word of God is that so many of its principles and promises are actually illustrated or portrayed in the lives of Bible characters themselves.

For example, I was discussing this passage a few days ago with a friend:

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

It is a mercy when a time of trouble or evil is coming upon a city or a nation, and the Lord mercifully takes some of His people home before that time.

This is clearly stated and portrayed in the lives of several of Israel's kings, such as (note, these examples are presented in the order they appear in the Old Testament, not in any order of importance):

Ahab - declared to be the most wicked of the kings of the northern kingdom, yet when God threatened judgement upon him and the nation of Israel, he sincerely repented and I believed got saved.

1 Kings 21:29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Hezekiah - he got a bit prideful and made some foolish decisions, like showing Babylon all his riches, but the Lord had mercy upon him and his kingdom and held Babylon back from coming against Israel for several more generations.

2 Kings 20:17-19 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

2 Chronicles 32:26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

We could also add the most wicked king of Judah to that number, Manasseh. Though he was temporarily captured and enslaved by Babylon, he truly repented, and his kingdom did not face further judgement until quite a bit after he was off the scene. (Granted, the Bible does not directly state the reason Manasseh's kingdom was spared for a time, though the history shows it did not come until several generations later.)

2 Chronicles 33:11-13 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.

Josiah - judgement was coming upon the southern kingdom for all their idolatry and rebellion against the Lord, but because king Josiah turned to the Lord with all his heart, the Lord brought revival during his reign. As a result, God waited a little bit longer before bringing Babylon against Israel. 

2 Chronicles 34:28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

September 28, 2022

Jerry Bouey

See also Kingly Lessons - None Like These