General Articles

Anger, Accountability and the Word of God :: By Bill Wilson

Published on: by RR10

Celebrities, politicians, news media, and many people in American society are having a serious meltdown after Donald Trump’s presidential win.

They are boiling over with fear and anger and are telling those who voted for Trump they are racists, bigots, fascists, and worse. Some are threatening to leave the country. Others are encouraging women to withhold sex if their men voted for Trump. Still others are demanding that family members isolate themselves from loved ones who voted for Trump. Even many who call themselves Christians have distanced themselves from family members who voted for Trump.

This is the result of over a decade of media bombardment fomenting hate toward anything Trump. What gives?

The 24/7 news and entertainment cycle filled with extreme leftist talking heads has become a superhighway for fomenting anger. Many have written and said they have family members who are ballistic over the election. Herein, we, as followers of Christ, have a responsibility to respond appropriately.

Christ has called us to overcome evil with good; to be the light of the world. We cannot do this if we return anger for anger. These poor undiscerning people have allowed the voices of disinformation and hate to skew their understanding and comprehension of the world, even their own loved ones. Maybe they were fearful or angry, to begin with over something that they perceived was an injustice that occurred to them. The negativity has fed their fear and anger. It’s not an excuse for their behavior, but perhaps, an explanation.

The constant barrage of negativity, gaslighting, and fear-mongering they have repeatedly heard has provided them with what they think is an appropriate vehicle to express their anger. Their personal insecurities and fear have led to anger and, in many cases, hate. Even though they are family members and close friends, they feel justified with a moral high ground to attack those who disagree with them.

Reasoning with this type of mental condition can be frustrating and difficult. Over the years, their inner anger has been attached to the vehicle that has normalized feminism, sexual liberation, hedonism, homosexuality, abortion as women’s health, and so on. They have been programmed to think and react to these stimuli, creating an angry victimization. This ideological subversion has robbed them of their common sense. They have been convinced that the projected anger and danger they feel is real.

To reverse this process, there must be a concerted effort to educate and explain the real danger. This cannot be done by returning hate for hate. Standing in love with the foundation of Christ is the answer. Christ is the only one who can resolve this inner personal fear turned anger that has been trained and aimed against those who disagree with them. Those who follow Christ must be intentional not to preach but to convince with the Word of God against this satanic deception.

Demonstrate 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

It is a delicate balance between educating and holding accountability. It starts with our own inner circle.

Posted in The Daily Jot

Royal Lineage of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 1:1-18) :: By Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR10

Genesis 18:10-14; Joshua 2:1-21; 2 Samuel 12:1-25; Matthew 1:1-18

Summary: We tend to skip the list of names in the first verses of Matthew’s gospel, but each name is there for a reason, and it is to show the royal line of the Lord Jesus Christ and His right to the throne of David as King and Messiah.

Matthew wastes no time in establishing his case to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Promised Messiah and the heir to David’s throne as the true king of Israel. His opening statement reads as follows: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham” (1:1). Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and the example of total trust and faith in God. As the Son of David, Jesus is the heir to the royal title and privilege of being a king. He certainly would have been on the throne of Israel had the earthly kingdom been in existence. The Lord Jesus’ life and ministry would boldly proclaim this before His people and all those around the world who followed him.

  1. 2: Issac and Jacob – heirs of Abraham who had been promised to him by faith in the sunset of his life. These men were living proof of the power and promises of the LORD (Genesis 18:10-14).
  2. 3 – Judah is singled out because it is from his lineage that would see the establishment of the kingdom of God (Genesis 49:8-10). David was from the tribe of Judah.

VV.4, 5 – The family line continued as Salmon, a member of Joshua’s army, married the alleged harlot Rahab, whose life was spared in the siege of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21, 5:21-25). Her faith and obedience brought about the birth of Boaz, who ended up marrying the Moabite woman Ruth, who had also demonstrated faith in God by remaining with her mother-in-law Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). Ruth became the mother of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David the king.

  1. 6 – King David is described as being the father of Solomon, whose mother is referred to as “she who had been the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” The readers of this gospel knew that this was a reference to Bathsheba who had an affair with David. The entire story and its consequences can be found in 2 Samuel 12.

VV.7 -11: Here are the names of the kings of Judah, both good and evil:

1) Rehoboam – his arrogant declaration upon becoming the new king brought about the split of the kingdom into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12:1-19; 2 Chronicles 10:1-19, 11:1-4).

2) Abijah – a wicked ruler (1 Kings 15:1-8). There is nothing noteworthy about either him or his time on the throne.

3) Asa – a godly king (1 Kings 15:9-24). He removed the pagan perversions from the kingdom of Judah and obeyed God. He ruled for 41 years.

4) Jehosophat – because of his father’s godly example, he also walked in the ways of the LORD. He made peace with the northern kingdom of Israel and continued purging the land of idolatry (2 Chronicles 20:31-21:16). He ruled for 25 years.

5) Joram was an example of rebellion against the ways of God and righteousness. He married a daughter of the wicked Israelite king Ahab. His time as king resulted in nothing good nor memorable about him (2 Chronicles 21:1-20). There was another bad king who was not listed in the lineage. His name was Ahaziah, a relation to the wicked kings of Israel (2 Kings 8:25-29, 9:27-29; 2 Chronicles 22:1-9). He was killed by Jehu in a purge against the worship of the pagan deity Ba’al.

6) The royal line picks up with the rule of Uzziah (2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:3-13; Matthew 1:8-9). He was faithful to the LORD and ruled accordingly for over fifty years. His father Ahaziah has also walked in the ways of the LORD. However, late in his life, Uzziah allowed pride to bring him down, and he spent the remainder of his days as a leper.

7) Jotham (2 Kings 15:32-38) was like his father in that he, too, obeyed the commandments of the LORD. He strengthened the kingdom of Judah and brought the Temple back to its former glory. In turn, God honored him with both strength and prosperity.

8) Jotham’s heir, Ahaz, was another example of rebellion against both godly and parental standards. For 16 years, he followed the path of idolatry to the point of sacrificing his own children to the detestable pagan deity Moloch. He relied on political alliances rather than seeking the counsel of the LORD (2 Kings 16:1-4, 12-20; 2 Chronicles 28). It is Ahaz who heard the prophecy from Isaiah concerning the virgin birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14).

9) After Ahaz’ death came Hezekiah, who re-established the worship of the LORD to the nation. He totally trusted in the LORD for deliverance from the Assyrians (2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 29). After Hezekiah’s long rule came his son Manasseh (v.10), who became the supreme example of a rebel. He forsook the godly example of his father and led Judah into a state of gross idolatry and wickedness during his 55 years on the throne. Tradition states that it was Manasseh who put the prophet Isaiah to death by having him put into a hollow log and sawn in two. Only when he was in captivity did he seek the LORD and repent of his wickedness, but the damage had already been done. God promised that the nation would be punished and led into foreign captivity (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33).

10) Despite the godly rule of Manasseh’s grandson Josiah (2 Kings 22:23-30; 2 Chronicles 34-36), the royal family and the nation of Judah inevitably fell into the hands of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Jewish people would be in Babylon for seventy years, as declared by the prophet Jeremiah. The visible Davidic line had been dethroned, yet from David’s line would come the promised Messiah, found in the person of Jesus Christ.

11) vv. 12-15: The royal line continued during the time of the Babylonian exile and restoration of the land of Judah in 527 B.C. by the Persians. It was during this time when the prophet-statesman Daniel served as prime minister and advisor to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius.

12) vv. 16-17: Joseph is born and will become the foster father of the Lord Jesus. He is referred to as ‘the husband of Mary.” Mary was also from the lineage of David (Luke 3:23-38). This was done to show that Jesus’ true Father was God and, therefore, of Divine origin. Matthew had done a great deal of research to show to his audience that Jesus was not a mere teacher or traveling sage but was the true and living Hope, Promise, and Salvation to both His people, Israel, and the world. What a Mighty God we serve!

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com