But didn’t you drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods. – 2 Chronicles 13:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 15, 2016): 2 Chronicles 13

The term “evil empire,” used to describe the Soviet Union, was first used in 1983 by then-President Ronald Reagan. The background to the speech was the President’s urging of caution when it came to reversing the Nuclear Arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union and other aspects of the relationship between the two countries. In his speech, given to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida on March 8, 1983, Reagan said:

Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness—pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world... So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely ... uh ...declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

This passage in 2 Chronicles 13 is essentially Abijah of Judah’s “evil empire” speech. There are a few parallels between the two passages spoken thousands of years apart. Both are selective in their understanding of history. Reagan underestimated the level of mistrust between the United States and the Soviet Union and the way that mistrust had twisted the story on both sides of the pond. (And, by the way, that mistrust is still twisting the story on both sides today.) Abijah seems to entirely absolve his father, Rehoboam, from guilt in the national divide between what was now Israel and Judah; Reagan appears to absolve the actions of the United States. Both speeches speak of a dependence on the God of Israel (Judah). Both were meant to give the impression that “God was on their side.” And both put the cause of evil in the camp, or the empire, of the other.

God took control of the ten tribes out if the hands of Rehoboam and placed them into the hands of Jeroboam, essentially because of Solomon’s sin and Rehoboam foolishness. But Abijah does get this right.  It was never God’s intention that Jeroboam would develop a new religion – that he would eject the priests of Israel and replace them with figureheads who had could bribe their way into their positions. In this act, Jeroboam proved that he was every bit the fool that Rehoboam and proven himself to be. So Abijah makes this point. Anyone can be a priest of what is not a god. Being a priest (or a pastor) has very little to do with education and consecration. Being a priest is dependent on the decision and the will of God. Even within the Christian Church, we have priests who serve what is “not a god.” And when that happens, they cease to be really priests. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 14