8.30.26 Sunday Drive to Church

First is from 2 Chronicles 28.

Verses 8 to 15, this is not a very well-known passage, but it's a passage where it's during the time of the divided kingdom.

And you'll remember the north is Israel, the south is Judah, that's Jerusalem.

And Israel has basically abandoned the true worship of God.

The south has maintained it, just barely.

And so Israel attacks Judah and takes captive 200,000 captives, men, women, and children.

And the Lord sends the prophet Oded, and he goes out before the army.

You've got to imagine him standing there before the army and all these captives.

And he says, what are you guys doing? Are you not sinners? that you don't need to be careful.

You just do whatever you want.

You can take all these people captive.

And so they actually stop.

They just, they leave all the people there.

And then there's four heroes, Azariah, Barakiah, and Amasa and they stand up with all those who are captives.

In fact, what do they say? You shall not bring the captives here.

We already have offended the Lord.

You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt.

Our guilt is great and there's fierce wrath against Israel.

So they just leave the captives there and then they rise up And they took the captives, and from the spoil of war, they clothed the naked, and they give them sandals and food and drink, and they take care of them, and they let the feeble ones ride on the donkey.