Morning Meditation
October 10, 2025
2 Kings 23:36-337
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as all his ancestors had done.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
The 2nd Kings reading from the Lectionary this morning is long, and ends with the takeover and dismantling of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians in about 587/586 BCE. The Northern Kingdom has already fallen at this point to Assyrian rule. I did not include the entire reading because it is somewhat repetitive and predictable. Generation after generation of failing and flawed Kings end with the same quote: “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as all his ancestors had done.” Of course all of this fulfills God’s prediction that Kings are a bad idea; and reminds us that man cannot abide by power, which always corrupts. Ultimate power corrupting, ultimately. And despite God’s warnings and those of the Prophets, man continues to attempt to not only harness a power that can never be his, but leads his people to their own destruction as well.
What is it about humans that drive us to follow false leaders? Why do we insist on human power over Gods’? When the Israelites stubbornly demand Kings like all of the other nations, God cautions them in 1 Samuel, arguing that their desire for a King signifies their rejection of him as Lord and Leader. They were meant to be a distinct people, unique and favored, in relationship with God; and yet they hoped to be like all the other nations around them instead. In this way they rejected God and God’s way, and God knew this would be the beginning of their undoing. The fall of the temple and the beginning of a diaspora people was a direct result of their choices - and God told them as much. Only in faithfulness could they thrive, yet they chose their own sovereignty over faithfulness to God.
I have been having a lot of discussions with my sons (who are in their mid-twenties) about what they might call the “vagueness” of the Episcopal Church. They have argued that had we more strident dogma or doctrine we would have more followers. One of them has recently read The Brothers Karamazov and is compelled by the short story of the “Grand Inquisitor” nestled within its pages. In the story, free will and Christ’s message of love are more like anchors dragging us down, rather than the liberating forces they are meant to be. “Why didn’t God create a people that would only do good?”, my sons wonder. Why would God give us free will; hoping we fight against our stronger nature to choose God? We are often attracted to the wrong choice, and throughout the Old Testament, and certainly with the Grand Inquisitor, we choose leadership that is only looking to serve itself.
A cautionary tale.
I believe this is just the tension that God expects us all to wrestle with during our time here on earth. Discerning for ourselves God’s role in our lives is challenging, yes. What are the rules of this love Jesus has taught us about? How do we choose to live our lives with this free will which could so easily damn us all? This is the ultimate challenge of being human, and of being beloved by God. When we choose God over false leaders, over worldly goods, over knowledge, power and ourselves, we have begun to lay the foundation for a life of love. A life where free will is less challenging, and gratitude is like the air we breathe.
As challenging as it is to be an Episcopalian, without firm answers or strict rules; I believe God wants us to figure out his hope for us within our own lives, and to become vessels of his love and activity. It is not about rules to be broken, atoned for and confessed. It is not about playing a game, or attempting to control our own salvation. It is about an orientation to God. It is about the New Commandment: to love one another as God loves us. If we can do this, everything else will follow. It is supposed to be challenging, a hard–fought-for love. Those are always the best kind. God wants us to fight for, wrestle with(think Jacob), and ultimately, to reach - God.
St Francis
“Everything pertains to Love”.
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