Trickle Down Extortion



2 Kings 15:17-22
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.
18 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
19 Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he might help him to confirm his hold on the royal power.
20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.
21 Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

For those who study history or even for those who only remember just a few things, the names of our leaders conjure up a legacy. They are remembered for something great or small, negative or positive. Think of Abraham Lincoln, who led the country during our fight against slavery; how about John F. Kennedy, assassinated in Dallas; Jimmy Carter and Habitat for Humanity (which had nothing to do with his presidency!); or Bill Clinton and . . . I’ll let you fill in the blank. Each name draws our thoughts to something specific that seemed prominent during their lives. Imagine that your legacy was that you bowed to a bully and paid him off to stay away from your role as king. That is what the historians leave us for the reign of Menahem.

Not only does Menahem strip his own country for gold and silver to give to the invading Pul (also known as Tiglath-Pileser) of Assyria, he also pressures Judah to do the same. Menahem also does absolutely nothing for the spiritual well-being of his people and continues in the ways of idolatry and evil taught to him by his fathers. Menahem is simply part of the swirl that is dragging Israel into total destruction.

What legacy do you leave behind? Will you be remembered as someone who loved the Lord and trusted in the blood of Jesus for your salvation? Will people speak of a life that served others because of the God’s love? If we consider our legacy now, while we’re still living, we will have a much greater chance of leaving behind one that speaks of God and His great love for us.

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