Evil or Good Towards God?

If nothing in the Bible shocks us, then we're not reading it very carefully!  It directly opposes the "wisdom" of this age, which is termed "foolishness" in God's eyes.  One fundamental difference between the humanistic view of man and God's divine perspective is the condition of man.  Man assumes he is naturally good, but God says there is none good, no, not one.  All are condemned by sin.  No one gets a free pass to willfully commit sin without eternal consequences.

2 Chronicles 36:9 is a real eye opener:  "Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD."  Jehoiachin was eight years old - and evil!  When I think of evil people, an "innocent" eight-year-old does not come to mind!  But according to God's righteous judgments, Jehoiachin did evil in God's sight.  Men, women, and even children must answer for a shred of evil found residing in his soul.  Proverbs 20:11 reads, "Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right."  A child's actions reveal his heart not only before man, but before God.  There are manuscripts that support the view Jehoiachin was 18 years old when his reign ended and he was carried away to Babylon.  But whether a person is eight, eighteen, or eighty, God looks upon him in light of God's holiness and righteousness.  He looks upon all with love, desiring that none should perish but that all would come to repentance and salvation through Christ.

We see another example of God's piercing gaze of even the young in Ahijah's prophecy to the wife of King Jeroboam.  When she visited the prophet of God to inquire concerning the failing health of her child, she disguised herself.  Although Ahijah was blind, he knew to whom he spoke.  Because Jeroboam had done much evil in the sight of God by leading all Israel into sin, Ahijah prophesied great doom upon him and his family.  1 Kings 14:10-13 reads, "...I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. ¹¹ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD has spoken!" ¹² Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. ¹³ And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."  Though the child of Jeroboam was young, there was found in him something good towards the LORD.  He would be the only one buried of Jeroboam's house as a sign of God's favour upon him.  This highlights the devastating effects of sin:  it is like manure which is shoveled into a heap and set on fire.  I have no doubts that the soul of the young child, however, was joyfully ushered into eternal bliss in the presence of God.

Despite the wickedness of Jeroboam, God did not punish the son for the sins of his father.  Should God do this, who would remain living?  Ezekiel 18:20 states, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."  If any will repent and trust in Christ, all will be forgiven.  Jesus has paid for all sin with His own blood.  God's grace is revealed that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, bore upon Himself the sins of all flesh so sinners could be redeemed and reconciled with God.  The Law only condemns a man, but the grace of God extends salvation to all who believe.  John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  This is good news for young and old alike!