“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Dear friends,
Those famous words are the opening line of Charles Dickens’ great novel A Tale of Two Cities (which I plan to read this year!). They could have been used to describe the nation of Israel in the 8th century BC, in the days of Jonah the prophet. Now, you may wonder how that is relevant to us in the 21st century – let me try and show you.
It was the best of times in that Jeroboam son of Jehoash, the king of Israel, “restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of Arabah” (2 Kings 14:25, NIV). In other words, it was a time of political and economic prosperity. Things were going well. What’s more, this all happened “in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel.” They even had God’s blessing. What could be better than that?
We already have the answer in the previous verse. Before we hear the good news, we know the bad news. It was the worst of times for Israel in that Jeroboam “did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit” (verse 24).
The challenge remains the same. What do we want most – for ourselves, for our children, for the churches, for the nation – economic and political recovery or spiritual renewal? And, here’s the test, are we willing to sacrifice economic prosperity for spiritual life?
Chris Hobbs,
Vicar.