Resident Evil - 2 Kings 14:23-27

"Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah’s reign in Judah. Jeroboam reigned in Samaria forty-one years. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight...Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the bitter suffering of everyone in Israel, and that there was no one in Israel, slave or free, to help them. And because the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel completely, he used Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, to save them." Jeroboam II ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel from 793 - 753 BC. He perpetuated the apostate religion established by Jeroboam I, the first king of Israel. Jeroboam I formed a false religion by placing two golden calves at altars located near the north and south boundaries of Israel to prevent the people from going back to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. He also erected pagan shrines and appointed non-levitical priests (see I Kings 12:13-22). During the reign of Jeroboam II the kingdom of Israel prospered and both southern Judah and northern Israel recovered all the territory that Solomon had held. However, not long after Jeroboam's reign ended, the kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. So this passage reminds us that God's mercy and His compassion for the suffering of His people transcends evil. Despite the fact that evil persists in this world--it's resident evil--God’s plans are undiminished by the deeds of evil persons or evil forces at work in His creation. God is Almighty and Supreme, even to the extent that He can use the evil acts committed by persons and the devil himself to work His good purposes. God’s plans and purposes are not thwarted by the existence of evil in His created order. From God’s perspective, evil is not an insurmountable obstacle or an invincible foe. God is active in the world and He is working through the circumstances of our lives to declare Himself to humanity. God is resolute, intentional, and deliberate. He has a plan and purpose and is actively pursuing His plans through you and me. His intention to redeem humanity overpowers anything evil can perpetrate! When God is supreme over your life then "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28).