What the Bible says about Alliances
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Jehoram kills off his own brothers to make sure that they do not usurp the throne. If we give him the benefit of the doubt, from a carnal standpoint, he may have had good reason to do what he did, because his brothers may have been indicating that they were already plotting to overthrow him out of jealousy. Perhaps they thought that they were every bit as good as Jehoram, and that they should sit on the throne instead. Jehoram, though, had more power and beat them to the punch, putting them to death before they assassinated him.
The background for this event begins in II Chronicles 18:1, where it innocently says, "Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab." Ahab was possibly the most wicked king that Israel ever had, and his wife was the infamous Jezebel. How were relations cemented between Jehoshaphat and Ahab? They arranged a marriage! Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, married Ahab and Jezebel's daughter, Athaliah. This was a common way of making an alliance in those days. They became blood relatives.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Why Three Kings Are Missing From Matthew 1Related Topics: Ahab | Ahab and Jezebel | Alliances | Alliances without God | Athaliah | Jehoram | Jehoram's Pernicious Evil | Jehoram's Sin | Jehoshaphat | Jezebel
Isaiah is talking about fear. The historical background is that Judah felt threatened by the presence of the Assyrian empire. They were sweeping down and conquering all of the nearby nations. Judah was frightened. As the people of God, what should they have done? In deep respect, awe, and faith, they should have cried out to God for His protection. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He governs it all. He could easily have stopped the Assyrians. However, the people conspired with other nations, saying to them, in effect, "You protect us. We will ally with you. We are afraid of the Assyrians, but if we join together, we will have enough power to fend them off and be safe."
God looked at that as a conspiracy against Him. He was their Lord, their King, their God. He certainly had the power to protect. And thus, His instruction to Isaiah: "Do not enter into that conspiracy with them."
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fear of GodRelated Topics: Alliances | Alliances without God | Conspiracy | Conspiracy against God | Fear | Fear of God
In Acts 17:23, the apostle Paul deliberately builds a bridge of common understanding and similarity, referring to something the Athenians already understood. Later, in verse 28, Paul again seeks common ground by quoting from their own literature: "For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'"
The important thing to remember is that the apostle Paul started at the Athenians' current level of understanding, continually finding commonalities between himself and his audience upon which to build mutual understanding and foster growth. An ambassador skillfully demonstrates how his country and another's country share similar interests. As the late Rabbi Meir Kahane pointed out, an alliance is not so much built on friendship as on common interests.
David F. Maas
How to Conduct Ourselves as Ambassadors for ChristRelated Topics: Alliances | Ambassador | Ambassadors for Christ | Ambassadors of God | Common Ground | Paul's Relationship to Athenians | Paul, Diplomacy of
Find more Bible verses about Alliances:
Alliances {Nave's}