[Pekah] did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:28 NIV
[Jotham] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done.
2 Kings 15:34 NIV
First and Second Kings contain a record of the kings of Israel and Judah from Solomon onward. The record is often brief and tells us little about what they did. But each includes a comment about how they measured up in the eyes of the Lord. They may, like Pekah, have done evil in the eyes of the Lord. Or, like Jotham, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
These kings may have been powerful, ruling for a long time. Or they may have been weak and held their position for only a short time. However, the author of Kings did not judge them on their strength or weakness. Instead, it was whether they had done evil or right in the eyes of the Lord.
And, in the end, is that not the only judgment that matters? Do I do what is right in his eyes? Or evil, which is the same as failing to do right? It doesn’t matter how successful I was in the eyes of the world. Or how insignificant they viewed me. What matters is how God views me.
So how do I do right in the eyes of the Lord? By accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior and living in obedience to him. And I do evil in the eyes of the Lord when I reject Jesus as my Lord and Savior, choosing instead to live life on my own terms.
When your life story is read, what will be written about you? That you did right in the eyes of the Lord? Or that you did evil in the eyes of the Lord?
