"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
2Ch 1:7 On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?"
Of course, God has never appeared to any of us personally and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” However, Christ has told His followers to “Ask, and it shall be given to you,” Mt.7:7. So what do we ask for? If we were to analyze our prayers, what percentage of our prayers would be dedicated to asking for spiritual qualities such as wisdom, compared to making requests regarding material blessings (wealth, honor) or good health (long life) or relief from stress (enemies). Think about it!
Today I want to encourage us to each make a list of the spiritual qualities we want to develop, and spend time regularly praying about those things.
2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
It is a foolish man indeed who fails to stand in awe of the God of the heaven of heavens! When Solomon, in all his wisdom, compared himself to God, he realized how truly short he fell of God’s wisdom, what a puny effort this masterpiece of a temple would be compared to the majesty of God. Because Solomon knew who he was compared to who God is, he went “all out” in building the temple.
Lord, we have seen Your greatness even more than Solomon did, because we have seen the gift of Your Son! I pray that we will recognize Your greatness and be as zealous to build Your spiritual temple as Solomon was to build the physical temple.
2Ch 3:1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah…
Gen 22:13 … So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
WHAT shall be provided on Mt. Moriah? Substitutive sacrifices that enable people to live instead of die! The ram was a substitute for the life of Isaac. Instead of requiring the lives of sinful Israelites, God provided that the lives of animals could be offered as guilt offerings at the temple -- on Mt. Moriah! (Remember, they were to offer their sacrifices only at the God-appointed spot, Dt.12:13-14.) Moriah is only mentioned twice in Scripture: Gen.22:2 and 2 Chr.3:1, but the descriptions in the gospels and in Hebrews of the place where Jesus was crucified indicate that Golgotha was on Mt. Moriah! (See http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVanswers/2009/04-02a.html.) There God provided the perfect Lamb, the only sacrifice that could truly atone for sin, the sacrifice of which all animal sacrifices on Mt. Moriah were but a shadow.
O Father, today our hearts are overflowing with thanksgiving and praise for You and Your Son, The-LORD-Who-Did-Provide!
2Ch 4:2 Then he made the Sea of cast bronze… 6 He also made ten lavers… 7 And he made ten lampstands…
The tabernacle was a moveable structure that had to be carried, the temple was a fixed structure – and so there were definitely no size or weight restrictions! Everything was bigger – and there were 10 times more tables of showbread and lampstands. The lavers in verse 6 were for the purpose of washing the sacrifices – something that did not take place in tabernacle worship. (The laver in front of the tabernacle was only for the priests to wash themselves.) It seems that there were spigots in the bottom of the Sea – a container holding several thousand gallons, large enough to hold all the water necessary for several priests to be continually washing their hands and feet. Solomon made two huge golden cherubim with a wingspan of 15 feet each. David called them “the chariot” in 1 Chr.28:18, portraying them as ushering God into His dwelling place. In all this magnificent construction, one thing remained unchanged: the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat and two original cherubim that sat on it. God did not change His covenant! Millions upon millions of sacrifices, rivers of blood, the stench, the continual washing: the ugliness of sin which could never be totally cleansed until Christ died to release men from the bondage of that covenant – the magnificent temple could not change this.
Thank You Lord for the sacrifice of Your Son and the simplicity of Your gospel! May the account of Old Testament worship help us to more fully appreciate what we have in Christ and motivate us to love and serve You all the more!
2Ch 5:13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud…
What was it that motivated God to come and be present with His people in such a special way? Can you picture us today, gathering together as one, with our heart-strings in tune to the words of our lips, praising the goodness of our great God? (Eph.5:19) Can you thrill to the presence of Jesus among us (Mt.18:20,26:29) as these people must have thrilled to the presence of the Lord in the cloud – and stand in awe at the glory of God?
We get so excited to see our brethren when we gather for worship – and we enjoy visiting with them – and it is easy to lose sight of the special presence of God with us. Today I want to encourage us to think of a way we can be cognizant of exactly what should be happening in our hearts as we gather for worship. Let’s give ourselves a minute or two of silent contemplation before worship begins to center our minds on God as He is present with us.
2Ch 6:22 "If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
There are times when we think that our neighbour/family member has sinned against us, but it is impossible to prove one way or the other. In Ex.22:10-11 a man trusted his neighbour enough to care for his property while he was away, but when he returned, some of his property was missing. The neighbour was to swear under oath that he did not steal the property – and the owner had to accept it. Here Solomon prays that in cases such as these God Himself will judge and cause it to become evident whether or not the neighbour sinned. What a wise thing to do! Rather than allow suspicion to ruin your relationship with someone, speak to them about the problem, give them the benefit of the doubt if they deny any wrong-doing, and let God be the judge, entrusting their hearts to Him. Do good to them, Rom.12:19-21, so that even if they did sin, they will be motivated to repent, confess and make restitution, Lev.6:2-7.
I am sure many of us have been in this situation – either as the one who feels they have been wronged or as the one who has been falsely accused. Today I want to encourage each of us who has a situation like this in our lives to pray to God, asking for His help to do what is right, and for Him, in His perfect timing, to make the truth evident. Make this request with thanksgiving so that the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Phil.4:6-7.
2Ch 7:13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Although God does not have the same kind of relationship with nations today that He had with Israel, God does tell us that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people,” Prov.14:34. People today generally believe that science can cure every bad thing listed in Prov.7:13. Drought? Control greenhouse emissions. Locusts? Develop pesticides. Disease? Vaccines & medications. While I believe we should be thankful to God for the way He has gifted mankind (scientists) with the ability to “subdue the earth,” and I believe God wants us to care for the earth in a good way, we must never forget that the bad things that happen on earth are designed to be a constant “wake-up call” to prepare for our eternal home.
Today, Lord, we humble ourselves before You, and ask for Your healing upon our land, recognizing that we need to turn from our own complacency and self-seeking ways, and wake up to the urgent need to prepare ourselves and those around us for heaven!
2Ch 8:16 Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered [accomplished, ESV; carried out, NIV/NASV] from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished.
In this chapter we have an account of the orderly method by which Solomon reigned. He first finished the temple – the right priority. He then settled Israelites in border cities and fortified them – security. He also built storage cities, presumably for things that were harvested – insurance for the future. He organized temple worship and made sure that it was carried out according to the commandment of Moses – seeing to the spiritual needs of his subjects. Finally, he cooperated with the king of Tyre to organize a lucrative way of trading with distant countries – continued financial growth. Then Solomon “looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun,” Ecc.1:11.
The right priorities, physical security, insurance, seeing to spiritual needs, continued financial growth: does that not sound like goals we have for ourselves? Do we not spend our lives working to accomplish these things? What will keep us from looking back on our lives and thinking that all our labor was vanity? It depends on our focus! Today I want to encourage each of us to think about our goals, examine our hearts and ask ourselves, “Are all these things for my own benefit, or is my focus on using these things to glorify God and benefit others? Am I laying up treasure in heaven or on earth?”
2Ch 8:18 And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
2Ch 9:10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.
Ophir, according to 1 Chr.1:23 & Gen.10:29-30, is a tribe in southern Arabia (present-day Yemen), and is mentioned in the Bible as a source of extremely fine gold. Solomon’s fleet brought back 16 tons or 14.5 metric tonnes – valued at $800 million today. Job says that wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, (Job 28:12). Prophetically, the Messiah’s bride is arrayed in gold from Ophir, Ps.45:9. That’s us! The blood of Christ has cleansed us of every impurity so that we are in His sight as the finest gold! In Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” Col.2:3, and we have access to all this wisdom, more valuable than all the finest gold, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Ps.19 says that the judgments of the Lord are more to be desired than gold, “yea, than much fine gold.”
Thank You, dear Lord, for considering us of enough value to send Your Son to cleanse us from our impurities. I pray that each of us, in this new year, as we grow in knowledge by reading Your word, will more and more understand the incredible value of Your wisdom and use it to refine our lives so that we can be useful to You and to others.
When we read through 1 & 2 Kings, we focussed on the history northern kingdom. This time we will focus on the history of the southern kingdom. For those of you who do not already have it, I have attached a chart of the divided kingdom to help you keep all the kings straight in your mind.
2Ch 10:5 Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people went away.
2Ch 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
How do we make decisions? In verse 5 we see something Rehoboam did right! He did not make a weighty judgment off the top of his head, but first went and did his research. Unfortunately, his research did not include consulting the Lord. He also discounted the wisdom of men with years of experience. He listened to what fed his ego, “My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!” He put his own desires above the needs of his people.
Father it is so difficult to get ourselves out of the way so that we can listen to Your wisdom! We thank You for Your grace that teaches us to deny our own worldly lusts and live godly in this present age while we look forward to the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, Tit.2:11-14. Help us to focus on that grace and so be willing to follow the example of Jesus by putting You and others above ourselves in the decisions that we make.
2Ch 11:14 For the Levites left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD. … 16 And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.
Sometimes serving God means making hard choices that involve great sacrifice. From the context it seems that faithful Israelites didn’t just go to Jerusalem for a few days, but actually immigrated to Judah, along with the Levites. Imagine giving up your ancestral land, your means of livelihood, your home, your extended family, and your friends. These faithful servants of God “strengthened” the kingdom of Judah – a spiritual shot-in-the-arm that lasted for three years.
Today I would like to encourage each of us to think of faithful, sacrificial servants of God who have given us a spiritual boost. Thank God for them, pray for them, and let their example encourage us to also sacrifice for the Lord – to whatever extent it takes to do His will.
To get the full story of Rehoboam, read also 1 Kings 14:21-24.
2Ch 12:8 Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."
All of us serve someone. Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon/money,” Lk.16:13. Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men,” Acts 5:29. Serving mammon and men is really serving self and Satan. And just like Rehoboam’s service to Shishack, God sees to it that self and Satan are much worse taskmasters than He is. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” Mt.11:30. Why don’t we believe this? Self is never satisfied. Sin is never satisfying. The Lord guards the hearts of those who serve Him with the peace that passes understanding, Phil.4:7.
God of peace, comfort and joy, we bring our self-seeking hearts to you, thanking You for providing a way for us to be rid of the bondage of sin, and requesting that You will forgive our self-centeredness and help us seek and serve you with an undivided heart.
To get the full story of Abijah/Abijam, also read 1 Kings 15:1-8. (The differences in spelling are sometimes because the person has two names. Sometimes, because Hebrew has no vowels, various pronunciations are possible. Also names change over time, eg. Jehoshua was shortened to Joshua and later because Jesus. Chronicles was probably compiled at a later time than Kings.)
2Ch 13:14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the LORD…
Have you ever felt surrounded by evil influences? Or overwhelmed or confused by a situation you found yourself in, not knowing which way to turn? Or under pressure from all sides: work, family responsibilities, etc.? At such times our spiritual survival can be just as much at stake as was Judah’s army’s physical survival!
Dear Almighty God, when we are tempted to compromise our conscience for the sake of peace, give in to self-pity, and/or skip personal Bible study and prayer or public worship, may we realize that the only way we can survive spiritually is by turning to Your revealed wisdom and trusting You enough to do what is right. Thank You for Your wonderful promise that if we seek, we shall find, and if we knock a door will open.
2Ch 14:11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"
When we look at the church of Jesus Christ, and compare it to the hundreds of denominations around us, who are we? And that is to say nothing of the great commission to go into all the world to preach the gospel! So…like Asa, we must not look around, but look up!
Today, and every day, I want to encourage us all to go out to battle “against the multitude” by praying for open doors for the word – that God will give us opportunities to share our faith. Pray also that when those doors open, (and they will!), that we will make God’s word manifest as we ought to speak, that our speech will be with grace – letting them know how much God loves them, seasoned with salt – letting them know that God requires obedience. (Col.4:2-6)
2Ch 15:16 Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.
Maachah must have been an unusual woman. She was the granddaughter of Absalom, a man who literally “got away with murder,” at least for a while. He seemed to have some quality about him that drew people to love him despite the evil in his heart, 2 Sam.15:13. Maachah’s parents, too, must have had some special quality about them that enabled them, the family of treasonous Absalom, to arrange for the marriage of their daughter to the crown prince. (From 2 Chron.11:22-23 I gather that Solomon must have still been reigning when Rehoboam married Maachah, since Rehoboam only reigned 17 years, and by the end of his reign his sons were married with responsible positions in his kingdom.) Maachah herself, despite her wickedness, evidently had some kind of charming personality that enabled her to win out over 17 other wives in her husband’s affections so that he made her son Abijah, who was not the firstborn, the next king, 2 Chron.11:21-22. And she evidently had enough influence over her son that he gave her the position of “queen mother.” Asa, however, because his heart was loyal to the LORD, saw his grandmother for who she really was, and destroyed her evil influence.
Dear Lord, I pray for us all, but especially for the young people who are so dear to our hearts, that we all will be loyal to YOU so that we will be able to clearly see people for who they really are and make good judgments regarding those we/they allow to become our friends, our advisors and our mates.
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
When Asa had an insurmountable problem, he turned to the Lord. When he thought it was in his own power to be able to solve his problems, that’s when he failed. When rebuked for his “brilliant idea,” his pride got in the way – and he became so stubborn that, even when he couldn’t solve his problems on his own (severe malady of his feet), he refused to seek the Lord. I have known people like Asa – and I have known others who finally repented when they became terminally ill. It seems to me that pride can be addicting: we can get so easily entrenched in it that we never repent.
Today I want to encourage each of us to have the loyal heart that will be concerned about what God thinks, even regarding the “little things” in our lives. Let’s humble ourselves before the Lord, ask for His help and seek His will in solving the problems we think we can handle on our own. And whenever the Lord does show Himself strong on our behalf, let’s be sure to give the glory to Him instead of patting ourselves on the back!
2Ch 17:6 And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah. 7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.
If we truly delight in the ways of the Lord, isn’t it natural to want to remove every idol from our hearts and share with others the teaching has brought us so much joy? But what if we don’t delight in all of the ways of the Lord? What if we find it difficult to speak to others about the true gospel of Christ? God told Cain, “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?” (Gen.4:7). Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” Acts 20:35. Paul could rejoice in the ways of the Lord, even under threat of death, Phil.2:17-18. Why don’t we try walking in the ways of the Lord, even the ways we don’t understand? Why don’t we make the effort to give up the sins we don’t really want to give up? Why don’t we force ourselves out of our comfort zones to speak to someone about the Lord or hand out an invitation to attend worship with us? Perhaps then we would find that the Lord would lift up our countenance and we could truly delight in the ways of the Lord!
O Lord, Your Son and Your servants have shown us the way to true joy. Help us to sacrifice our own desires to follow Your ways so that we can know by experience the delight that comes from doing Your will.
2Ch 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.
2Ch 18:3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He answered him, "I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war."
2Ch 18:29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
Over 60 years had passed since Israel divided into two kingdoms. The two nations had been more-or-less at war ever since. Jehoshaphat decided to change all that, 1 Ki.22:44. The problem was that he lost sight of the spiritual reasons for the split. He decided to make friends with Ahab, and it caused him to act in incredibly foolish ways. It’s hard to believe anyone could be crazy enough to do what Jehoshaphat did in verse 29! However, is it possible for me to love unity and certain relationships with friends so much that I compromise the truth – an equally foolish thing to do? It’s hard to let good friends know that you don’t think their faith is “OK” when they are so accepting of your faith. Sometimes their children act more like Christians than the children of your brethren – and I have known children of Christians who have embraced religious error when they grew up because they can’t believe such good people as those friends could be lost.
Today I encourage us to pray for our friends who are not Christians, pray for opportunities to teach them the true gospel of Christ, and pray for ourselves that when the opportunities arise we will not shirk standing for Your truth, knowing that it is only the truth that will be able to save them.
2Ch 19:2 "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you. 3 Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God."
How did Jehoshaphat react to this rebuke? 4 “So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD God of their fathers.” After the prophet’s rebuke, Jehoshaphat was all the more determined to follow the Lord! He left his comfortable palace and personally went out to make sure that people removed their idols and worshipped the Lord!
Dear Father, when I am rebuked according to Your word – by a person or just by reading Your Scripture, may I have the faith and courage to be all the more zealous to do what is right.
2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness/[praise Him in holy attire, ESV], as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever."
The high priest and priests had to wear special (holy) garments specified by God, but the only specific thing I could find for Levites was that their garments had to be washed, Num.8:7. However, it is quite likely that when David organized some of them as singers, he instructed them to wear special garments. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, Asaph and his brethren sang, “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” 1Chr.16:29. The beauty of their worship in 2 Chronicles 20 was not just their garments, but their words of praise and their confident faith – going out to sing God’s praises in front of the army!
O Lord, You have said that “praise from the upright is beautiful.” We are not worthy to approach such a holy One as You except that our hearts have been washed in the blood of Your Son and we have been clothed with Him. We praise You, O Lord, for Your mercy endures forever!
2Ch 21:20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed.
This has to be the worst epitaph a person could ever have. But then Jehoram had to have been one of the worst men to ever live. Besides the fratricide he committed, he led Judah back into apostasy, “for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife,” v.6. If Jehoshaphat had known what the marriage alliance he made with Ahab was really going to cost his kingdom, I wonder if he would have done it.
Dear Father, all of us who are parents have done things that affect our children negatively – and sometimes those negative consequences are truly terrible, especially from a spiritual point of view. I pray for those parents who are hurting to have the wisdom and courage to handle their situations in the best way possible – to do what is most helpful to bring their children back to You. I pray that those of us who have acted foolishly and repented will be filled with peace in our hearts because we know You have forgiven us. I humbly ask also that You help us to move forward, doing good and teaching others in such a way that they avoid our foolish actions and our pain.
2Ch 22:3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. 4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.
Ahaziah has just seen the miserable way that his father died, and that no one mourned his death – the people wouldn’t even bury him in the tombs of the kings. Nonetheless he decided to continue in the same destructive path. It reminds me of children whose lives were miserable because their parents were neglectful, abusive or addicted to drugs or alcohol. However, when they grow up, they sometimes take the same path. It is so much easier to continue in what is familiar than to make the effort needed to change – and that goes for all of us! However, with God’s help, we can do it!
Dear wonderful Father, for those of us who were truly blessed to be raised by godly parents, we give You thanks. For those who are scarred by their upbringing, we pray that they will turn to You, the perfect Father for guidance and help to overcome their pasts and be a godly example to their own children.
2Ch 23:3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David.
Athaliah has to be one of the most wicked of people to ever walk the earth. Imagine murdering your own grandchildren!
But Jehoiada did not arrange her removal for that reason. There were plenty of wicked kings in Judah that the priests did not touch. Athaliah was deposed because the LORD said that “the king’s son shall reign.” Imagine how tricky it was for Jehoiada to take so many people into his confidence over several days at the least – any one of whom could have informed Athaliah and ruined everything. Imagine what an impeccable reputation Jehoiada must have had for the army captains and people to believe his testimony. Imagine what leadership he must have displayed over the years for the captains and Levites to be willing to take up arms and submit to his plan. And what faith they all displayed! Truly by faith they “escaped the edge of the sword,” Heb.11:34.
Lord, You are the One who brings Your promises to pass – no matter what men or women may do. I pray that this chapter will strengthen us in faith so that we do not fear, even to lose our lives for Your sake, knowing that You have said that we shall then live forever with You.
2Ch 24:22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, "The LORD look on it, and repay!"
How sad to serve the Lord your whole life and then lose your reputation, and possibly even your eternal reward in your old age! lt also happens today, and we certainly don’t want it to happen to us! So what was the difference between Jehoiada, faithful to the end of his days, and Joash? Jehoiada was approximately 120 years old in the 23rd year of Joash’s reign – the year the temple was repaired, 2Ki.12:6. At this time he was rebuked by Joash, a mere 30-year-old: “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple?” 2 Ki.12:7. Jehoiada did not get defensive or make excuses for himself, but in humility gave Joash his full cooperation. Perhaps he remembered the kindness of God in sparing him, his family and Joash during the dangerous days of Athaliah. However, when Joash himself was rebuked, it was a different story! He did not remember the kindness of Jehoiada his (step)father.
Today I encourage each of us to spend time remembering the kindness of God, our family members, and the people we interact with often – brethren, colleagues, bosses, etc. In times when they rebuke us or disagree with us, perhaps our memories of their past kindness will help us to be humble in our dealings with them, pondering their point of view and being willing to admit our mistakes and work with them to achieve what is good for us all. If you have a prayer list, you may want to set aside a day each week where you concentrate on thanking God for all His kindness as well as the kindness others have shown to you.
2Ch 25:9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this."
When we give, the recipient doesn’t always appreciate our gift. When we lend something to someone who needs it, it may get broken or lost. When we use our car to serve others or our house to entertain, they sometimes get “battle scars.” Sometimes we might need to give up a fantastic job opportunity that will take us to a place where there is no faithful congregation of God’s people or that will take so much of our time that we don’t have enough for family or God. And every Christian should make sacrifices to give a significant part of his income to the Lord. It is very tempting at times to curtail our giving, but “the Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
Dear Father of lights, from whom comes every good and perfect gift, we pray that we will never obey You simply because of what You can give us, but rather because of who You are and what You have already given us in the sacrifice of Your Son for our salvation. Help us to be willing to count all things as loss for the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (Phil.3:8)
2Ch 26:18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God." 19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar.
God is very particular about how men approach Him to worship Him. He specified that priests were to burn incense. Even though God never stated that kings couldn’t burn incense, the priests understood that when God specified some-thing, that would necessarily exclude everything else. They spoke to Uzziah to save him from experiencing God’s wrath. Unfortunately, due to pride and anger, Uzziah did not reason properly, and disaster befell him. God has specified many things that apply to us, particularly in today’s society: there are only two sexes, Mt.19:4; marriage is to be a cleaving of one man to one woman, Mt.19:5; there is only one reason for divorce & remarriage, Mt.19:9; certain roles in the church belong only to men, 1 Cor.14:34, 1 Tim.3:2,12; the instrument that accompanies our singing is the heart, Eph.5:19.
Dear Father, help us, especially as women, to be content with the roles you have given us, as well as the ways You have asked us to worship You. We pray that when times come that we are rebuked for not following Your word, we do not become angry, but take the rebuke to heart, think seriously about the matter, and repent when necessary.
2Ch 27:2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.
Although Jotham was one of the few good kings of Judah who did not apostatize in his old age, the nation as a whole was unwilling to follow his good example. God, in His great mercy, sent the prophets Isaiah and Micah during Jotham’s days and up through the days of his grandson to warn the people to repent. “Now hear this you heads of the house of Jacob…who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity; her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay … therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,” Micah 3:9-12.
Dear Father, as we look around at our own nation and see injustice, immorality and false religions, help us, though few in number, to be “mighty” against sin by following Jotham’s example who “prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” Help us also to have the courage of the prophets to speak the truth, even when it is not what people want to hear.
2Ch 28:22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD.
Ahaz had a lot to worry about. Syria and Israel had formed an alliance against the rising Assyrian threat. Indignant at Ahaz’s refusal to join their alliance, kings Rezin (Syria) and Pekah, the son of Remaliah (Israel) invaded Judah with the idea of deposing Ahaz and replacing him with someone favourable to their cause. (See Isaiah 7.) They killed 100,000 Judeans in one day, including the son of Ahaz, and carried away 200,000 captives. In those darkest of days, God sent Isaiah to him to tell him that the kingdom would remain intact. Not only that, but God told Ahaz to ask for a sign that would enable him to believe in God’s power. Ahaz refused, and instead turned to the king of Assyria and the gods of other nations for help. “But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.” Instead of helping him, the king of Assyria forced him to pay heavy tribute; and Judah, in its weakened condition, became prey to the Edomites and Philistines.
Although Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign to help his unbelief, God gave him one anyway: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us].” God with us – THIS is the solution to the problem of worry, not just for Ahaz, but for every person on the face of the earth! “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Let’s do this today, thanking God for being with us, and also for sending His Son to be the wonderful sign to us that there truly is a way for us to one day be free from all the cares of this world and dwell with God eternally.
2Ch 29:1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.
What a turn-around! What an immediate turn-around! Hezekiah saw clearly what his father failed to see: “For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughter, and our wives, are in captivity,” v.9. Where did Hezekiah get such clear-sighted spiritual awareness? Notice who his mother was: the daughter of the prophet Zechariah (a different Zechariah to the author of the book) who influenced his great-grandfather Uzziah to do what was right for as long as Zechariah was alive, 2 Chron.26:5. (If you look at your chart of the kings, you will notice that it is less than 20 years from the time of Uzziah’s apostasy until the time Hezekiah began to reign, assuming that Jotham was made co-regent when Uzziah was struck with leprosy.)
Dear Father, today as we come to You, bringing to You all our fears for the future, we pray especially for the mothers in Your spiritual Israel. You know, O Lord, which of our young people can develop into the strong spiritual leaders that Your people will need in the years ahead. Please bless their mothers to instil in them the same spiritual awareness that Hezekiah had so that they will be a blessing to both our spiritual and physical nations, as Hezekiah was to his.
2Ch 30:22 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.
In Deuteronomy31:10-11, Moses commanded that the entire Law be read to the people during the Feast of Tabernacles. It seems that this is what Hezekiah encouraged the priests to do during this Passover feast. There is nothing like hearing the very words of God to touch even the evil hearts that were described so vividly in Micah. Many people were moved to confess their sins, and when they went home, they acted upon their repentance: “Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces…,” 2 Chron.31:1.
Today I want to encourage us all, when we need to touch the hearts of our children, those we are trying to convert, or those who have hurt us – let us not try to touch their hearts by relying on our own persuasive arguments, but by humble use of the living and powerful word of God.
2Ch 31:4 Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. 5 As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits … and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
I think sometimes we take the word of God for granted. Imagine growing up in the days of Ahaz and now hearing the very words of God for the first time in your life. Imagine hearing for the first time the way God expects you to treat your spouse, children and neighbors. Imagine the inward vision you would get, for the first time, of how life is really meant to be lived. Imagine learning for the first time how God truly is – what a fear that would instil in your heart, and what joy and thankfulness you would feel that He has spared you to hear and repent. Imagine how you would just want to learn more and more. And now maybe we can imagine what it was that motivated these people to give so abundantly.
Today I would like to challenge each of us to try to look at God and His word with fresh eyes, eager eyes and then to look into our hearts and determine what more we can give back to Him.
The events in this chapter are recorded in two other places in the Bible: 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-39. To refresh your mind about the historical background concerning these events, you may wish to reread the comments on 2 Kings 17-20, sent to you on November 26-29, (Week 48). One of the amazing verifications of Bible history was the discovery of Hezekiah’s tunnel in the mid-1800s. The purpose of the tunnel was not to supply Jerusalem with water during time of siege, since they could already source water through the water shaft used by Joab, but to divert the entire Gihon Spring so that the enemy would NOT have water, 2 Chr.32:4. The Gihon spring was actually diverted to the Pool of Siloam which then overflowed into fissures of an underground water system. According to the Siloam Inscription, discovered by a youth swimming in the Pool of Siloam in 1880, the tunnel was dug by two teams starting at opposite ends and (amazingly!) meeting in the middle. From the drawing you can see that the tunnel has several turns, obviously to correct directional errors. Perhaps there was some way of detecting the sound of digging from the surface. It was also an amazing feat to keep the water running downhill for the entire 583 yards when there was only a total drop of 12 inches!
Lord, your servant Hezekiah went to amazing lengths to frustrate the enemy’s efforts to conquer him, even though He trusted that You would protect him. May we also expend this kind of effort to frustrate Satan’s efforts to conquer us, even though we trust in Your promise that the evil one will not touch us.
2Ch 33:12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.
Manasseh was probably the most wicked king of Judah. His evil influence on the people of Judah brought them to the point of no-return, the point at which Judah’s eventual captivity became a certainty, 2 Ki.23:26, 24:3. On a personal level, God also decided to remove Manasseh from his throne. He was led away with a nose hook to Babylon (which was controlled by Assyria at that time). BUT! Manasseh, as wicked as he was, was not too wicked for the grace of God when he humbled himself greatly. His repentance was not only expressed in prayer, but in works, v.15-16. Unfortunately, the people, who were willing to follow his bad example, were not willing to follow his example of repentance, v.17. I wonder how much he grieved over the harm his bad example had caused to others – especially his loved ones – harm that he could not undo. God’s grace is truly wonderful, but the consequences of our sins may cause a lifetime of grief.
Our gracious Lord, we cannot praise and thank You enough that Your grace reaches even to each of who are just as worthy of death as Manasseh – who fail so many times. All praise and honor to Your Son who gave Himself as a sacrifice that we could be justified, forgiven, cleansed, redeemed, adopted into Your very own family. May Your grace cause us to know that You are God!
2Ch 34:27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD.
When a king ascended the throne, he was to be given a copy of the Law so that he could write a copy for himself and scrupulously follow it, Dt.17:18-20. From this chapter in Chronicles, it seems that this had not happened in Josiah’s case because the temple copy, from which Josiah’s copy was to be made, had been lost. Perhaps it had been hidden to protect it from destruction in the dark days of Manasseh and Amon. The nation of Judah, in its wilful ignorance, had gone beyond the point of no return, but the calamity was postponed due to the humble, penitent prayer of one man! However, it was due to Josiah’s seeking to obey the Lord in the best way that he knew how, that he only discovered all that he and the nation had done wrong so that he could repent!
Dear Lord, I pray that we will be seekers of truth – and when, in Your providence, we discover something we have failed to do or have done wrong, that we will have the humility to rend our hearts in grief and truly repent.
2Ch 34:28 "Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants."
Isa 57:1 The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. 2 He shall enter into peace…
Assyria had dominated the region since the fall of Syria in 732 BC and Samaria in 722 BC. However, as prophesied by the prophet Nahum, the Assyrian capital of Nineveh fell to a Babylonian coalition in 612BC. Egypt, formerly an enemy of Assyria, then decided it was better to prop up a weakened Assyria so that it could be a buffer between them and the rising power of Babylon. With the fall of Nineveh, the Assyrian army and government fled to Haran, and in 2 Chronicles 35, Pharaoh Necho II was rushing to aid them in their fight against Babylon. Josiah’s intervention at Megiddo (NW of Samaria) delayed him, and Assyria lost the battle against Babylon, fleeing to Charchemish in 609 BC. The Egyptian army eventually joined Assyria there, but they were unable to recover Haran. However, Judah, who formerly was in control of much of Palestine, 2 Chron.34:6, had come under Egyptian control, along with the rest of the area up to the Euphrates River. More importantly, the king to whom God promised, “your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants,” was dead. The prophet Jeremiah fully understood the significance of this and “lamented for Josiah,” v.25.
In 609 BC, the people of Judah made Josiah’s second-born son Jehoahaz king, but Pharoah Necho II sent a contingent of soldiers to Jerusalem to depose him and take him captive to Egypt. Pharoah made Josiah’s first-born son Jehoiakim king in his place. However, Egypt’s control over Judah was short-lived. According to history, in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince of Babylon, made a surprise attack on the Egyptian forces at Charchemish and chased them all the way back to the border of Egypt. Upon hearing of his father’s death, Nebuchadnezzar, with a small force, raced straight across the desert to Babylon to secure his throne. The rest of his army travelled up through Palestine, demanding and receiving allegiance from the nations in the region, including Jehoiakim. As a token of this allegiance, the Babylonian officials were allowed to hand-pick the best of the people of Judah to take back to Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends. In 601, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Egypt to fight against it, but was soundly defeated. Jehoiakim was evidently emboldened to rebel against Babylon, despite warnings from Jeremiah. Nebuchadnezzar responded by taking Jehoiakim in fetters to Babylon. However, according to 2 Ki.24, he was released and returned to Jerusalem, where he died in 598 BC. He was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin, who reigned but 3 months when King Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon, along with a second group of captives, including Ezekiel. As a captive, Jehoiachin, also known as Jeconiah begat Shealtiel – and it is through him that the Seed promise was fulfilled, Mt.1:11-12. Nebuchadnezzar put Jeconiah’s uncle, Zedekiah on the throne. He reigned 11 years until Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC, just 23 years after Josiah’s death.
O Almighty God, ruler of the kings of the earth, who knows the end from the beginning, the righteous Judge who works Your will by causing nations to rise and fall, may we never forget that You do not tolerate sin. As in past history, and still today, we see the super-power nations battling each other, we also see that, although You do not allow sin to go unpunished, You also know how to preserve the righteous. Thank You that we can trust in You to preserve our souls.