Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 31-36. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 31 - Hezekiah’s reforms make the priests and other temple works have enough for themselves and to share with the needy.
2 Chronicles 32 - Sennacherib and the Assyrians come to attack Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Sennacherib’s big offense was claiming that the true God was very like the gods of the other nations. So the LORD rescued his people Despite all this hezekiah finally was not thankful to God late in his life. How quick we can be to trust in ourselves.
2 Chronicles 33 - manasseh the sone of Hezekiah was an evil king, building altars to the false gods. He has one of the more remarkable conversions, as in his later years he was a good and faithful king. His osn Amon did not repent, though. He was king for only three years.
2 Chronicles 34 - Josiah grew into a good and faithful king. Because of his lack of examples it took him a long time to find out all about being a godly ruler. May we have grace to train the next generation from an early age.
2 Chronicles 35 - The capstone of Josiah is the keeping of the Passover. Though his reign is cut short in battle still he had consecrated the people of God through his faithful service.
2 Chronicles 36 - After Josiah life in Judah turned down sharply. God brought destruction and deportation to his people, calling them to repent and believe again.
Showing posts with label 2 Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Chronicles. Show all posts
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge Week 24 Day 2
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 26-30. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 26 - Uzziah was a great king until his pride took over. That was his undoing. Notice here we also have a reference to Isaiah the prophet who wrote the book of Isaiah. While the author of 2 Chronicles says Isaiah wrote the acts of Uzziah, that is not what we find in the book of Isaiah. Apparently Isaiah wrote other works as well.
2 Chronicles 27 - Jotham was another good king of Judah. This brief chapter hits a few highlights of his relatively brief reign. See as always how the author of Chronicles talks about the faithfulness of the king in relation to the well being of the people.
2 Chronicles 28 - Ahaz turned away from God. We see that he trusted in the alliances he could make with others. This was his undoing and was very destructive to the people of Judah, who were attacked and defeated by Israel and were molested by the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Assyrians, among others.
2 Chronicles 29-30 - Hezekiah the good king restores true worship to the people of Judah. I’m intrigued by what he does with the Passover. Many of the people were not appropriately cleansed and purified prior to receiving this meal. However, the king prayed for them and they received the Passover anyway. Could this be a sign of the way Jesus gives himself as the Paschal Lamb to us even though we are sinful and unclean?
2 Chronicles 26 - Uzziah was a great king until his pride took over. That was his undoing. Notice here we also have a reference to Isaiah the prophet who wrote the book of Isaiah. While the author of 2 Chronicles says Isaiah wrote the acts of Uzziah, that is not what we find in the book of Isaiah. Apparently Isaiah wrote other works as well.
2 Chronicles 27 - Jotham was another good king of Judah. This brief chapter hits a few highlights of his relatively brief reign. See as always how the author of Chronicles talks about the faithfulness of the king in relation to the well being of the people.
2 Chronicles 28 - Ahaz turned away from God. We see that he trusted in the alliances he could make with others. This was his undoing and was very destructive to the people of Judah, who were attacked and defeated by Israel and were molested by the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Assyrians, among others.
2 Chronicles 29-30 - Hezekiah the good king restores true worship to the people of Judah. I’m intrigued by what he does with the Passover. Many of the people were not appropriately cleansed and purified prior to receiving this meal. However, the king prayed for them and they received the Passover anyway. Could this be a sign of the way Jesus gives himself as the Paschal Lamb to us even though we are sinful and unclean?
Monday, June 11, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge Week 24 Day 1
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 21-25. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 21 - Jehoram followed the lead of his wife, the daughter of Ahab, king of Israel. He did evil before the Lord. God protected his royal house because of his promise but allowed Jehoram to lose almost everything, including his health and life. He was an unpopular king.
2 Chronicles 22 - The kingdom of Judah seems poised to fall. Also notice the confusion of names, with Ahaziah being the son introduced in chapter 21 as Jehoahaz. See that he allied himself with Jehoram of Israel, not of Judah, who was also called Joram. Add to all this confusion the troubles associated with his sinful ways. After his death his mother Athaliah tried to kill all his children and take the reign for herself. Evil abounds when we greedily seek our own power.
2 Chronicles 23 - Jehoiada the priest plays a key role in restoration of the kingdom to God. He boldly defends Joash as king and secures an agreement that the king and the kingdom would destroy the Baals and follow the true God.
2 Chronicles 24 - Jehoiada had served as an advisor to Joash, who received the throne when a child. After Jehoiada’s death Joash listened to other advisors who led hm away from God. He went so far as to have Jehoiada’s son killed when he didn’t like the message the Lord gave this priest.
2 Chronicles 25 - Amaziah was not as evil as the other kings we saw in today’s reading. Yet when confronted in his error he rejected wise counsel.
Today’s reading has a recurring theme of people receiving good or bad counsel and acting, for the most part, based on the bad counsel they receive. Why are we so swift to follow ungodly counsel? Maybe because it makes the most sense to our minds which have been darkened by the curse of sin. Let us rather look to the Word of God in faith and receive what our Lord has given us.
2 Chronicles 21 - Jehoram followed the lead of his wife, the daughter of Ahab, king of Israel. He did evil before the Lord. God protected his royal house because of his promise but allowed Jehoram to lose almost everything, including his health and life. He was an unpopular king.
2 Chronicles 22 - The kingdom of Judah seems poised to fall. Also notice the confusion of names, with Ahaziah being the son introduced in chapter 21 as Jehoahaz. See that he allied himself with Jehoram of Israel, not of Judah, who was also called Joram. Add to all this confusion the troubles associated with his sinful ways. After his death his mother Athaliah tried to kill all his children and take the reign for herself. Evil abounds when we greedily seek our own power.
2 Chronicles 23 - Jehoiada the priest plays a key role in restoration of the kingdom to God. He boldly defends Joash as king and secures an agreement that the king and the kingdom would destroy the Baals and follow the true God.
2 Chronicles 24 - Jehoiada had served as an advisor to Joash, who received the throne when a child. After Jehoiada’s death Joash listened to other advisors who led hm away from God. He went so far as to have Jehoiada’s son killed when he didn’t like the message the Lord gave this priest.
2 Chronicles 25 - Amaziah was not as evil as the other kings we saw in today’s reading. Yet when confronted in his error he rejected wise counsel.
Today’s reading has a recurring theme of people receiving good or bad counsel and acting, for the most part, based on the bad counsel they receive. Why are we so swift to follow ungodly counsel? Maybe because it makes the most sense to our minds which have been darkened by the curse of sin. Let us rather look to the Word of God in faith and receive what our Lord has given us.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge Week 23 Day 5
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 16-20. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 16 - Near the end of his life Asa turned away from trusting the Lord. He and the kingdom suffered for this. We bring harm upon ourselves and others by our lack of faithfulness.
2 Chronicles 17-20 - Jehoshaphat is a good king. Yet he forms alliances with unbelieving kings, Ahab in particular. God delivers him and his people. Yet there is more turmoil than there would be if Jehoshaphat had not been so interested in alliances with others.
Sometimes we do well to interact with others, sometimes we would do better to keep to ourselves. It is always better if we form alliances with likeminded people. As I often say in church, doctrine does matter. Where we have agreement we function much better.
2 Chronicles 16 - Near the end of his life Asa turned away from trusting the Lord. He and the kingdom suffered for this. We bring harm upon ourselves and others by our lack of faithfulness.
2 Chronicles 17-20 - Jehoshaphat is a good king. Yet he forms alliances with unbelieving kings, Ahab in particular. God delivers him and his people. Yet there is more turmoil than there would be if Jehoshaphat had not been so interested in alliances with others.
Sometimes we do well to interact with others, sometimes we would do better to keep to ourselves. It is always better if we form alliances with likeminded people. As I often say in church, doctrine does matter. Where we have agreement we function much better.
Bible Reading Challenge Week 23 Day 4
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 11-15. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 11 - Rehoboam has a fairly good start, listening to the prophet who urges him to faithfulness. He also receives the displaced priests and Levites from Israel. It must be especially painful to see the nation where you are one of God’s servants turn to idolatry.
2 Chronicles 12 - The review of Rehoboam turns downhill after five years. Continue to notice how the author of Chronicles is particularly interested in the leader’s faithfulness to God. Rehoboam is found wanting. Things are not too bad in Judah but Rehoboam has turned away from God and receives the penalty of his sin.
2 Chronicles 13 - After the time of Rehoboam, Abijah in Judah stood up boldly for God’s commands before Jeroboam. God gave him the victory though he was significantly outnumbered. Do we stand up for God’s truth? What is our confidence when we are outnumbered?
2 Chronicles 14-15 - We then have yet another good king in Judah, Asa. He is quite forceful about looking to God alone. Remaining faithful to God is a challenge. Yet it is a challenge that is full of rewards. We can have confidence that if our Lord has ordained our path we can walk down it without fear.
2 Chronicles 11 - Rehoboam has a fairly good start, listening to the prophet who urges him to faithfulness. He also receives the displaced priests and Levites from Israel. It must be especially painful to see the nation where you are one of God’s servants turn to idolatry.
2 Chronicles 12 - The review of Rehoboam turns downhill after five years. Continue to notice how the author of Chronicles is particularly interested in the leader’s faithfulness to God. Rehoboam is found wanting. Things are not too bad in Judah but Rehoboam has turned away from God and receives the penalty of his sin.
2 Chronicles 13 - After the time of Rehoboam, Abijah in Judah stood up boldly for God’s commands before Jeroboam. God gave him the victory though he was significantly outnumbered. Do we stand up for God’s truth? What is our confidence when we are outnumbered?
2 Chronicles 14-15 - We then have yet another good king in Judah, Asa. He is quite forceful about looking to God alone. Remaining faithful to God is a challenge. Yet it is a challenge that is full of rewards. We can have confidence that if our Lord has ordained our path we can walk down it without fear.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge Week 23 Day 3
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 6-10. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 6 - In the dedicatory prayers for the temple, see how Solomon prays that God’s mercy would be upon his people and upon all who call on God. We would normally like to dedicate things for our service or for just our people. Solomon’s desire, and God’s desire, is that the mercy and grace of the Lord should be shown to all people everywhere.
2 Chronicles 7 - Even as God accepts the offerings Solomon makes at the consecration of the temple he continues to warn Solomon not to turn aside from the true faith. We likewise are to be on guard, not depending on our obedience, but depending on the Lord in whose grace we stand.
2 Chronicles 8 - Solomon has interesting situations, first with his wife the daughter of Pharaoh, then later with other wives. In chapter 8 he makes it clear that she, not being a partaker of the covenant of God, is not to be in the holy places. Later we will see that he is led astray by his wives and allows his identity to become confused. May we always be careful in our human relationships, looking to God and His will above all those allegiances we might have with other people.
2 Chronicles 9 - The author of Chronicles sees the riches of Solomon as a sign of God’s blessing upon him and on the kingdom of Israel. Yet not all was well. The kingdom was set up for strife and dissension.
2 Chronicles 10 - Between Jeroboam the son of Nebat and Rehoboam the son of Solomon both the southern and northern kingdoms are full of turmoil. How our leaders live out their lives before God makes a difference in the way our lives will be as well. May the Lord draw our leaders to himself.
2 Chronicles 6 - In the dedicatory prayers for the temple, see how Solomon prays that God’s mercy would be upon his people and upon all who call on God. We would normally like to dedicate things for our service or for just our people. Solomon’s desire, and God’s desire, is that the mercy and grace of the Lord should be shown to all people everywhere.
2 Chronicles 7 - Even as God accepts the offerings Solomon makes at the consecration of the temple he continues to warn Solomon not to turn aside from the true faith. We likewise are to be on guard, not depending on our obedience, but depending on the Lord in whose grace we stand.
2 Chronicles 8 - Solomon has interesting situations, first with his wife the daughter of Pharaoh, then later with other wives. In chapter 8 he makes it clear that she, not being a partaker of the covenant of God, is not to be in the holy places. Later we will see that he is led astray by his wives and allows his identity to become confused. May we always be careful in our human relationships, looking to God and His will above all those allegiances we might have with other people.
2 Chronicles 9 - The author of Chronicles sees the riches of Solomon as a sign of God’s blessing upon him and on the kingdom of Israel. Yet not all was well. The kingdom was set up for strife and dissension.
2 Chronicles 10 - Between Jeroboam the son of Nebat and Rehoboam the son of Solomon both the southern and northern kingdoms are full of turmoil. How our leaders live out their lives before God makes a difference in the way our lives will be as well. May the Lord draw our leaders to himself.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge Week 23 Day 2
Our reading challenge for the day is 2 Chronicles 1-5. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
2 Chronicles 1 - Even as Solomon seeks wisdom from God, he receives not only wisdom but riches. He busily works on a building program even as he enriches himself and the kingdom, taking on more and more of the trappings of other monarchs. What kind of trappings do we take on when God blesses us? Do they end up serving as nets and snares which will . . . well, trap us?
2 Chronicles 2 - God blesses different people with different skills. He brings specialists into contact with Solomon so they can do the fancy work involved in building the temple. We all do well to consider not only the gifts God has given us but also the gifts He has given others.
2 Chronicles 3-4 - There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into this temple. Consider the size of the building. It would fit inside most of our modern church buildings except it is very tall. The temple isn’t a place where people gather to hear the Word of God and worship together. It is a place where they would bring sacrifices which would be offered by the priest and received by God. The corporate life of Israel happens outside of the temple, in the community.
2 Chronicles 5 - The consecration of the temple is full of the praises of God because of his goodness and his everlasting mercy. In God’s presence none can stand. How do we consider God’s presence? Do we approach worship in a reverent way, knowing that when our Lord speaks and appears to his people we cannot possibly stand before him?
2 Chronicles 1 - Even as Solomon seeks wisdom from God, he receives not only wisdom but riches. He busily works on a building program even as he enriches himself and the kingdom, taking on more and more of the trappings of other monarchs. What kind of trappings do we take on when God blesses us? Do they end up serving as nets and snares which will . . . well, trap us?
2 Chronicles 2 - God blesses different people with different skills. He brings specialists into contact with Solomon so they can do the fancy work involved in building the temple. We all do well to consider not only the gifts God has given us but also the gifts He has given others.
2 Chronicles 3-4 - There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into this temple. Consider the size of the building. It would fit inside most of our modern church buildings except it is very tall. The temple isn’t a place where people gather to hear the Word of God and worship together. It is a place where they would bring sacrifices which would be offered by the priest and received by God. The corporate life of Israel happens outside of the temple, in the community.
2 Chronicles 5 - The consecration of the temple is full of the praises of God because of his goodness and his everlasting mercy. In God’s presence none can stand. How do we consider God’s presence? Do we approach worship in a reverent way, knowing that when our Lord speaks and appears to his people we cannot possibly stand before him?
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