Can man ever be truly faithful to God? When there are brilliant expressions of men being faithful to God only to see the spectacular failure of their sons who wholeheartedly turn away from God, where will we find hope? 2 Chronicles builds its foundation upon the history of the kingdom of Judah. The events detailed in 1 and 2 Kings are told again in 2 Chronicles but with an emphasis on the actions of the kings of Judah. The storyline of Judah that is told in 2 Chronicles has a mostly positive feel compared to 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles. The people of Judah remain steadfast in their resolve to worship God while the people in Israel are turning away from God.
Many men of renown rise up to lead Judah faithfully as they set their hearts towards God. You have the wisdom of Solomon who builds the Temple in Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat set his heart on following God and despite his failures he continually sought God. Joash set his heart toward God and rebuilt the Temple after his fathers defiling it with idols. You have Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham who despite their inherent weakness still strove to honor and follow God. Hezekiah reigned over Judah and restored the Temple, the Passover celebration and the idols were torn down. The passionate devotion of Josiah ends the reign of the good kings of Judah as he saw the sinfulness surrounding him and wept bitterly. All of these men ruled Judah as they sought to follow God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We will never be truly faithful. The men of renown found in 2 Chronicles had great moments of faithfulness but in the end they were all limited by their sinful nature. As I look back on these great leaders of Judah who were good men but still failed I feel a hopelessness for mankind. What hope can be found in the failure of Judah. It is necessary that we see our own inability because it is only in that moment that we can truly know and trust in what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The story of Judah points to a need for a deliverer through the repeated failure of men. The deliver Jesus Christ has come into this great story God to meet the need we have.
