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. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Judah
Failure of Judah foreshadows The Deliverer: 2 Chronicles Summary
Exile softens a hardened heart: 2 Chronicles 35 and 36
In 2 Chronicles 35 and 36 we reach the precipice leading to the fall and decline of Judah and its road to exile in Babylon. After the faithful stewardship and tenderhearted rule of Josiah over Judah the kings that rule Judah turn completely away from God. The wrath of God is falling on His chosen people as he promised to Josiah. How is the relationship between God and the sons of Israel to be viewed? How do we view our relationship with God today? God is a loving father that desires to see the best happen for His people through out all time.
God continually sought to bring the hearts of the people of Judah back to Him through His messengers and prophets. How does a persons heart become so hardened against God that they have no respect, thought, or desire for Him? “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He has compasstion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicles 36:15,16 Continue Reading…
Your heart proclaims your treasure: 2 Chronicles 31 and 32
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:20-24 These verses have been brought to my mind many times by various people the last few weeks. We live in a world that places great renown and power on the accumulation of things. We cannot live a life where we have a mixed allegiance between God and the world. What does it look like when we cast aside the bonds of idolatry that have taken root in our lives and cling to God? What hope is there to break free from the bonds that consistently seek to hold onto our attention? Continue Reading…
God is never blind to the actions of mankind: 2 Chronicles 27 and 28
In 2 Chronicles 27 why did Jotham not enter the temple of the Lord? Do the corrupt actions of the Israelites result from a lack of spiritual leadership from Jotham? Chapter 27 recounts Jotham’s life and that he ordered his life towards God. Why is the human race so obstinate and headstrong? We so readily run off and seek out idols and whatever else seemingly meets our needs and desires to only realize our failure when we are ensnared in the grip of sin.
Did the wickedness of Ahaz, who ruled Judah after Jotham, stem from the perverse wickedness of the people of Judah during the reign of Jotham? When Ahaz wholeheartedly turned away from God what effect did it have on the nation of Judah? The protection and blessing of God was removed from Judah as they were invaded by Israel. God will ordain or allow difficult moments in our lives to remind us of our dependance upon Him. Continue Reading…
What do you set your heart toward: 2 Chronicles 19 and 20
“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord? But there is some good in you for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.” 2 Chronicles 19:3,4 Jehoshaphat was not perfect not a perfect leader of Judah. He had his faults and failures but he consistently set his heart to seek after God. Do you think that you are required to live a perfect life on earth? What expectations do you place on yourself that are unnecessary? As Jehoshaphat set his heart to seek God he was learning to cling to God and love Him with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength. The evidence of Jehoshaphat’s focus on God is seen in 2 Chronicles 19:5-11 as he sets out to bring the people of Judah back to the Lord. Continue Reading…
Our inherent need for a leader: 2 Chronicles 17 and 18
When Jehoshaphat became king over Judah what impact did his faith and dependance upon God have in the lives of the people and the kingdom of Judah? How did the people of Judah view Jehoshaphat faith in God? Did they truly believe in God’s power and faithfulness at the onset of his reign? How do people today view a leaders strong faith in God? It may seem to people today that a leader who claims his strength in God alone is a little of his rocker but the life of the leader will the greatest witness to the glory and power of God. Continue Reading…
Life on the road of faithfulness and failure: 2 Chronicles 13 and 14
“But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites attend to their work. Every morning and evening they burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. Now behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.” 2 Chronicles 13:10-12
The history of the kingdom of Judah given in 2 Chronicles is more encouraging than the history of the kingdom of Israel. In 2 Chronicles 13 and 14 the kingdom of Judah clings to God and seeks their strength from Him. God is fulfilling His promise that He made to Solomon; the kingdom of Judah remained faithful to God and were blessed by Him while the kingdom of Israel was sent off in captivity. Continue Reading…
Visit to find wisdom and a nation asunder: 2 Chronicles 9 and 10
In 2 Chronicles 9 and 10 the stories from 1 Kings 9 through 11 are retold. You have the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon because of his wisdom. I thought is was interesting how she needed to witness his wisdom firsthand with her own senses before she would believe it existed? The rumor of Solomon’s great wisdom proved to pale in comparison to the reality the queen found leaving her breathless. Why are the faults of Solomon left out as he is described in 2 Chronicles? We see the greatness and wisdom of Solomon but It does not speak of his ravenous lust for women which lead towards his downfall. Why the emphasis on the positive side of his life? Chapter 10 recounts the nation of Israel splitting into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and the rest of 2 Chronicles will follow the story of the kingdom of Judah. Continue Reading…
May God raise up our children to fear Him: 2 Kings 21 and 22
Can there be any way to know with any certainty that your child will grow up to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength? How is a God fearing legacy instilled in children? The scripture is consistently proclaiming that we need to love God and love people as we seek to cling to God. Can we really worry about our children’s faith when holding to our own faith is all consuming? Faith is the evidence of things unseen and the assurance of the hope we have in Jesus Christ for our future. Is the raising of children a great test of our faith? As we live out lives seeking to hold fast to our growing faith in God we will be an example for our children but in the end it is only by the grace of God that our children will grow to know and trust in Him. It feels like a great burden to know that we are powerless but in our weakness God’s faithfulness will be proclaimed. Continue Reading…
