2 Chronicles 29 "Hezekiah Re-Opens the Temple"

“In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (Hezekiah) opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.” (v.3)

Hezekiah, at the age of twenty-five, came to the throne of Judah and set himself to reverse his father's evil policy concerning the temple of the LORD. Among his first actions as king, were to have the doors of the Temple re-opened, and the Levites commissioned to cleanse the desecrated courts of the rubbish and filth that had been allowed to accumulate.

After eight days of strenuous labor, the Levites were able to report that their work was successfully accomplished; that the altar of burnt-offering and the table of showbread were ready for the renewal of service. It was good news, and in the early morning of a memorable day, the king, accompanied by his princes and officers of state, took part in a solemn service of re-dedication. Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt sacrifice should be offered; and "when the burnt-offering began, the song of the Lord began also."

For sixteen years no song had poured forth from the sacred shrine. Ahaz had shut the doors, dispersed the Levites, and allowed the holy place to remain un-kept, unlit, and unused. There were no sacrifices on the Altar, no sweet incense in the Holy Place, no blood on the Mercy-Seat, no Song of the Lord! Just a dryness due to the lack of worshiping the LORD.

Alas, for too many Christians, this is a picture of their life. The soul, intended to be a holy temple for God, shows signs of disorder and neglect. The lights are not lit, the sweet incense of prayer does not ascend, the doors of entrance to fellowship and exit to service are closed. Outwardly the signs of the religious life are somewhat preserved, but inwardly silence, dryness and darkness prevail. The Song of the Lord has died out of their heart and life.

If your temple needs cleansing, do it. Come back into fellowship with God, who waits to receive and forgive. Surrender yourself to Him now and you will find the Song of the Lord breaking forth again in your heart, which was formerly choked out with debris.

The Truth

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

2 Chronicles 28 "Israel Returns Good for Evil"

“Then the men who were designated by name arose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil; and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.” (v.15)

Israel had every reason to be incensed against Judah for the raid made on their territory. But, instead of pushing their advantage, we see in our text they returned good for evil: clothing the naked, giving them food and drink, anointing them with oil, carrying the feeble ones on donkeys, and delivering them to their brothers. Why the change of heart?

This great defeat of Judah, which placed Israel in its victorious position, was God’s punishment for Ahaz’s idolatry and unfaithfulness to the LORD. Israel had already gone to far in their victory over Judah by “killing them in a rage that reached to heaven” (v.9), now they were about to make matters worse by enslaving God’s people (v.10).

Therefore, God sent the prophet Obed, to warn the men of Israel of His impending wrath upon them if they enslaved his people (vv.9-13). An eco of the words of the LORD, through Moses, to the Pharaoh, “Let my people Go.” When the leaders of Israel heard the word of prophecy, to their credit, they responded.

While God has/will always discipline His children, His hand of protection is always on them as well, in this case, returning good for evil.

The Truth

Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20)

2 Chronicles 27 "Jotham Prepared His Ways"

“So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” (v.6)

Jotham was a true man in every sense of the word, mighty in resolve. He made God’s law, and God’s will, the rule that was to govern his life. He desired that what he did, should be right in the sight of the Lord. He also acted like a man who was living consciously in God’s presence. According to the text, “he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.”

In order to accomplish this preparation, Jotham must have been a man of prayer. He must have been in the habit of taking his daily troubles to his God, and seeking guidance from Him. Which means, he was also a mighty man of faith. For upon receiving direction from God, he would then walk in His ways, knowing God would carry him through no matter what.

Conviction, the desire to do the right thing, living in God’s presence daily, a man of prayer and faith, walking in God’s ways, fearless, even in the sight of a wicked people. Now there’s a “mighty man.” 

May we all strive to have the same character as Jotham and be mighty men of God.

The Truth

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

2 Chronicles 26 "The Fall of Uzziah"

“But when he (Uzziah) became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (v.16)

Pride comes before a fall, as we've seen time and time again in 2 Chronicles. In the exceptionally long (52 year) reign of Uzziah, we see the same pattern we've seen before: good beginnings, followed by backsliding fueled mainly by pride. Long before Israel had kings, God through the Law provided guidelines and warnings for them. Perhaps the most important instruction was for the king to study the Scriptures as a remedy against pride (Deut.17:14-20).

Uzziah began well. He sought the Lord and did what was right, and had a godly adviser, Zechariah. As a result, Judah experienced military successes and a time of peace. The turning point came when Uzziah entered the temple to burn incense (putting himself on a priestly level), even though the Law said only priests should do so. He arrogantly believed he could do the job God had given to the priesthood, and that it would be accepted.   

The story goes on to tell us that Uzziah was confronted by a group of priests, but did not accept their rebuke, and for his blasphemy the Lord immediately struck him with leprosy. He never entered the temple again and had to let his son take over the day-to-day ruling of the kingdom. Additionally, we have no indication he ever repented of his sin.

Pride can be a great stumbling block that keeps us from receiving the grace of God in our lives because we won’t bend our will to His, or ask for His forgiveness, nor receive a word from others. Instead, we do what we want like spoiled children, and then suffer the consequences of our own arrogance.

My prayer for you today is to let go of your pride, and let God guide your life into His peace, and the fulfillment He has planed for you.   

The Truth

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)

2 Chronicles 25 "Godly Council"

Then the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” (V.15)

The LORD had established for His people prophets, kings, and priests. Each with their own duty and purpose in the kingdom. When they worked together as God had intended, peace prevailed. But, when they didn't, great was their fall.

Amaziah had many good qualities, but he had a half-hearted relationship with God. As described in verse 2, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.” The king's mixed actions led to mixed results. God gave Judah a victory over Edom (v.11), but the victory was marred by cruel murders of some prisoners-of-war (v.12) and Amaziah's foolish worship of the Edomite “gods” he had just defeated (v.14).

Additionally the mercenaries Amaziah had hired and then sent home, were furious that their lust for violence and booty had gone unsatisfied. So much so, that they took out their aggressions by plundering towns on the way back (v.13). This led Amaziah to another foolish decision—challenging Israel to a war (v.21). God then engineered his defeat as a judgment on his idolatry (v.22), and like his father he ended up a victim of assassination (v.27).

Amaziah had many good qualities, but he did not listen to Godly council, nor clearly see how impossible it was for Israel to be allied with Judah, and eventually fell into idolatry himself. May we always listen to Godly council, not let pride get in our way, and be sold out to the one true and living God.

The Truth

“A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)