Commuter Bible

Now that Hezekiah has reestablished worship at the Lord’s temple, he wants to provide for the Levites who have gathered together to serve the Lord in the work of the temple. Thankfully, the people of Judah show kindness and faithfulness by giving a tenth of all that they harvested and produced. Later, King Sennacherib threatens Hezekiah and all Judah by laying siege to their fortified cities and then denounces the Lord God of Israel. Hezekiah maintains faithfulness, putting his trust in the Lord, and is delivered from the hands of his enemies. After Hezekiah’s death, two kings arise from his lineage named Manasseh and Amon, but sadly they excel in evil like King Ahaz before them.

King Ahaz is one of the most evil and unfaithful kings in Judah’s history. His unfaithfulness goes to extremes, for he not only worships other gods, but sacrifices his children to them in order to seek their favor. In a time of war and distress, Ahaz turns to Assyria for aid, rather than turning to the Lord, and loses vast quantities of wealth trying to buy their help. When his son Hezekiah comes to power, the new king removes the altars and the Asherah poles set up during his father’s reign, calling Judah and all of Israel to return to the Lord and worship him alone.

In our last episode, we considered the life of King Joash, the baby who was rescued from the wrath of a wicked queen and later brought to power by Jehoiada, one of the Lord’s faithful priests. After Jehoiada’s death, King Joash abandons the temple of the Lord, and is later assassinated. The next three kings come from his lineage. Amaziah begins well, but inexplicable turns to worship the idols of those he has defeated, and soon thereafter becomes overconfident. Amaziah’s son, Uzziah, also begins well, but he, too, becomes overconfident, and acts unfaithfully by offering incense in the Lord’s temple, a role that is reserved only for priests. Finally, Jotham’s reign is pretty quiet, as he did not waver in obeying the Lord.

In our last episode we covered the life of King Jehoshaphat who was faithful to the Lord, but in today’s episode we witness the beginning of the end for the kings of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s son, King Jehoram is straight-up Je-horrible and when he dies from a horrific intestinal disease, Scripture records that he “died to no one’s regret.” How would you like that on your tombstone? His son, Jehoahaz, whom we should note is mainly called Ahaziah, takes the throne after him for only one year before he is killed. After his death, his mother Athaliah goes on a killing spree in order to take the throne, but an heir to the throne in David’s lineage is waiting undercover to take back the kingdom.

King Asa has died, and his son Jehoshaphat takes the throne, continuing a legacy of faithfulness to the Lord. Uniquely, Jehoshaphat institutes a plan to educate Judah in the ways of the Lord, sending officials and priests out with the book of the Lord’s instruction. Where Asa failed to call upon the name of the Lord when there was threat of war, Jehoshaphat succeeds and calls upon the Lord several times throughout this narrative. Each time Jehoshaphat humbles himself and prays or calls a prophet to inquire of the Lord, the Lord is gracious and delivers him from trouble, blessing Israel with riches and peace.

Our reading today examines the lives of two descendants of David who each reigned as king over Israel. First: Abijah, who reigned for only 3 years, but who made an impassioned speech against Israel’s king Jeroboam, warning him to not wage war against the Lord and those who serve Him. Abijah’s son Asa takes the throne after him, and Asa devotes himself to the Lord for most of his life. The Lord rewards Asa’s faithfulness by blessing the nation of Judah with a long period of peace. When the threat of war finally becomes immanent, Asa fails to consult the Lord, and instead turns to consult another king for help.

Worship at the new temple has been established and the people of Israel begin to worship the Lord with renewed vigor and zeal. The Lord honors their worship and continues to love His people by providing for them and protecting them. King Solomon’s wisdom and wealth become known across the ancient world, and royalty from nearby nations come to seek his counsel and insight. Sadly, Solomon’s wisdom is not passed on to his son, Rehoboam, as one of his first decrees runs in direct contradiction to the advice that the elders give him. By trusting his friends more than the advice of wise men who had experience, Rehoboam serves as a catalyst for division.

Today, Solomon finishes the work of building the temple and brings the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed room known as the holy of holies. The priests consecrate themselves and worship the Lord through music. The temple fills with a cloud and with the Lord’s glory to such a degree that the priests are not able to continue ministering. Solomon prays to the Lord before the nation of Israel, asking God to hear their prayers, reminding the people through his prayer that God resides in heaven, and is not confined to the walls of the temple. The Lord responds by reaffirming his commitment to David’s lineage so long as they are faithful to His statutes.

We’re back in 2 Chronicles which is the second book of a four book series which includes 1 & 2 Chronicles along with Ezra and Nehemiah. Combined, they make up a historical account of God’s people from Adam to the return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. It’s likely that Ezra is the author and the one responsible for compiling the material, but we don’t know for sure. Here in the second book of Chronicles we begin with the rule of Solomon, son of King David, who has been given authority as king by God’s special decree. In today’s passage. Solomon begins to build God’s holy temple.

In our last episode, Paul began to speak of the nature of the body of Christ and the diversity of spiritual gifts within it. Just as a physical body is made of many parts that are united together, Paul continues in today’s passage to teach that the church should be united in love and put away childish divisions, otherwise their flashy spiritual gifts are rubbish. He goes on to encourage the church to desire the gifts that build up the body over and above the gift of speaking in tongues. Before concluding with instructions for the church, Paul argues with those who say there is no resurrection, contending that without resurrection our faith in Christ is foolishness.