Devoted to Scripture

Day 124 of the podcast, reading 1 Chronicles 9-10 NET, read along at:

This is day 124 of our journey.

Our reading today starts by setting the context of the writing of this book.  People are just beginning to resettle into their homes after returning from the exile.  We are given a list of the Levites that took on their roles serving in the sanctuary as well as the priests and some of the others that returned from exile.

After giving the setting, the writer of Chronicles enters the story of the kings of Israel by telling of King Saul, but, in the context, what he really wants to emphasize is the line of David. As a result, what we are told about King Saul is basically just his final battle and his death.

Join me in 1 Chronicles 9-10 to see the stage finally set for the story of Chronicles.

Key verses:

1 Chronicles 9:2

1 Chronicles 10:13

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 123 of the podcast, reading 1 Chronicles 7-8 NET, read along at:

This is day 123 of our journey.

Today we finish the list of the tribes of Israel with family names for the tribes west of the Jordan.  As I read these chapters, I was struck by the differences in the way the different tribes were listed and the men recorded. I'm not sure what the significance might be, but I find it curious. Possibly these records are compiled based on records kept in the individual tribes and some tribes kept more extensive records than others.  (I feel bad for the tribe of Naphtali!)  Regardless of the mechanism for the collection of the data, the returning exiles have a record to connect themselves to the tribes of Israel and mark their claim to the promises of God to their ancestors.

Join me in 1 Chronicles 7-8 to see God's protection of the tribes of Israel.

Key verses:

1 Chronicles 7:5

1 Chronicles 8:1

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 122 of the podcast, reading 1 Chronicles 5-6 NET, read along at:

This is day 122 of our journey.

Continuing the listing of the tribes of Israel, today we are given the family names for the tribes on the east of the Jordan, in Gilead: Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh.  Following this we have an extensive listing of the tribe of Levi, including a full succession of the high priestly line.  God is emphasizing the importance of this line and providing them a full connection back to Aaron.

Join me in 1 Chronicles 5-6 for more names and people in God's nation.

Key verses:

1 Chronicles 5:22

1 Chronicles 6:1

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 121 of the podcast, reading 1 Chronicles 3-4 NET, read along at:

This is day 121 of our journey.

Today the reading zooms in on the nation of Israel, listing the kingly Davidic line, then all the descendants of his tribe Judah.  This is followed by the descendants of Simeon.  This long list of names is a way for the returning exiles to connect back to the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They are connected, those promises apply to them!

Join me in 1 Chronicles 3-4 for the listing of the people of God.

Key verses:

1 Chronicles 3:9

1 Chronicles 4:10

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 120 of the podcast, reading 1 Chronicles 1-2 NET, read along at:

This is day 120 of our journey.

The book of Chronicles begins with a long list of sons and nations. It was written for a new generation of Israelites, after they returned from the exile in Assyria and Babylon. These opening chapters were a way of connecting the people back to their roots. As I read this opening chapter, pay attention to the names and connections between these peoples. Many of the nations that oppressed Israel were closely related to them.

Listen for names and nations we've been reading about throughout the last hundred days.

Join me in 1 Chronicles 1-2 to remember where we have come from.

Key verses:

1 Chronicles 1:34

1 Chronicles 2:1-2

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 119 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 23-25 NET, read along at:

This is day 119 of our journey.

After reading the words of the law, Josiah called all of Judah together to hear the law read to them. Josiah then fully turned to the Lord, he removed ALL the idols, altars, and articles of praise to other gods that had been put up by the previous kings of Judah and Israel, many of which had been used since the time of Solomon!  He then called on the people to observe the Passover for the first time since the period of the judges! This reform was a wonderful thing, but it didn't turn God from his wrath over the previous centuries of disobedience.

After Josiah died, Babylon marched toward Judah.  In the time of siege and chaos that followed, Judah had 4 kings: Josiah's sons Jehoahaz followed by Jehoiakim, Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin, and finally Josiah's son Zedekiah.  Each of these 4 kings did evil in the eyes of the Lord and were all eventually killed or removed from power by the king of Babylon.

Thus, God's warnings of destruction were fulfilled.  Jerusalem, with its temple, palace, and other fine buildings was destroyed and the wealth was taken back to Babylon.

Join me in 2 Kings 23-25 to see God's final judgement on the nation of Judah.

Key verses:

2 Kings 23:25

2 Kings 24:20

2 Kings 25:9

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 118 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 19-22 NET, read along at:

This is day 118 of our journey.

When King Hezekiah hears the message sent from Sennacherib demanding that the people bow the knee to Assyria, he calls out to God for help. God sends Isaiah with a message of comfort. The prophet foretells that Sennacherib will be called back to Assyria without setting foot in Jerusalem, and that he will be killed in his own land.  After this comes to pass, Hezekiah falls ill and is told by Isaiah that he is about to die, but Hezekiah cries out to God once again and God decides to give him another 15 years to live and reign.  During those 15 years, he is visited by men from Babylon, a distant nation, and, in pride, he shows them all the treasures of his house and nation.  Isaiah prophesied that this nation of Babylon would one day invade Jerusalem and take all those treasures back to Babylon.

After Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh became king.  Manasseh did evil in the sight of the Lord.  He turned the temple into a place to worship the stars and other gods, he sacrificed his son, and he murdered thousands of innocent people.  When he died, his son Amon reigned in his place.  Amon followed in the footsteps of his father and was assassinated after only two years.

Amon's son Josiah became king at the age of eight.  Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He spent money to repair the temple, and in doing so, the scroll of the law was uncovered.  When this scroll was read to Josiah, he realized that Judah was in trouble for the many ways that they had failed to follow the covenant they had made with the Lord.  He went into mourning before the Lord, and as a result, God granted that the coming destruction would not happen during his time.

Join me in 2 Kings 19-22 to see the full range of the morality of the kings of Judah.

Key verses:

2 Kings 19:34

2 Kings 20:17

2 Kings 21:12

2 Kings 22:11

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 117 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 16-18 NET, read along at:

This is day 117 of our journey.

Today, we see the inevitable consequences of sin and apostasy as the nation of Israel is punished and sent into exile. For generations, Israel's kings have allowed the people to worship other gods and their years on the throne have been marked by wickedness, greed, and bloodshed.  Their final king, Hoshea, is no different than his predecessors.  During Hoshea's reign, the king of Assyria marches on Israel, captures Samaria, and scatters the people of Israel throughout his kingdom.  At the same time, he brings foreigners into Samaria to settle the land.  Thus, the nation of Israel is gone.  We are given a summary of all the evil they have done and the ways that they have broken the covenant that God laid out before them.  The punishment is swift and painful but is, ultimately, just!

While this is happening, Judah has 2 kings, Ahaz and Hezekiah.  King Ahaz does evil in the sight of the Lord and follows all the practices of the kings of Israel. But, King Hezekiah is a great king who seeks after the Lord and serves him better than any of the other kings of Judah before him. In faithful obedience, he even removes the high places and reestablishes the practice that atonement and worship would only occur at the temple as God intended.  Even so, it is a dark time in Judah as war breaks out with foreign aggressors. The Assyrian king Sennacherib marches, in force, against Judah as he sends men of violence to curse God and discourage the people.

Join me in 2 Kings 16-18 to witness the rise of the Assyrian empire as it brings God's judgement on Israel.

Key verses:

2 Kings 16:3

2 Kings 17:23

2 Kings 18:13

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 116 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 13-15 NET, read along at:

This is day 116 of our journey.

When Jehu destroyed Ahab and his line, the Lord promised that 4 generations of his family would sit on the throne in Samaria.  Today, we see the fulfillment of that promise as Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam, and Zechariah rule as kings.  Each one continued to follow the wicked ways of the former kings of Israel.  Their misdeeds led to turbulent times and unrest in Israel. Jehu's descendants left the throne as King Zechariah was assassinated after only 6 months on the throne.  After them, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah reigned in Samaria.  Though all these kings continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord, the Lord was not yet ready to remove them from the land of promise. Always faithful, God continued to act favorably in order to save his people from oppression.

While these kings were ruling in Israel, Amaziah, Azariah, and Jotham reigned in Judah.  Each of these kings did right in the eyes of the Lord, though each of them allowed the continued practice of worship in the high places.

This also marks the end of the ministry of Elisha. Today we also see his final acts, including the resurrection of the dead, AFTER Elisha himself had died!

Join me in 2 Kings 13-15 to see God's continued faithfulness to his people.

Key verses:

2 Kings 13:4

2 Kings 14:27

2 Kings 15:12

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 115 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 10-12 NET, read along at:

This is day 115 of our journey.

Jehu continues his mission to exterminate the family of Ahab from Israel and successfully kills all of his sons and officials. Then he delcares a "great festival" for Baal to gather together all of the priests and worshippers of Baal in order to kill them. In all these things, he did well before the Lord but, unfortunately, he didn't turn away from the sins of Jeroboam who had come before him.

Meanwhile, with the death of King Ahaziah, his mother, Athaliah, ordered that all the royal line should be killed so that she could be queen.  (Athaliah was King Ahab's daughter.)  Of all the king's sons, only Joash was saved.  He was hidden in the temple under the care of his Aunt Jehosheba and Jehoiada the priest.  When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada announced him as king and had Athaliah executed for her crimes.

As king, Joash walked before the Lord. He provided silver so that the temple could be repaired and he purged the worship of Baal from the land.  He did not, however, remove the "high places" and allowed the people to continue to worship God in their own way rather than going to the temple as God had commanded.

Join me in 2 Kings 10-12 to see God's judgement on the line of Ahab.

Key verses:

2 Kings 10:11

2 Kings 11:12

2 Kings 12:5

All Scriptures are from the NET.