Bible

Today in the Bible room, we continue reading the summary of 2 Chronicles with Part 3, chapters 19 through 27.

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2 Chronicles – Part 3 of 4

Chapter 19. Revival

Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem, calls Judah to return to the Lord:

• He travels the land destroying many idols, extoling the Law;
• There is a great revival in the land of Judah;
• The King appoints judges in all the cities;
• Tells them to render verdicts fairly and justly;
• Says they are not judging for man, but for the Lord;
• The chief priest will be the judge at Jerusalem.

Chapter 20. Prayer

Judah is challenged; Jehoshaphat calls for prayer:

• Armies from east of the Dead Sea are gathering;
• They have already begun attacking Judah from the South;
• Jehoshaphat calls an assembly to meet for prayer at Jerusalem;
• He recalls how God had given them all the land of Canaan;
• How God had directed them not to attack the lands to the East;
• Now, these people have formed a great army to attack Judah;
• Jahaziel, a prophet of God, stands up and speaks;
• He tells the people not to worry about the future;
• He says the impending battle is not theirs, but God’s;
• Jehoshaphat assembles his army with the singers in front;
• They march toward the enemy, singing loudly:
• “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever;”
• The attackers become confused, start killing each other;
• Jehoshaphat’s army can see the battlefield from a distance;
• The bodies of dead fighters are scattered all over the ground;
• It takes three days to gather up all the valuable plunder;
• News of Judah’s great victory spreads throughout the region;
• And the fear of the Lord also spreads among all the kings;
• Peace comes to Jehoshaphat’s reign for the rest of his days;
• One day he decides to partner in a shipping business;
• A prophet of God tells Jehoshaphat this is a mistake;
• He should never align himself with any ungodly ruler;
• Destroyed, the ships would never complete their first trip;
• Jehoshaphat rules for 25 years, serves God as his father Asa;
• But near the end, his people begin to fall away from God.

Chapter 21. Astray

A new king in Judah leads the nation astray:

• Jehoshaphat has seven sons, Jehoram is eldest;
• At Jehoshaphat’s death, Jehoram becomes king in Judah;
• His first official act is to have all his brothers killed;
• He also kills everyone who might threaten his authority;
• He is a wicked leader in the model of Ahab in Israel;
• One day the Edomites decide to install their own king;
• Jehoram takes his army to put down the revolt;
• The region of Libnah also revolts against his authority;
• He is an ungodly ruler, leading the people of Judah astray;
• In a letter, the prophet, Elijah, gives the king some bad news;
• Jehoram will suffer a painful, intestinal disease, early death;
• Soon, the Philistines and Arabians invade Judah;
• They plunder the house of Jehoram, killing his family;
• The king and his youngest son, Jehoahaz (Ahaziah) are spared;
• Jehoram’s reign in Judah lasts eight years;
• His intestines falling out, he dies the death foretold by Elijah;
• No one mourns.  

Chapter 22. Murdered

Jehoram’s youngest son, Ahaziah has a brief tenure as king:

• He follows in the evil footsteps of King Ahab;
• And he is encouraged by his wicked mother, Athaliah;
• Ahaziah joins forces with Ahab’s son, Joram in Israel;
• Their armies go to war against the Arameans at Ramoth;
• Wounded, Joram retreats to rest at Jezreel;
• Ahaziah makes a fateful trip to visit Joram;
• At Jezreel the two kings are challenged by Jehu;
• The Lord had appointed Jehu to destroy the house of Ahab;
• Jehu executes Joram, his attendants, and relatives of Ahaziah;
• Ahaziah escapes, takes refuge in Samaria where he is captured;
• Jehu executes Ahaziah who serves one year as king in Judah;
• Athaliah, the king’s mother, orders all the royal family murdered;
• She assumes the throne as Queen, rules in Judah for six years;
• Joash, new-born son of Ahaziah, is quietly hidden in the temple.

Chapter 23. Return

A king returns, and the people return to the Law of the Lord:

• Raised secretly in the temple, Joash is now seven years of age;
• A powerful priest named Jehoiada decides the time has come;
• He says it is time to return a king to the throne in Judah;
• He gets support from all the leaders;
• They disperse over Judah, find all the Levites, other priests;
• Assemble them all at the temple in Jerusalem;
• He reminds them: King David said Judah shall have a king;
• The king shall be the son of a king, as the Lord promised;
• The new king will require extreme security measures;
• Jehoiada divides the Levites and priests into three groups;
• Each group will watch the doors; the palace; the main gate;
• Other men will be stationed in the courtyard of the temple;
• Only the Levites and priests are allowed to enter the temple;
• Jehoiada brings out the weapons used by King David;
• All the Levites, and others, are to be heavily armed;
• Jehoiada, his sons, bring Joash out of hiding;
• They place the king’s crown on his head;
• There is loud rejoicing with music, singing and instruments;
• Athaliah hears the uproar, tries to enter the temple;
• She shouts “Treason, treason”;
• Jehoiada orders the soldiers to execute her, which they do;
• All the people covenant to return to being the Lord’s people;
• They tear down the temple of Baal, destroy the priest and idols;
• Then they usher the new king from the temple to the palace;
• There, they seat Joash on the royal throne; Judah is at rest.

Chapter 24. Uncommitted

Young Joash starts out as a good king, but he is uncommitted:

• He is seven years old when they crown him king;
• He reigns forty years in Judah;
• Jehoiada, the priest, is his guardian and mentor;
• He chooses two wives for him;
• Joash serves the Lord faithfully as long as Jehoiada lives;
• The sons of Athaliah had done major damage to the temple;
• In time, Joash decides to restore the temple as it was before;
• The Levites and priests collect taxes for the repairs;
• For Jehoiada’s lifetime, continual burnt offerings are sacrificed;
• He dies at age 130, is buried with the kings in Jerusalem;
• After Jehoiada is gone, Joash’s commitment to the Lord wanes;
• The people begin to drift into idolatry;
• The Lord sends them prophets, urging them to remain faithful;
• But to no avail; the people would not listen;
• Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, warns the people of God’s wrath;
• They will suffer punishment for their behavior;
• But the king himself orders that Zechariah be stoned to death;
• Joash forgets all the good that Jehoiada had done for him;
• Soon after this the Arameans invade Judah and Jerusalem;
• They plunder the city, take all the valuables, kill the leaders;
• Joash is left wounded, hated for his wicked deeds;
• He will die in his bed at the hands of his own officials;
• His son, Amaziah, succeeds him as king in Judah.

Chapter 25. Pride

King Amaziah is controlled by his pride:

• He becomes king at age 25, and rules in Judah for 29 years;
• As his father before him, he begins his rule following the Lord;
• First, he executes those men who had murdered his father;
• Then he organizes the people of Judah into groups;
• He counts 300,00 men above age 20, able for military service;
• Then he goes north to Israel and hires another 100,000 men;
• The cost to hire these men is over three tons of silver;
• A priest tells him hiring these men is a great mistake;
• He says God is against this decision; Judah will be destroyed;
• Amaziah protests: he has already paid them;
• The priest says God will repay him more than he spent;
• The foreign troops are sent home, they leave mad;
• Vent their anger on several towns, kill thousands in Judah;
• Judah’s army goes against the Edomites, gains a great victory;
• The king brings the idols of Edom into Judah, worships them;
• A prophet suggests to the king these failed gods must be false;
• Amaziah challenges Israel’s king, Jehoash to a personal fight;
• Jehoash tells Amaziah his pride is going to ruin him;
• Israel attacks Judah, Amaziah is captured, taken to Jerusalem;
• He’s there as they strip the temple, palace of all the valuables;
• Amaziah’s pride has been subdued, he fears his own people;
• They chase him down to Lachish where they kill him;
• He is buried in Jerusalem.

Chapter 26. Prosperous

Uzziah succeeds his father, Amaziah, as king in Judah:

• He is sixteen years old when he becomes king;
• He will reign in Jerusalem for fifty-two years;
• He follows God faithfully as his father had done before;
• And he listened to the teachings of Zechariah, a godly man;
• God will make Uzziah a great success, very prosperous;
• He goes to war with the Philistines, the Arabs, and others;
• All these he defeats, and every king in the region pays tribute;
• Uzziah accumulates much land, great possessions;
• He becomes a successful builder and farmer: he loves the soil;
• He controls land even down to the border of Egypt;
• His army has 2,600 officers, 307,500 soldiers;
• He designs unique and useful weapons of war;
• His army is well trained and well equipped;
• But he inherits his father’s pride, enters the temple;
• He thinks he has the right to burn incense as a priest;
• Eighty priests implore him against this transgression;
• The Lord strikes Uzziah with leprosy, with which he will die;
• He is confined in a house while his son, Jotham, takes control;
• The prophet, Isaiah, has written more about King Uzziah;
• Uzziah dies, and is buried in a field with other kings;
• Jotham becomes king in Judah.

Chapter 27. Builder

Jotham serves the Lord God as did his father, Uzziah:

• But he does not enter the temple to burn incense;
• King at age 25, Jotham rules in Judah for 16 years;
• His people continue their ungodly behavior;
• He is a builder: builds new towns, walls, forts, towers;
• He defeats the Ammonites; they pay him tribute for three years;
• Jotham is a successful king as he follows the Lord his God;
• He dies at age 41, is buried in Jerusalem;
• His son, Ahaz, ascends to the throne of Judah.

END OF 2 CHRONICLES – PART 3 of 4