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Today in the Bible room, we conclude the summary of 2 Chronicles with Part 4, chapters 28 through 36.

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2 Chronicles – Part 4 of 4

Chapter 28. Unfaithful

Ahaz succeeds his father, Jotham, becomes king in Judah:

• He is twenty years old, rules for sixteen years;
• For sixteen years he rebels, unfaithful to God;
• He makes idols, worships Baal; sacrifices his sons in fire;
• The Lord God allows the Aramaeans to overrun Judah;
• They take many prisoners to Damascus;
• Judah has abandoned the God of their fathers;
• She is also attacked by Israel, 120,000 soldiers killed;
• 200,000 women, children and plunder taken to Samaria;
• When the army arrives at Samaria, a prophet meets them;
• He tells them it was the Lord who gave them the victory;
• They are risking the wrath of God if they keep them;
• City officials also tell them to release the prisoners;
• The soldiers agree, release the people and the plunder;
• Judah is also attacked by the Edomites and the Philistines;
• Ahaz looks to find help from the Assyrians;
• He gathers up valuable items, offers them to the Assyrian king;
• The Assyrians deny Ahaz any help, he grows even more evil;
• He sets up idols throughout Judah, burns incense everywhere;
• He offers sacrifices to pagan gods, provokes the wrath of God.
• At his death, he is not buried among the kings;
• His son, Hezekiah, becomes king in Judah.

Chapter 29. Reclamation

King Hezekiah begins the spiritual reclamation of Judah:

• He becomes king at age 25, reigns 29 years;
• The grandson of Zechariah, he is a God-following king;
• His reclamation project starts on his first day in office;
• It begins with unlocking the doors to the temple;
• He assembles all the Levite priests, gives them instructions;
• Worship of the true God will replace pagan idol worship;
• He reminds them that the Lord is angry with Judah;
• Everything unclean is removed from the temple, purified;
• There is a nationwide purification throughout Judah;
• Sixteen days of reclamation, the process is completed;
• Hezekiah orders the completion ceremony to begin;
• Sacrifices are offered: seven each of four different animals;
• Singers and musicians play instruments made by King David;
• Then there are more burnt sacrifices, thank offerings;
• In all 6,300 animals are sacrificed on the altar;
• Also fellowship offerings, drink offerings with burnt offerings;
• Too many animals for the priests to skin, the Levites help;
• The service of the temple has been restored.

Chapter 30. Invitation

Hezekiah invites all the nation to come to Jerusalem for Passover:

• It is now the second month of Hezekiah’s reign;
• Word-of-mouth and letters spread the invitation everywhere;
• The king urges all Judah and Israel to return to worship God;
• He wants escaped captives from Assyria to come;
• Evil kings in Judah and Israel have not held the Passover Feast;
• Hezekiah says it is time to recognize their God once again;
• Some people rejected the invitation, but many accepted;
• The Feast of Unleavened Bread is held in Jerusalem;
• The Passover Lamb is sacrificed before a large crowd;
• Many who had been away from worshipping God were unclean;
• Therefore they were not approved to make a sacrifice;
• But Hezekiah prayed for them, and God forgave them;
• The king and his officials provide food for all the worshippers;
• The feast is intended to be seven days, is extended to fourteen;
• Nothing like this has occurred since the days of Solomon;
• The priests blessed the people, and God heard their prayer.

Chapter 31. Tithes

The people are blessed; they bring tithes and offerings to the temple:

• Throughout Judah the pagan worship places are torn down;
• Hezekiah provides support for those working at the temple;
• He tells all the people to bring tithes to the temple;
• The people are prosperous, the tithes continue to increase;
• Freewill offerings are pouring into the temple;
• Hezekiah builds storehouses at the temple for the overflow;
• The first fruits of all the peoples’ labor;
• All kinds of goods are brought in and piled up at the doors;
• A Levite named Conaniah is put in charge of the offerings;
• He has a crew of 18 assistants to account for everything;
• Hezekiah distributes to families who need support;
• He is a devoted follower of the Lord God;
• Hezekiah lives according to God’s Law: he prospers.

Chapter 32. Adventure

The rest of Hezekiah’s life is filled with adventure, prosperity:

• Assyrian leader, Sennacherib, invades Judah;
• He lays siege to some of the fortified towns;
• Hezekiah has a plan to foil Sennacherib’s efforts;
• He tells his officials to block all the water supplies;
• They know a large army will need fresh water;
• Then he repairs the walls around Jerusalem;
• He speaks hope to his people: we have God on our side;
• Sennacherib sends out words to all the people, saying:
• Hezekiah cannot defend you against the Assyrian army;
• History shows that every nation has fallen to Sennacherib;
• He insults the God of Hezekiah, has no fear of him;
• Hezekiah and Isaiah, the prophet, offer prayers to God;
• God answers their prayers: the Assyrian army is destroyed;
• Sennacherib is defeated, goes home in shame;
• He enters his pagan temple, is killed by his own children;
• In Judah, people bring gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem;
• God gives Hezekiah much prosperity;
• He has great herds of livestock and flocks of animals;
• He prospers in everything he does;
• Leaders from Babylon come to see his great wealth;
• Soon, he becomes very ill, near death;
• He has grown proud; the Lord is testing him;
• But Hezekiah humbles himself before the Lord;
• The rest of his days he is at peace with the Lord;
• More about Hezekiah is recorded in the words of Isaiah;
• Hezekiah dies, is honored by his people, buried with the kings;
• His son, Manasseh, becomes king in Judah.

Chapter 33. Repentance

Manasseh begins his reign by first rebelling, then repenting:

• He is twelve years old when his father dies, he becomes king;
• His reign over Judah extends for 55 years;
• When he becomes king, he rebels against his father’s legacy;
• His kingdom becomes more evil than the nations before them;
• He reverts to pagan worship and practices;
• Witchcraft and sorcery are his way of worshipping;
• He installs a pagan idol in the temple at Jerusalem;
• His sons are sacrificed in the fire in a pagan valley;
• The Lord punishes Manasseh at the hands of invaders;
• The Assyrians capture him, bind him, put a hook in his nose;
• They take him, bound in shackles, to Babylon;
• In his affliction, he calls out to God who hears his prayer;
• In his repentance, the Lord restores him as king in Jerusalem;
• He rebuilds the damaged walls, restores the temple;
• The idols are torn down, the alter rebuilt;
• He makes sacrifices to the Lord God of Israel;
• Leads the people to return to serving God;
• He dies and is buried in his own house;
• At age 22, his son, Amon, becomes king in Jerusalem;
• He reigns for two years, is evil before the Lord;
• Amon adopts the wicked practices of his father;
• He worships the idols his father had built earlier;
• Amon becomes more evil as time passes;
• He is killed in his house by his servants;
• The people kill those who had killed the king;
• They make Josiah, his son, the next king.

Chapter 34. Revival

At eight years of age, Josiah will become the leader of revival:

• He reigns for 31 years in Jerusalem;
• Revival will return to Judah as Josiah leads;
• At 16 he is beginning to learn the Law of the Lord;
• At 20 he tears down pagan idols and worship sites;
• He takes axes to the wooden altars and images;
• At 26 he has completed the purge of evil worship in Judah;
• Revival continues with the repairs to the temple;
• Money is brought in from all over to pay for the project;
• Then they find the Book of the Law, take it to the king;
• When he hears it read, he is devastated;
• Overcome with sorrow, he tears his clothes;
• He knew his people had failed the Law, but it was worse;
• A messenger is sent to inquire a word from a prophetess;
• She tells Josiah his reign will be spared the wrath of God;
• But future kings will bear punishment for Judah’s sins;
• Josiah gathers an assembly of the people at the temple court;
• He reads to them the Book of the Law;
• Then he makes a covenant with the Lord and his people;
• All the people agree to enter into the covenant;
• They will follow the ways of the Lord, and Him only;
• All of Josiah’s life Judah follows the Lord God.

Chapter 35. Passover

Josiah, a good king, keeps a Passover at Jerusalem:

• He orders the Levites and priests to read David’s instructions;
• And the instructions of Solomon as well;
• Josiah donates the animals for the lay peoples’ offerings;
• He gives 30,000 lambs and goats, plus 3,000 cattle;
• His leaders give animals to the Levites and Priests for offerings;
• 2,600 lambs and goats, plus 300 cattle are sacrificed;
• Conaniah, his people, give 5,000 lambs, 500 cattle;
• The Passover is conducted according to the Book of Moses;
• The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts seven days;
• No king in Judah had done this for many years;
• After this Josiah leads his army out to meet the Egyptian army;
• Led by Pharaoh Necho, they are marching to fight somewhere;
• Necho tells Josiah he has no quarrel with him, not to fight him;
• He says God has told him Josiah should not be in this fight;
• However, Josiah, in disguise, enters the battle against Necho;
• The archers inflict a severe wound to Josiah;
• His servants change his chariot, take him to Jerusalem to die;
• Jeremiah, and all of Judah, mourn Josiah’s death.

Chapter 36. Captivity

Defeated, oppressed, Judah is taken into captivity to Babylon:

• Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, is crowned king of Judah;
• In three months, the king of Egypt takes control;
• He takes Jehoahaz to Egypt, makes his brother, Eliakim, king;
• Eliakim’s name is changed to Jehoiakim, he rules eleven years;
• He was an evil king in the eyes of the Lord;
• The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, captures Jehoiakim;
• Takes him, in shackles, to Babylon, along with many valuables;
• Jehoiachin, his eighteen-year-old brother, is installed as king;
• A very evil king, he has the throne for three months, ten days;
• Nebuchadnezzar takes him to Babylon with many valuables;
• His uncle, Zedekiah, is named king in Judah;
• An evil 21-year-old, he rules for eleven years;
• He does not respect the prophet Jeremiah, who warns him;
• He leads all the officials increasingly away from the Lord;
• The wrath of God grows evermore against Judah;
• They also rebel against Nebuchadnezzar;
• Finally, Babylon invades Jerusalem, takes them into captivity;
• Jerusalem is destroyed, burned, valuables taken;
• The captivity will last seventy years as told by Jeremiah;
• Then a new king in Persia, Cyrus, hears from God;
• God has told him Judah’s people must return to Jerusalem;
• They need to go back and rebuild the temple of the Lord God.

END OF 2 CHRONICLES – PART 4 of 4