Devotional: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25
Helpful thoughts:
- It only takes one generation. May it be the heart of our church to reach the next generation with the Gospel and trust the results to the Lord.
- Verses 4 and 7 articulate a slap to the face of God. Manasseh led all Judah to worship and serve a plethora of false idols, even in the very place where God had committed His presence.
- By God’s grace, Manasseh repented! He was restored to his kingdom and throne. But, he could not control the consequences of his actions. (Verses 17 and 22)
- What the people continued to do in verse 17 was the very thing Sennacherib wrongly criticized Hezekiah for correcting in 32:12.
Questions to consider:
- Why do you think the servants killed Amon after seeing his sin grow worse and worse? What had they just seen happen with Manasseh? What might they have feared would happen again?
- It only took one generation to see the spiritual health of Judah deteriorate, and we have seen Judah be revived in less time than that! Why is it right for us to cling to the promises of God (e.g. Philippians 1:6) and to also strive for faithfulness and growth (e.g. Philippians 3:12-16)?
- I think, with the Apostle Paul, Manasseh may have counted himself the “foremost/chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). How far does the grace of God extend? Who can be saved? (Romans 10:13)
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 32:24-33
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 32:24-33
Helpful thoughts:
- Hezekiah, a man and sinner in need of God’s grace, grew proud.
- The details of this time in his life are recorded in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38-39.
- By God’s grace, Hezekiah and Judah had been very successful. They enjoyed victory over their enemies, economic prosperity, they were accomplishing great engineering feats, and Hezekiah forgot where the glory was due.
- God disciplines the ones He loves…for our good! (Hebrews 12:6) It was better for Hezekiah to experience failure and be drawn to the Lord than it would have been to experience continuous prosperity and public acclaim.
Questions to consider:
- Did the omniscient God not “know” the heart of Hezekiah? Who needed to learn what the nature of Hezekiah’s heart was? What was the right response (Verse 26)?
- How would we tend to start thinking if we went on a long run of public successes? What would the people around us start to say about us? Why would we be so prone to start believing all the hype?
- What do our sins teach us about our need for God, the Gospel, and to depend on Him?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 32:1-23
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 32:1-23
Helpful thoughts:
- Hezekiah remembered who the Champion of Judah was.
- “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”
- Sennacherib sought to weaken the people through false teaching!
- He claimed that removing all the “high places” reduced the worship of God. Fewer altars = less worship.
- He bragged about their victories over the gods of many surrounding nations. Do you think your God is better than ours?
- He warned them not to trust their leader, Hezekiah. Your king is misleading you.
- The nation who had just completely defeated Israel (The northern tribes) not too long before, lost in the offensive campaign against Judah. Not a single stone was slung. Not a single sword was swung be any man from Judah.
- For more details, you can read 2 Kings 19.
Questions to consider:
- Why was Sennacherib’s propaganda campaign false? How would you correct his messages? In what way was the “reduction” in worship actually an “upgrade” in worship?
- Had the people not been learning the Word of God and if they had not been relying on Him, what might the threats of King Sennacherib done to their hearts? Was their decision to stand firm a new development or was it the fruit of their fervent devotion?
- Sometimes people misuse 1 Corinthians 10:13 to expect God to bail them out of situations that are actually the consequences of their own wrong choices and actions. We can even get angry with God, thinking He didn’t let us “escape” the hardship. But, compare this passage today with this encouraging verse from 1 Corinthians…how did Hezekiah, the prophets and priests, and the people of Judah bear up under the load of this temptation and hardship? How had they become prepared?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21
Helpful thoughts:
- Revival took place. Often in the Chronicles, we have been told whether the kings of Judah tore down the high places or not. In this instance, King Hezekiah needed to do nothing. The people took care of destroying the idolatrous places themselves.
- The government can write righteous laws, but no government can generate sincere sanctification.
- According to the MacArthur Study Bible, if you add all the commanded tithes from the law and averaged them out annually, the amount would have been about 23% (There were two annual tithes and one every three years, hence the 23% figure). This 23% average was solely for the priests, Levites, the operation of the Temple and to help the poor. Any other taxes for the military or other needs would have been in addition to this.
- However, these tithes had not been received for some time. You could argue “taxes” may have gone up under Hezekiah, but the people were delighted to contribute because they supported the cause.
- A major benefit of the renewed tithes was that the priests and Levites were now able to focus their time and energy toward studying, teaching and leading the nation to follow the Word of God.
Questions to consider:
- The nation of Judah was repentant and growing in righteousness from the top-down (From the King/Government) and from the bottom-up (The people). Israel was originally a theocracy (God as king) and became a monarchy (Kings who were supposed to have considered themselves servants of the Lord to lead His people). Our country (The United States) is different…a country “by the people and for the people” with freedom of religion. How should this difference guide us in rightly nuancing our understanding of the role of the church and the way revival would look?
- What would revival in the church look like and how would it affect our community? Is the church an agent of change around us that works from the bottom-up or the top-down…or both? And how?
- Since Israel and Judah were to have a national religion that participated in the construct of the national governance, why would it make sense that we view the percentages of their tithes differently than we view our modern day taxes and offerings?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 30:1-27
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 30:1-27
Helpful thoughts:
- The recipients of these letters Hezekiah sent out included Israelites from the northern tribes. This was after the Assyrians had conquered the northern nation.
- In order to worship the Lord, the people first had to throw away all the altars that were built for idolatry. Repentance means a change of mind and a turning which results in changed actions. The old idols had to go.
- Part of that repentance was evidenced by the Levites doing their duties “According to the Law of Moses.” (Verse 16) They submitted themselves to the Word of God.
- These two weeks consisted of praise, humble confession, offerings, teaching and learning the Word of God, and the fellowship of God’s people. Being done with a sincere heart, the people didn’t want it to end.
- They had been starving. Nothing like this had been seen since Solomon’s reign (Over 215 years earlier).
- Praise God for the regular gathering of the church. Come and encourage others to come with you!
Questions to consider:
- What were the various responses from those who received the invitation to repent and draw near to the Lord in repentance (Verses 10-11)? What did those couriers have to endure in order to extent this invitation and also see the fruit they did? Was it worth it?
- Why did Judah respond in unity the way they did (Verse 12)? Who brings about true revival? How could/should this affect our prayers for our own growth and the salvation of those we love?
- Why did Hezekiah need to pray for atonement in verses 17-20? What was the criteria of those whom God would apply the atonement requested? What would be the results of a person committed to seek God with their heart (Would they continue to follow God without learning how to worship Him)? How would these truths apply through the gospel to the Christian today?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36
Helpful thoughts:
- Hezekiah had the right priority. If anything else was going to truly be put in order in Judah, the nations relationship with God had to come first.
- It’s quite possible that the lack of priests in verse 34 would be explained by all of the idolatry in that generation. There should not have been a lack for priests, but not enough of them were prepared to do their work. Perhaps they had been busy doing other (Idolatrous) things…
- Hezekiah’s reign looms large for the chronicler. Unlike many of his predecessors, his time on the throne will not be contained within one chapter of Scripture.
Questions to consider:
- What is negligence (Verse 11)? How had the people of Judah, the religious leaders and the king been negligent? What has the church been called to do and what must we pursue to avoid negligence?
- Speaking of priorities, why are Bible study/reading and prayer such good indicators of a person’s spiritual health? What do our lives and days look like when God comes first? (Be careful not to be legalistic on the time of day…when are the best times for you?)
- Why were the people so pleased and so surprised that the events of this month went so well (Verse 36)? What had the people and priests of Judah been doing just the month before? How can this encourage you in your growth and the church as a whole?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 28:1-27
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 28:1-27
Helpful thoughts:
- We are reminded in verse 1 who the father of the kings of Judah was. This is David’s line. This is the line of Christ.
- The sins of Ahaz ought to startle and grieve the reader. These sins are grievous no matter who commits them.
- Even though Israel had rejected the Lord, they were more responsive to His warnings during these events than Judah.
- The northern tribes of Israel were finally defeated and taken into captivity by the Assyrians during Ahaz’s wicked reign. There was discipline and judgment all around Judah and Israel. They would not repent.
Questions to consider:
- What is so amazing about verse 22 after reading all of the other things Ahaz was known to do? What terrible sins did the king of Judah participate in?
- Not only did the king worship false gods himself, but he also prevented others from worshiping the true God. How did he do this (Verses 24-25)?
- What hope is presented at the end of the chapter? King Ahaz was not the promised king who would reign forever in righteousness and justice (Neither would Hezekiah). Who was Judah supposed to be looking for? Whom do we long to see on the throne forever?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 27:1-9
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 27:1-9
Helpful thoughts:
- Jotham did much good as the king of Judah. Yet, he omitted one thing. He did not remove the high places for use in the people idolatry (2 Kings 15:35).
- This is how the people “still followed corrupt practices.”
- To simply maintain the infrastructure of the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah, much proactive work needed to be done. The same was true spiritually.
Questions to consider:
- Even though Jotham became mighty as he followed after the Lord, what would have been happening to the nation through their corruption?
- Is a family or a church strong and healthy when it’s leaders alone, or it’s members alone are doing well? How many of us are needed to bring about the health of our church and our families?
- What are the spiritual “gates” and “walls” that need strengthened and maintained in the life of a believer and in the family/church?
Devotional: 2 Chronicles 26:1-23
Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 26:1-23
Helpful thoughts:
- King Uzziah followed the Lord until he started to think Judah’s success was his own doing. Pride came…and then a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
- These priests who spoke the truth in love to their king are called men of valor (Verse 17). It takes much bravery to confront someone, perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
- Uzziah suffered a consequence for his refusal to receive the rebuke. But even with his leprosy, God was showing him mercy.
- God showed him mercy by not taking his life (Exodus 30:9, Leviticus 10:1-3).
- God showed him mercy by teaching him to listen to the loving spiritual leadership of the priests, which he had just failed to do (Leviticus 13-14).
Questions to consider:
- How many of the Jewish people would have thought King Uzziah’s desire to burn incense at the altar was a good thing? If they had little knowledge of the Law, what would Uzziah’s action have looked like to them? Wasn’t he worshiping the right God?
- How did Uzziah’s pride effect his view of God and His standards? Who became the new standard writer? How can we rightly discern if the things we are doing are truly glorifying to God or if they just “feel right” to us?
- How does God show mercy to His children through the blessing of consequences? Christ has already taken our wrath and there is no condemnation for us before God (Romans 8:1), but what does God use earthly consequences to do in our lives? Why are they a blessing? (Hebrews 12:5-11)
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