Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 17:1-19
Helpful thoughts:
- Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat followed hard after the Lord and this passage teaches us that he served God and the nation well.
- He was successful even in tearing down the “High places” of pagan worship throughout the kingdom, something Asa had not done.
- The proximity of verse 9 and 10 are striking. We might expect to see that the nation won a huge victory, or that they were ruthless against their enemies, and that these experiences would have brought fear to the surrounding nations. But instead, what we see is a focused and detailed effort to send qualified men to teach the nation the Word of God.
- God’s blessing brought about great military power, not the other way around.
Questions to consider:
- What was the “secret” to Jehoshaphat’s success as a king? What did he do for the people he led? For whom did he labor?
- In order for people to know whether they are obeying the Lord or not, what do they need to know? What is the danger of trusting spiritual experiences when coupled with an ignorance of the Bible? Is it too simple of a calling to read, study and learn the Word of God and then obey Him with your life? Why is this the best (Only) way to be led by the Spirit and strive to be pleasing to Him?
- How could the order of events in this chapter help us to think rightly about how to discern God’s blessing in our lives? Does Psalm 37:4 teach us that God will delight in us when we pray and give us whatever we want? Or, does Psalm 37:4 teach us that when we delight in God our desires are conformed to His, causing us to value the blessings He has promised over our old desires?