Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

Nehemiah 8 breaks down into three sections. In the first, Ezra the scribe reads the Law of Moses to the people from morning until noon. The event was a solemn occasion. Ezra stood on a platform above the people, with other leaders surrounding him. As the people listened other leaders stood among them and told them the “sense” of what was being read. What an amazing truth: Sometimes we need help in interpreting God’s word, especially when we are younger in the faith.  The Law of Moses had not been read for a long time, so those who understood it, helped those who did not to understand. In the second section, Nehemiah and Ezra challenged the people not to cry, because this was not a day of mourning. While the reading of the Law was convicting, the goal was to challenge and encourage the people. They reminded the people to celebrate to eat and share with others. They also offered this amazing truth: The joy of the LORD is your strength! Sometimes when we are not feeling the joy we own as Jesus’ followers, we must remember the LORD’s joy is in us and provides us strength. Finally, on the second day of coming together to hear Ezra read the Law, the people discovered the LORD’s command to celebrate the feast of booths. This feast had not been celebrated since the time of Joshua, before the monarchy began! The people celebrated the feast together, and each day they continued to read the Law. As Jesus’ followers, we need to read God’s word. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals Himself to us. As we read each book, chapter and verse we gain more understanding, and become better equipped to live in His ways. While reading the word without application in the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t change us, much transformation comes when we do read it and apply it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 9 offers an amazing recounting of how the people responded to their reading of the Law. First, they read for a quarter of a day. Then they cried out in confession to the LORD for a quarter of a day! Imagine that–an entire people group confessing their individual and corporate sin before the LORD. So often, we who are Americans believe we need only confess our sins individually, but my sin impacts the entire group of believers, as does yours. After they confessed their sins, they called out to the LORD and “reminded” Him of all He had done, and all they had done. The LORD had called them to faithfulness, and they had acted in disobedience. Whether in Egypt, or in the wilderness, or in the Promised Land, the people responded to God’s great mercy and love with disobedience. At times the LORD subjected the people to judgment and punishment at the hands of other nations, but each time He forgave them and reestablished them. What incredible grace and mercy God has for us! He forgives us time and time again. At the close of the chapter, the people signed a new covenant. It wasn’t new in the sense that Jesus established a new covenant with us by dying on the cross, paying the penalty for human sin, and rising again. It was new in being a recommitment to live the Law of Moses.

As we turn to Chapter 10 we find a list of those who signed or sealed the Covenant, starting with Nehemiah, the governor, and including many of the officials and religious leaders. After sealing the Covenant the people reminded themselves of what they were agreeing to do. They would not marry foreigners. They would not do business on the Sabbath. They would give offerings to support the work of the House of the LORD and the priests and Levites who served in it. Sometimes in our lives, we need to recommit ourselves to the LORD’s will and work. We need to recommit ourselves to living in relationship with Him and in the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus’ followers, we are redeemed from sin and death, and we have a new spirit, the Holy Spirit within us. That does not mean we never fall back into sin, or forget who we are and whose we are. The new covenant Jesus made with us was sealed in His blood, so we don’t need to re-seal it. We do need to make a fresh commitment to live in it on a regular basis.

As we return to Matthew 8, the Sermon on the Mount has ended and Matthew shares a number of healing miracles with us. Their order is different from that in Mark. Why? Matthew organized his gospel so it would be easier to memorize. Remember, printing presses would not be invented for centuries. The only way to transmit truth was to make written copies, or to memorize information and pass it on orally. While we live in a culture that doesn’t memorize much, because we can “Google” what we want to know, in Matthew’s culture, memorization was pivotal. Matthew tells us of Jesus healing a leper, a Roman centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law and the people of her town, and two demon-possessed men. He also includes Jesus’ calming of a storm. All these miracles are recorded in Mark, but in different places throughout Mark. The different order doesn’t tell us they didn’t take place. Rather the confirmation of two authors deepens the evidence they happened. The details differ a bit, as we would expect when two sources provide information on the same event. The key is Jesus was unlike anyone who had lived before Him or who has lived since, because He was and is the Son of God!

Nehemiah 4 records the initial opposition to the work of rebuilding the wall. Sanballat and Tobiah came against the people with words. We have all heard the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us.” The truth is words can penetrate far deeper than the physical wounds caused by sticks and stones. Sanballat and Tobiah intended to discourage the Jews, to put fear in their hearts, to dishearten them to the point they gave up. The response of Nehemiah was twofold: 1) He prayed. He prayed and asked the LORD to protect them; and 2) He rallied the people to work and be prepared to fight. His strategy was clear and effective. He had half the men stand with spears, javelins, and swords at the ready to fight. The laborers who carried the stones, carried the stones in such a way that they carried with one hand and held their swords with the other. Those who laid the stones worked with their swords strapped to their waists. Because of these precautions Judah’s enemies decided not to attack them. At night, the people slept inside the wall, and watchmen were posted throughout the night. The people had a clear vision from God, effective leaders with a clear and effective plan to address their distractors and detractors. The work forged forward.

Nehemiah 5 gives us a clear understanding of Nehemiah’s character, his love for his people and the observation of the law and his generosity. When Nehemiah found out some of the people were enslaving their Jewish brothers and sisters, or their children, he called them out on it. We’re told before he said a word he “took counsel with myself.” That could sound arrogant, until we realize what it means is Nehemiah turned to the LORD and the words of the Law and examined what was going on in light of these. The result was a call for those who were enslaving their brothers and sisters, and those who were charging interest to their brothers and sisters to free those they had enslaved and to stop charging interest. The people agreed. Nehemiah had them make their vows before the priests, and he made them aware of the consequence if they didn’t fulfill their commitment: they would be banished, or “shaken out” from among the people.

In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to Nehemiah to frighten him, and threaten him to stop the work on the wall. They also wanted him to come to them, but Nehemiah realized they intended to kill him, so he did not go. Sanballat and Tobiah also had false prophets tell Nehemiah he was to go into the Temple to gain protection from them, but he would not listen, because God gave him true knowledge and wisdom in the situation. Eventually, the work on the walls was done. It took only fifty-two days from start to finish. All the surrounding people realized God’s hand was on the work, and they feared God. We see the importance of listening to God, and following His word and will rather than letting people around us influence our thoughts, words, and actions. Nehemiah offers us a powerful example of what can happen when God’s leaders listen and obey God, and His people submit themselves to faithful leadership.

As we read Nehemiah 7, we find that when the work was completed, Nehemiah appointed Hanani, his brother, and Hananiah as leaders over Jerusalem. Nehemiah had promised King Artaxerxes he would return after the project was completed. Now, he was establishing leadership in Judah for the time when he would no longer be there. The remainder of chapter 7 records the names and positions of the people who returned from Babylon (now Persia) to Judah. Once again, we see how important it was to the people of that time to record and remember the names of the people who returned to Judah in fulfillment of the LORD’s command. The chapter concludes with numerical totals of the number of people and the number of gifts given by those people to the work of the LORD. Many modern church leaders say, “We count people, because people count.” While a focus on how much and how many can become an end in itself, God has always had His people record and remember how many and how much when it came to establishing His people, and remembering their work. The only time this was not considered good was when a king would number or count his troops. The reason this was not a good thing, was it could be done so as to trust in the number of soldiers he had rather than the LORD.

As we return to Matthew 7, and the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, let’s focus on Jesus’ reminder to all of us of how hard it is to follow Him, and that not all who call Him “LORD” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. In our day, many American Christians emphasize to an extreme that we are saved by faith and not works. We aresave by faith and not by our works. Yet, Jesus reminded us of the great effort we must expend in following Him. As I say so often, “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.” A child can understand Jesus’ command to do to others what we would have done to ourselves, but doing to others what we would have done to us is hard, and often impossible, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. One of the most challenging statements Jesus makes is there will be people who do miracles and cast out demons in His name who will be cast out of the Kingdom of God. Our actions speak louder than our words, but even our actions done in the name of Jesus, can be done apart from a relationship with Him. While we cannot earn salvation by our works, once we have been born again, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, then and only then, will we do works that please Him, and we must do those works to please Him. Never let the lie of Satan that you must earn your salvation deceive you. All our works are as “filthy rags,” apart from the saving grace of God in Jesus. At the same time, never let the lie of Satan that you can bask in God’s grace apart from his works keep you from living in faith and obedience to Him.

In Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah finds out Jerusalem is in disrepair. His response is to cry out to God. He doesn’t ask God, “Why?” He confesses his sin, and the sin of the people, and asks God to have mercy and to restore the people. He “reminds” God of His promise to restore the people when they cry out to Him. He doesn’t pray for a  few minutes, or even an hour, but for days.

In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah came before King Artaxerxes, and as he served the king wine, the king asked him why he was so sad? Without hesitation, even though he was filled with fear, Nehemiah told the king his sadness was from knowing the land of his ancestors lay in ruins and the Temple of his God as well. The king gave permission for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls as well as to rebuild the Temple. He also sent letters to those who controlled the region: Sanballat and Tobiah, not to interfere with the process. Even so, Sanballat and Tobiah were against the rebuilding process and from the outset jeered the idea that it would happen. Upon his arrival, Nehemiah assessed the situation, and cast a vision for the people to start the rebuilding process. This chapter gives us a brief summary of how much we do in Kingdom work takes place: First, God gives someone a vision for the work. Then God opens a door for the work. Next, opposition to the work arises. Then the one who received the vision shares the vision with others. At that moment the others must buy into the vision, and the process continues. Ongoing opposition to the work willcome, if it is truly God’s work, because our enemy, Satan, does not want God’s work to take place. As God’s people trust in Him, pursue the vision, and stand in the face of obstacles, the work moves forward.

In Nehemiah 3, we read about the repairing of the wall and gates surrounding Jerusalem. With extensive detail, Nehemiah records the names, occupations, and specific locations of those who repaired sections of the wall and which section was repaired. The repairs started with a priest and his family. We’re told at one point that a man and his sons and daughters participated in the repairs. We realize the significance of daughters being mentioned, because women’s names, and even presence was often left out of these lists. Nehemiah ensured these people and their families would be remembered every time his words were read. They were the people who trusted Nehemiah’s vision was from God and were willing to pursue it. Nehemiah believed the gate would be rebuilt. He “saw” it before it happened. Nehemiah was a believing is seeing kind of person. Thank God, many “saw” his vision, too. They also believed and started working. From my experience, some of the folks who are listed later, saw the actual walls and gates that had been completed. Then they believed and joined the work, too. They were the seeing is believing people. We always need both. Someone must believe before he or she sees, or the work won’t begin. Those who join in after they see the work, ensure the work continues and is completed.

As we return to Matthew 6, we find ourselves in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. While all the sermon is important and challenging, Matthew six offers us instruction regarding giving, prayer and fasting. Then it moves on to remind us of where we must store our treasure to gain God’s “return,” as well as how important it is to rely on God to provide for all our needs. The chapter concludes with Jesus’ command in 6:33 to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the reminder as we do that everything we need will be added to that. Matthew 6:33, has long been the verse I have clung to as I have followed Jesus into unknown territory. As a pastor for more than thirty-four years, I have experienced many times personally and in the churches I have served where it seemed we would not have enough resource to provide for our needs. In those moments, I have returned to Matthew 6:33, and have remembered my task was to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first, to call my family and the church family to do the same and to expect the need to be provided. God has always fulfilled His promise to provide. I have been amazed at the many different ways He has done so. At times, when the weekly offering was “$X,” we would receive a gift from one individual that was “$X.” In other words, one person would give an entire week’s offering. That person might never have given, or might have given generously before, but in that moment, he or she gave an entire week’s offering, just when we needed it. I hadn’t asked the person for it, although I had prayed to the LORD for the provision, and He chose to use that means. At other times in our personal life, God chose to provide through a gift from a family member or friend, or even through having the opportunity to officiate at a funeral, and receiving an honorarium that met the need. (I’m not saying God made the person die, so my family would receive the gift, but in the moment of need the gift came.) The bottom line is: put Jesus first. Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, “If you don’t seek first the Kingdom of God, you won’t seek the Kingdom of God.” How true. The moment we put anything before Jesus in our lives, He gets pushed aside whether momentarily or for a longer time. In that moment, we are in a dangerous place, a place where we are responsible to meet our own needs. Always remember: When Jesus and His Kingdom are first in our lives, Heis responsible to meet our needs. When He and His Kingdom are not first, weare responsible to meet our needs.

 

As we turn to Ezra 8, we read the genealogies of those who were returning to Jerusalem with Ezra. Then Ezra called for the Levites to come, because they were missing from the group. After this, Ezra called for a fast for the LORD to protect the people. He didn’t want to ask the king for soldiers to protect them, because he had told the king the LORD would protect them, which turned out to be right. When the group made it to Jerusalem, they celebrated by offering sacrifices to the LORD.

Ezra 9 records Ezra’s long and anguished prayer to the LORD of the returning exiles’ failure to retain racial purity. They had intermarried with many different races. Ezra confesses the reason they were in exile in the first place was because they had failed to follow the LORD whole-heartedly, and now they were being given a great opportunity by Him. Ezra asked for the LORD’s help in doing the right thing. While we find the concept of racial segregation as one we have fought against as a nation, we must remember the people of Judah were being reestablished as God’s people, and their faithful worship of the LORD was a major matter.

Ezra concludes in chapter 10 with the people confessing they had sinned greatly against their God, by intermarrying with foreign women. While a couple of leaders opposed the judgment that the men would have to put away their foreign wives and children, the vast majority agreed. The record of the priests who had taken foreign women is listed as the book ends. It is a long list, and we see how significant the offense was considered to be, precisely because we have the list as part of the Bible. Again, our modern sensibilities might be offended by this, but as Judah was being reestablished, it was necessary that idolatry not become rooted in the culture as it had in the past. Of course, idolatry cannot be rooted out by eliminating cross-cultural marriages. The human heart is prone to idolatry. We must follow Jesus’ command to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness if we are to overcome it.

As we return to Matthew 5, and the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded how challenging Jesus’ teaching in this section of Matthew are. As we read Matthew 5-7 these three days, we must remember Jesus was establishing what “Kingdom people” are like. We cannot be Kingdom people without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Given that Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount before He died, rose again, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, the message must have seemed incredibly difficult or impossible to Jesus’ original hearers. We will not attempt to summarize each section of Matthew 5 here, but will focus on 5:13-16. I’m sitting in the Bangkok Airport (Thailand) as I write this post, waiting for my first trip to Laos. I’m on a mission trip to Cambodia with twenty-three others from New Life, but Pastor Matt Geppert, the president of the South East Asia Prayer Center asked me to accompany him on this brief trip. We are submitted to his authority, so here I am! Anyway, it seems appropriate with a team from New Life in Cambodia, me in Thailand, and all of you who are part of New Life in various parts of western Pennsylvania seeking to follow Jesus faithfully, to be given His vital reminder: we are salt and light! In Jesus’ day salt was used primarily as a preservative. It kept meat from rotting. It was also used as a healing agent, as a flavor enhancer for food, and in some places it was even used as “money.” Salt was vital in the world of Jesus’ day. He calls us to be vital in the same way. Our world will “rot,” be sick, tasteless and without value unless we who bear Jesus’ name offer His life that is truly life to those around us. Light has always had one, primary purpose–dispel darkness. We have the opportunity and responsibility to dispel the darkness around us in our daily experience wherever that experience is being lived out at this moment. (By the time you read this post, I will be back in Cambodia, and looking forward to the first day of Kids’ Camp with the rest of the New Life Team, and hundreds of children from the New Hope for Orphans children’s home, and people from churches around the globe who are helping with leadership of the camp. [The LORD willing, of course.]) Let’s be certain we call on the Holy Spirit to fill us in this moment and throughout the day, so we’ll will be salt and light to each one and everyone we meet.

In Ezra 5, the detractors of the rebuilding of the Temple expand to include the local governing officials in Judah. They send a letter to King Darius complaining about the project, and asking for the project to be stopped. The problem is in the process they ask King Darius to look back in the annals of King Cyrus to find out what was really supposed to happen. As we read in Ezra 6, The exiles were vindicated and the building of the Temple not only continued, but was completed. The items taken during Nebuchadnezzar’s time were restored. The people who had issued the original complaint against the exiles were required to collect taxes and use them to provide sacrifices for the Temple. Once the Temple was completed the exiles also celebrated the Passover, which had not been done in many decades. The celebration in Judah must have been incredible. As we have seen throughout our reading of the Old Testament, the LORD uses whomever He chooses to carry out His will. The lesson for us is to discern and do His will! It isn’t hard to discern His will, because He has made it so clear to us in His written word. He also speaks to us through His Spirit in prayer. He uses circumstances and other believers to communicate His will to us as well. We don’t want to be like Tatanni and stand against His will, because in the end that doesn’t work out well.

In Ezra 7, we are introduced to Ezra. He was sent by King Artaxerxes to teach the Law of Moses to the people of God, to implement the king’s edicts concerning the Temple worship, and obedience to the God of Heaven and the king, and to let the treasurers of the detractors to provide funds for the Temple worship. At the close of the chapter, Ezra is given the authority from the king to punish those who disobey the laws of the God of Heaven or the king, and to do so through execution, banishment, confiscation of goods or imprisonment. Ezra was given absolute authority from the king to make certain the LORD’s will was known and carried out. Yet another example of how the LORD uses whom He chooses to fulfill His purposes.

As we return to Matthew 4, Jesus spends forty days being tempted in the wilderness. Satan’s temptations include using His power for His own benefit, using His power to attract the crowds to Him, and giving in to the easy way to accomplish His purpose. Each time Jesus quotes Scripture and finally sends the devil away. We’re told Satan leaves until an opportune time. We must always remember, when Satan tempts us and we overcome in the power of the Spirit, he will return again at an opportune time. The opportune times for Satan in our lives are times of victory and defeat. After victories we are prone to pride and after defeats we are prone to despair. In both conditions, Satan has an easier time deceiving or distracting us, with the intention of destroying us. So long as we remember Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, we will always be ready for the temptations. The remainder of the chapter tells us of Jesus’ initial message of repentance, His calling of the first disciples, and the immediate response of the crowds to follow Him.

Today, we move to Ezra. The events of Ezra follow immediately after the end of 2 Chronicles. Ezra was a leader in the third wave of exiles who returned to Judah under the permission of King Cyrus of Persia. The amazing reality we see here is once again, the LORD used a pagan king to bring about His will and purpose. In Ezra 1, we read King Cyrus’ decree, which directed the exiles from Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the House of the God of heaven. Cyrus permitted any of the priests and people who wanted to return to do so. He also sent back all the items from the Temple in Jerusalem, which King Nebuchadnezzar had carried off when he destroyed Jerusalem. What an amazing reality we read here! While Jeremiah had prophesied this event, when it happened, the people of Judah must have been overjoyed at the opportunity to return home. Most of them would surely have been born in exile, because their time away had been seventy years.

The return of the exiles to Jerusalem was massive, as we read in Ezra 2. More than 42,000 people returned with Zerubbabel. We read long lists of names, and the number of “sons” they had. We find they were divided by whether they were priests, or Levites, or other factors. We also find some who returned did not have proof of their ancestry. This was a key factor in the return, because the nation was being reestablished, and just as the LORD had called forth a people through Abraham, now He was reestablishing His people. That meant those who couldn’t prover their ancestry were prohibited from being priests, if that was their work, until after the priests could consult the “urim and thummim.” In other words, the LORD had to confirm they were able to be reinstated. This was no hodge-podge process, but a well-organized and well-orchestrated movement of the Lord’s people back into their land.

In Ezra 3 we read the first action the returning exiles took was to rebuild the LORD’s altar and to reinstitute the morning and evening sacrifices. They also reinstituted the feasts required in the Law of Moses and followed its direction with regard to serving the LORD. In the second year after they returned, they started construction on the Temple. When the foundation was laid, the priests and Levites gathered, and sang praises to the LORD. Those who gathered divided into two groups: the older returnees who had seen the first Temple, who wept when the saw the foundation–this could have been because it was smaller or because they were overwhelmed to realize it was being restored; and  a group who shouted with joy. These were the younger ones who were so overjoyed at the reality of the Temple being rebuilt they praised the LORD. This shows us that depending on our stage of life, different events can bring joy to one and sorrow to another, or at the very least joy to one and overwhelm to another.

In Ezra 4 we read of those who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple. They had lived in Judah while the returning exiles were living in Babylon. They had worshiped the LORD in some manner, since they have been put in the land by the Assyrians. They asked to become part of the project, but the returning Jews were adamant about not letting these outsiders participate in the project. As a result, these opponents wrote a letter to the new king of Persia, Artaxerxes. They warned him to stop the building, because the Jews had always been rebellious against any occupying force. Artaxerxes was unaware of King Cyrus’ order, so he commanded the building to stop, and it remained that way until the rise of King Darius.

As we return to Matthew 3, we read of John the Baptist’s ministry of preparing the way for Jesus. Matthew gives us extensive detail about John’s ministry, and particularly of how John challenged the religious leaders to true repentance, rather than relying on their heritage as “Abraham’s children.” John’s point is so helpful, because we can never rely on our heritage to be made right with the LORD. Our relationship with Him cannot be through any other person, but only directly with Him. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, John was unwilling. He wanted Jesus to baptize him, but eventually Jesus convinced John it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus. Then God the Father spoke to Him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What an amazing moment! Jesus was the Son of God, and yet at the outset of His earthly ministry, His Heavenly Father affirmed His love for Jesus and affirmed His action. If Jesus needed or at least received His Father’s love and affirmation, we certainly need that from our own earthly dads, and if we are dads we need to pass it on to our children in situations where we can do that.

2 Chronicles 35 starts on a high note with King Josiah reimplementing the Passover in Judah. We’re told in the Chronicler’s typical extensive detail about all the preparations, and all the ways the priests and Levites were involved. We’re also told no Passover had been celebrated like this in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. Josiah’s love for the LORD and for the ritual of his faith set him apart among all the kings of Israel and Judah. Unfortunately, the chapter ends with King Josiah going out against King Neco of Egypt. Neco warned Josiah to go back to his home, that his fight was not with Josiah. Nevertheless, Josiah dressed up in a disguise and went to battle. He was shot and mortally wounded. His servants took him back to Jerusalem where he died. The people mourned the loss of this great king who had served the LORD faithfully.

2 Chronicles 36 tells us after Josiah died, the people put his son Jehoahaz in his place as king. He ruled only three months, and the king of Egypt came in and deposed him. He replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Eliakim. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then he carried Jehoahaz off to exile in Egypt.  After an eleven year reign filled with evil in the eyes of the LORD, Jehoahaz was taken to exile in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was replaced by his son, Jehoiachin. After a reign of only three months and ten days, Nebuchadnezzar carried him off to Babylon as well. He put Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s brother in his place as king. Zedekiah did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and caused the people to do the same. He rebelled against Babylon and Nebuchaddnezzar came to Judah and destroyed it. He burned the Temple, the palace, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, and carried the people and spoils off to Babylon. The LORD caused this to happen because of the evil done not only by Zedekiah, but by many kings before him. We’re told the land would lie in “Sabbath” for seventy years. When King Cyrus of Persia became king, he established that the people of Judah could go back and rebuild the House of God in Jerusalem. Thus, 2 Chronicles ends with a ray of hope for the future of Judah and ultimately for Israel.

As we turn again to Matthew 2, we’re reminded of God’s hand on Jesus’ birth. Matthew tells us wisemen came from the east to visit Him after His birth. They visited King Herod of Israel first, which gave him a heads up that a new “king” had been born. Herod pretended to want to worship Jesus, and asked the wisemen to return and tell him where they had found Jesus. But the wisemen were warned in a dream this was a trick, so they returned home another way.  When Herod realized he had been tricked, he sent soldiers to Bethlehem where Jesus had born, and ordered the murder of all male children two years old and under. Thankfully, God had warned Joseph of this impending killing spree, and so had Mary and Jesus safely out of the country and into Egypt by the time it took place.  After Herod died, Joseph returned to Israel with Mary and Joseph, but when Joseph heard Herod’s brother was reigning in his place, he took the family to Nazareth, which was far out of the center of things, and was less likely to raise any concerns from the king. The murder of the innocents offers us an example of the evil people do to one another in every generation. In this life, we will never be free of it, even when we follow Jesus. But we can be sure Jesus came to change that situation, so we w

In 2 Chronicles 32 we read a long account of King Hezekiah’s additional faithfulness before the LORD, which caused the LORD to fight for him in the matter of Sennacherib, King of Assyria. Sennacherib made the mistake of speaking blasphemies about the LORD and comparing Him to the gods of other nations, rather than recognizing and worshiping Him as the one, true and living God. Even with the great deliverance God provided for them, Hezekiah became proud in his latter years. He amassed a large fortune, and showed everything in the Temple to visiting ambassadors from Babylon. While the Chronicler is always gentler with the wrongs of Judah’s kings than the records we find in 2 Kings, he makes it clear that because of Hezekiah’s pride, Judah would one day fall. Because Hezekiah humbled himself, the punishment would be transmitted to a future generation, but the punishment was going to come. Ordinarily, future generations are not punished for the sins of the fathers, but in this case God makes an exception. The last lines of 2 Chronicles 32 tell us of Hezekiah’s death and his being replaced by his son, Manasseh.

2 Chronicles 33 records the evil of King Manasseh. We’re told his evil was like that of the people who lived in the land before Israel and Judah had moved into the lan. That included sacrificing his own sons to foreign Gods. The result of this behavior, was God put Judah in bondage to the Assyrians. In that condition Manasseh cried out to the LORD, and as usual, the LORD heard his prayers and delivered them. After Manasseh’s reign ended, his son Amon became king. Amon also did evil in the sight of the LORD and ruled Judah for only two years. Amon’s servants assassinated him, but the people of the land struck down all who had been involved in the assassination, and put Josiah, his son, in place as king.

2 Chronicles 34 records the reign of King Josiah, Manasseh’s son. Josiah became king when he was only 8 years old, but he was a great king who did what was right as his “father” David had done. When he was still a teenager, he implemented reforms in Israel and when He was twenty, he started to implement repairs and restoration of the Temple, and faithful worship. He removed the high places and caused people to worship God in the right ways. As the Temple restoration was taking place, Hilkiah the priest found a copy of the Law of Moses. When Josiah read it, he tore his clothes, because he realized the people of Judah had caused God’s anger and would be judged. He sent Hilkiah to a prophet to see what would be the outcome. The prophetess Huldah told the priests God would avenge Himself on Judah, but not until a later generation. He would honor the repentance of Josiah, and HIs work to restore proper worship to Israel. This serves as a vital reminder to each of us, when we recognize our own sin, how vital it is that we repent and return to the LORD not only that we might be forgiven.

As we turn again to Matthew 1, we recall the long genealogy of Jesus’ line, which starts with Abraham. It doesn’t go all the way back to Adam, because Matthew is of Jewish background, and wanted to establish for his readers that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Following this we have the beginning of the record of Jesus’ birth. As we have said before only Luke and Matthew have birth narratives for Jesus, and in the Matthean account, we’re given the vital detail that Joseph wanted to put Mary away after he found out she was pregnant and they had not yet “come together,” but an angel appeared to him in a dream and confirmed Mary was not unfaithful. The Holy Spirit was the “father,” and Jesus would be called the Son of God. As we read this record again, we’re reminded of how hard it must have been to be in Joseph’s sandals, and what a godly man he must have been to recognize the dream was more than just a dream, but was actually God speaking to him. In our lives, we do well to remember God wants to use us to continue advancing His Kingdom, and we need to be ready for whatever He has in mind for us whether miraculous or mundane.

2 Chronicles 29 brings us to a powerful turning point for good in Judah. King Hezekiah comes to the throne, and from his first day, he brings about reform and restoration to Judah. Though they are in bondage due to their former sin, King Hezekiah has the priests consecrate themselves, and then to take all the non-consecrated items from the Temple and to restore it. The process took sixteen days, and when it was completed, the priests and Levites offered burnt offerings. They sang songs of praise. The people brought offerings and sacrifices, and the ministry of the Temple was reestablished. One of the interesting points in the process is, the priests and Levites used the instruments David had constructed for their worship. We have read of foreign occupiers coming in and taking the gold shields from the Temple, and other instruments of gold and bronze, but they didn’t take the instruments for worship. How ironic, that the instruments of worship, in one sense the most valuable items in the Temple were considered of little worth to the foreign powers that invaded and took the items of value away. Now, they were available to re-implement true worship in Judah.

In 2 Chronicles 30, Hezekiah re-established the Passover. In doing so, he invited the inhabitants of Israel to join them, because the Passover hadn’t been celebrated for many years in either Judah or Israel. Many among the tribes in Israel laughed at the idea of celebrating Passover, but a number humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem for the celebration. The Passover feast was a time of worship such as had not been seen in Judah since the time of King Solomon. We’re told during the feast, King Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to the people, and reminded them of their heritage. While Passover itself was a somber and sacred remembrance of God’s mighty deliverance of the people of Israel in a time of great distress, the result of it being celebrated in Judah was great rejoicing. The Passover was required to last for seven days, but as a result of their return to the LORD and to His Passover, the people decided to celebrate together for an additional seven days. This is what made the celebration unlike anything that had been seen in Judah since the days of Solomon.

2 Chronicles 31 records Hezekiah’s re-establishing the priests and Levites throughout Judah, and his continuing reforms that brought the priesthood back into favor, and the worship of the LORD to levels of former faithfulness. Hezekiah provided the animals for sacrifice for the celebrations in the Temple, and commanded the people to bring their tithes and offerings to the priests and Levites. The response was so great that storehouses needed to be added to the Temple to keep the excess that came. When a people, as a people, are so faithful to the LORD He promises to be with them and to bless them, and we’re told that throughout Hezekiah’s reign he did everything in service to the LORD with all his heart, and he prospered.

As we turn to Matthew 28, we read Matthew’s account of the resurrection.  Matthew gives us some details the other gospels don’t. He tells us an angel appeared and caused an earthquake which rolled the stone away from Jesus’ tomb. The result of this was the guards froze and “became as dead men.” The angel spoke to the women, and told them Jesus had risen and would meet His disciples in Galilee. As they went to tell the disciples, the women came across Jesus Himself! He told them to have the disciples come to Galilee, too. When the guards realized what had happened they went to town and told the Jewish leaders. The leaders gave them money and told them to say they had fallen asleep and the disciples had come and stolen Jesus’ body. They also told the guards if the Roman authorities heard about this, they would take care of it. The story has a couple of problems with it. First, a Roman soldier who fell asleep on his watch was executed. That makes the story bogus from the outset. The other thing is if they had, indeed, fallen asleep, then how could they know what happened? In any case, the story was circulated and believed by many.

 

Jesus did appear to the disciples in Galilee. We’re told when they saw Jesus they worshiped Him but some doubted. While it might seem at first that the disciples ought all to have believed in Him. We must remember people don’t generally rise from the dead, and as much as they wanted that to happen, it had to have seemed incredible when it did. Jesus gave the disciples what we call the Great Commission and then returned to heaven. While John tells us Jesus stayed on the earth for forty days after His resurrection, Matthew’s record makes it seem like the disciples only got to see Him briefly on this one occasion and then Jesus returned to heaven. That is not necessarily the case. For Matthew the important matters to record were that Jesus rose, the disciples saw Him and received commands from Him, and then He returned to heaven. For Matthew the overall time Jesus was with the disciples wasn’t an important detail, so he left it out of his record of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, resurrection and return to heaven. The details he did record give us a fuller picture of Jesus’ resurrection than if he had not left it for us. The key takeaway from Matthew 28 for us is Jesus is alive and He calls us to go into all the world and make disciples. I’m writing this post from the “Lucky Guesthouse” in Sisiphon, Cambodia. I’m with a team of 25 people from New Life, and we’re going to be starting our day of disciple making in about half an hour. Because of the time difference between here and Pennsylvania, you’ll be reading this after our work day is done, so thanks for picking up the work of making disciples while we sleep!

The next ruler of Judah was Amaziah according to 2 Chronicles 25. We’re told he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not with his whole heart. We have come to understand that’s short for: He didn’t tear down the high places. His personal walk with the LORD was sound, but he didn’t extend that to the total corporate realm of his leadership. After Amaziah solidified his leadership, he killed those who had murdered his father, but we’re told he didn’t kill their families according to the law of the LORD. He didn’t take vengeance on anyone, but the generation who committed the crime.  Unfortunately, the rest of the rule of Amaziah can be divided into “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” The good was Amaziah mustered his army and defeated Seir. He had hired 100,000 men of Israel to join his troops for the battle, but a prophet of the LORD told him not to use them, because Israel was evil in the sight of the LORD. When Amaziah protested he had already paid the soldiers, the prophet responded the LORD is able to pay you back many times over. Amaziah released the Israelites and sent them home. He was rewarded for this faithfulness with victory over Seir. The bad comes in when Amaziah brought back idols from Seir and set them up to worship them. A prophet came and asked him why he would worship the gods of a nation that couldn’t even protect their own country–a fair question. Nevertheless, Amaziah continued to worship them. The ugly came as punishment for this, when Amaziah went to battle against Israel. The LORD gave Israel victory over Amaziah as punishment for his sin. This is another example of the LORD using one nation against another as a means of bringing judgment. Throughout the history of the Old Testament we see this principle: History itself demonstrates the judgment of God. God is sovereign over history, and He does not let evil go unpunished forever.

2 Chronicles 26 tells us Uzziah came to power after his father, Amaziah, died. The record of his life has become all too familiar to us: At first Uzziah did what was right in the sight of the LORD. As he did that the LORD blessed and prepared him. Uzziah worshiped the LORD rightly, experienced victories in battle, and rebuilt many parts of Judah. Then the other shoe fell. In his position as victor, builder, and even worshiper of the LORD, Uzziah became prideful. He went into the Temple to offer incense to the LORD. This was an action reserved only for priests. When the priests told him to stop, he would not and as he reached out his hand it became leprous. He lived with that leprosy the rest of his life, which meant he could not longer live in the king’s palace. His son, Jotham took over some of the leadership from him at that time, and became the new king when Uzziah died.

2 Chronicles 27 tells us briefly of Jotham’s reign. Jotham was a good king, who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He experienced victory in battle, and rebuilt parts of the Temple and other buildings that had gone into disrepair. One disturbing comment comes to us regarding Jotham’s reign: “…the people still did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.” Jotham’s reign was faithful, but for some reason his faithfulness did not extend to the daily practices of his people. It extended to his army and to his regime, but the everyday man or woman of Judah didn’t follow the ways of the LORD. This reminds us that each of us is responsible for our own walk with the LORD, and also that one’s leadership isn’t only a matter of corporate expertise. Setting a personal example for those we lead is an important aspect of our leadership as those who follow the LORD.

2 Chronicles 28 tells us after Jotham, Ahaz, his son, became king and did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. That was an understatement. He set up Baals and idol worshiping places “under every green tree.” It was bad, and as a result the LORD judged his leadership and brought defeat to Judah. In the midst of defeat, Ahaz called on the gods of Syria, who had defeated Israel and his people, which only added insult to the LORD and further judgment against his people.  It’s so hard to understand how this radical shift could come after several good kings, but the influence of Israel was strong, and showed up in Judah frequently. As the Apostle Paul would remind us a thousand years later: bad company corrupts good morals.

Matthew 27 is Matthew’s record of Jesus’ judgment before Pilate, His crucifixion and burial. Matthew offers us some information not given in the other gospels. For example, he tells us after Judas realized Jesus was condemned to die, he went to the religious leaders and asked them to reconsider, that he had handed over an innocent man. The religious leaders weren’t concerned. Judas in remorse–but not repentance–went out and hanged himself. The saddest part of this account is even Judas could have been forgiven had he repented, but he did not. Matthew also tells us the religious leaders went to Pilate after Jesus’ death and said that the “imposter” (Jesus) had said He would rise from the dead, so the ought to post guards at the tomb so the disciples wouldn’t be able to steal the body and claim Jesus had risen. Pilate agreed to their request. This would make the resurrection of Jesus that much harder to discount–when it happened on Sunday!