Month: July 2018

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!

2 Chronicles 22 tells us matters went from bad to worse in Judah as first Ahaziah became king and then Athaliah became queen. Ahaziah’s reign was brief and evil. He followed the ways of his father and the kings of Israel and worshiped idols. He reigned only a year, because he made the mistake of joining sides with Israel’s king against Syria. When Israel’s king was eliminated by Jehu, Jehu assassinated both King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah. Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah was more evil.  She attempted to have all of Ahaziah’s brother’s killed, but the priests plotted to spare the life of Joash. They hid him for six years, until he was seven years old.

The account continues in 2 Chronicles 23, as the priests conspired to overthrow Athaliah and install Joash as king. The plan worked and Joash became a good king. He found a copy of the Law of Moses, which he used to reform the people, and then caused the Temple to be repaired. The account continues in 2 Chronicles 24, and as we find so often after a good start, Joash rejected God’s will and purpose and started worshiping idols. He did this as a number of kings of Judah before him had done. As a result, he killed Jehoida the priest and ultimately Joash was assassinated, too.

As we turn to Matthew 26, we find the record of the woman poured a jar of expensive perfume on Jesus, while He was eating at the house of Smon the Leper.  Many grumbled because she had “wasted” the money, which the perfume would have brought because of its value. They said this, because the perfume could have been sold and used to feed many poor people. Jesus rebuked the group, and pointed out the woman had done something important for Him.  That’s the part that’s so easy to miss. Jesus appreciates our extravagant acts of giving, or serving or other ways we show our love to Him. Until we learn to love and serve Jesus extravagantly we will always be missing the point, at least to a degree.

After this Judas went to the Jewish religious leaders and agreed to turn Jesus over to them. Following this Jesus has a couple of the disciples go and prepare a place for them to celebrate the Passover. That night Jesus celebrated the Passover in a new way that reinterpreted the bread and Juice so it now represented his body and blood given for us and shed as a sign of the new covenant He would establish through His death on the cross. After this the disciples pledged their allegiance to Jesus, but He told them one of them would deny them, and all of them would run away when He was arrested. Peter promised never to deny or forsake him, but Jesus told Peter he would deny Him three times that night. After the meal, Jesus took the group to Gethsemane to pray. It was there Jesus struggled in prayer, and was eventually arrested after being betrayed by Judas’ kiss. As Jesus had told them, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times that night. As we look at the account of the end of Jesus’ life in any of the four Gospels, we might wonder how those who had been closest to Him, could have betrayed, denied and abandoned Him. All we have to do is to think about the many times in our own lives when we have betrayed, denied and abandoned Jesus in our own lives and we’ll see it isn’t as hard as it might seem!

2 Chronicles 19 records the reforms of King Jehoshaphat. The LORD was upset with him for partnering with King Ahab of Israel, but forgave that wrong, because he did so much good in Judah. Jehoshaphat also appointed judges throughout the land of Judah to preside over cases throughout the land. He charged them to remember they were judging before the LORD, so they were to judge rightly. Jehoshaphat also set up priests and Levites as judges in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 20 records an amazing event in Jehoshaphat’s reign. The Ammonites and Moabites came against Judah with intent to destroy them. Jehoshaphat went to the Temple and prayed, along with all the people of the city. Jehoshaphat cried out to the LORD, and the LORD promised deliverance. Just as He had told the people of Israel when they were about to cross the Red Sea, and were being pursued by the Egyptians, “You need only stand still and I will fight for you,” the gist of the LORD’s promise was the same.  The people praised the LORD that night. The next morning the priests and Levites who played instruments led the army to battle singing and praising the LORD, but there was no battle. The Lord caused the enemy armies to fight among themselves and destroy themselves. It took three days for the army of Judah to bring the spoil home. With that amazing account of the LORD’s deliverance of Judah, we would expect faithfulness from Jehoshaphat for the remainder of his reign as king. As usual, we would be wrong. Jehoshaphat had peace for a long time, but at the end of his reign, he partnered with another king of Israel, Azariah, and was condemned by the LORD for it.

2 Chronicles 21 marks a sad decline in the history of Judah. When Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat came to power after his father’s death, he killed all of his brothers and some of his other relatives, to secure his grip on the throne. Then he turned away from the ways of his father, Jehoshaphat, and pursued “whoredom” as had the kings of Israel. Jehoram had married a daughter of King Ahab, and her influence guided him to re-establish the high places, and to pursue other false gods. As judgment against Jehoram, the LORD allowed Judah’s enemies to have various victories over them, and ultimately Jehoram was struck with a “disease of the bowels,” which ended in an extremely painful death for him. The final words in the chapter tell us he died “with no one’s regret.” Imagine, being such a bad leader that when you died, no one was sad. We see again, that just because a man has a good father, or good parents, doesn’t mean he will do the LORD’s will. Each generation must decide for itself whether they will follow the LORD. Each of us must not only make that decision, but then follow the decision with commitments that will bring us to carry out the decision. Deciding to follow the LORD, to follow Jesus, is good, and following them out of the commitment of our hearts is even better.

As we turn to Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables, each of which relates to being prepared for Jesus’ return. The first parable told of ten virgins who were to attend a wedding. The groom was delayed, so they rested. Five of the virgins were wise, so they brought extra oil for their lamps, but the five who were foolish did not. When their lamps when out, they had to go out in the middle of the night looking for a place to buy more oil. While they were away, the bridegroom came. The five wise virgins were given entranced to the wedding feast and the door was closed. When the other five came they knocked on the door, but weren’t permitted inside. Jesus concluded the parable by telling us we must be ready as well.

Then Jesus told the parable known as the Parable of the Talents. In it He tells of a master who had to go away on a trip. He entrusted his wealth to his servants. He gave the first five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent. We’re told he gave to each according to his ability. (Thus, we see Jesus recognized we aren’t all the same, and have differing abilities.) While their master was away, the first two servants doubled the amount entrusted to them. The third servant was afraid of his master, so he hid the money in the ground. When the master returned, he rewarded the first two servants for their faithfulness, but when the third servant told the master he had buried the talent in the ground, because he was afraid of the master, because the master was harsh. The master responded by telling the servant if he knew the master was harsh, why did he not at least deposit the money in a bank and gain interest. He called the servant wicked and lazy, and commanded he be cast out into he other darkness. Jesus concluded this parable by telling us the one who has much will be given more, and the one who has little will have it taken away. The reason is not because those with much deserve more, and those with little don’t. The reason is the ones who had much used it to their masters glory, and the one with little didn’t. Jesus judges us according to what we have, not according to how much we have, but He expects us to do the most we can with what He entrusts to us.

The final parable is of the end of time. Jesus tells us when He returns He will separate everyone into two groups: the “sheep” and the “goats.” The sheep are those who have done small daily deeds of service to others, such as giving food and clothing to those in need, or visiting those who were sick or in prison. The goats would be those who failed to help such people. Jesus told us when we do something for the least person  in His name, we are doing it to Him.

These parable remind us we were created to glorify God through faithful lives. We aren’t saved but our good works, but once we are saved, we demonstrate our salvation through good works. Often in American Christianity, we have leaned so heavily on God’s grace that it becomes license rather than what it is: God’s unmerited favor to sinners deserving death. The gratitude for such amazing grace challenges us to serve others in Jesus’ name with great love, passion, and always in Jesus’ truth. The New Testament writers made it clear it was never intended to be grace or works, but grace followed by works.

 

2 Chronicles 15 tells us more about King Asa’s reign, and how fully he followed the LORD. His favor with the LORD was such that many from some of the tribes of Israel, deserted Israel and became part of Judah. We’re told Asa even removed his mother from being the queen mother, because she didn’t worship the LORD, and because she made an Asherah pole. One small matter was not attended to by Asa–he didn’t remove the high places around Judah. We’re told his heart was wholly devoted to the LORD, but the high places were always a stumbling block to God’s people. The chapter ends by stating there was no war in Asa’s kingdom until the thirty-fifth year of his reign.

2 Chronicles 16 tells us in the thirty-sixth year of his reign King Baasha of Israel came against him. Instead of relying on the Lord, he relied on the King of Syria. A prophet came to him and asked him why he had relied on the Syrians, when God had dealt with far larger armies before. As a result Asa would have war for the remainder of his reign. He also became diseased in his feet, but once again he did not call out to the LORD for healing. We see that even a good king didn’t always finish well. Indeed, there’s a pattern of that, as King David didn’t finish well, nor did Solomon. Starting well is important, continuing well is, too. But finishing well is vital to the legacy we leave to those who come after us. They need to see we can walk with the LORD all our lives and not just for a season or two.

2 Chronicles 17 tells us of Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son. He was a good king, and reflected his “father” David. That is always a great compliment. The important detail we find is he removed the high places and all forms of idol worship from Judah. As a result, the LORD strengthened Judah and gave it favor with all the surrounding nations. The Philistines even brought tribute to Judah during Jehoshaphat’s reign.

2 Chronicles 18 recounts King Jehoshaphat’s alliance with King Ahab of Israel. This was not a wise decision, and yet the LORD protected Jehoshaphat when he and his troops went out with King Ahab against the Syrians. Before the battle, the Chronicler recounts the prophecy of Micaiah the son of Imlah, who predicted Ahab would die in battle. Even though it wasn’t much of a battle, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow “randomly” and it pierced Ahab between the joints in his armor. Thus, he died as the LORD said he would.

As we turn to Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples of what will come at the end of time. Jesus makes it clear the end times will be filled with false messiahs, natural and political disasters, and all manner of evil. Yet, much of life will be the same as it has always been. Several times as He does in Mark 13, Jesus tells the disciples to be ready, to be prepared for the return. He also tells them when he end comes, everyone will know it. The challenge is to be ready. We don’t know the day or hour of Jesus’ return. We know it is closer than it has ever been. That means we must live faithfully, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us each day, so when the day comes we will be ready!

 

In 2 Chronicles 12, we read of the remainder of Rehoboam’s reign. After he had established himself as king in Judah, he abandoned the ways of the LORD. The result of that is never positive, and in the case of Judah and Rehoboam, the LORD subjected them to the rule of Shishak, king of Egypt. When they saw what they had done, Rehoboam and his leaders humbled themselves before the LORD, and He relented, but even so, Shishak came and took away all the gold shields from the Temple, and caused them to feel the yoke of slavery. We can learn a vital truth from this situation: Put God first–period. Never let your position, whether great or small cause you to turn from following Him.

2 Chronicles 13 records the brief reign of Abijah, the son of Rehoboam. He reigned only three years, and the Chronicler doesn’t tell us whether he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD or not. What he does tell us is Abijah confronted Jeroboam and with 400,000 troops, and trust in the LORD, they took on Israel’s 800,000 troops and decimated them, killing 500,000 troops. While we aren’t given as much detail as usual about King Abijah, we see he put his trust in the LORD, which is always the right choice.

In 2 Chronicles 14 we read of the reign of King Asa, Abijah’s son. Asa was a good king, who not only did what was right in the LORD’s eyes personally, but also had all of the high places torn down, and destroyed any of the places of idol worship. He went to war against Ethiopia, and called on the LORD, because his troops were vastly outnumbered. The LORD responded and destroyed the entire army of the Ethiopians who had a million troops. Judah carried away much spoil and the fear of the people of Gerar came upon them. Again, we see how important it is to put our trust in the LORD. He always responds to those who trust and obey him.

As we turn to Matthew 23, Jesus confronts the scribes and Pharisees with a number of woes, and calls them hypocrites repeatedly. The Greek expression translated “woe” is a strong curse and could even be translated “Damn you!” Jesus realized the time was rapidly approaching for His arrest and crucifixion, and far from avoiding a confrontation with the leaders who would be arresting Him soon, He took them on. His major points of challenge with them was while they spoke the truth, they didn’t live it. In addition, they led their proselytes astray. Jesus never had problems with any group of people, but the religious leaders. Their hypocrisy was something He couldn’t tolerate, because being so gracious Himself, He expected them to act graciously. We do well to remember Jesus always forgave the “sinners” who admitted their sin and came to Him. The only group He confronted time after time were the religious leaders who thought they were better than He was. Jesus was perfect,  so we’re never going to be better than He is. Far better for us to humble ourselves before Him, admit our shortcomings, and live in His mercy and grace.