2 Chronicles 29:1-19 - Cleaning up the House of God

2 Chronicles 29:1-19

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 18:1–3)

1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 4 Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, 5 and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7 They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of the LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9 For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

10 “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren, sanctified themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16 Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the LORD to the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook Kidron.

17 Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. So they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. 19 Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the LORD.”

Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz the unfaithful, yet chose not to follow in his spiritual footsteps; he was a godly king who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, taking the example of his ancestral king David who was a man after God’s own heart.  He reopened and repaired the house of God which his father had looted and desecrated.  He had the priests and Levites consecrated them before clearing out the rubbish all over in that holy place and reminded them how the people under his father and rulers before him had sinned against the LORD in all their evil doings of idolatry and accompanying immortality in performing pagan practices throughout the land and even there in God’s own house.  He recounted how the people had turned their backs on God and their faces away from meeting and worshipping Him there through offerings and sacrifices.  The lamps meant to guide and illuminate their lives and the temple had long been left extinguished and the result was defeat for the nation and the individual as they were turned over to the adversary (1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:20) in the world to bring them to repentance, to change their thinking and behavior back to following their LORD and Maker in lives of (Romans 12:1) worship.  The heart of Hezekiah, however, was moved by God to make a covenant promise of commitment to deflect His wrath (Romans 1:18, 2:5, Colossians 3:5-6) on their sin as we all face now under judgment apart from the sacrificial work of the righteous one, Jesus Christ the LORD of all, who likewise calls us to repentance and faith to worship Him in the beauty of holiness in these temples of our bodies.  We should be keeping these temples fit for worship (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17, 7:1) even more than the symbolic temple on earth that Hezekiah was so keen to restore and make clean to honor God.  May we sanctify these temples along with the Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15) to honor God that others may hear and join us in following and worshiping our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in His presence with lives of holy worship, honor, and praise.  May we learn from this account as our example to clean up the house of God, one at a time and together (Hebrews 10:24-25, Colossians 1:28-29), in this new covenant of the sacrificial lifeblood of God’s Son whom we worship. 

2 Chronicles 28:16-27 - Unfaithful Ahaz

2 Chronicles 28:16-27

Assyria Refuses to Help Judah (2 Kings 16:7–9)

16 At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD. 20 Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the LORD, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.

Apostasy and Death of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:12–20)

22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. This is that King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Here Ahaz looked outside of God’s help when the Edomites and Philistines separately attacked and raided Judah.  He tried to get help from the Assyrians with treasures from the house of God but was refused any help.  The LORD had kept the help from coming because Ahaz had been continually unfaithful to God and even encouraged the moral decline of the people.  He slipped further and further into unfaithfulness to the LORD and into the idolatry of the ungodly societies surrounding them.  Unfaithfulness and rejection of God replaced devotion and obedience in holiness to the LORD and provoked the just wrath of the Divine.  When he died, he was not buried with honors due to these actions of a corrupt and corrupting heart.  The people of Judah had not learned that bad company corrupts good habits as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34; like yeast that invades and takes over dough until it is puffed up (1 Corinthians 5:6, 8), so evil associations result in puffing up the soul with pride and sin that takes our eyes off of devotedly following Him in God-pleasing holiness.  May we learn from this example not to imitate unfaithful Ahaz, but the examples (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1, Philippians 3:17, 4:9) of those who followed hard after God who have come before us as good examples.  May our names be remembered as faithful. 

2 Chronicles 28:1-15 - Overcome Evil by Doing Good

2 Chronicles 28:1-15

Ahaz Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 16:1–4)

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as his father David had done. 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. 3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Syria and Israel Defeat Judah (2 Kings 16:5, 6; Isaiah 7:1)

5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. 7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

Israel Returns the Captives

9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: “Look, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. 10 And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? 11 Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.”

12 Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the LORD. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. 15 Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

After good king Jotham of Judah died, his son Ahaz assumed the throne but not the good heart of his father.  Ahaz did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as his father David had done.  He instead repeated the same mistake of many kings of Israel before him, bowing to the idols and abominable practices of the land instead of to the LORD God of his people.  He worshipped false gods everywhere and practiced human sacrifices of children to appease nonexistent gods of carved stone and wood by the imagination of mankind who rejected their Creator King.  Because he led the people so far astray, further than they had already gone in their corruption even under the good king Jotham, the LORD handed them into captivity to Syria and Israel to the north, which is a reminder to us that if you lead yourself into captivity to sin (Revelation 13:10), you will be away led captive to bring about either repentance or destruction, hopefully to the destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5) to deliver the soul.  When in captivity to Israel, these children of Judah were being slaughtered with “rage that reaches up to heaven” and that caused God to speak through the prophet Obed to their sin.  He proposed they follow God’s word to instead use them as forced labor instead since they were also fellow chosen people of the LORD and the Israelites were now found just as guilty in the sight of God for their atrocities and face the fierce wrath of God for their own actions.  We are all also under the wrath of God (John 3:36, Ephesians 2:3) until set free in Christ (Romans 6:23, 1 Thessalonians 1:10) by the same word of the gospel’s promise as in the days of old before the purchase of our redemption came to us on earth in God’s Son.  The sins of Israel against their brethren of Judah reached to the heavens for accountability as do ours when we mistreat and condemn our own people in the Lord.  We do well to feed and clothe our enemies (Luke 6:27, Romans 12:20) instead as these did with their captives.  We overcome evil (Romans 12:21, 1 Peter 3:9) by doing good.

2 Chronicles 27:1-9 - Faithful Leader but Corrupt People

2 Chronicles 27:1-9

Jotham Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 15:32–38)

1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.

3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. 5 He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also. 6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Jotham reigned as a good king in Judah following his father Uzziah who started but did not end well because of his pride that led to his stopping to follow God in humility when he became strong.  Unfortunately, the people who were under his father inherited that corrupt king’s self-seeking and ended up remaining corrupt even when his son reigned in righteousness for sixteen years afterwards.  He was a faithful and godly leader of the people of the LORD, yet the example set by him did not sway the people from pursuing corrupt ways contrary to God’s word and will.  Jotham nonetheless did good, building cities and defending from the adversaries ate against the people of God.  He also became mighty like his father before him, but the difference was that he prepared his ways before the LORD; that is, he aligned his actions with scripture from a good and humble and loyal heart as his ancestor king David who was a man (Acts 13:22) after God’s own heart in faithful following to do his heavenly Father’s will.  We would do well to imitate this good example of willing and heartfelt obedience in setting our hearts to live according to the principles and intent of scripture given us as our guide to please our Lord.  This means also that we set the example as leaders or followers even if the people we live before as we face God remain corrupt by sin (Romans 8:20-21, 22) as all of creation has done since the Fall and continue until the day of final accountability in God’s righteous judgment.  We must remain faithful among the people even if others reject the good news of the Lord who has settled our accounts for eternity if we believe His atoning work and receive Him as the King of our hearts to lead us into righteousness to live before His face (Revelation 21:3, 22:4) forevermore.  We are called to follow anyway to set the example (1 Timothy 4:12) for those who hear and obey the gospel told and lived by us.  

2 Chronicles 26:1-23 - Prosperity Only in Seeking God

2 Chronicles 26:1-23

Uzziah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 14:21, 22; 15:1–3)

1 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.

9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.

11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. 12 The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

The Penalty for Uzziah’s Pride (2 Kings 15:4–7)

16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.”

19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.

21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote. 23 So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Uzziah was the son of Amaziah whose boasting pride bested him in battle, and was succeeded to the throne as king after his father’s death by conspiracy for aligning with an idolatrous partner in battle.  Uzziah was told he would prosper as long as he sought the LORD, likely a reminder and warning of how his father’s death began but did not end well in this pursuit.  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD as his father (2 Chronicles 25:2) had partly done.  He, however, sought God and listened to the words of God delivered through the prophet Zechariah.  This was seemingly doing good from a loyal heart completely His, unlike the divided loyalty of his father before him.  Uzziah grew in strength against his enemies and became famous for his advanced military equipment designed by skillful men under him.  God helped him tremendously until he fell into the trap of pride that overcame his father; in his prideful hubris he dared to burn incense in the temple that only the priests were allowed to do by the word of the LORD.  Such pride lifted his heart to only fall in destruction as a consequence.  He imagined himself strong in his own abilities instead of seeing ever he had and had done was in the power and enabling of God alone.  By dishonoring God through disobedience, he was dishonored in return.  This only angered him when he was told he was not allowed to do the work of the priests, and instantly leprosy broke out on his forehead to cool his wrath against God and His servants who exposed his sin and confronted him by expelling Uzziah from the house of the LORD.  He was cut off from his people and never recovered, dying as a leper to mark his pride and its consequences.  The good he did was recorded by Isaiah the prophet for us to read and consider what might have been if Uzziah had only humbled himself and followed God’s word and acknowledged His strength for victory and power in the battles.  This is a sobering reminder for us to humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:5, 6-7, James 4:10) in the sight of the Lord and be lifted for His glory in serving Him and not feeding our own haughtiness.  There is only true prosperity in seeking the Lord and honoring His glory by attributing all we do to Him and His enabling wisdom and strength.  Remember Uzziah! 

2 Chronicles 25:17-28 - Boasted and Bested?

2 Chronicles 25:17-28

Israel Defeats Judah (2 Kings 14:8–14)

17 Now Amaziah king of Judah asked advice and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.”

18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 19 Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”

20 But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 22 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 23 Then Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. 24 And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Death of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:17–20)

25 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, indeed are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

Amaziah king of Judah listened to the wrong advice, not from God’s word by messenger but by others who were not following the LORD.  He was badly advised to attack Israel contrary to the advice of the prophet (2 Chronicles 25:7-8) sent to hold him back from Jehu.  He boasted of his own strength and in his hubris was bested in battle.  Amaziah had bested the Edomites but his act of pride was pictured as a wild beast trampling down a lowly thistle but unable to stand against Israel.  God had determined the end of Judah in this battle so Amaziah refused to listen, pursued the idols of Edom for himself, and attacked anyway to meet the intended defeat for his idolatry and pride set against God and His word.  Judah was defeated, their army fled, and Jerusalem was sacked as four hundred cubits (202 yards) of the wall were broken down and all the temple treasures were taken to Samaria along with hostages as the king was left in defeat there.  Because Amaziah had turned away from following the LORD and allowed the defeat and destruction of Jerusalem and the house of God, a conspiracy was launched against him and killed the corrupt king when he attempted to get away to Lachish, yet they still honored his position as king and buried him properly.  In his turning away from God instead of from sin (repentance), Amaziah reaped the whirlwind of his sin’s consequences, just as we reap sin’s consequences (Romans 6:23) if we do not turn to the lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith to follow our King faithfully.  This is a lesson against the hubris of pride that ignores God’s warnings throughout His word to flee the wrath on sin (Luke 3:7, Colossians 3:6, 1 Thessalonians 1:10) to come in judgment like with Amaziah who refused His word as he boasted and was bested in battle for eternity as he followed his own path, just as people still do today instead of turning to follow the one leading to the cross to be crucified (Galatians 2:20) with the Lord in humility and worship of the only God through His Son Jesus Christ.  The warnings are written now for us all to not fight against the Lord or suffer the consequences of rejecting the gospel word (1 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) of grace and forgiveness to avoid the eternal outcome of death’s defeat (1 Corinthians 15:54, 55-56, 57) we all face if we refuse to turn away from sin to follow Him.  Are we boasting and bested for rejecting Him, or are we blessed with the eternal life in the gospel’s best of repentance and faith in hearing and following Christ?

2 Chronicles 25:1-16 - A Divided Devotion

2 Chronicles 25:1-16

Amaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 14:1–6)

1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart.

3 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established for him, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 4 However he did not execute their children, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin.”

The War Against Edom (2 Kings 14:7)

5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”

9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?”

And the man of God answered, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.” 10 So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

11 Then Amaziah strengthened himself, and leading his people, he went to the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of the people of Seir. 12 Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces.

13 But as for the soldiers of the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil.

14 Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15 Therefore the anger of the LORD was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?”

16 So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?”

Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

This account of Amaziah starts by saying he did what God said was right, but he had divided devotion to the LORD in that he did right, but not from his heart.  This is the definition of religious devotion which is not devotion, but conformity to rules for various rational reasons instead of out of a heart (2 Chronicles 16:9) completely His.  He attempted to follow the Law of the LORD such as sparing the children of his father’s murderers as scripture (Deuteronomy 24:16) told him that the individuals responsible for the sin are to be held responsible and not their children.  But when he was going to war against Edom, he hired fighters from Israel to bolster his small army and was told by God not to take them because they were not with Him.  If he was to fight, then it had to be by relying on God to fight the battle (for the battle belongs to the LORD) and not in this way.  He would fail if he took those who with him who were not on the side of God.  He obeyed God and let them keep their mercenary wages and let them go after hearing that the LORD could give them much more in return for obedience.  The mercenaries were furious and raided cities of Judah in retaliation while Amaziah and Judah routed the Edomites by God’s hand.  Unfortunately, because he had been running on a divided devotion to God according to checking rule boxes and not from a heart of true devotion, Amaziah stole idols and began to worship them also.  He rejected God’s word delivered by a prophet and threatened to kill him if he continued to warn him!  The prophet wisely warned the king that his heart answered his end by rejecting the word of warning.  Such is the case with those who reject the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) even now, even those who follow religious rules but their heart remains unchanged, outside of Christ and His saving grace.  This is the warning for religious rules keepers to heed the gospel and receive Jesus Christ through repentance (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21, Romans 6:23) and faith in His work to save them and not vainly attempt to earn their place in heaven (Romans 3:27, 4:3-4, 5, 2 Timothy 1:9) by checking boxes to imagine they are then good enough to be called up yonder when the roll is called at the day of judgment.  Doing good works follows His work on the cross of His sacrifice that alone can save us (Acts 26:20) if we have received His Grace by faith alone and rest in Him and not our vain efforts anymore to earn God’s favor ourselves.  The battle for our souls and our place in eternity with Him belongs to the Lord alone as we sincerely come to Him in that faith with a devoted and undivided heart of trust and eternal reliance.  May we then do good as a result with a loyal heart that relies on His work and strength that is mighty alone to save, and not add requirements not prescribed by God as some would insist we must. 

2 Chronicles 24:15-27 - Do Good to God and His House

2 Chronicles 24:15-27

Apostasy of Joash

15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. 16 And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. 18 Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 19 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.’” 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The LORD look on it, and repay!”

Death of Joash (2 Kings 12:19–21)

23 So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. 25 And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

26 These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

King Jehoiada is recorded as doing good to the LORD God and His house among His people.  He had done his best with a devoted and sincere heart to follow God and honor Him in worship by setting the example and standing against the idolatry of the world all around them.  Even after the people of God honored him with a burial in Jerusalem as a testament to being a man after God’s own heart like David before him who founded that city, even then they immediately turned back to idolatry and left the LORD behind yet again.  Without the const godly leadership they had drifted back a way, an indication that they really were committed to following a leader and not the one he followed.  This is a common ailment of the sin nature seen too often even now as the people of the Lord follow a pastor or a famous speaker and abandon their quest to follow the Lord then those die or fall away themselves.  What happened to each individual following the Lord instead of the leader?  We see the consequences of not following the Lord through the example (1 Corinthians 11:1) as it should be, as Israel turned to follow dead carvings and imaginary figures as gods instead of continuing on after the one the leader pointed them to follow, forgetting the lesson’s pattern set for them.  As for Israel, God had sent messengers to point out their wayward failures and they just ignored them with their fingers planted soundly in their spiritual ears.  He who has ears to hear listens to the word as completed in the gospel (Deuteronomy 29:4, Matthew 13:13, Ephesians 1:18, Luke 24:31-32) and follows the Lord after being moved to repentance and faith to receive (John 1:12) Him.  Not to ask Him into their hearts or accept Him as a choice of their own will’s design and effort or wisdom, but having been called and moved to understand with ears and eyes opened by God’s Spirit to believe and receive the One coming into them by His choice and work.  Salvation belongs to the Lord!  Joash killed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest when he exposed their idolatry and apostasy with the truth, and this is a reminder that we may also suffer even to death (Matthew 10:21-22, 24:12-13, 14, Revelation 2:10) for our own testimony for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but in the end we will be with Him and honored for honoring our Lord and not any other.  The ones misleading God’s people like Joash will likewise meet an end for persecution the saints of the Lord as well, just like the servants of the king enacted vengeance on Joash for the death of the priest Jehoiada and his sons.  Our High Priest will avenge (Luke 18:7, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 2 Peter 2:9, Revelation 6:9-10) His people.  Until then we as His children, His chosen people called out to the world of idolatry, we are called to do good to God in His eyes as we follow Him and do good to His house, the people (Galatians 6:10) who are the church, the called-out ones.  God will avenge those who persecute us for the gospel’s sake of truth and devotion to believe, receive, and follow Him. 

2 Chronicles 24:1-14 - Repair and Upkeep of God’s House

2 Chronicles 24:1-14

Joash Repairs the Temple (2 Kings 11:21—12:16)

1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

4 Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD. 5 Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly.”

However the Levites did not do it quickly. 6 So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?” 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals.

8 Then at the king’s command they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. 11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king’s official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of the LORD. 13 So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the LORD, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

King Joash was a godly man who set his heart on doing what God said was right according to His word as witnessed by the prophets to the people.  Because he had such a heart for God like king David before him, he saw the disrepair that the house of God had fallen into by neglect as the people pursued idolatry, and he did something about it as soon as he saw it.  He sent the priests and Levite servants of the temple quickly throughout the land to gather offerings to fund the work of the repair and restoration to honor and worship the LORD in that meeting place before the mercy seat in the holy place.  When they dragged their feet on the task, he strongly reminded them the commandment of Moses, the servant of the LORD and of the assembly of Israel, to keep up and serve in the temple of the tabernacle of witness before the LORD.  He reminded them also how evil Athaliah’s sons had desecrated the temple with offering the holy dedicated things of God’s house to idols of false gods to shame them into action due to the seriousness of the state of God’s temple in disrepair and dishonor.  Due to the slow action to personally collect what was needed, the king had boxes made so the people could themselves put their tithe offerings in the box to sustain the work to restore and maintain upkeep of the house of God.  They hired workers for the restoration work that it might be brought back to the original condition and then made it better by reinforcing it.  They renewed and made the temple even better in their restoration work to have a place worthy for the LORD to meet them in their worship and continued sacrifices to honor and serve Him there.  Do we take the same care not only of our church buildings where we meet and worship the Lord, but also of these temples of our bodies where He dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 2:21-22, 1 Peter 2:4-5) in us personally and corporately? 

2 Chronicles 23:1-21 - Rightful Ruler Crowned, Usurper Put Down

2 Chronicles 23:1-21

Joash Crowned King of Judah (2 Kings 11:4–12)

1 In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and made a covenant with the captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David. 4 This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be keeping watch over the doors; 5 one-third shall be at the king’s house; and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation. All the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. 6 But let no one come into the house of the LORD except the priests and those of the Levites who serve. They may go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD. 7 And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of God. 10 Then he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and by the temple, all around the king. 11 And they brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the Testimony, and made him king. Then Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, “Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:13–20)

12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. 13 When she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, and those who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Treason! Treason!”

14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, “Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of the LORD.”

15 So they seized her; and she went by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate into the king’s house, and they killed her there.

16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the LORD’s people. 17 And all the people went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the LORD to the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was established by David. 19 And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that no one who was in any way unclean should enter.

20 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD; and they went through the Upper Gate to the king’s house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword.

Jehoiada was a godly man who stood against the evil rule of Athaliah who usurped the throne of her equally evil son Ahaziah by murdering any other heirs except the one that had been hidden from her power play massacre.  Joash the son of Ahaziah was that one hidden by the king’s daughter Jehoshabeath.  Jehoiada gathered loyal and faithful men in the LORD to secretly crone this hidden son to his rightful place and put down the evil usurper.   He spoke of the word of God who promised that only the sons descended from king David would be promised to sit on that throne of Judah, and he faithfully worked to bring that to pass.  He assigned the faithful to guard temple for the rightful king to enter in and be crowned, keeping the usurper Athaliah from disrupting the ceremony and keeping Joash safe through it all with armed guards lined up in the temple.  As it is recorded here, they brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the Testimony, and made him king, anointing him in the name of the LORD while crying out, “Long live the king!”  When Athaliah heard and witnessed her defeat, she tore her clothes in grief and shock at her defeat and loudly cried out, “Treason! Treason!” as if to undo what had been already done to usurp the usurper.  Her penalty for her murderous coup to take the place of God’s chosen ruler was death.  They executed her outside the king’s house and not in the holy place of the temple where only nearly perfect animals were sacrificed to atone for sins.  She was far from holy and had to be slain elsewhere in judgment and not atonement.  When these things were done and the proper man chosen to rule took his place over the woman who stole that place, the people rejoiced in the peace of the people before the holy God once more as it should be.  How this lesson should remind us of the men the Lord chooses to rule His house need to not be usurped by those not chosen by Him such as women who take the role upon themselves instead of their own roles; the role of spiritual leaders of the people of the Lord are spelled out for us in His word (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:5, 6) as He has told us to be appointed as if the spiritual descendants of the Seed of king David (and not according to false physical descendants as the Roman church does today), those chosen in Christ and not ones who take the position for themselves as usurpers of holy and godly order in contradiction to the pattern and order of the scriptures.  When these patterns are followed, then God’s people truly have rest and peace with God in Christ and rejoice to cry, “Long live the King of kings!”