grace again

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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grace again

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

2 Chronicles 30:1 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to Yahveh’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of Yahveh, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 30:2 For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of Yahveh in the second month,
2 Chronicles 30:3 because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves, and the people hadn’t been gathered in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 30:4 The proposal pleased the king and the congregation,
2 Chronicles 30:5 so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, to come to observe the Passover of Yahveh, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often, as prescribed.
2 Chronicles 30:6 So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, “Israelites, return to Yahveh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
2 Chronicles 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and your brothers who were unfaithful to Yahveh, the God of their ancestors so that he made them an object of horror as you yourselves see.
2 Chronicles 30:8 Don’t become obstinate now like your fathers did. Give your allegiance to Yahveh and come to his sanctuary that he has consecrated forever. Serve Yahveh your God so that he may turn his burning anger away from you,
2 Chronicles 30:9 for when you return to Yahveh, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For Yahveh your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”
2 Chronicles 30:10 The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants laughed at them and mocked them.
2 Chronicles 30:11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 30:12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 30:13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month.
2 Chronicles 30:14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 30:15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 30:16 They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites,
2 Chronicles 30:17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 30:18 A large number of the people– many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun– were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of
2 Chronicles 30:19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, Yahveh, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”
2 Chronicles 30:20 So Yahveh heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised Yahveh day after day with loud instruments.
2 Chronicles 30:22 Then Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skilfully before Yahveh. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to Yahveh, the God of their ancestors.
2 Chronicles 30:23 The whole congregation decided to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy,
2 Chronicles 30:24 for King Hezekiah of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the congregation, and many priests consecrated themselves.
2 Chronicles 30:25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced.
2 Chronicles 30:26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 30:27 Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place in heaven.

grace again

Getting the Passover celebration reinstituted took some adjustment. Hezekiah prayed that the LORD would look beyond the bending of a few of the rules, so that those who wanted to reconnect with God would not be punished for skipping steps. The result was that the God of grace blessed them. He is not a reluctant judge, ready to pounce on us for the least infringement of decorum. He is the father who waits for the prodigal to return.

LORD, we come to you. We don’t know all the steps. We only know that you are drawing us to you again.

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a change in worship

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a change in worship

2 Chronicles 29:1-36

2 Chronicles 29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
2 Chronicles 29:2 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.
2 Chronicles 29:3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of Yahveh’s temple and repaired them.
2 Chronicles 29:4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square.
2 Chronicles 29:5 He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of Yahveh, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place.
2 Chronicles 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of Yahveh our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from Yahveh’s dwelling place, and turned their backs on him.
2 Chronicles 29:7 They also closed the doors of the portico, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:8 Therefore, the wrath of Yahveh was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you see with your own eyes.
2 Chronicles 29:9 Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.
2 Chronicles 29:10 It is in my heart now to make a covenant with Yahveh, the God of Israel so that his burning anger may turn away from us.
2 Chronicles 29:11 My sons, don’t be negligent now, for Yahveh has chosen you to stand in his presence, to serve him, and to be his ministers and burners of incense.”
2 Chronicles 29:12 Then the Levites stood up: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
2 Chronicles 29:13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
2 Chronicles 29:14 Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
2 Chronicles 29:15 They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, and went according to the king’s command by the words of Yahvehto cleanse Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 29:16 The priests went to the entrance of Yahveh’s temple to cleanse it. They took all the unclean things they found in Yahveh’s sanctuary to the courtyard of Yahveh’s temple. Then the Levites received them and took them outside to the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 29:17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of Yahveh’s temple. They consecrated Yahveh’s temple for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
2 Chronicles 29:18 Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole temple of Yahveh, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and all its utensils.
2 Chronicles 29:19 We have set up and consecrated all the utensils that King Ahaz rejected during his reign when he became unfaithful. They are in front of the altar of Yahveh.”
2 Chronicles 29:20 King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went to Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 29:21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 29:22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar.
2 Chronicles 29:23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.
2 Chronicles 29:24 The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in Yahveh’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king’s seer, and the prophet Nathan. For the command was from Yahveh through his prophets.
2 Chronicles 29:26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
2 Chronicles 29:27 Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of Yahveh and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:28 The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets– all this continued until the burnt offering was completed.
2 Chronicles 29:29 When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.
2 Chronicles 29:30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to Yahveh in the words of David and of the seer Asaph. So, they sang praises with rejoicing and knelt low and worshiped.
2 Chronicles 29:31 Hezekiah concluded, “Now you are consecrated to Yahveh. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to Yahveh’s temple.” So, the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts brought burnt offerings.
2 Chronicles 29:32 The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 29:33 Six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats were consecrated.
2 Chronicles 29:34 However, since there were not enough priests, they weren’t able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests were.
2 Chronicles 29:35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering. So the service of Yahveh’s temple was established.
2 Chronicles 29:36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.

a change in worship

The temple had been a barometer of the people’s spiritual condition, so it was only logical that Hezekiah began his reforms by cleansing the temple. Let us not forget that another Jewish prophet would speak out symbolically to his brothers by doing the same thing. Revival and reform has often been sparked by a change in worship. Thank the LORD for worship leaders who sense the urge to lead us in worship which connects to our God of grace and justice.

LORD, revive us, that we might reform your world around us.

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even more unfaithful

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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even more unfaithful

2 Chronicles 28:1-27

2 Chronicles 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in Yahveh’s sight like his ancestor David,
2 Chronicles 28:2 for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made cast images of the Baals.
2 Chronicles 28:3 He burned incense in Ben Hinnom Valley and burned his children in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations Yahveh had dispossessed before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 28:4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
2 Chronicles 28:5 So Yahveh his God handed Ahaz over to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force:
2 Chronicles 28:6 Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day– all brave men– because they had abandoned Yahveh God of their ancestors.
2 Chronicles 28:7 An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king.
2 Chronicles 28:8 Then the Israelites took two hundred thousand captives from their brothers– women, sons, and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 28:9 A prophet of Yahveh named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, Yahveh God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of his wrath against Judah, but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven.
2 Chronicles 28:10 Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahveh your God?
2 Chronicles 28:11 Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, for Yahveh’s burning anger is on you.”
2 Chronicles 28:12 So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites — Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai– stood in opposition to those coming from the war.
2 Chronicles 28:13 They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from Yahveh to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”
2 Chronicles 28:14 The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation.
2 Chronicles 28:15 Then the men who were designated by name took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food, and drink, dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help.
2 Chronicles 28:17 The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives.
2 Chronicles 28:18 The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills and the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages.
2 Chronicles 28:19 For Yahveh humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 28:20 Then King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support.
2 Chronicles 28:21 Although Ahaz plundered Yahveh’s temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
2 Chronicles 28:22 At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 28:23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.
2 Chronicles 28:24 Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God’s temple, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of Yahveh’s temple, and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 28:25 He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he angered Yahveh, the God of his ancestors.
2 Chronicles 28:26 As for the rest of his deeds and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 28:27 Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.

even more unfaithful

The Chronicler mentions three prominent leaders of the tribe of Ephraim who had the courage to stand up against the army of Israel. The horrible king Ahaz had sent his army against his own kinsmen of Judah. They had ravaged the kingdom to the south and were bringing 200,000 of their distant relatives to Israel as slaves. But these three men stood up and said that enough is enough. They said “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” The army backed down, and the captives were returned.

Ahaz was so determined to reject the LORD that when things got worse for him and his kingdom, he became yet more faithless. He had reasoned that the victors in the battles of the day must have the stronger gods, so he appealed to those gods. He probably figured that he had already cut ties with the LORD, so he would get no help there. It was foolish to utterly turn from following God.

LORD, give us wisdom to turn to you. May we realize that you will not give up on us, even if we have rebelled against you.

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in his shadow

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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in his shadow

2 Chronicles 27:1-9

2 Chronicles 27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
2 Chronicles 27:2 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he didn’t enter Yahveh’s sanctuary, but the people still behaved corruptly.
2 Chronicles 27:3 Jotham built the Upper Gate of Yahveh’s temple, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel.
2 Chronicles 27:4 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
2 Chronicles 27:5 He waged war against the king of the Ammonites. He overpowered the Ammonites, and that year they gave him 7,500 pounds of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat, and 50,000 bushels of barley. They paid him the same in the second and third years.
2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham strengthened his position because he did not waver in obeying Yahveh his God.
2 Chronicles 27:7 As for the rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, along with all his wars and his ways, note that they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 27:8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 27:9 Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

in his shadow

Jotham spends ten of his 16 years as king with his father as a leper king, in his shadow. Those ten years were a constant reminder and warning for him not to presume upon his own authority, as his father did. Many have family that have made mistakes, and have had to face the consequences of those mistakes. The members of their family serve as warnings from God. Jotham heeded the warning that he saw looking at his father in his own shadow. He was faithful, and God made him mighty. But he did not enter the temple in any attempt to act as a priest, as his father had. His father was his lesson, and he learned it well.

LORD, help us to see the lessons you have given us within our own families.

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the gift of limitations

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the gift of limitations

2 Chronicles 26:1-23

2 Chronicles 26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2 Chronicles 26:2 After Amaziah the king rested with his fathers, Uzziah rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah.
2 Chronicles 26:3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 26:4 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done.
2 Chronicles 26:5 He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought Yahveh, God gave him success.
2 Chronicles 26:6 Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
2 Chronicles 26:7 God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.
2 Chronicles 26:8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful.
2 Chronicles 26:9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the corner buttress, and he fortified them.
2 Chronicles 26:10 Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills and the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells. And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands.
2 Chronicles 26:11 Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders.
2 Chronicles 26:12 The total number of family heads was 2,600 valiant warriors.
2 Chronicles 26:13 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy.
2 Chronicles 26:14 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones.
2 Chronicles 26:15 He made skilfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So, his fame spread even to distant places, for he was wondrously helped until he became strong.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against Yahveh his God by going into Yahveh’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.
2 Chronicles 26:17 The priest Azariah, along with eighty brave priests of Yahveh, went in after him.
2 Chronicles 26:18 They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to Yahveh– only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from Yahveh God.”
2 Chronicles 26:19 Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in Yahveh’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease broke out on his forehead.
2 Chronicles 26:20 Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because Yahveh had afflicted him.
2 Chronicles 26:21 So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death. He lived in quarantine with a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to Yahveh’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.
2 Chronicles 26:22 Now the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end.
2 Chronicles 26:23 Uzziah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery, for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

the gift of limitations

Uzziah was a great man and a good king, because “he was marvelously helped, till he was strong” (15). Then he got too big for his breeches. He usurped the right of the temple priests, and went into the sanctuary to burn incense. When 81 courageous priests withstood him, he became angry, and leprosy broke out on his forehead. He was excluded from the house of the LORD for the rest of his life. Even the greatest among us must learn to live with limitations. They are a gift from God to keep us humbly dependent upon him and each other.

LORD, grant us wisdom to live within the limits you set for our lives.

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our bright shiny spoils

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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our bright shiny spoils

2 Chronicles 25:1-28

2 Chronicles 25:1 Amaziah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 25:2 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight but not wholeheartedly.
2 Chronicles 25:3 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed his servants who had killed his father the king.
2 Chronicles 25:4 However, he did not put their children to death, because– as it is written in the Law, in the book of Moses, where Yahveh commanded — “Fathers are not to die because of children, and children are not to die because of fathers, but each one will die for his own sin.”
2 Chronicles 25:5 Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral families, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those twenty years old or more for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be three hundred thousand fit young men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield.
2 Chronicles 25:6 Then for 7,500 pounds of silver he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel.
2 Chronicles 25:7 However, a man of God came to him and said, “King, do not let Israel’s army go with you, for Yahveh is not with Israel — all the Ephraimites.
2 Chronicles 25:8 But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for battle! But God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to make one stumble.”
2 Chronicles 25:9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel’s division?” The man of God replied, “Yahveh is able to give you much more than this.”
2 Chronicles 25:10 So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage.
2 Chronicles 25:11 Amaziah strengthened his position and led his people to the Salt Valley. He struck down ten thousand Seirites,
2 Chronicles 25:12 and the Judahites captured ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces.
2 Chronicles 25:13 As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down three thousand of their people, and took a great deal of plunder.
2 Chronicles 25:14 After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.
2 Chronicles 25:15 So Yahveh’s anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not rescue their own people from you?”
2 Chronicles 25:16 While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”
2 Chronicles 25:17 King Amaziah of Judah took counsel and sent word to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.”
2 Chronicles 25:18 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
2 Chronicles 25:19 You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”
2 Chronicles 25:20 But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom.
2 Chronicles 25:21 So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah.
2 Chronicles 25:22 Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent.
2 Chronicles 25:23 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
2 Chronicles 25:24 He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God’s temple, the treasures of the king’s palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 25:25 Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.
2 Chronicles 25:26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following Yahveh, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.
2 Chronicles 25:28 They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

our bright shiny spoils

The unnamed prophet asked Amaziah an obvious question: “Why have you sought the gods of the people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” (15) Amaziah went from halfhearted devotion to God to absolute apostasy. Such is the slippery slope of halfhearted devotion. What is it that keeps you from being fully dedicated to the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Have you found some bright, shiny spoils along the way which are distracting you? Have they taken the place of your prayer life? Are they the first thing that comes to your mind when you are challenged to obey God? Destroy them, or they will destroy you!

LORD, give us the courage to destroy our bright shiny spoils.

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great people who lead our leaders

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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great people who lead our leaders

2 Chronicles 24:1-27

2 Chronicles 24:1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.
2 Chronicles 24:2 Throughout the time of the priest Jehoiada, Joash did what was right in Yahveh’s sight.
2 Chronicles 24:3 Jehoiada acquired two wives for him, and he was the father of sons and daughters.
2 Chronicles 24:4 Afterward, Joash took it to heart to renovate Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 24:5 So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect silver from all Israel to repair the temple of your God as needed year by year and do it quickly.” However, the Levites did not hurry.
2 Chronicles 24:6 So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Yahveh’s servant Moses and the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?
2 Chronicles 24:7 For the sons of that wicked Athaliah broke into Yahveh’s temple and even used the sacred things of Yahveh’s temple for the Baals.”
2 Chronicles 24:8 At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside the gate of Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 24:9 Then a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that the tax God’s servant Moses imposed on Israel in the wilderness be brought to Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 24:10 All the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought the tax, and put it in the chest until it was full.
2 Chronicles 24:11 Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of silver, the king’s secretary and the high priest’s deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the silver in abundance.
2 Chronicles 24:12 Then the king and Jehoiada gave it to those in charge of the labor on Yahveh’s temple, who were hiring stonecutters and carpenters to renovate Yahveh’s temple, also blacksmiths and coppersmiths to repair Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 24:13 The workmen did their work, and through them the repairs progressed. They restored God’s temple to its specifications and reinforced it.
2 Chronicles 24:14 When they finished, they presented the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles for Yahveh’s temple with it– articles for ministry and for making burnt offerings, and ladles and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered burnt offerings in Yahveh’s temple throughout Jehoiada’s life.
2 Chronicles 24:15 Jehoiada died when he was old and full of days; he was 130 years old at his death.
2 Chronicles 24:16 He was buried in the city of David with the kings because he had done what was good in Israel with respect to God and his temple.
2 Chronicles 24:17 However, after Jehoiada died, the rulers of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them,
2 Chronicles 24:18 and they abandoned the temple of Yahveh, the God of their ancestors, and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So, there was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.
2 Chronicles 24:19 Nevertheless, he sent them prophets to bring them back to Yahveh; they admonished them, but the people would not listen.
2 Chronicles 24:20 The Breath of God enveloped Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing Yahveh’s commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned Yahveh, he has abandoned you.'”
2 Chronicles 24:21 But they conspired against him and stoned him at the king’s command in the courtyard of Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 24:22 King Joash didn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him but killed his son. While he was dying, he said, “May Yahveh see and demand an account.”
2 Chronicles 24:23 At the turn of the year, an Aramean army attacked Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people among them and sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus.
2 Chronicles 24:24 Although the Aramean army came with only a few men, Yahveh handed over a vast army to them because the people of Judah had abandoned Yahveh, the God of their ancestors. So, they executed judgment on Joash.
2 Chronicles 24:25 When the Arameans saw that Joash had many wounds, they left him. His servants conspired against him, and killed him on his bed, because he had shed the blood of the sons of the priest Jehoiada. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
2 Chronicles 24:26 Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of the Ammonite woman Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of the Moabite woman Shimrith.
2 Chronicles 24:27 The accounts concerning his sons, the many divine pronouncements about him, and the restoration of God’s temple are recorded in the Writing of the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place.

great people who lead our leaders

Joash appeared to be a great and faithful ruler, but once Jehoiada the priest dies, his true character is revealed, and his fate with it. While Jehoiada was alive, Joash concentrated on preserving and repairing God’s house, the temple, in Jerusalem. Afterward, he took his counsel from the princes, promoted idolatry, and killed the LORD’s prophets – including Zechariah – Jehoiada’s son. We think a person is great because he does great things. But sometimes, a person does great things only because he is being led behind the scenes by great people.

Thank you, LORD, for the Jehoiadas among us –great people who lead our leaders. May they be many.

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peace and joy

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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peace and joy

2 Chronicles 23:1-21

2 Chronicles 23:1 Then, in the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned his courage and took the commanders of hundreds into a covenant with him: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.
2 Chronicles 23:2 They made a circuit throughout Judah. They gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the family heads of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 23:3 Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God’s temple. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king’s son! He will reign, just as Yahveh promised concerning David’s sons.
2 Chronicles 23:4 This is what you are to do: a third of you, priests and Levites who are coming on duty on the Sabbath, are to be gatekeepers.
2 Chronicles 23:5 A third are to be at the king’s palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 23:6 No one is to enter Yahveh’s temple but the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are holy, but all the people are to obey the requirement of Yahveh.
2 Chronicles 23:7 Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”
2 Chronicles 23:8 So the commanders of hundreds did everything the priest Jehoiada commanded. They each brought their men– those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath– for the priest Jehoiada did not release the divisions.
2 Chronicles 23:9 The priest Jehoiada gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears, shields, and quivers that were in God’s temple.
2 Chronicles 23:10 Then he stationed all the troops with their weapons in hand surrounding the king– from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.
2 Chronicles 23:11 They brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king!”
2 Chronicles 23:12 When Athaliah heard the noise from the troops, the guards, and those praising the king, she went to the troops in Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 23:13 As she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
2 Chronicles 23:14 Then the priest Jehoiada sent out the commanders of hundreds, those in charge of the army, saying, “Take her out between the ranks, and put anyone who follows her to death by the sword,” for the priest had said, “Don’t put her to death in Yahveh’s temple.”
2 Chronicles 23:15 So they arrested her, and she went by the entrance of the Horse Gate to the king’s palace, where they put her to death.
2 Chronicles 23:16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the king, and the people that they would be Yahveh’s people.
2 Chronicles 23:17 So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altars and images and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.
2 Chronicles 23:18 Then Jehoiada put the oversight of Yahveh’s temple into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over Yahveh’s temple, to offer burnt offerings to Yahve has it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and song ordained by David.
2 Chronicles 23:19 He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of Yahveh’s temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason.
2 Chronicles 23:20 Then he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land and brought the king down from Yahveh’s temple. They entered the king’s palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.
2 Chronicles 23:21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword.

peace and joy

Athalia is executed by the people, and Joash is made king. The temple of Baal is destroyed, and the people once again devote themselves to the LORD alone. The chronicler records two results to this turn of events. The people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. The political and religious turmoil had ceased, and people could once again think about their God, and relish in his peace.

LORD, restore our unity in you. Rid us of our conflicting loyalties, and selfish distractions.

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choices that destroy

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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choices that destroy

2 Chronicles 22:1-12

2 Chronicles 22:1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.
2 Chronicles 22:3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice.
2 Chronicles 22:4 So he did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction.
2 Chronicles 22:5 He also followed their advice and went with Joram son of Israel’s King Ahab to fight against King Hazael of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram,
2 Chronicles 22:6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. Then Judah’s King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
2 Chronicles 22:7 Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahveh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
2 Chronicles 22:8 So when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.
2 Chronicles 22:9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu’s soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). So, they brought Ahaziah to Jehu, and they killed him. The soldiers buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought Yahveh with all his heart.” So, no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom.
2 Chronicles 22:10 When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:11 Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of the priest Jehoiada. Since she was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.
2 Chronicles 22:12 While Athaliah reigned over the land, he was hiding with them in God’s temple six years.

choices that destroy

The bad choice to collaborate with the house of Ahab continues to bring destruction upon Judah, long after that choice was made. Counselors from that family lead Ahaziah to commit the same kinds of sin. After he dies at the hands of Jehu, his mother executes all the others in the royal family in order to keep power for herself. But Joash is preserved by his courageous sister, Jehoshabeath. She conceals him in the temple buildings, preserving the family line from which the future Messiah would come.

LORD, give us wisdom to keep from making choices that might lead to bad consequences generations afterward.

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to no one’s regret

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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to no one’s regret

2 Chronicles 21:1-20

2 Chronicles 21:1 Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jehoram became king in his place.
2 Chronicles 21:2 He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of King Jehoshaphat of Judah.
2 Chronicles 21:3 Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
2 Chronicles 21:4 When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened his position by killing with the sword all his brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 21:6 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight,
2 Chronicles 21:7 but for the sake of the covenant Yahveh had made with David, he was unwilling to destroy the house of David since Yahveh had promised to give a lamp to David and to his sons forever.
2 Chronicles 21:8 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s control and appointed their own king.
2 Chronicles 21:9 So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his commanders and all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders.
2 Chronicles 21:10 And now Edom is still in rebellion against Judah’s control today. Libnah also rebelled at that time against his control because he had abandoned Yahveh, the God of his ancestors.
2 Chronicles 21:11 Jehoram also built high places in the hills of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, and he led Judah astray.
2 Chronicles 21:12 Then a letter came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah, saying: This is what Yahveh, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of King Asa of Judah
2 Chronicles 21:13 but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you,
2 Chronicles 21:14 Yahveh is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction.
2 Chronicles 21:15 You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your intestines come out day after day because of the disease.”
2 Chronicles 21:16 Yahveh roused the breath of the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.
2 Chronicles 21:17 So they went to war against Judah and invaded it. They carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace and his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.
2 Chronicles 21:18 After all these things, Yahveh afflicted him in his intestines with an incurable disease.
2 Chronicles 21:19 This continued day after day until two full years passed. Then his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died from severe illnesses. But his people did not hold a fire in his honor like the fire in honor of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 21:20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He died to no one’s regret and was buried in the city of David but not in the tombs of the kings.

to no one’s regret

One of the saddest statements about anyone found in the scriptures is the epitaph for Jehoram. His short reign in Jerusalem resulted in the Lord judging him by inciting rebellion among his subjects, war with his enemies, a horrible illness in his bowels, and an agonizing death. When he died, his people decided not to bury him in the tombs of the kings, and not to honor him with a bonfire as they had done his predecessors. The writer of the Chronicles simply says that “he departed with no one’s regret” (20).

LORD, help us to live lives of significance that make a difference. May we serve you and others in such a way that others will regret it when we die.

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