What Can We Learn From Chronicles? - 2 Chronicles 34-36
Insight Into Scripture
Today, we finish 2 Chronicles. Starting in chapter 34 we read about Josiah, who was a good king. As we move through chapters 35 and 36 we read about the events of Josiah, the death, several more evil kings, and the fall of Jerusalem. :(
I am not sure if you caught it, but, in reading chapter 36 they mention Jeremiah (36:22). Yes, that was the prophet; Jeremiah (Book of Bible Jeremiah)Alot of the Old Testament major and minor prophets spoke during what we just read. Here are some examples, see if you recognize the names of the kings we just read about:
Isaiah - During the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.
Jeremiah - 13 Year of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah.
Daniel - 3rd year of Jehoiakim.There are more, if you are interested, you can read the opening chapter and verse it usually tells the time period. So, when we read these chapters in the future you will know their struggles and mind set. GOD loved HIS people and kept trying to reach them, but as we read, most of the time it fell on deaf ears.
Bringing the Bible Alive
The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. - 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 ESV
Thought For the Day
When ever I finish a book of the Bible, I always look back and reflect on it. I look to see what GOD wants me to learn or to take away from my reading. As we finish the books of Kings and Chronicles we have seen alot of examples of good leaders and evil leaders. The really neat thing about reading the Bible is you can see what was happening behind the scenes. For example, a king may get struck with an arrow between his amour links. He may think that it was bad luck, but, in reading the Bible we see that GOD was displeased, and he allowed that to happen, or HE removes HIS protection from that king.
So what can we take away from our readings? GOD may be whispering HIS heart to you, here is what HE has been whispering to me.
GOD is pleased when we purse HIM. There were two kings that we just read about; Hezekiah, and Josiah. They both sought GOD, and HE blessed them.
GOD is a forgiving GOD! Is that not the truth. If you start from The Exodus out of Egypt, HIS people have been in a cycle of sin. The same holds true with Kings and Chronicles. We had good kings then evil kings... around and around. Even though GOD is a forgiving GOD, there is still punishment for sin.
Blessing or Curse? This for me was the biggest whisper. GOD has this "umbrella" of protection. To stay under this umbrella we have to seek HIM, HIS heart, and follow HIS commands. The nice thing about GOD, HE does not have tons of rules, they are pretty easy and straight forward. If we strive to do this we will be blessed and protected. Blessed, not in the form of money, we have to get outside of that mind set, blessings come in many ways!
If we choose to step outside of that umbrella of protection, we are stepping outside of GOD's protection. That is a dangerous place to be; of the world and satan's prey. As we have also seen, GOD will also send our enemies to overtake us, and without GOD's protection...... well, it is a sure loss.
Those are a couple of whispers that GOD has laid on my heart. I am sure that you could come up with more. If you like you can post them on our BLOG.
Closing Prayer
Dear Jesus
Thank You Father for this day and the fellowship we are able to share with the people in Your world. I always pray that I can be used for You. I pray Father that i can be still and quiet and know when You whisper i my ear. Help me not to ever be too busy . Father thank You for loving me so much.
I love You with all I am.
In Your name I pray, Amen.
3 comments:
Sorry, I have gotten the cart before the horse. ha ha ha ...Started reading something about the trivia question and started posting below which did not answer the question. It will come you know.
Going out to lunch with the hubby and get car tags.
Solomon grew cool and indifferent in his own religion and remiss in the service of the God of Israel: His heart did not follow God fully, like David (1 Kings 11:4 1 Kings 11:6). Solomon did not cast off ALL worship of God, the temple-service went on as usual; but he grew less frequent, and less serious, in his coming to the house of the Lord and his attendance on His altar.
He left his first love, lost his zeal for God, and did not persevere to the end as he had begun. It is said he was not perfect. His father David had many faults, but he never neglected the worship of God, nor grew lacks in that, as Solomon did. Solomon wives using all their ways to take him from the true God. He tolerated and began to maintain his wives in their idolatry and joined with them. Pharaoh's daughter is said to have converted to the Jews' religion but, when Solomon began to grow careless in the worship of God himself, no other of his wives left their idolotry. He even aided them in their idol worship by building temples for their gods (1 Kings 11:7,8),and maintained their priests, and occasionally himself attend their altars,even asking, "What harm is there in it? Are not all religions alike?"
I have to emphasize this statement to cause though of how often TODAY DO WE HEAR THIS SAME STATEMENT by those trying to achieve religeous equality for ALL. Let us not become like Solomon, let us STAND AND SAY NO THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD AND HE CAN ONLY BE FOUND THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.
When Solomon humoured one, he did it for all his wives (1 Kings 11:8) so not one would be mad or jealous. His heart become so cold to the things of God, he set up a high place for Chemosh upon mount of Olives, facing the Temple in which he built, as if to confront the Temple of God which he had built. These high places continued here, not completely demolished, till Josiah's time, 2 Kings 23:13.
SCRIPTURES I THOUGHT OF WHILE POSTING:
Revelation 3:15-17 (NIV)
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
1 Peter 2:7-9 (NIV)
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
While scanning through scripture this one jumped out at me so I had to post. It goes so with yesterday's post and even today.
legalism / false gods and you can find more etc.
Galatians 4 (Amplified Bible)
1 NOW WHAT I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir) is a child and under age, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate;
2 But he is under guardians and administrators or trustees until the date fixed by his father.
3 So we [Jewish Christians] also, when we were minors, were kept like slaves under [the rules of the Hebrew ritual and subject to] the elementary teachings of a system of external observations and regulations.
4 But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law,
5 To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to [a]atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God's sons].
6 And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [[b]Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!
7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir [c]by the aid of God, through Christ.
8 But at that previous time, when you had not come to be acquainted with and understand and know the true God, you [Gentiles] were in bondage to gods who by their very nature could not be gods at all [gods that really did not exist].
9 Now, however, that you have come to be acquainted with and understand and know [the true] God, or rather to be understood and known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly and worthless elementary things [[d]of all religions before Christ came], whose slaves you once more want to become?
10 You observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years!
11 I am alarmed [about you], lest I have labored among and over you to no purpose and in vain.
12 Brethren, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I also have become as you are [[e]a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [[f]in the days when I first came to you; do not do it now].
13 On the contrary, you know that it was on account of a bodily ailment that [I remained and] preached the Gospel to you the first time.
14 And [yet] although my physical condition was [such] a trial to you, you did not regard it with contempt, or scorn and loathe and reject me; but you received me as an angel of God, [even] as Christ Jesus [Himself]!
15 What has become of that blessed enjoyment and satisfaction and self-congratulation that once was yours [in what I taught you and in your regard for me]? For I bear you witness that you would have torn out your own eyes and have given them to me [to replace mine], if that were possible.
16 Have I then become your enemy by telling the truth to you and dealing sincerely with you?
17 These men [the Judaizing teachers] are zealously trying to dazzle you [paying court to you, making much of you], but their purpose is not honorable or worthy or for any good. What they want to do is to isolate you [from us who oppose them], so that they may win you over to their side and get you to court their favor.
18 It is always a fine thing [of course] to be zealously sought after [as you are, provided that it is] for a good purpose and done [g]by reason of purity of heart and life, and not just when I am present with you!
19 My little children, for whom I am again suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely and permanently formed (molded) within you,
20 Would that I were with you now and could coax you vocally, for I am fearful and perplexed about you!
21 Tell me, you who are bent on being under the Law, will you listen to what the Law [really] says?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondmaid and one by the free woman.(A)
23 But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.
24 Now all this is an allegory; these [two women] represent two covenants. One covenant originated from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] and bears [children destined] for slavery; this is Hagar.
25 Now Hagar is (stands for) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to and belongs in the same category with the present Jerusalem, for she is in bondage together with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above ([h]the Messianic kingdom of Christ) is free, and she is our mother.
27 For it is written in the Scriptures, Rejoice, O barren woman, who has not given birth to children; break forth into a joyful shout, you who are not feeling birth pangs, for the desolate woman has many more children than she who has a husband.(B)
28 But we, brethren, are children [[i]not by physical descent, as was Ishmael, but] like Isaac, born [j]in virtue of promise.
29 Yet [just] as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh despised and persecuted him [who was born remarkably] according to [the promise and the working of] the [Holy] Spirit, so it is now also.(C)
30 But what does the Scripture say? Cast out and send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.(D)
31 So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [[k]the natural], but of the free [[l]the supernatural].
Bible Trivia:
What false goddess, called by some "the queen of heaven," was pursued by Solomon?
ANSWER: Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians
1 Kings 11:5 (amplified)
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abominable idol of the Ammonites!
FALSE GODS: titles and what they are god of
Milcom:
Milcom appears to be the chief deity of the Ammonites and Moabites, worshipped by the descendants of Lot. Solomon built a worship facility for this god in Israel.
Ashtoreth:
I. Ashtoreth was a popular goddess in several cultures including the Phoenicians and the northwest Semitic peoples around Israel. Again, the Israelites began to worship her shortly after their settlement in Canaan. Excavations, especially at Solomon's fortress city of Arad, show that the people had turned Ashtoreth into a female consort to Yahweh, worshipping them both side-by-side. Her representation/idol was often nothing more than a standing stone.
II. Ashtoreth: The moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity (Jdg 10:6; Sa1 7:4; Sa1 12:10). These names often occur in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either different statues or different modifications of the deities. This deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks (Jer 44:17; Kg1 11:5, Kg1 11:33; Kg2 23:13). There was a temple of this goddess among the Philistines in the time of Saul (Sa1 31:10). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of the great deities of the Assyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte. Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (Kg1 11:33). Jezebel's 400 priests were probably employed in its service (Kg1 18:19). It was called the "queen of heaven" (Jer 44:25).
Queen of Heaven:
Referenced by Jeremiah, this female deity was particularly worshiped by Israeli women (in Judah and Egypt). Children were gathering firewood; women were busily kneading dough for cakes to be offered to this queen. The description of what was being done suggests that she was the Canaanite goddess Astarte - again frequently associated with fertility.
Molech:
Molech or Moloch was another major God of the Ammonites. Solomon built a high place for this god in Jerusalem. Worship of this god required human sacrifice.
Artemis:
Artemis is a Greek goddess (called Diana in KJV) of fertility worshiped at Ephesus and elsewhere in the Roman world during the New Testament era. Her worship combined Greek, Roman, and Anatolian elements and dates back to ca. 1000 BC. A well-known statue/idol of Artemis emphasizes fertility.
Asherah:
Following the Exodus, Israel had only been in the land for a short time before they turned to the deities of the Canaanites as detailed in the Book of Judges. The people especially worshipped Asherah and her supposed husband Baal (Ashteroth is an alternative name for Asherah). The names could reference interchangeably the representations/idols or the deities themselves. Asherah was represented by a sacred pole or a (carved) wooden image. Occasionally Asherah is portrayed as a sea-goddess, though far more frequently fertility
Baal:
Baal was the most significant male deity of the Canaanites. The numerous references to Baal in the Old Testament indicate how much the Israelites chose to worship him. During the time of Ahab and Jezebel Baal was declared the official national deity, complete with a temple and hundreds of priests to present animal sacrifices. Baal's name derives from the Semitic word "ba'lu," meaning "lord." He was assumed to fulfill several significant roles by the peoples who worshiped him; god of the storm, god who created, god who granted fertility, and god of justice. Baal, like Asherah, was also worshiped at high places. Some of the northern kingdom rulers even "made their sons pass through fire" - offering their own sons as sacrifices to Baal. Sacred prostitutes, both male and female, were available to worshipers - supposedly encouraging the fertility of both the land and the people.
Baal-zebub, Beel-zebul:
Baal-zebub is a Phoenician god worshiped at Ekron in Old Testament times. The name means "Lord of the flies" - perhaps somewhat like the Egyptian Scarab which was considered a god, though merely a dung-beetle. In Jesus' day this god was derisively even called Beel-zebul (Beelzebub in NIV) or "lord of dung." Carved scarabs, similar to the ones in Egypt, have been found in Israeli excavations.
Chemosh:
Chemosh was a primary god of the Moabites and Ammonites even before the time of the Exodus. During the reign of Solomon worship of Chemosh was established and promoted in the city of Jerusalem. Chemosh was held to be a God over their particular nations.
Dagon:
Dagon was a widely worshipped god of the Philistines. Excavations show major Philistine cities having a temple for the worship of this god. The temple statue/idol portraying Dagon was characterized by an upper human torso and a lower body of a fish. The major cultic rite in Dagon's worship was human sacrifice. Dagon was held to be a god over their nation/people.
Marduk:
Marduk was the chief god of Babylon, referenced both as creator and ruler. Jeremiah directly references this pagan god.
Molech:
Molech or Moloch was another major God of the Ammonites. Solomon built a high place for this god in Jerusalem. Worship of this god required human sacrifice.
Tammuz:
Tammuz was a Syrian and Phoenician god of fertility, commonly displayed in the form of idols. The Greeks adopted Tammuz as one of their prominent gods, changing his name to Adonis. Ezekiel references this god as one that was being worshipped in the temple area at Jerusalem. Worship included elaborate rituals including chanting litanies of woes (see Ezekiel 8:14, "mourning" in NIV).
Below is the link which I pulled this list from. Has some other interesting facts:
http://www.liontracks.org/roarlion/nlidols.htm
IN CHRIST
Ecc. 3
Donna
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