The Chapter-A-Day thread. (3)

[agamemnonoftroy]

High Priest Jehoiada puts Joash on the throne of Judah

2 Chronicles Chapter 23

Joash hid in the temple for six years. The high priest Jehoiada looked after him. In the seventh year Jehoiada organised a coup d’état against the evil usurping Queen Athaliah.

Jehoiada organised the army captains and the Levites, and they crowned seven year old Joash King of Judah in the temple.

Queen Athaliah was arrested and executed. The people rejoiced that evil Queen Athaliah was dead.

For the rest of the life of high priest Jehoiada, he guided King Joash. Jehoiada gave wise counsel to King Joash and the Kingdom of Judah prospered.

Kings of Judah
Rehoboam
Abijam
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Jehoram
Ahaziah
Athaliah
Joash
Amaziah
Azariah
Jotham
Ahaz
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Amon
Josiah
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
Jehoiachin
Zedekiah

Originally Posted by MissRowy

"Wow! So Joash became the new King! And the Kingdom of Judah prospered again"
​

Miss Rowy,

Yes and it is all down to the bravery of the king's sister, who hid Joash in the temple for six years.

 

[brinny]

Yeah except I praise God that the kings sister hid Joash in the temple!!

Amen!!!!

 

[MissRowy]

The kings sister really did a great job!

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

High Priest Jehoida dies of old age

2 Chronicles Chapter 24

Joash was 7 years old when he began to reign under the guidance of the high priest Jehoiada. Joash reigned for forty years. Joash started well and repaired the temple and for a while the Kingdom of Judah prospered.

But after the death of the high priest Jehoida everything went wrong. The princes of Judah influenced Joash and persuaded him to worship Baal and build groves to Baal.

The son of the dead high priest Jehoida warned them that God would be angry if they worshiped idols. But God messenger Jehoida’s son was stoned by Joash.

God sent the Syrians to punish the Kingdom of Judah. The princes of Judah were killed by the Syrians. The Syrians took great spoil from the cities.

Joash fell sick and was murdered by his servants in revenge for the stoning of God’s messenger the son of Jehoida.

When Joash died his twenty-five year old son Amaziah was made King of Judah.

 

[MissRowy]

It kinda went pear shaped for Joash didnt it? He let the princes sway him and then he angered the Lord by building idols so God sent in the Syrians to punish them which resulted in chaos as usual

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

It kinda went pear shaped for Joash didnt it? He let the princes sway him and then he angered the Lord by building idols so God sent in the Syrians to punish them which resulted in chaos as usual

Miss Rowy

Yes so many kings if Judah start well but it all goes wrong as they get old.

 

[brinny]

High Priest Jehoida dies of old age

2 Chronicles Chapter 24

Joash was 7 years old when he began to reign under the guidance of the high priest Jehoiada. Joash reigned for forty years. Joash started well and repaired the temple and for a while the Kingdom of Judah prospered.

But after the death of the high priest Jehoida everything went wrong. The princes of Judah influenced Joash and persuaded him to worship Baal and build groves to Baal.

The son of the dead high priest Jehoida warned them that God would be angry if they worshiped idols. But God messenger Jehoida’s son was stoned by Joash.

God sent the Syrians to punish the Kingdom of Judah. The princes of Judah were killed by the Syrians. The Syrians took great spoil from the cities.

Joash fell sick and was murdered by his servants in revenge for the stoning of God’s messenger the son of Jehoida.

When Joash died his twenty-five year old son Amaziah was made King of Judah.

So this is how the prophet Zechariah died, then...what a tragedy and what a blot on Joash and ALL who participated in stoning and killing Zechariah. This was a wickedness that, for all intents and purposes, he never ever repented of....

tragic, in so many ways....

20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord.

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

So this is how the prophet Zechariah died, then...what a tragedy and what a blot on Joash and ALL who participated in stoning and killing Zechariah. This was a wickedness that, for all intents and purposes, he never ever repented of....

tragic, in so many ways....

20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord.

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.

Brinny,

You are right. This was a sad end to the prophet Zechariah.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Amaziah makes a promising start to his reign as King of Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 25

After King Joash was murdered by his servants, his son Amaziah aged 25 became King of Judah.

Amaziah reigned for twenty-nine years. And as soon as he was established as king he executed the murderers of is father.

In the early years of his reign Amaziah worshiped the one true God. Everything went well for the first few years.

Amaziah had an army of 300,000 men. In addition Amaziah hired another 100,000 from Israel.

A prophet told Amaziah not to take the soldiers from Israel because God did not approve.

Amaziah sent the 100,000 Israeli soldiers back to Israel, but they were not happy at being sacked.

The 100,000 sacked Israeli soldiers attacked cities in Judah on their way home and took much spoil.

So Amaziah went to war against the Children of Seir with just the army of Judah, and Amaziah gained a great victory over the Children of Seir killing 20,000.

The bad news was that Amaziah brought back the gods from the Children of Seir and started worshiping them in Judah.

A prophet warned Amaziah that God was angry, and that Amaziah would die for worshiping those false idols.

The King of Israel requested that his son should marry the daughter of Amaziah. But Amaziah did not like the idea.

This dispute over the marriage led to a war between Judah and Israel, and Israel won.

God would not help Amaziah because he had worshiped those idols, therefore Israel was victorious and the soldiers of Judah fled.

The King of Israel took Amaziah prisoner and before he released him the King of Israel took spoil and hostages form Judah, and stole all the treasures from the temple.

Amaziah was murdered by his own men, and they put his son Uzziah on the throne of Judah.

 

[MissRowy]

Its a pattern. They do the right thing by God, then decide to test God and it backfires horribly!

 

[brinny]

Amaziah makes a promising start to his reign as King of Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 25

After King Joash was murdered by his servants, his son Amaziah aged 25 became King of Judah.

Amaziah reigned for twenty-nine years. And as soon as he was established as king he executed the murderers of is father.

In the early years of his reign Amaziah worshiped the one true God. Everything went well for the first few years.

Amaziah had an army of 300,000 men. In addition Amaziah hired another 100,000 from Israel.

A prophet told Amaziah not to take the soldiers from Israel because God did not approve.

Amaziah sent the 100,000 Israeli soldiers back to Israel, but they were not happy at being sacked.

The 100,000 sacked Israeli soldiers attacked cities in Judah on their way home and took much spoil.

So Amaziah went to war against the Children of Seir with just the army of Judah, and Amaziah gained a great victory over the Children of Seir killing 20,000.

The bad news was that Amaziah brought back the gods from the Children of Seir and started worshiping them in Judah.

A prophet warned Amaziah that God was angry, and that Amaziah would die for worshiping those false idols.

The King of Israel requested that his son should marry the daughter of Amaziah. But Amaziah did not like the idea.

This dispute over the marriage led to a war between Judah and Israel, and Israel won.

God would not help Amaziah because he had worshiped those idols, therefore Israel was victorious and the soldiers of Judah fled.

The King of Israel took Amaziah prisoner and before he released him the King of Israel took spoil and hostages form Judah, and stole all the treasures from the temple.

Amaziah was murdered by his own men, and they put his son Uzziah on the throne of Judah.

Here's the glimpse into why it is written that Amaziah's heart was not perfect before God (see verse 2), right here in this verse, which became a yawning stumbling block of a pit to him:

"2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."

Here is where that "lack of a perfect heart before God" bears its fruit:

first, he did NOT seek God in this decision:

"6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.
7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim."

secondly, his heart that was NOT "perfect before God" bore fruit, here:

14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

Then his tragic death is recorded here:

27 Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

For all intents and purposes, he never sought God nor repented even as he breathed his last.

A tragic end to a king.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Kings of Judah
Rehoboam
Abijam
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Jehoram
Ahaziah
Athaliah
Joash
Amaziah
Uzziah
Jotham
Ahaz
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Amon
Josiah
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
Jehoiachin
Zedekiah

Here's the glimpse into why it is written that Amaziah's heart was not perfect before God (see verse 2), right here in this verse, which became a yawning stumbling block of a pit to him:

"2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."

Here is where that "lack of a perfect heart before God" bears its fruit:

first, he did NOT seek God in this decision:

"6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.
7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim."

secondly, his heart that was NOT "perfect before God" bore fruit, here:

14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

Then his tragic death is recorded here:

27 Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

For all intents and purposes, he never sought God nor repented even as he breathed his last.

A tragic end to a king.

Brinny

Yes the Bible says Amaziah did not have a perfect heart.

That is why he turned away and worshiped idols.

 

[brinny]

what's intriguing to me is, as i read more and more about the kings with a heart that is not "perfect" before God, that there are sorta' "sign posts", or "warnings", if you will of just how HUGE a "stumbling block" a heart that is not "perfect" before God IS. It's an indication that they can sort'a "take God or leave Him", that it's no "big deal" either way. This nonchalant attitude of the heart can only be possible if the one in question does not have a "Godly fear" of the Lord AND does not love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

In the Bible, it is written again and again what a heart that is "perfect" before God is, and that is:

~A Godly "fear of the Lord"
~Loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Tales of the Unexpected for King Uzziah

2 Chronicles Chapter 26

After King Amaziah was murdered by his own men, his son Uzziah became King of Judah.

Uzziah was sixteen when he became king. Uzziah reigned for 52 years. Uzziah did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Uzziah did not turn against God. Uzziah was faithful unto the end.

So what could possibly go wrong? The answer is a lot.
This should be called the “Tales of the Unexpected.”

Uzziah fought many wars, and God led him to many victories over all his enemies. This made him rich.

Uzziah became a man of wealth and influence, and Judah prospered because God was with them.

Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. The priests told Uzziah that only priests were allowed to do that. They told Uzziah that he must leave at once. This made Uzziah angry.

As Uzziah stood there his forehead was suddenly covered with leprosy. Uzziah was immediately thrust out of the temple by the priests. Uzziah was a leper and had to live in a separate house for the rest of his life.

Verse 20 tells the story of how Uzziah was severely punished after 52 years of good service as king. My opinion is that this seems a little harsh. I would be interested to hear any comments on God’s punishment of Uzziah.

Uzziah was unable to rule, so his son Jotham became King of Judah in his place.

His son Jotham was 25 when he became King of Judah. Jotham reigned for 16 years.

 

[brinny]

Tales of the Unexpected for King Uzziah

2 Chronicles Chapter 26

After King Amaziah was murdered by his own men, his son Uzziah became King of Judah.

Uzziah was sixteen when he became king. Uzziah reigned for 52 years. Uzziah did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Uzziah did not turn against God. Uzziah was faithful unto the end.

So what could possibly go wrong? The answer is a lot.
This should be called the “Tales of the Unexpected.”

Uzziah fought many wars, and God led him to many victories over all his enemies. This made him rich.

Uzziah became a man of wealth and influence, and Judah prospered because God was with them.

Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. The priests told Uzziah that only priests were allowed to do that. They told Uzziah that he must leave at once. This made Uzziah angry.

As Uzziah stood there his forehead was suddenly covered with leprosy. Uzziah was immediately thrust out of the temple by the priests. Uzziah was a leper and had to live in a separate house for the rest of his life.

Verse 20 tells the story of how Uzziah was severely punished after 52 years of good service as king. My opinion is that this seems a little harsh. I would be interested to hear any comments on God’s punishment of Uzziah.

Uzziah was unable to rule, so his son Jotham became King of Judah in his place.

His son Jotham was 25 when he became King of Judah. Jotham reigned for 16 years.

Uzziah was a good king, and mightily blessed of the Lord, however here we see where he erred, and it was, again, a condition of his heart. He "challenged" the priests, and consequently, the bottom line was that he challenged GOD. In verse we see the same sin that besought so many others. It is in the highlighted part of the verse that is of great significance, and how God's wrath came against him, even BEFORE he was struck with leprosy. This "heart" condition preceded his act to transgress so grievously against the Lord:

"16 But when he was strong, his heart was "lifted up" to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." ~2 Chronicles 26:16

This further disregard and outrage at the priests, and consequently God, "clinched" his trespass and sealed his doom:

19 Then Uzziah was "wroth", and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. ~2 Chronicles 26:19

The bottom line is, that Uzziah was a good king, in summary. It is tragic that he was leprous till the day he died, however, history denotes him as a good king overall, and his burial was an honorable one.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Uzziah was a good king, and mightily blessed of the Lord, however here we see where he erred, and it was, again, a condition of his heart. He "challenged" the priests, and consequently, the bottom line was that he challenged GOD. In verse we see the same sin that besought so many others. It is in the highlighted part of the verse that is of great significance, and how God's wrath came against him, even BEFORE he was struck with leprosy. This "heart" condition preceded his act to transgress so grievously against the Lord:

"16 But when he was strong, his heart was "lifted up" to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." ~2 Chronicles 26:16

This further disregard and outrage at the priests, and consequently God, "clinched" his trespass and sealed his doom:

19 Then Uzziah was "wroth", and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. ~2 Chronicles 26:19

The bottom line is, that Uzziah was a good king, in summary. It is tragic that he was leprous till the day he died, however, history denotes him as a good king overall, and his burial was an honorable one.

Brinny,

Yes this was a sad end to Uzziah who was basically a very good king.

Uzziah became so rich and strong that his pride grew to big for his own good.

He tried to overrule the priests and the temple laws, because he was over filled with his own importance.

 

[brinny]

^ Exactly. And there are good lessons in all of this for all of us, lest we do the same (be filled with pride, and consequently being overfilled with our own importance). We all are prone to this very same thing....

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

The wonderful reign of King Jotham of Judah

2 Chronicles Chapter 27

When King Uzziah died of leprosy his son Jotham became King of Judah.

Jotham was 25 when he became king and he reigned for sixteen years.

Jotham did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

He did work on the temple. He built cities, castles and towers.

He defeated the Ammonites which gained him great treasure.

So Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord.

By the time Jotham died he was a man of great wealth and influence.

King Jotham did not stumble. He is a shining example to us all. He was faithful to the end.

This was a truely wonderful reign by King Jotham of Judah.

After the death of Jotham his son Ahaz became the next King of Judah.

 

[MissRowy]

So two great kings of Judah...unfortunately one ended up with leprosy but he was still a great king. I hope Ahaz follows on the same!

 

[brinny]

The wonderful reign of King Jotham of Judah

2 Chronicles Chapter 27

When King Uzziah died of leprosy his son Jotham became King of Judah.

Jotham was 25 when he became king and he reigned for sixteen years.

Jotham did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

He did work on the temple. He built cities, castles and towers.

He defeated the Ammonites which gained him great treasure.

So Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord.

By the time Jotham died he was a man of great wealth and influence.

King Jotham did not stumble. He is a shining example to us all. He was faithful to the end.

This was a truely wonderful reign by King Jotham of Judah.

After the death of Jotham his son Ahaz became the next King of Judah.

Yes, he was a good king....it is probable, that here in verse 2, it is an indication that he was perhaps fearful in a "dread-ed" way of entering into the temple because of what happened to his father. It appears that God's grace was applied here however, and it was not counted against him, for nothing is recorded that disputes the first part of verse 2 where it says that "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord":

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet corruptly.

He was a good king and he was given an honorable burial.