:7 - Jehu's anointing was to cut off the house of Ahab. Can you imagine having that calling?
2 Chronicles 23
This chapter conveys the happenings of a priest as previous chapters told of the kings'. Jehoiada brings watchmen over the doors and puts the people into ready-for-battle mode.
2 Chronicles 24
:2 - Joash's kingship is defined by the days of a priest
Joash wants to make it a tradition to collect money for upkeep of the LORD's house.
2 Chronicles 25
:1 - mother - Jehoaddan of Jerusalem
:18 - thistle story
2 Chronicles 26
Uzziah rules Judah
:5 - as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper - blessing is conditional
:18 - Uzziah gets in trouble with leprosy for trying to perform a priests' duty
2 Chronicles 27
Jotham rules Judah
:6 - Jotham became mighty, because he prepared (establish, stable, secure, enduring, determined, steadfast, ready, arranged, settled, furnish, order) his ways before the LORD his God http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H3559&t=KJV
2 Chronicles 28
Ahaz rules Judah
:3 - he burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen ~ How could anyone become that deceived???
:9 - there is a rage that reaches to heaven
:25 - Ahaz actually created high places for false gods.
2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah rules Judah and brings reform. Thank God he was different from his daddy!
And the sons...and the son...and the sons
:16 - There was uncleanness on the inside of the temple
:30 - David wasn't the only one with song-words. Asaph the seer did also.
:34 - I wondered if this ever happened. It was too much work for the priests to deal with all those offerings, so they had to bring in the Levites.
:35 - the service of the house of the LORD was set in order ~ needs to happen again today...spiritually
2 Chronicles 30
Hezekiah Celebrates Passover
:6 - Israel & Judah does a mailout announcing Passover
:21 - LOUD instruments for praising God. Yea! It's in the Bible!
2 Chronicles 31
Hezekiah provides for the priests and Levites
:4 - Give to be encouraged in the the law of the LORD
:5 - firstfruits of corn, wine, oil, and honey, increase of field, and tithe of all things
2 Chronicles 32
Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem
:6 - spake comfortably
Sennacherib = "Sin multiplied brothers" (Sin = the moon)
1) son of Sargon, father of Esarhaddon, and king of Assyria from 705- 681 BC; attacked Judah during the reign of king Hezekiah and Judah was delivered when in response to the prayer of Hezekiah an angel smote 185,000 Assyrian soldiers
:21 - interesting verse
:27 - Hezekiah was very rich
2 Chronicles 33
Manasseh rules Judah...wrongfully, but then repents.
Fish gate.
Affliction brings repentance.
Amon, Manasseh's son begins to reign, but then Josiah takes over after the people make him king.
2 Chronicles 34
Josiah reigns Judah and brings reform...purges the land.
Hilkiah the high priest.
:21 - Josiah sends the priests to go inquire of the LORD for him.
2 Chronicles 35
Josiah keeps Passover
:22 - Josiah dies because he fought in someone else's battle...and the king of Egypt had the word of God!!! King Necho.
:25 - Hello Jeremiah! He is introduced lamenting for Josiah.
2 Chronicles 36
Jehoahaz rules Judah, then Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin, then Zedekiah
King of Egypt changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim and made him king of Judah. Then that King Necho took his brother (former king Jehoahaz) to Egypt.
King of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) took Jehoiakim and the vessels of God's house to Babylon.
Jehoiakin, son of Jehoiakim, is taken away also by the same king that took his daddy away (King of Babylon), who then made Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
:12 - Zedekiah gets a bad rep for not being humble before Jeremiah the prophet.
:15 - God tries to warn the people against their pollution of God's house, but they won't listen to His messengers...so that the Bible said there was no remedy. (:16)
King of Chaldees was set loose on the people of God and their stuff. Those Chaldees broke the wall of Jerusalem and burnt the temple.
:20 - reign of the kingdom of Persia ~ So different kingdoms had rule over all the other kingdoms of the world during this time.
:21 - :23 - God stirs up the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, after 70 years to release Judah from exile in fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
***According to the preface of Ezra in my Bible, part of Ezra was written in Aramaic, Babylon's language. I always used to think the whole Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Wow! This really shows how long they really were in Exile...even writing their history books in the language of their captors.
I am really enjoying how this is putting Biblical events all together for me chronologically. Listening to Bible stories and sermons throughout the years has given me a puzzle in a box. I knew I had all the pieces, but I'm finally seeing them all come together! What a beautiful picture! (It might not be so beautiful if I didn't know it all has a happy ending!)***
Ezra 1
The LORD charged the king of Persia (not even the of His chosen people) to build God a house in Jerusalem. Just goes to show God can speak to the head honcho-saved, holy, chosen or not- to bless His people!
Babylon even gave back the vessels of God they had stolen way back when!!!
Sheshbazzar was prince of Judah, even when Judah had no king. And he got to be the accountant for all the stuff given to Judah to take back and build God's house!
Ezra 2
the children...the children of....and the children...
:62 - the children of the priests who married and took their wives names were put out from the priesthood because their names were not found in the register.
:70 - Nethinims = temple slaves assigned to the Levites and priests for service in the sanctuary http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5411&t=KJV
Ezra 3
Worship restoration and temple rebuilding
:13 - So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
~I think this is my favorite Scripture of all. I am always moved to tears when I hear or read it. Just the thought of the young ones rejoicing and the older ones remembering the old temple and crying and shouting...that they were so loud in their expression & rejoicing...I really believe that today God longs to see this kind of excitement among His people again.~
Ezra 4
Opposed by enemies...all the other kingdoms actually came together to write a letter to the new king of Babylon saying he would lose money by letting them rebuild the city. Unfortunately, King Artaxerxes listened and ordered the rebuilding to cease.
Ezra 5
:1 - Hello prophets Haggai and Zechariah!
Finally God's children get a backbone and remind the king of the old decree of Cyrus that gave them permission to rebuild this temple.
