2 Chronicles 26:1-23 – Watch Out for Pride!

Read 2 Chronicles 26:1-23

King Uzziah’s victorious life crumbles when pride takes over. This is precisely what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:18. It reads, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” I would say that contracting leprosy destroyed Uzziah’s life. Do you think he realized his fate was the result of his change of heart?

Uzziah’s reign was the longest so far for Judah’s kings. Before his fall, Uzziah accomplished many things for the benefit of Judah. How could anybody miss that his success was a gift from the LORD? The Chronicler’s words speak volumes here. “And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success.”

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2 Chronicles 25:1-28 – Don’t Anger God

Read 2 Chronicles 25:1-28

I find myself shaking my head once again at the actions of these kings. Seriously! I have to remember that while I don’t find bowing down to a sculpture to make any sense at all, I have certainly bowed to plenty of my own idols over the years. Other people may find “my” idols laughable. Why is leaving our idols behind so difficult?

Idolatry is serious business and angers God. Nothing more needs to be said, really. If something makes God mad, and you know it because time and time again you’ve seen God’s response, why keep doing it? I’m guilty as a sinner, too, so these kinds of affirmations are always helpful for me. I want to try harder to stand firmly on the truth.

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2 Chronicles 24:17-27 – When We Turn From God

Read 2 Chronicles 24:17-27

Again, we see how a good king can very quickly become disillusioned and turn evil. There are some shocking twists in this passage. The Chronicler’s history differs from the parallel texts in 2 Kings, so it’s helpful to remember his focus is usually on the priests.

Without Jehoiada the priest to keep King Joash’s focus holy, other leaders swoop in and the kingdom crumbles. We’ve seen before what happens when leaders turn away from God. The warning from Jehoiada’s son could not have been clearer. Zechariah stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”

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2 Chronicles 24:1-16 – The Good Years

Read 2 Chronicles 24:1-16

We read several times that these good years lasted while the priest, Jehoiada was alive to mentor King Joash. Accordingly, this reading recognizes King Joash as having pleased the LORD. The Chronicler wants to showcase Joash’s restoration plan for the Temple as one of the God-pleasing actions. Many generations had passed since the temple was built by Solomon, and not all of Judah’s kings had taken good care of God’s residence.

Joash was fortunate to have a spiritual leader in Jehoiada. Do you have a mentor like that who keeps you grounded and focused on your obedience to the LORD? We should all be so lucky.

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2 Chronicles 23:12-21 – Bye-Bye Evil Queen

Read 2 Chronicles 23:12-21

With all the rejoicing underway, the evil queen was bound to realize some momentous occasion was happening in the temple. Before she could plot any sort of revenge, the priest, Jehoiada, had the queen removed from the festivities. Queen Athaliah met her demise that day, some distance away from the Temple.

How do you think the young king felt when he received so much attention? The Chronicler does a good job of describing the scene. It sounds like the people were fed up with the evil queen’s leadership. God had prepared their hearts to be ready for Jehoiada’s plan to play out. “Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people.” Note how the priest inserts himself into this covenant, it wasn’t just between the king and God. Jehoiada’s desire is clear. He wants to reinstate the godly kingship of David.

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