2 Chronicles 13-22: No Partiality

He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” - 2 Chron. 19:6-7 NIV

How different would our decisions be, how different would our judging of others be if we realized that we are judging for God, that we are to be judging with God's heart as well as his eyes.  How often do we let our prejudices influence those that we judge.  We judge based on the color of a person's skin.  We judge based on their educational level.  We judge based on the church that they attend.  We even judge on their appearance down to the clothes that they wear.  In contrast, there is no partiality with God.  He sees all men through the eyes of love.   Nothing we do, can bribe God to see his creation differently.  He sees us with all of our faults, but he also sees the opportunity that exists for all of his creation to be reconciled to him.  While we see the screw ups, he sees the possibilities.  Oh, that God would allow us to see through his eyes for just a minute.  It would completely change how we view all others.  It would completely change how we mete out justice.  There would be no partiality.

2 Chronicles 13-16: How Does One Stop Trusting God?

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 2 Chron. 16:9 NIV

Asa should be a lesson for us all.  He started out with a heart after God and his commands.  He destroyed the foreign gods, he stopped the influence of his  grandmother, Maacah and trusted God for deliverance. Judah was at peace and prospered.

Somewhere along the line, Asa decided that the God of his fathers, the God who had always been able, was not strong enough.  At least, not strong enough to deliver Judah from their fellow brethren, the  Israelites under King Baasha.  Rather than enlisting help from God, Asa took the gold and silver from the temple and gave it to Ben-Hadad to entice him to break his treaty with Baasha.  Everything went downhill from there.  He started oppressing the people he was supposed to protect and with a hardened and calloused heart refused to ask God for help, even when his feet became diseased.  How does one who started following God and enjoyed the blessing of God's faithfulness make such a dramatic turnaround?  How does one stop trusting God?

2 Chronicles 7-12: Worshipping God's Glory

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” - 2 Chron. 7:1-3 NIV

Israel, following the reign of David, abandoned the Lord and ignored the covenant made with him.  However, it did not start out that way.  Solomon finished the temple as his father David had planned.  No expense was spared and there was a great celebration to dedicate it when the temple was completed.  For once, the Israelites were united in their worship and thanksgiving....not because of anything that God had done, but merely because he showed up.  The glory of the Lord filled the temple and all they could do was say "He is good; his love endures forever."

We have a tendency to worship God, to give him thanks, when he has done something marvelous,  I believe what really warms the heart of God is when we worship him for what he is;  when we worship him for his universal power, not just that which is manifest in our lives.  Our greatest worship is worshipping his glory.

2 Chronicles 1-6: Our Sin Matters to God

“When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), - 2 Chron. 6:28-30 NIV

It's awfully easy to blame the conditions of our world on others.  After all, they are the ones committing the gross sins that have allowed the enemy to take up residence in our society.  It is more difficult for us to accept responsibility on our part.  Our sins may not be as flagrant, but God never said that there is a gradation of sin.  Sin is sin.  It's all the same and false testimony, or  stretching the truth, is no different from murder.  While it may not seem a big deal to us, it is to God.  He sees and knows our hearts.  He knows our failures, and while our sins may be forgiven by the shedding of Christ's blood, they are still known to God.  Our response must be to plead for forgiveness.  It is only when each and every one of us confesses our part in the sin of the land that the land can be restored.
Our sin does matter to God.

1 Chronicles 23-29: An Inheritance Forever

“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. - 1 Chron. 28:8 NIV

The formula for prosperity is not that difficult to understand, but it is extremely difficult to adhere to....follow all the commands of the Lord your God.  That's it...follow God's commands.  There were only Ten Commandments.  A lot of intrepretations were added to make it more specific, but there were only ten.   Later, Jesus narrowed those Ten Commandments down to only two - love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.  How difficult can that be?  From my standpoint, it's not difficult, it's impossible!

I may think I am loving my neighbor, but all of my selfish wants and desires get in the way.  I love when it is convenient, but selflessly, never.  As for loving God with all of my heart, I wish I could say that I do, but, I'm afraid that most of the time I treat him like a gumball machine.  I put a little in and expect a good response in return.  I know he demands more of me than that.  If it were not for the cross, for God's own Son giving me access to His family, I would have no inheritance, earthly or heavenly whatsoever.  Only because of God's mercy, I have an inheritance forever.

1 Chronicles 18-21: Strength in Numbers

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” - 1 Chron. 19:1-3 NIV

When will we ever learn that God's might cannot be measured in earthly terms.  Over and over in the Old Testament, and even in the New, circumstances illustrate that numbers have nothing to do with anything.  One small stone was all it took to kill the giant, Gideon's army of 300 was all it took to defeat the Midianites, five loaves and two fishes was enough to feed five thousand.  Yet, like David, we're always trying to measure our strength.  If Christian candidates won every election would it prove anything?  Would that mean that we have turned back to God?  Hardly!  It would mean we are counting on our strength and power more than on God.  The results would be as disastrous as they were for David.  Anytime we think our strength is in numbers, we are being misled.

1 Chronicles 14-17: Who Am I?

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God. -1 Chron. 17:16-17 NIV

If David, the greatest king in the history of Israel, a man after God's own heart, would ask these questions, what should our response be to the blessings of God in our lives?  First, we have to acknowledge that it is God himself that has brought us thus far.  It is God that has blessed us with our current circumstances whatever that might be.  Some might say, "Well, our situation is not that great right now".  Well, neither was David's.  He was pursued for years by a maniacal Saul who wanted to see him dead.  His own wife despised him.  His children would turn against him.  And on and on...just like our own lives.  Our lives do not have to be perfect to be blessed.

Which brings us to our second response, we have to realize that God looks on all of us, each and every one, as though we are the most exalted of men.  Can you wrap your mind around that?  God considers us right up there with the saints and angels.  We are that precious in his sight.  Just as with David, none of this is of our own doing.  It is only because of God's love for his creation that he made a way for us.

Who am I that God has brought me thus far?

1 Chronicles 10-13: Taking the Things of God Seriously

They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.- 1 Chronicles 13:7-10  NIV

Even David, who was a man after God's own heart had to learn the lesson about that which belongs to God; the things of God are not to be taken or treated lightly.  God is real, his power is strong.  His power is greater than anything we can imagine.  The Bible is littered with stories of those who did not take God at his word or who did not give him the honor that was due.

Korath and his followers rebelled against Moses and they and all their families were swallowed up by the earth.  Eli sons treated the Lord's sacrifice with contempt and lost their lives as a result. Ananias and Sapphira, lied about proceeds from the sale of their land, and were slain on the spot.  God's possessions, whether they be human or material are not to be messed with.  He is that holy and therefore the things of God are holy as well.

1 Chronicles 1-9: God is Faithful

As I read the chronicler's list of the generations of each tribe of Israel, that old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness comes to mind.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Through the ages, through all of the years of the lives listed in 1 Chronicles, God was there.  God was present in the lives of his people whether they realized it or not.  He was leading them, protecting them, delivering them.  God could not change his mind about his chosen people.  They were and have been forever his.  Even in the darkest times, even during the holocaust, even when Christians were burned at the stake or slaughtered by ISIS, God is there.  His compassion has not changed.  Just because we cannot see from an eternal perspective does not mean God is not there.  Even in the direst circumstances, God is faithful.

2 Kings 21-25: Great is the Lord's Anger

“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD ’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” - 2 Kings 22:13 NIV

When did the people of Judah start ignoring the words of the Lord?  Was it when they looked around and saw the prosperity of the other nations who followed other gods?  Was it when Manasseh, the evil son of Hezekiah became king.  Was it when Manasseh built all of the shrines to other gods?  Did they become fearful when they saw children being sacrificed to Molech and decided that it would be best to keep their mouth shut?  Did they observe all of the people visiting the male prostitutes at the temple and decide that God just didn't care what they did?  Or, did they just get lazy? Did it become too difficult to go to the temple on a regular basis?  Was it because all of their friends stopped going to make sacrifice and seemed to prosper anyway.

It really doesn't matter why they stopped paying attention to God's requirements.  The bottom line was their safety net was removed, their covenant with the God of their fathers was broken.  Josiah accurately saw that the consequence of their actions was dreadful.  The Lord wasn't just dismissive of their insult, he was angry.  As the writer of Hebrews states, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb. 10:31 KJV  

The citizens and rulers of Judah would pay for their disobedience.  Everything they owned would be confiscated.  All but the very poorest would be driven into exile.  Their adopted gods would not protect them from the Lord's anger.

2 Kings 18-20: How Can He Not Deliver

Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” - 2 Kings 18:35 NIV

Things had been crumbling for a while when Hezekiah became king.  Israel was on the brink of being carried away to Babylon and Judah had been under the influence of ungodly kings as well.  Hezekiah knew that deliverance would not come from any other gods even though they appeared to be leading the enemy to victory.  Hezekiah had to endure the taunts of the enemy..."How can the LORD deliver?"

How can the Lord God deliver?  How can he not deliver?  He is a covenant keeping God.  With those who keep his covenant he remains constant.  With the faithful in Judah in the fading days of the kings, with the Christians in Iraq, with the Christians in Kenya, with the Christians in Egypt.  All over the world, when God's people keep their covenant, God upholds his side of the covenant as well.  It may not appear that way to the enemy,.  They may think they are winning, but those who are being persecuted know that God's covenant is firm.  They are at peace.  They rest in the shelter of His wing.  They know that following Christ may mean they have to pick up their cross, but the same God that carried that heavy cross up Calvary's hill is alive and living in their heart.  There is nothing any enemy can do to change that reality.  How can he not deliver?

2 Kings 13-17: No Other Gods

When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did. - 2 Kings 17:35-41 NIV

What other gods do we idolize?  Do we even realize that Jehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Universe, the Creator of all, is a jealous God.  Do we understand that when he says we are to have no other gods, that includes our possessions, our status, our entertainment?  Does he have to strip everything away from us as he did to Israel and later Judah in order to prove that he was serious when he said we should have no other gods.   Unfortunately, history shows that most of the time the only way God can get our attention and loyalty is to take everything away and send us into exile.  He did it to Israel, he did it to Judah.  We should not be surprised if that is our fate as well.  We have a choice.  We can come back to him, we can divorce ourselves from all that maintains our attention and loyalty.  We can tear down all of our idols and high places.  We can give him back the rightful place, the throne in our hearts.  Can we do it?   I don't know.  I'm working on it, but I still have a lot of things to let go of before my heart is solely and completely His.

2 Kings 6-12: Changing the Course of History

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land. - 2 Kings 11:1-3 NIV

Thank God for the brave ones who are willing to risk their own lives for righteousness.  Athaliah was evil with evil self serving intent.  We're it not for Jehosheba, Joash would never have become king and turned the nation of Judah back to God.  Jehosheba could not have foreseen the impact of her actions, but she was not afraid to act.  We need brave women and men like her today.  We need people who will recognize the evil going on and take corrective action.  Jehosheba could have told people what they were doing wrong.  She could have started a blog or written letters to the editor.  She could have taken to the airwaves, but she didn't.  Instead, she acted and it changed the course of history for Judah at that point in time.

2 Kings 1-5: The Workings of God

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.” - 2 Kings 2:9-10 NIV

If you look at the miracles performed by Elisha, you will notice one thing; they were all performed for impoverished people.  They were not all in dire financial straits.  Some of they were wealthy, but could not have children, or were ravaged by leprosy.  If we wonder why God does not work today, perhaps it is because we don't need him that badly.  We have financial advisors, fertility clinics, doctors and hospitals that make sure we want for nothing.  There is no need for God to intervene in our lives.  Would we give up all we have, would we lead lives of poverty if it meant we could see the working of God in our lives?