生命之道

Category: 历史书

  • Ezra Chapter 2 Notes

    Ezra Chapter 2 Notes

    Ezra 2 Notes

    By Ken Yeo

    2021-6-3

     

    1.      Chapter 2 Division

    a)      Intro (2:1)

    b)      Names of those who returned (2:2-63)

                      i.           2:2 leaders

                     ii.           2:3-35 Men of Israel

    1.      2:3-20 based on family

    2.      2:21-35 based on hometown

                    iii.           2:36-42 Priests and Levites

    1.      2:36-39 Priests

    2.      2:40-42 Levites

                    iv.           2:43-58 Servants

    1.      2:43-54 Temple servants

    2.      2:55-58 Sons of Solomon’s servants

                     v.           2:59-63 people without proper genealogies

    c)      Conclusion(2:64-70)

                      i.           2:64-67 total

                     ii.           2:68-69 offerings of the people

                    iii.           2:70 people live in their towns

    2.      2:1 Intro

    a)      Own towns

                      i.           See 2:70; it is an inclusio. The Israelites remembered the land given by God as part of the Abraham and Sanai covenant.

                     ii.           Chapter 2 tells us who lives in the towns to prepare for chapter 3(3:1).

    b)      They are called captives (2:1) but later called Israelites (2:70).

    3.      2:2 leaders

    a)      11 civil and religious leaders, Also found in Neh 7:7, 12 names there.

    b)      Zerubbabel and Joshua are the first two names: the most important leaders

                      i.           Zerubbabel: grandson of King Jehoiachin (Matt 1). Maybe another name for Sheshbazzar (1:11), or maybe not.

                     ii.           Joshua: High priest (Zec 3:1)

    4.      2:3-35 Men of Israel

    a)      Total 24144, 33 families

    b)      Some are names of the head of the family(3-20), some are names of places (21-35)

    5.      2:36-39 Priests

    a)      4289 priests (approx.. 10% of the return)

    6.      2:40-42 Levites

    a)      341 Levites (small compares to Priests, Ezra would have a similar experience (8:15). Initially, there was no Levi, and later he found 38 Levi.

    7.      2:43-54 Temple servants (Nethinim)

    a)      35 people/families

    b)      Hebrew’s meaning: “the giving ones” or “the dedicated ones.”

    c)      Nethinim only shows up in 1 Chr 9:2 and in Ezra and Neh.

    d)      David set apart to attend the Levites (8:20).

    e)      220 of them will return with Ezra (8:20).

    f)       68% are foreign names

    g)      Jewish tradition: these are decedents of Gibeonites based on Josh 9:23 “you shall never be anything but servants.” But the connection is not convincingly clear.

    h)      They are portrayed positively

                      i.           Along with Priests and Levites, and other temple servants, they were exampled from tax (Ezra 7:24).

                     ii.           Participated in rebuilding the wall (Neh 3:26)

                    iii.           Signed Nehemiah’s covenant to walk in God’s Law (Ne 10:29)

    i)        They were the lowest class in the temple service but a group of dedicated circumcised foreigners (Ex 12:48; Numb 15:14-16) who joined the Israelites to worship Yahweh.

    8.      2:55-58 Sons of Solomons’ servants

    a)      These are descendants of Canaanites who became servants of Solomons – 1 Kings 9:20-21

    b)      40% are foreign names, compare to 10% of the rest of the exiles.

    c)      10 people/families

    d)      They have converted to worship Yahweh (6:21).

    e)      Also mentioned in Neh 7:60; 11:3

    f)       Temple servants + sons of Solomon’s slaves = 392, more than Levites (341).

    9.      2:59-63 people without proper genealogies

    a)      Three people/families were named (2:60), a total of 652 people

    b)      Three priestly people/families were named (2:61)

    c)      God has a higher standard for priests. While foreigners could join Israelites to worship Yahweh, only the decedents of Aaron could be priests (Lev 6:8; Ex 12:48; Numb 15:14-16).

    d)      The sons of Hakkoz’s claim was upheld in the end (8:33; Neh 3:21; 21).

    e)      The sons of Barzillai

                      i.           Especially mentioned, the head of the Barzillai family married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took on Barzillai’s name.

                     ii.           Barzillai was a wealthy Gileadite who provided supplies to David when he was running away from Absalom (2 Sam 17:27-20) and provided escort service for David back to Jordan (2 Sam 19:31-339).

                    iii.           In return, David charged Solomon to show kindness to his sons (1 Kings 2:7).

                    iv.           This family did not have the genealogy, plus they took the name of a foreigner. It is a double negative. Did that disqualify them as priests is the question.

    f)       Priests were forbidden to eat most holy food

                      i.           However, that is not final. They were to seek God’s will through Urim and Thummim.

                     ii.           The point is, it is not clear whether they came from a legitimate priestly family line; therefore, they are to seek God’s will.

    g)      The issue of bloodline will come up again in chapters 9 and 10 and Neh 13.

    h)      They were still allowed to return with the rest and stayed.

    10.   2:64-67 total       

    a)      29829 is the total of v2-60. But 49897 is the total of v64-67, which could be due to 1) women and children, 2) uncertainty of those without genealogy in v49-63, 3) possibly some other tribes like Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chr 9:3).

    b)      It is different from Neh 7:66-67 (49942), possibly due to scribal error.

    c)      It is not a high number compared to the number of exiles. It means not all people wanted to return. Regardless, God stirred the spirit of some, and they, no doubt, set out in faith, hoping in the promises of God.

    d)      7337 were servants, 1 for every 6 freemen, a high number in ancient times. They were probably foreigners

    e)      A lot of gold and silvers: 565-pound gold, 3-ton silver.

    f)       Even animals are counted, mostly donkeys (6720/8136). It possibly includes sheep and cattle for sacrifices though not mentioned.

    11.   2:68-69 offerings of the people

    a)      Different from Neh 7:70-72, possibly due to scribal error.

    b)      They are not forced. Instead, they give freely and according to their ability.

    c)      Reminiscent of the giving of the leaders of Israel in building the original temple (1 Chr 29:1-9).

    d)      This shows their dedication to Yahweh since they have incurred many expenses from the travel from Babylon to Israel.

    12.   2:70 people live in their towns

    a)      They are heirs of the land, promised by God to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3;15:18;17:8).

    b)      There are called Israel instead of Judah, representing the unified country of God (1 Kings 12).

    13.   Conclusion

    a)      The point of this chapter is those who returned are descendants of Jacob, heirs of the land promised by God. Years of exile did not nullify God’s promised to Abraham.

    b)      God has stirred the people’s hearts, and they responded in faith to return to the promised land to rebuild the temple, the country and restore their worship to Yahweh.

    c)      Yahweh has chosen Israel as His people to receive the covenant, the prophecies, and the lineage of the Messiah. But foreigners could join them by dedicating their life to Yahweh.

    14.   Applications

    a)      Imagine you were a descendant of one of the Israelites named in Ezra 2. How will that encourage you?

    b)      In the case of the sons of priests without genealogy, they are told to consult Urim and Thummim. Sometimes we cannot find explicit instruction in the bible when we face certain situations. We are to seek the Lord in our prayers for His will.

    c)      The Israelites give freely and according to their ability. NT teaches the same principles for Christians (2 Cor 9:5-15). Examine your giving to God’s works and pray to improve in this area in your life.

    d)      Gentiles who were once foreigners of God’s covenants could believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to become members of the family of God. We as gentiles could believe in Jesus and become fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Eph 2:11-22; Rom 4:13). Therefore, we ought to worship our God with a thankful heart.

    e)      Only those who are descendants of Israel can inherit the land. Coming to church meetings, have a Christian spouse, hanging out with Christians does not make you a child of God. You need to believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord to become the child of God, thus heirs of His inheritance. Paul called those who have faith like Abraham are the sons of Abraham (Gal 3:7), heirs according to the promised (Gal 3:29; Gal 4:7; Rom 8:17). What God has given to those who are in Christ is far more valuable than the promised land, for all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places have been given to those in Christ (Eph 1:3).

  • Ezra Chapter 3 Notes

    Ezra Chapter 3 Notes

    Ezra Chapter 3

    By Ken Yeo

    Last Updated: 2021-6-8

    Explanations

    1.       Big picture of rebuilding the temple (Ch. 1-6)

    a)      Return (chapter 1-2)

    b)      Building the temple (Ch. 3-6)

    2.       Chapter 3 outline

    a)      rebuilding the altar (3:1-6)

                       i.           building the altar (3:1-2)

                     ii.           responses at the alter completion (3:3-6)

    b)      rebuilding the temple foundation (3:7-13)

                       i.           building the temple’s foundation (3:7-9)

                     ii.           responses at the temple’s foundation completion (3:10-13)

    3.       Building the altar (3:1-2)

    a)      Feasts

                       i.           The seventh month is a literary inclusio for v1 to v6.

                     ii.           The seventh month is the Jewish second set of feasts: Trumpet, Atonement, Tabernacle (Lev 23). It is known as Tishri, in September-October in our calendar.

    b)      Leaders

                       i.           The two leaders of the return are introduced: Jeshua, the high priest (Zech 3:1), and Zerubbabel, the descendent of David. Zerubbabel is the grandson of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24)

                     ii.           Jeshua is the high priest. His grandfather, Seraiah, was killed by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:18-21). Ezra is also from the line of Seraiah (7:1). Normally Zerubbabel’s name is mentioned first (Ezra 3:8; Hag 1:1, 12, 14); this time, Jeshua’s name is first, probably because he, as the high priest, was the leader in building the altar.

    c)       Unity

                       i.           Israel is used instead of Judah. Although most people were from the southern kingdom, namely the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, they represent the entire kingdom of Israel.

                     ii.           The people are children of Israel (v1), the altar is the altar of the God of Israel (v2). Many returned, but all gathered as one man before God(v1). This is corporate worship in unity.

    d)      Altar

                       i.           They build the altar of the God of Israel first. There is no worship without an altar.

                     ii.           They offered burnt offerings by following the Law of Moses, the man of God. Worship must follow God’s way. We will see the importance of Laws again when Ezra returned later in Ezra 7:2, almost 80 years later.

                   iii.           Moses is called the man of God (also in Deut 33:1; Josh 14:6), just like Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha (1 Sam 9:9; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 4:7). It is another name for prophets.

    4.       Responses at the alter completion (3:3-6)

    a)      They worshipped God despite fearing the peoples of the lands.

    b)      They offered burned offerings to the LORD in the morning and evening according to the law (Ex 29:38-42; Num 28:1-8): first offering since exile, the last offering was 50 years ago. These are daily offering.

    c)       They kept the Feast of Tabernacle according to the law. They lived in tents to remind them how God had provided them during the 40 years of wilderness. The feast was celebrated in the original temple dedication (2 hr 5:30). On Ezra’s return, they would also celebrate the Feast of Tabernacle (Ezra 8:17).

    d)      Other offerings were made, including the new moon and freewill offerings. The new moon offering is offered monthly, and the freewill offerings can be offered any time. The point is, Israel has reestablished the sacrifices commanded by Yahweh.

    e)       They offered burnt offerings on the 1st day of the seventh month, at the feast of Trumpet.

    f)       All these offerings are done before the temple foundation has laid, similar to what David did, he built an altar and offered sacrifices before the Solomonic temple was built (1 Ch 21:28-22:1)

    5.       Building the temple’s foundation (3:7-9)

    a)      The foundation of the temple was not yet laid.

    b)      They hired masons and carpenters to build the temple foundation

    c)       It was God’s provision that the Israelites could use the grand from Cyrus to build the temple’s foundation

    d)      They give food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians (non-Jews) to bring cedar trees from Lebanon via Joppa, just as the 1st templet (1 Kings 5:1-10; 2 Chro 2:1-16). These activities passed through two provinces of Cyrus. It would be tough to accomplish without Cyrus’s decree, another sign of God’s provision.

    e)       Zerubbabel and Joshua are mentioned again. They are the leaders

    f)       They became the work on the second month of the second year (May 536BC), 70 years after the first exile in 605BC. The work of the original temple was also started in the second month (1 Kings 6:1).

    g)      They appointed the Levites, who are 20-year-old and up, to supervise the work

    h)      Jeshua and family, and the sons of Henadad and the Levites supervised the workmen

    i)       The Levites Jeshua and Kadmiel were mentioned in 2:40.

    6.       Responses at the temple’s foundation completion (3:10-13)

    a)      When the builders laid the foundation, the priests and Levites, including the sons of Asaph, praised the Lord according to the arrangements set up by King David of Israel (1 Chr. 16:5-6).

    b)      The laying of the temple’s foundation is a fulfillment of God’s prophecy (Is 44:26).

    c)       They sang: "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." The Israelites sang the same song when the first temple was built (2 Chr 5:13). They praise God’s goodness and steadfast love to them as the people of Israel because it was God who brought them back to the land. Jeremiah has prophesied that Yahweh would bring his people back to the land, and the land would once again filled with a voice of gladness and would sing the song again (Jer 33:10-11). God is indeed faithful, good and His steadfast love endures forever. This song is also the basis of many of David’s songs for David understood God’s character. Many Psalms (Ps 106,107,118) have the same theme. The name of Yahweh reveals His characters as He revealed to the Israelites through Moses in Ex 34:5-7.

    d)      All people shouted with a great shout to praise the Lord because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid

    e)       Those who have seen the first temple wept with a loud voice that can be heard far away. They might be comparing the size of the foundation. Haggai (Hag 2:3, 9) and Zachariah (Zec 4:10) preached against it. God said He would fill this house with glory; the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former (Hag 2:7-9). They could also weep because they remembered it was the nation’s sin and idolatry and disobedience to God’s law that had brought divine judgment upon them. If that is the case, these were the tears of repentance.

    f)       They could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the weeping.

    g)      The emphasis of this section is the celebration, not the actual building.

    Applications

    1.       God raised Jeshua and Zerubbabel as leaders to the Israelites to rebuild the altar and temple. God always raises up leaders to lead His people to worship Him. We are all leaders in different capacities, and maybe God is raising you as a leader for a small group or a leader in your community. Are you willing to respond to God’s leading?

    2.       The Israelites built the altar first because it is the most important thing. Christians ought to make our worship to the Lord our number one priority in life. Do you have a "family altar" in your home? How important is worship to your family?

    3.       Just as the Israelites worshiped God despite fear for the surrounding peoples, Christians ought to worship God despite fear of persecution from the world.

    4.       Just as the Israelites worship God as one, we as Christians are members of the body of Christ. When we interact with Christians from different backgrounds, we should always keep the unity of Christ’s body in mind by concentrating on our similarities, not our differences (John 17; Eph 4).

    5.       The Israelites who returned rebuilt the temple’s foundation knew it was Yahweh’s goodness and steadfast love that allows them to return to reestablish their worship to Yahweh. God is good. His steadfast love endures forever. We as Christians ought to worship God and praise Him for His goodness and steadfast love, for He would never forsake us; when we drift away, He always works to bring us back to Him (John 10:29).

  • 大卫数点军兵的数目

    大卫数点军兵的数目

    书以色列人犹大人
    撒母耳记下24：9800，000500，000
    历代志上21：51，100，000470，000
    区别300，00030，000
    原因撒母耳没有记载288,000
    服侍王的特种部队(代上27：1-15）
    		有可能区别是便雅悯数目（历代记21：6）

    圣经有两处记载大卫数点百姓的数目，一处是在撒母耳记下24：9，另一处是在历代志上21：5。两处记载的以色列人和犹大人的数目不一样，这两个数目如何协调呢？

    第一，我们要明白圣经里的大数目有许多时候是以整数来计算。撒母耳记下24：9提到800，000拿刀的以色列勇士，这是一个整数，真真的数目可能是790，512人，或者804，123人，作者把数目四舍五入到最接近的十万位数。这个就能够解释犹大30，000人的区别，但不足够解释以色列300，000人的区别。

    第二，不同的作者可能会根据不同的方法计算人年数，在这里撒母耳记下和历代志上的作者是用不同的方法记载人数。在大卫王的年代，大卫有庞大的特种部队，这种部队有12班，每班有24，000军人，所以总共有288，000军人（代上27：1-15）。撒母耳记的作者选择不记载这些特种部队，可能是因为这288，000军人的特种部队的数目已经是以知之数，没有必要再次记载。但是历代记的作者却选择记载他们。800，000加上288，000就是1088，000，还差12，000人。历代记的作者很可能把数目四舍五入到最接近的十万位数，就是1，100，000人。

    第三，犹大人的区别有30，000。这个区别也有可能是因为撒母耳记的作者把便雅悯族的人数算在犹大人的数目里，但是历代记的作者却没有。“惟有利未人和便雅悯人没有数在其中，因为约押厌恶王的这命令。”（代上21：6）。便雅悯族的产业的位置是连接在犹大族的产业的北方，所以把便雅悯计算在犹大族里是合理的。

  • 2 Chronicles 32

    2 Chronicles 32

    “But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart”(v31).

    Hezekiah was one of the five good kings of the southern kingdom. He was probably the greatest among them because he did not only smash down idols (31:1), he also reestablished the temple worship (29:35), as well as the Passover for both Israel and Judah (30:1).

    His was a prayer warrior (2 Kings 19:14-19). When he was sick, he prayed a prayer that changed the mind of God. God responded with a miraculous sign: the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz (20:11).

    Up to this point, his life as king for 14 years has been victorious in the eyes of God. Now God wanted to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (v31). When the babylon king sent messengers to Hezekiah to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left Hezekiah to test him.

    Hezekiah failed the test. Instead of giving glory to God, he was proud and did not respond to the kindness shown him (v25). He choose to show his own glory by showing the Babylonian his treasures. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them” (2 Kings 20:15).

    Most of the time, God is protecting us from temptations. But sometimes God chooses to test everything in our heart, by removing his protection from us. This is the time when our faith is truly tested. Do we have the heart to glorify God or to glorify ourselves? I have to admit, many times I sinnful nature desires to glorify myself, and as a result I robed the glory of God. Hezekiah finally repented of the pride of his heart and God forgave him (v26). We need to get down to our needs to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness when His words reveal the darkness of our hearts. God is faithful and He is just, He will surely forgave us and embrace us with His loving arms.

  • 2 Chronicles 29

    2 Chronicles 29

    Revival By a Young and Godly King – Hezekiah

    Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz was the most wicked king of all the kings of the southern kingdom. Yet Hezekiah did not follow his father’s foot step.

    It seems to me that Hezekiah has been wanting to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, however he had no authority when his wicked father Ahaz was alive. So when he became the king at 25 old years old, immediately on the 1st month he opened the doors of the temple that was closed by his father, removed all defilements from the temple, led the people in making a covenant with the Lord (v10) and reestablished the temple worship by the priest (v35).

    It was such an encouragement to see a young man who set his heart on the things of the Lord. We need many young men like the young Hezekiah in today’s church. Many fathers have forsaken the Lord, did not live and lead as a father should and as a result many young men grew up without a role model of what Godly men should be. That is why many young men are spiritually weak in today’s church. They are church goers instead of God’s soldiers.  However, just like Ahaz’s wickedness did not stop Hezekiah from becoming a Godly king, the young men in today’s church can also make decision to follow the Lord regardless of the spiritual condition of their father.

    So young men of God, rise up, don’t let your age or your family background became hinders, we need more Hezekiah in this generation than ever to reestablish the true worship of our Lord with our life, you could be one.

  • 2 Chronicles 27

    2 Chronicles 27

    Do you feel weak as christian some times? Do you have the desire to be a powerful christian? How can we become powerful christians? This chapter tells us that Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. This is a hint to us. If we want to be powerful, we need to walk steadfastly before our Lord Jesus Christ.

    A powerful christian may look weak outside by worldly standards, but he or she is a soldier of the Lord inside. Nothing could stop him or she from following the Lord, that is the definition of a powerful christian.

  • 2 Chronicles 25

    2 Chronicles 25

    Two verses caught my attentions:

    v2: “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.”

    God not only desires us to do the right things in His eyes, He desires us to do it whole heartedly. The Lord told the Church in Laodicea He would spit them out of His mouth because they were lukewarm – neither hot nor cold.

    Are you a lukewarm christian? Are you doing things for the Lord, but only doing it halfheartedly? Like a Chinese proverbs: Are your legs on different boats? Yes the answer is yes, eventually you will fall into the water because these boats are heading to different direction.

    v9: “The LORD can give you much more than that”

    Sometimes we felt that we have spend many energy, time, and money on worldly things. If we are to give up pursuing the world, how do we recuperate our energy, time and money? Well, the man of God said to Amaziah: “The LORD can give you much more than that!” Our God is the God of the universe, He has all the resources and power to give us anything He desires to give us. All we need to do is to trust in Him.

  • 2 Chronicles 10 – 36

    2 Chronicles 10 – 36

    King

    Good

    Bad

    Rehoboam (41+17)

    Prophets: Shemaiah, Iddo

    11:2 He obeyed God’s command when God told him not to flight with brothers

    11:17 walked in the ways of David and Solomon

    12:12 He repented and God forgave him

    10:14 listened to young friend instead of elder and put heavy burden on people. As a result 10 tribes decided to follow Jeroboam and the kingdom devided into two

    12:1 Abandon the Law

    12:14 didn’t set his heart to seek God

    Abijah (?+3)

    Prophets: Iddo

    13:10 “the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him.”

    13:11 Unlike Jeroboam who worshipped golden calves, Abijah lead his people to worship God in the temple by following God’s law

    13:12 “God is with us; He is out Leader…. do not flight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

    13:14 Even though Abijah was outnumbered by Jeroboam’s troops, he trusted in God (13:12) and cried out to God during the battle, and God gave him victory over Jeroboam.

    12:21 He married fourteen wives

    Asa (?+41)

    Prophets: Oded, Azariah, Hanani

    14:2-3 “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles”

    14:4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey His laws and commands.

    14:5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town of Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.

    14:11 Called on God when being attacked by the Cushite and God struck down the Cushites. Asa’s prayer: “There is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in Your Name we have come against this vast army.”

    15:8 Removed idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

    15:16 Deposed grandma who worshiped idol

    16:2-7 When being attacked by Baasha king of Israel, King Asa made treaty with Ben-Hadad king of Aram instead of relying on God.

    16:10 Asa was angry with the seer and put him prison.

    16:10 Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

    16:12 Even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.

    Jehoshaphat(35+25)

    Prophets: Jehu, Eliezer, Jahaziel

    17:3-6 walked in the ways of David. Sought God. Removed Asherah poles.

    17:9 Taught God’s law to Judah

    18:4 Desired to seek the counsel of God when Ahab asked him to go to war against Ramoth Gilead

    19:3 set his heart on seeking God

    19:4 went from Beersheba to Ephraim and turned people back to God

    19:9 taught the leaders to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of God

    19:10 warned the people not to sin against God

    20:3 Led the people, all men with their wives and children (20:13) to fast and pray to God when attacked by Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites

    20:6 He is a man of prayer (see 20:20), a man who knows God. “You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations… We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” As a result, God fought the battle for them, God caused the enemies to attack each other (20:23).

    20:30 He is a great ruler, the kingdom was at peace, God had given him rest on every side.

    20:32 He walked in the ways of his father Asa. He did what was right in the eyes of God. However people still had not set their hearts on God.

    19:2 help the wicked and love those who hate God (Ahab). Made alliance with northern kingdom by marrying his son Jehoram with Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel

    20:36 He made alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel who was guilty of wickedness. They constructed a fleet of trading ships, but were destroyed by God.

    Jehoram (32+8)

    Prophets: Elijah (North)

     

    21:4 he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the princes of Israel

    21:6 He married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and followed in the ways of the kings of Israel

    21:6 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD

    21:10 Forsaken God

    21:11 built high places on the hills of Judah

    21:11 caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

    21:14 God struck his family and people. He was lingering with disease of the bowels.

    21:16 God aroused Philistines and Arabs to attack Judah and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his family.

    Ahaziah (22+1)

     

    22:3 walked in the ways of the house of Ahab

    22:3 his mother encouraged him in doing wrong

    22:4 did evil in the eyes of the LORD

    22:4 made people from King Ahab as his advisors

    22:5 partnered with Joram son of King Ahab to war against Hazel king of Aram

    Athaliah (?+6)

     

    22:3 encouraged her son Ahaziah in doing wrong

    22:10 destroyed the whole royal family of Judah

    22:12 self proclaimed first woman ruler for Judah

    24:7 her sons broken into the temple and used its sacred objects for Baals

    Joash (7+40)

    Prophets: Joel

    24:2 did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest

    24:4,13 restored the temple of the LORD according to its original design

    24:17 turned into a wicked King after the death of Jehoiada. He listened to officials who paid him homage, he abandoned the temple and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.

    24:19 did not listen to prophets of the LORD

    24:22 did not remember the kindness of Jehoiada, even killed Jehoiada’s son Zechariah

    24:25 killed by his own officials in his bed

    Amaziah (25+29)

    25:2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD

    25:2 but not wholeheartedly

    25:4 did not put his father’s killer’s son to death, but acted in accordance with Deut 24:16

    25:6 hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for 100 talents of silver

    25:14 worshiped Edomites gods

    25:27 turned away from following the LORD

    Uzziah (16+52)

    Prophets: Isaiah, Zechariah

    26：4 did what was right in the eyes of the LORD

    26:5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah

    26:16 after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

    26:19 became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar, leprosy broke out on his forehead.

    26:21 had leprosy until the day he die. Lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple.

    Jotham (25+16)

    Prophets: Isaiah, Micah

    27:1 did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike Uzziah he did not enter the temple.

    27:3 rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel

    27:4 built towns in the Judean hills and forts and towers in the wooded areas

    27:6 grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God

     

    Ahaz (20+16)

    Prophets: Isaiah, Micah

     

    28:1 Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD

    28:2 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast idols for worshiping the Baals

    28:3 He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations of the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

    28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the hight places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree

    28:6 one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah – because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers

    28:9 God was angry with Judah and gave them into the hand of Israel.

    28:16 ask for help from king of Assyria when attacked by Edomites

    28:19 promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD

    28:20 took some of the things from the temple and from the royal place and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria

    28:22 In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD

    28:23 offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus… for he thought,”Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.”

    28:24 gathered together the furnishings from the temple and took them way. Shut the doors of the temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem.

    28:25 In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and provoked the LORD.

    Hezekiah (25+29)Prophets: Isaiah, Micah

    29:2 did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done

    29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple and repaired them

    29:6-9 He recognized the sins of previous generation

    29:10 make a covenant with the LORD so that His fierce anger will turn away from us

    29:15-19 consecrated the entire temple29：35 reestablished the service of the temple

    30:1 sent word to all Israel and Judah inviting them to come to the temple and celebrate the Passover together.

    30:26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, there had been nothing like this since Solomon

    31:1 led Judah to smashed the sacred stones, cut down the Asherah poles, destroyed high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh.2 King 18:4 broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.

    31:4 Ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion to the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. The people gave abundantly.

    31:20 doing what was good and right and faithful before God.

    31:21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

    32: 8 trust in God is with them and would fight the battles with Assyrians for them

    32:20 Prayed with Isaiah and God responded with an angel who annihilated the army of Assyrian (185,000 men).2 Kings 19:19 Hezekiah prayed to God to deliver them so that all kingdoms on earth may know that Yahweh alone are God.

    32:26 repented of the pride of his heart.

    32:29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches2 Kings 20:11 God listend to Hezekiah prayer, He made the shadow go back 10 steps

    32:25 He was sick and prayed to God, and God answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But his heart was proud and did not respond to the kindness shown him.2 Kings 20:13 Hezekiah was proud and shown his place and all the kingdom treasures to messengers from Babylon

    Manasseh (12+55)

    33:12 In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to God, God was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; s God brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

    33:14 rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David

    33:15 got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple and all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city.33:16 restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD.

    33:2 did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites

    33:3 Rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

    33:4 built altars in the temple of the LORD

    33:5 built altars to all the starry hosts

    33:6 sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists.

    33:6 He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking Him in anger.

    33:7 He took the carved image of Asherah (2 Kings 21:7) he had made and put it in God’s temple.

    33:9 led Judah astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the?Israelite

    33:10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and His people, but they paid no attention.

    33:11 God brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in His nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon

    2 King 21:13 God said: “I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes, because they have done evil in my eyes and have provoked me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt until this day.”

    2 Kings 21:16 He also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end

    2 Kings 23:26-27, 24:4 Although Manasseh has repented, God will choose to remove Judah from His presence.

    Amon (22+2)

    Only Jewish king bears the name of a foreign – an Egyptian deity.

    33:22 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.33:22 Worshiped and offered sacrifiecs to all the idols Manasseh had made.33:23 Unlike his father, he did not humble himself before the LORD, Amon increased his guilt

    Josiah (8+31)

    Prophets: Zephaniah, Huldah, Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk

    34:2 did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.34:3 in the 8th year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.

    34:3 In his 12th year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.

    34:4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

    34:5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.

    34:6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel.

    34:8 In the 18th year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he repaired the temple of the LORD.

    34:21 Responded to the book of the law that was discover in the temple by seeking the LORD.

    34:27 Through the prophetess Huldah, God told Josiah because he humbled himself before God and tore his robes and wept in God’s presence, God have heard him, his eyes will not see all the disaster God was going to bring to Judah.

    34:31 Led the people in renewing the covenant with the LORD, which is to follow the LORD and keep His commands with all his heart and all his soul. He had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it.

    2 Kings 23:4 burn idol in Kidron Valley

    2 Kings 23:5 did away with the pagan priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem – those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.

    2 Kings 23:7 tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitues, which were in the temple of the LORD and where women did weaving for Asherah

    2 Kings 23:8 broke down the shrines at city gates

    2 Kings 23:10 desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

    2 Kings 23:11 moved from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun.

    2 Kings 23:12 burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

    2 Kings 23:12-15 He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the LORD. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley.The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the people of Ammon.Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also

    2 Kings 23:20 moved and defiled all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria that had provoked the LORD to anger.

    2 Kings 23:21 slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them.

    34:33 removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and He had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD. As long as he loved, they did not fail to follow the LORD.

    35: 18 The passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings had ever celebrated such a Passover.

    2 Kings 23:24 got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah

    2 Kings 23:25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as the did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

    35:21 Neco King of Egypt attacked Assyrians but Josiah decided to get involve in the battle and he was killed.

    Jehoahaz (23+3m, 3rd son of Josiah)

    Prophets: Jeremiah

     

    The first king of Judah to die in exile

    36:3 Neco king of Egypt dethroned him

    Jehoiakim (25+11, 2nd son of Josiah)

    Prophets: Jeremiah, Daniel, Urijah

    1st stage of exile.

    36:5 did evil in the eyes of the LORD 

    36:6 Nebuchadnezzar attacked and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon

    36:8 the detestable things he did…

    Jehoiachin (18+3m, son of Jehoiakim)

    Prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel

     

    2nd stage of exile.

    36:9 did evil in the eyes of the LORD

    36:10 Benuchadnezzar brought him to Babylon

    Zedekiah (21+11, 4th son of Josiah)

    Prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel

     

    3rd stage of exile.

    36:12 did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet

    36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn of the LORD.

    36:12 All the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD.
  • 2 Chronicles 12

    2 Chronicles 12

    Discussions

    1. Rehoboam’s heart to follow God changed multiple times during his life. He obeyed God’s command not to flight against his brothers in the beginning of his reign (11:4), he led the people for three years walking in the ways of David and Solomon (11:17), but then he abandoned the law of God, unfaithful to God after he became strong (12:1). As a result God raised up Shishak king of Egypt to attack Jerusalem (12:2). Then Rebohoam humbled himself before God (v6). God sawed that Judah humble themselves, he spared them but still let them subject to Egypt, so that they may learn the difference between serving God and serving the kings of other lands (v8). Because Rehoboam humbled himself, he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah (v12). However at the end of his reign of 16 years, he did evil again because he had not set his heart on seeking God (v14). What lesson could we learn from the life of Rehoboam?
  • 2 Chronicles 11

    2 Chronicles 11

    Discussions

    1. Jeroboam rejected the priests of God, he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made (15). Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking God, followed the Levites to Jerusalem. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time (v17). When we see God’s people rejected God and worship idols, what should be our reaction? When there are division in God’s kingdom, who should we follow?