Month: September 2023

²⁰ EARLY THE NEXT MORNING King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the Temple of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 29

The Temple had been cleansed and consecrated by the priests and they’d come to Hezekiah, (once again means ‘Yahweh Strengthens’) and informed him. 2 Chronicles 29:18, 19 Hezekiah responded immediately! He gathered his officials and brought them with him to offer sacrifices.

²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the KINGDOM, for the SANCTUARY and for JUDAH. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord.

It was good and necessary to have cleansed the Temple, but the purpose of the purification was so WORSHIP OF THE LORD COULD BEGIN AGAIN. Hezekiah didn’t delay but began at once.

Its interesting to do a word search on the phrase, ‘EARLY NEXT MORNING’ and read all the scriptures when it was used.

² Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.’

³ EARLY NEXT MORNING Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. Genesis 22

Abraham was quick to obey God regarding the sacrifice He’d demanded of his only son Isaac. Sometimes we have to obey at once or we can talk ourselves out of following the Lord’s instruction.

¹² Joshua got up EARLY THE NEXT MORNING and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Joshua 6

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at DAYBREAK and marched round the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time round, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, ‘Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! Joshua 6

The Conquest, occupation and settling of Canaan, Israel’s Inheritance began ‘Early next morning’. God has an Inheritance for all of His people, but we mustn’t delay when the time comes.

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘GET UP,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ Matthew 2

So Joseph Got Up during the night, and left with Mary and Jesus.

God could have delivered His Son, Jesus, in any number of ways but He chose to speak to Joseph in a dream with an angel messenger. Joseph also had to move quickly to protect them all.

IF THE LORD HAS LAID SOMETHING ON YOUR HEART, BEGIN AT ONCE AND HE’LL BE WITH YOU AS YOU GO!

May He bless and keep you in all things this day. Immanuel

¹⁰ NOW I INTEND TO MAKE A COVENANT WITH THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah (Means Yahweh Strengthens) declared His intention from the outset. God had been shut out of the life of the nation of Judah, just as He has been shut out of large areas of our own society. But before anything could happen there had to be a thorough consecration and cleansing.

¹¹ My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.’

Hezekiah called those who had been appointed to minister in the Temple to begin the work of cleansing the Temple so that the Lord could be worshipped there once again.

The extent of the work and the time needed to cleanse it was determined by its lack of use. This may also apply to our own lives.  

¹⁶ The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. (Removed all defilement far from the place of worship)

They began the consecration on the first day of the month and took eight days to reach the portico of the Temple and a further eight days to finish the work. 2 Chronicles 29 They reported to the King when the work was completed.

There can be No Covenant (Binding together) until there has been Cleansing and Consecration! God will not come into agreement with anything or anyone unclean. Does that mean we have to be perfect before we come to God? No, definitely not, Christ was a perfect sacrifice on our behalf. We must walk in light however, to have fellowship with God and one another.

Remember, John the Baptist was sent ahead of Christ to prepare the way for His coming. John baptised the people and Paul said John’s baptism was one of repentance. Acts 19:4 The people of Judah had to get cleaned up before their Messiah appeared.

In the Hebridean Revival, under the unction of the Spirit, people lay on the ground and repented in great earnest for their sins. Consecration before Covenant, Hezekiah got the right order.

We are more deeply influenced by the society we live in than we know and we too must repent of things which are displeasing to the Lord, in order to draw closer to Him. The old adage, ‘Keep short accounts’, still holds true today.

A Believer who appears on Christian Broadcasts to relate encounters in Heaven, spends time morning and evening, asking the Lord, to reveal anything displeasing to Him. They said they, ’Live Clean’. Hezekiah set the right example for his people and for us. Holy Spirit reveal to us anything that would hinder the Lord’s will, things which need to removed like that taken to the Kidron Valley.

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel

What a difference a generation can bring! The enemy fears the coming generation and all they will do for the Kingdom of God.

²⁴ Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

 ²⁷ Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. (He wasn’t honoured as a king) AND HEZEKIAH HIS SON succeeded him as king.

Ahaz turned completely from the Lord and did all in his power to quench the worship of God throughout the land of Judah. However, at the end of the life of Ahaz, his son Hezekiah steps onto the stage and a turn around begins.

29 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. … ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. (Hezekiah had a David anointing/calling on his life)

³ IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE FIRST YEAR of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. ⁴ He brought in the priests and the Levites,  2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah immediately began to repair the Temple first, no doubt it was a sorry sight and then called together those who were mandated to lead worship.

‘Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶ Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. 

God was about to bring revival to Judah again through a young ruler with a different heart. The old had to pass before the new could begin and Hezekiah was fully committed to the Lord from the outset. I believe that the coming generation will be this way as well and that’s why the enemy is seeking to destroy so many.

No matter how far your children have walked away from the Lord, He may still have a powerful calling for their lives, a call to restore worship of the true God for the days ahead. Continue to pray and declare His will and His way for them and cancel the blueprint of the enemy. He can use all the twisted paths they’ve walked on for the Kingdom. Amen

PRAY FOR THE COMING GENERATION THAT THEY WILL FIND THEIR TRUE CALLING FOR THE KINGDOM OFGOD.

God bless and keep you today.

⁹ But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. 2 Chronicles 28

Oded is an interesting name, it means to Sustain, Hold or Lift Up and it also means Encourager. The first three words are a fairly good definition of what an Encourager does.

We’ve been looking at the Kings of Judah and their successes and failures in 2 Chronicles, but God brought His prophets alongside these Kings and their armies to counsel them. Oded came out to address a conquering army returning from Judah and he didn’t flatter them.

Oded told the soldiers that it was because, ‘the Lord, the God of their fathers was angry and He’d given Judah into their hands’, but apparently they’d gone way too far. They had killed 120,000 of their brothers, ‘in one day’ and taken 200,000 prisoners to become slaves.

¹⁰ And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. BUT AREN’T YOU ALSO GUILTY OF SINS AGAINST THE LORD YOUR GOD? ¹¹ NOW LISTEN TO ME!  Send back your fellow Israelites that you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord’s fierce anger rests on you.’ 2 Chronicles 28

Oded stood before this vast crowd and told them to send back the people of Judah and turn away God’s Judgement from Israel and Samaria. Four of the leaders in Ephraim also told the army that their prisoners couldn’t come there and bring guilt before the Lord. (They agreed and supported the prophet) So for once they heeded the word from the Lord, cared for the needs of their fellow Jews and returned them to Jericho.

In 2 Chronicles 18 we read the account of Micaiah the prophet of the Lord who was brought before Ahab and Jehoshaphat. He too stood alone while speaking God’s words to the Kings, but his words were rejected.

In 2 Chronicles 25 an unnamed prophet was sent to speak to Amaziah, King of Judah, whom he’d obeyed and dismissed the soldiers from Israel. God gave him success in battle, but then he brought back the gods of the conquered foe to worship in Judah. Once again God warned him through a prophet but this time he refused to listen and it led to his downfall. He never recovered his walk with the Lord.

Christians are sometimes called to, ‘Speak Truth to power’, or ‘Speak up for the Truth’. God is the God of Truth and the enemy and people of this world will often try and get us to compromise our stand for the Truth – it’s important that we don’t!

I believe I may have mentioned before a courageous young woman, the daughter of a friend, who was the only student in her class discussion who stood for the life of the unborn child. All her classmates and the teacher supported termination of the unwanted child. Like the prophets of old, Believers may have no option but to stand, sometimes alone, for the God of Truth. It may happen without warning and even within Church settings, but Heaven supports those who stand on the side of Truth.

God bless and keep you today and throughout the week ahead. Immanuel, He is with us.

 

¹¹ Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, … Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.’ 2 Chronicles 14

⁷ But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15

⁹ For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. 2 Chronicles 16

Some encouragement today from an unlikely book, 2 Chronicles.

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ COME NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL COME NEAR TO YOU. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4

We’ve been reading about different Kings of Judah after the division of the land. Israel ten tribes of the north, Judah and Benjamin to the south. There are no good kings recorded in Israel, no doubt because of their worship of the bull idols, or Baals. (The city of Birmingham in England has just declared bankruptcy after hosting the Commonwealth Games 2022. Birmingham presented a moving, six ton sculpture of a bull as the symbol of those games, with red eyes, a blatant symbol of Baal. One picture of the bull even had the caption, ‘I am Birmingham’. Idol worship is still very much alive in our time.)

The best King of Judah we’ve looked at was Jehoshaphat, with four chapters in 2 Chronicles 17-20 devoted to him. He cared about the people, removed places of false worship and on two occasions 2 Chronicles 17:7 and 19:4 sent priests to teach them the proper way to worship God. He also appointed judges to deal justice to the people under the fear of God.

Abijah also stood faithful to the Lord during a major battle against Jeroboam, a very wicked king of Israel. God gave Judah victory and there is no record of him having fallen away.

Asa was faithful to the Lord for many years, (In 36th year of his reign, Judah was attacked) but in the end he turned to man for deliverance and was rebuked by Hanani the seer.

⁹ 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 Chronicles 16

Joash stayed faithful to God as long as Jehoiada the priest and his boyhood mentor was alive, but then was misled by the false counsel of other advisers. He too turned away from following the Lord.

Amaziah also obeyed the word of the Lord through a prophet and was victorious in battle, but then brought idols from Seir back to Jerusalem. He started well but fell away and died in battle.

Uzziah was greatly blessed of the Lord and had many good  abilities and qualities, but in a single moment of pride and madness in the Temple of the Lord he was judged and lived out the remainder of his life as a recluse.

Each King was different in character, lived in different times and faced their own challenges, but all were eventually judged on whether they stayed faithful to the Lord.

The late Neville Johnson had an encounter with someone in heaven who was so full of light and life that he could hardly stand before them. In the encounter Neville was told, ‘People walk away from the Lord, but He never walks away from us!’ That is something to hold on to in the days we live in, God is Faithful.

God bless and keep you today and every day.

²⁷ From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem … and killed him in Lachish. 2 Chronicles 25

King Amaziah had known blessing and victory from the Lord, but he turned to worship false gods and was heavily defeated by Joash, King of Israel. He turned his back on God for worthless idols and it eventually cost him his life.

Many Start Well, but Don’t Finish Well! We must set ourselves to Finish Our Race in order to receive the Lord’s commendation – ‘Well done Good and Faithful Servant’. Matthew 25:21

26 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, (What a responsibility) and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ² He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers. 2 Chronicles 26

Once again this young King had a mentor who helped him walk in the Favour and Blessings of the God of Israel. Zechariah helped lay the foundation for Uzziah’s success.

⁵ He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

Uzziah seemed to have been a King of many interests and talents. God has blessed His Jewish people and many today are very gifted and receive high awards. He REBUILT AND RESTORED Elath to to Judah.

⁶ He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 2 Chronicles 26

¹⁰ He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, FOR HE LOVED THE SOIL.

He was a successful soldier with a ‘well-trained army’, 2 Chronicles 26:11. He built up the defences of Jerusalem and installed machines of war to protect the city.

¹⁴ Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armour, bows and slingstones for the entire army. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defences so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. HIS FAME SPREAD FAR AND WIDE, FOR HE WAS GREATLY HELPED UNTIL HE BECAME POWERFUL.

Uzziah walked in great blessings but then a tragedy overtook him which changed his entire life and resulted in him becoming a recluse.

¹⁶ But 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.

He assumed the place of the priest in the Lord’s Temple and was struck with leprosy on HIS FOREHEAD. The Bible says, ‘Knowledge puffs up, but Love builds up’. 1 Corinthians 8:1

The late Peter Wagner wrote a book titled ‘Humility’. In it he said he asked the Lord every day to keep him from ‘Pride’ and a ‘Sharp Tongue’. Success can be a greater test than trials.

For what do we have that has not been given us? 1 Corinthians 4:7

God bless and keep you today.

 

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, BUT NOT WHOLEHEARTEDLY. 2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah was the ninth king of Judah and had a good name, means ‘Strength of the Lord or Strengthened by the Lord’. Like so many he was a follower of the Lord, but not totally devoted to Him.

The first thing the Bible says about him is positive, he obeyed the Law of Moses and didn’t punish the sons of those who’d murdered his father, King Joash.

³ After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. ⁴ Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: ‘Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.’ 

I believe that in N.Korea today, a terrible country for followers of Christ, that if anyone offends the rulers or tries to escape, entire generations of their families are imprisoned or put to death. A country where the enemy rules at the present, but not forever. (We can take a moment and pray for God’s people there and for regime change, that Korea North and South will be united under the Lord)

Amaziah received two words from the Lord. His response to the first led to victory in battle but still resulted in the death of three thousand of his people and them being plundered. 2 Chron. 25:13

⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, ‘Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, FOR THE LORD IS NOT WITH ISRAEL – not with any of the people of Ephraim. ⁸ Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for GOD HAS THE POWER TO HELP OR TO OVERTHROW.’

A good question to consider in our own circumstances before we decide to give ourselves to something is, ‘IS THE LORD WITH THEM or IS THE LORD IN THIS?’ God cared enough to warn the King before he went into battle allied with people whom He would not bless.

Derek Prince wrote a small book called, ‘Shaping history through prayer and fasting’. During the World War 2 in the Middle East, Britain was suffering defeat at the hands of the German General Rommel. Derek and others began to pray that God would be pleased to APPOINT A LEADER WHOM HE COULD BLESS. The new general who was to be appointed died in a plane crash, I believe on the way to take up his post. General Bernard Montgomery was appointed in his place. Before the first battle, he gathered his officers together and said to them, ‘Let us call upon the Lord, mighty in battle to give us the victory’. The tide of the war turned and the German war machine was stopped from reaching Cairo and also Jerusalem. God sees things in people that may prevent His blessings and we need His perspective on those whom we choose to walk with.

May God bless and keep us and reveal any wrong ties in our relationships today.

¹⁴ AS LONG AS JEHOIADA LIVED, BURNT OFFERINGS WERE PRESENTED CONTINUALLY IN THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. 2 Chronicles 24

Jehoiada the priest, whose name means, ‘Knowledge of the Lord’, was a barrier against evil and wickedness in the life of King Joash and also the people of Judah. In modern jargon we might say, ‘HE HELD THE FORT’; a military metaphor borrowing the imagery of siege warfare (a small force holds the fort against a besieging enemy awaiting relief from a field army). So long as the Offerings were being made in the Temple, wickedness couldn’t get in. How important it is to keep our hearts alive and warm towards the Lord, while all around us opposes our loving God.

The Lord allowed Jehoiada to live one hundred and thirty years and Judah had peace, but change inevitably came when he died.

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, (No doubt for their own evil purposes) AND HE LISTENED TO THEM. ¹⁸ They abandoned the temple of the Lord, (First thing to Go was Worship!) the God of their ancestors, and worshipped Asherah poles and idols. (False worship soon followed) Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 24

Times of transition or change can be difficult and dangerous times. We need to be watchful and cover them in prayer!

¹⁹ Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

GOD WILL WARN US IF WE’RE HEADING DOWN WRONG PATHS. He warned Judah but they wouldn’t listen and things eventually came to a head.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, ‘This is what God says: “Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.”’

Zechariah, son of Jehoiada challenged the people, but they wouldn’t listen and Joash had him stoned to death, silenced him.

²² King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, ‘May the Lord see this and call you to account.’

The Lord sent enemies against Judah and Joash himself was soon dead.

So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (No royal honour for him, may happen again in our day, after the passing of Queen Elisabeth) 2 Chronicles 24:25

²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
    are the righteous who give way to the wicked. Proverbs 25:26

²⁶ When a good person gives in
    to the wicked,
it’s LIKE DUMPING GARBAGE 
    IN A STREAM OF CLEAR WATER. Proverbs 25, Contemporary English Version.

Believers are called to be Salt and Light in this world, to resist compromise and corruption. God depends upon us to honour Him and uphold His Name in our lives.

May we be blessed and strengthened to Stand Strong for Him today. Immanuel

 

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ² JOASH DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE EYES OF THE LORD ALL THE YEARS OF JEHOIDA THE PRIEST. 2 Chronicles 24

Joash, the child King, is a classic example of the effects of right and later wrong counsel in a life. The game of football or soccer has a huge following and is spoken of at great lengths by pundits. I’m not sure who made the famous quote that, ‘Football is a game of two halves’ and SO IS LIFE!

Joash rose to the throne through the intervention of Jehoiada the priest and rid Judah of the wicked Athaliah, who murdered the whole royal family. Joash alone was rescued by the wife of Jehoida the priest and hidden for six years in the temple.

⁴ Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. ⁵ He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, ‘Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. DO IT NOW.’ But the Levites did not act at once. 

King Joash, who had been raised in the temple decided to have it restored but the priests and Levites were slow to obey. He wanted to restore Temple of the Lord as the central place of worship in Judah. To undo the desecration by Athaliah’s sons who’d stolen the sacred objects for the worship of the Baals.  He had to call his mentor Jehoiada before him and initiate the means of collecting, ‘the taxes that Moses the servant of the Lord had required in the desert’.

⁸ At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. ⁹ A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ ALL THE OFFICIALS AND ALL THE PEOPLE BROUGHT THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS GLADLY, dropping them into the chest until it was full.

There were Unity and Joy among the people as the work of restoration proceeded. The work progressed well and ‘they rebuilt the temple according to its original design’.

¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. AS LONG AS JEHOIADA LIVED, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

Jehoiada died at the age of a hundred and thirty and he’d served God faithfully to the end of his long Life!

¹⁶ HE WAS BURIED WITH THE KINGS in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

This priest was honoured in death by the people of Judah as he had served God and them faithfully his whole life.

¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6

May God bless and keep you today as you serve Him, Immanuel.