It's all about Him

2 Chronicles - Chapter 26

While the reign of King Uzziah began well, his pride led to his downfall: "But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of

2 Chronicles - Chapter 25

"Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart." Here, King Amaziah was doing the

2 Chronicles - Chapter 24

Joash is now on the throne.  He reigned in Jerusalem for 40 years.  The most significant thing about his reign was his care for God's Temple.  The first half of this chapter records his work on the temple under the guidance of the priest Jehoiada.  This period of

2 Chronicles - Chapter 23

In John 12 Jesus describes Satan as the ruler of this world: "The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out." We are currently waiting for the time when the heir of David will return and sit on

2 Chronicles - Chapter 22

In the story of the birth of Jesus we read about the attempt by King Herod to have him killed.  Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Egypt, out of Herod's reach, and they remain there until after the death of King Herod. We read in 2 Chronicles 22

2 Chronicles - Chapter 21

We read here of one of the bad kings of Judah: "But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. But

2 Chronicles - Chapter 20

The armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Following God's instructions Jehoshaphat's people march against these armies, singing praises to God.  But they do not need to fight, as God himself fights for them.  When they arrived at the

2 Chronicles - Chapter 19

King Jehoshaphat established a supreme court in Jerusalem, where people were to be tried under God's law by the Levites, the priests, the leaders and the high priest.  The judgement is to be given faithfully and honestly. "In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests

2 Chronicles - Chapter 18

God's prophet Micaiah is speaking with Ahab, King of Israel. "Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded. And Micaiah replied, “You will find

2 Chronicles - Chapter 17

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he followed the ways of his ancestor, King David.  We read about his army in this chapter, but we also read a more unusual thing for a king to do: "In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah,

2 Chronicles - Chapter 16

Hanani, a prophet, came to King Asa and told him that because he relied on the king of Aram and not on God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from his hand.  We then read: "Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was

2 Chronicles - Chapter 15

In this chapter we see the contrast between those who love God with all their heart and soul, who are blessed by God, and those who rejected God, who were sentenced to death: "They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all

2 Chronicles - Chapter 14

We now have a new king in Judah: King Asa. "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek

2 Chronicles - Chapter 13

Abijah is now King of the Southern Kingdom of Judah; and he is facing a war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Abijah faces the opposing army and says this: "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has

2 Chronicles - Chapter 12

Rehoboam turned away from God's law, and received this message from God's prophet: "Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord

2 Chronicles - Chapter 11

"When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 select troops—to fight against Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself.  But the Lord said to Shemaiah, the man of God, “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to

2 Chronicles - Chapter 10

King Rehoboam starts his reign in this chapter.  His approach to the people in the north of the Kingdom leads to the splitting of the kingdom.  Although he is one of Jesus' ancestors, his words can be contrasted with those spoken by Jesus in Matthew 11. Rehoboam said: “My

2 Chronicles - Chapter 9

In this chapter we read about the visit of the Queen of Sheba, who had heard of Solomon's reputation: "When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants

2 Chronicles - Chapter 8

Solomon ensures that the temple is used for the festivals ordered by God in the books of the law: "Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built before the vestibule, according to the daily rate, offering according to the

2 Chronicles - Chapter 7

Solomon has finished praying at the dedication of the temple, and God demonstrates his presence through fire from heaven: When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could

2 Chronicles - Chapter 6

This chapter ends with a prayer to God and this includes this phrase: "“O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed" Solomon was, of course, an anointed King of Israel, and may have been referring to himself.  However, the Hebrew word translated here as

2 Chronicles - Chapter 5

The temple is now completed.  Solomon arranges an elaborate opening ceremony.  But this is cut short because the glory of God's presence overwhelms the event: "it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and

2 Chronicles - Chapter 4

This chapter begins: "Solomon also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high." The altar was the place of sacrifice and of death.  It was the first thing to be seen on entering the temple.  And in the temple it was much

2 Chronicles - Chapter 3

In this chapter we have a description of Solomon’s construction of the Temple. Two features, the Most Holy Place and the veil, are especially important: ”He built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid

2 Chronicles - Chapter 2

In this chapter Solomon starts the preparations for building the temple to God.  In verse one he gives orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord.  And again in verse 4 Solomon says "I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord