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1 Chronicles 18 - 20 and Psalm 60

4/30/2012

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         In today’s reading we read about David’s military victories over his neighbors.  We can summarize the reading with the sentence: “The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went” (1 Chronicles 18:13).
         We also see a difference between the historical narrative of the chronicler and that of the author in 1 Samuel – 2 Kings.  Notice that here the chronicler passes over almost all of David’s life in 2 Samuel 11 – 21.  For example, it seems like we are going to enter into the topic of his sin with Bathsheba when he says, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle; Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah.  But David remained at Jerusalem… (1 Chronicles 20:1)  It echoes 2 Samuel 11:1 when the sin with Bathsheba was introduced.
         But instead of retelling his sin, the chronicler skips it completely and runs right to the conclusion of the war against the Ammonites: “And David took the crown of their king from his head.  He found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David’s head” (1 Chronicles 20:2), just as in 2 Samuel 12:30.  The chronicler skips almost two whole chapters of 2 Samuel and never mentions the sin with Bathsheba, the one against Uriah, the divine reproof through Nathan nor David’s repentance.  Neither does he mention Amnon and Tamar nor the difficulties with Absalom that led to his rebellion.  Why
doesn’t the chronicler these conflicts and the discipline against David’s house for his sins?  Can it be that he is giving us a false representation of Israel’s history?
         No.  Again we must remember that when the Bible narrates history, it does not have an encyclopedic purpose.  The chronicler does not try to tell us everything he can about David’s life but only what corresponds with the purpose of his narrative.  In fact, what the chronicler does here is no different than what we do
today when we tell others about something that happened.  Normally we don’t give others an encyclopedic description of an event but only those details that are important to the conclusion that we are trying to communicate.
         For example, the day before yesterday my sons played soccer in two different games, and my wife could not attend either one.  When we came home, I told her
the most important parts of the game that were of interest to her: one son scored a goal, and the other scored two goals, all of them on penalty kicks.  When she heard this information, she asked what happened that caused the referee to call the penalties, then she was satisfied with the information.  I never told her about the best plays of the other players, my evaluation of the referee’s calls or the condition of the field / pitch.  She had all the information she needed.  On the other hand, during one of the games I spoke with a friend who is the father of one of the opposing players.  We talked about the strategies of the two coaches, the changes in strategies since the last time they played and the development and improvement of some of the players on both teams since the last time they played each other. 
We mentioned almost nothing of the participation of our sons in the game.  Our conversation had a different purpose.
         Now, if we were to put my descriptions of the game in writing, wait several years and give them to another person to read, the reader might be dissatisfied.  Are these really descriptions of the same game?  The most important points in narrative A (what I told my wife) are not even mentioned in narrative B.  The narratives have very different perspectives.  Isn’t narrative A a false or at least inadequate representation of what really happened?
         No; in reality, both narratives were given by the same person on the same day of the same event.  But there were two different narrative purposes, and that’s why they are so different.  Something similar is happening here between 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles and on other occasions when the Bible describes the same event from two, three, four or even more perspectives.  Without trying to narrate an event like an encyclopedia, the authors of the Bible sometimes tell the same event for different readers in different generations and for different purposes, with everything inspired by the Holy Spirit and telling us about Yahweh.  These varied perspectives enrich our perception of His glory.
         That’s what it’s like in 1 Chronicles 18 – 20.  The chronicler is explaining to the generations returning from the exile the characteristics that they should imitate of the founder of David’s royal house.  “David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people” (1 Chronicles 18:14).  Without denying that he sinned (we’ll see another example of his sin tomorrow), the chronicler highlights his devotion to Yahweh and tells us of his military victories and the righteousness and peace that he enjoyed because of His grace. That is how the chronicler portrays the future blessings that God’s people can enjoy if they walk in Yahweh’s paths with all their heart.
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1 Chronicles 13 - 17

4/28/2012

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         If we can evaluate the importance of a biblical theme by the space that the Bible dedicates to explain it, then according to the chronicler, the transport of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem was one of the most important events of David’s reign.
         This event that took one chapter in 2 Samuel (chapter 6) here in 1 Chronicles deserves the attention of three chapters.  Once again we see the chronicler’s desire to present a vision of all Israel united in submission to David’s royal house, the royal house that promotes a wholehearted devotion to Yahweh.
         Who is the object of your devotion today?
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1 Chronicles 9 - 12

4/28/2012

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         Remember that in our reading of 2 Kings 24 – 25, we learned that there were four important events that marked the end of the kingdom of Judah. The last and most devastating occurred in the year 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and sent almost all of the survivors to Babylon in a massive deportation.
         Now we continue the story.  In the year 539 BC, the Persians took control of Babylon and began to allow the peoples whom the Babylonians exiled to return to their homelands.  The following year, the Jews received permission to return to the Promised Land, and some accepted the opportunity, returned and began to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.  The books of Ezra and Nehemiah will tell us more about these events and the difficulties they faced; for now, we simply want to note that the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 9 are from the first group of exiles to return to the Promised Land.
         “Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants.  And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem” (1 Chronicles 9:2-3).  There is still a lot more to be done before the vision of the return of all the tribes to the
Promised Land would be fulfilled.
         Most importantly, the chronicler concentrates on the genealogies of the priests and the division of temple responsibilities among the Levites. He wants his
readers to remember that the main purpose in returning to the Promised Land is to worship Yahweh in holiness and to put into practice the temple rituals in agreement with their historical antecedents.
         He also retells the history of Israel, but in a way different from what we read in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings.  For example, notice that the entire history of Saul that filled 1 Samuel 9 – 31 is summarized here in only 14 verses in 1 Chronicles 10.  He focuses only on Saul’s death: “So Saul died for his breach of faith.  He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the
LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.  He did not seek guidance from the LORD.  Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).  He doesn’t see the need to repeat the entire history of Saul; he only underlines one main lesson so that his readers can understand the consequences of unfaithfulness to Yahweh.
         He also passes over David’s early history to go directly to the request that he become king over all Israel (what we read in 2 Samuel 5). He does not mention the civil war between Saul’s and David’s houses, Abner’s support of David before the former’s assassination, nor the murder of Ish-bosheth nor any of those conflicts; he only wants to point out the unity that existed among all of the tribes in declaring David king.  He makes that unity among all Israel stand out even more when in 1 Chronicles 11 – 12 he indicates the impressive variety of places of origin and of tribes of David’s mighty men and his original followers even before Saul’s death.  All of this historical narrative reaches its high point when he writes, “All of these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king” (1 Chronicles 12:38).  According to the chronicler, peace in Israel would be attained only when all the tribes submit in unity to the support of David’s house.
         In a similar way, we Christians long to see the unity of all nations under the authority of the most excellent descendant of the house of David, under the authority of Jesus Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).  The kingdom of Jesus Christ enjoys an incomparable peace when people of different nations, tribes and languages submit themselves in unity under his authority.
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1 Chronicles 5 - 8 and Psalm 107

4/27/2012

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         The Israelite genealogies from 1 Chronicles continue with Reuben’s in 1 Chronicles 5.  The first verses explain why we have seen the priority of Judah and the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) from the book of Genesis on: “The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he
defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from among him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)… (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).
         We read about Reuben’s sin in Genesis 35:22 and how Jacob / Israel declared that he had lost primogeniture in Genesis 49:3-4.  We also read how Jacob / Israel gave Joseph the double portion, the inheritance of the eldest son, when he received Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own (Genesis 48:5-20).  What the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 5 confirms is that even though their ancestor sinned in this way and was punished, the descendants of Reuben still are an integral part of
Israel.  Besides, they are worthy of honor because they are from the physical eldest son of Israel (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary; 2006, Christian Focus Publications, pg. 105).
         In the rest of 1 Chronicles 5 the chronicler details the genealogies of the two and a half tribes that settled the lands east of the Jordan River, outside the Promised Land.  We read about their settlement of this land in Numbers 32; Deuteronomy 3:8-20; Joshua 1:12-18; 12:1-6; 13:8-33 and all of Joshua 22.  Now in 1 Chronicles 5 we learn about battles that they had against their neighbors that were not mentioned in any other part of the Bible: “They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.  And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him” (1 Chronicles 5:19-20).  And although they lost their land because of their idolatry and were sent into exile by Assyria, the chronicler wants them to be included also in his vision for the restoration of Israel (Pratt, 111).
         In 1 Chronicles 6 the chronicler concentrates on the genealogy of the Levites.  In particular he wants to indicate clearly the lineage of the high priest from Aaron to Zadok and his descendants until the exile.  He also shows that descendants from all of Levi’s principal lineages participated in the temple music. 
He also encourages his readers to provide for the Levites who would rebuild Jerusalem and the rest of Israel by reminding them of the lands they had held before the exile.
         First Chronicles 7 – 8 identifies the genealogies of the other tribes (except for Dan and Zebulon).  It underlines Benjamin, probably because of the closeness and
faithfulness of part of its tribe to Judah, Levi and the temple in Jerusalem in the centuries running up to the exile (Pratt, 128-29).  In these genealogies, the interest in men of war is notable; the chronicler probably wants to underline that the new Israel will have to consider organizing an army for self-protection and to fight Yahweh’s battles (Pratt, 118).
         To summarize, through the first 8 chapters of 1 Chronicles, we can see some of the chronicler’s priorities.  He wants to present a vision for the resettlement of Israel by the descendants of the exiles in agreement with the best moments in Israelite history, the times when Israel showed its greatest faithfulness to its God and enjoyed a living relationship with Him.  Therefore, in the genealogies and his retelling of Israel’s history, the chronicler inspired by Yahweh’s Spirit notes the
following:
         Faithfulness to the house of David,
         Devotion to Yahweh directed by the high priest and the Levites in the temple,
         The support of the Levites in agreement with the Mosaic Law,
         Crying out to Yahweh in prayer in the midst of weakness and need.
As a result of putting these into practice, Yahweh’s people who return to the Promised Land from exile to rebuild Jerusalem can hope for the following:
         Yahweh’s response to their need,
         The recovery of the geographic extent of the Promised Land,
         The reintegration of more descendants of the exile into the Promised Land,
         The multiplication of descendants as a blessing of Yahweh,
         Military success against their enemies.
Therefore, through these genealogies, the chronicler has a message to communicate to Yahweh’s people, a message based on His eternal faithfulness.
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1 Chronicles 1 - 4 and Psalm 105

4/25/2012

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         As we read the genealogies in these chapters, we must keep some observations in mind.  First of all, notice that a genealogy in the Bible has a different purpose than the genealogies we compile today.  When I investigate my family’s genealogy, I want to identify all the members of my family without missing a single one, and I want to extend it as far as possible in each generation.  I have an encyclopedic interest.  But the Bible does not share the same interest: its genealogies only identify people who stand out, and it has no problem excluding brothers or sons or even skipping entire generations without mentioning anyone.  If we remember that the Bible does not attempt to be encyclopedic in its genealogies, some of our frustrations or difficulties in reading them will be resolved.
         Second, if we understand that biblical genealogies are not motivated by the desire to identify everyone without missing a single person, then we can approach them with the correct question to understand them better: Why is the narrator interested in these names?  What is motivating him to identify them?  Our reading of genealogies can be more fruitful if we keep these questions in mind.
         Third, even knowing these things, it is difficult to read these chapters!  I confess that it is difficult for me to read them attentively.  But just like reading the genealogy of a family I don’t know personally today, if I have a good “tour guide” who can explain the genealogy and interpret its importance, then it is much easier to pay attention and read. That’s why I’m grateful for the book by Richard Pratt,
1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 2006, Christian Focus Publications, because it has been a dependable guide through these difficult chapters.  My observations depend greatly on his.
          Notice that 1 Chronicles 1:1 – 2:2 begins with Adam and identifies some of the ancestors of Israel’s historical neighbors: Mizraim (the ancestor of the Egyptians) and Canaan, for example.  Next it notes the sons of Shem (from whose name we get the term “Semites” or “Semitic”), and passes through Heber until it gets to Abraham.  In this manner it communicates to its Israelite readers that their
lineage is the culmination of God’s plan through the generations (Pratt, 85).
         Next the narrator gives a broad view of Abraham’s descendants.  He names
the most important first (Isaac), and then names the sons of Abraham who do not
have a part in the covenant: Ismael and his descendants, the children of his
concubine Keturah and their descendants, until he reaches his main point in Isaac (1 Chronicles 1:34).  He does the same thing in the next generation: he goes through Esau’s descendants as a preliminary to getting to his most important point, the generations of Israel (1 Chronicles 2:1-2).  This whole presentation fulfills the narrator’s desire for his readers to understand the importance and privilege of being God´s chosen people (Pratt, 85).
         Now focusing on Israelite genealogy, the chronicler identifies the line of Judah.  Even though he is not the firstborn, his line is described first because it contains the royal genealogy.  Therefore it concentrates on his son Perez, on his grandson Hezron and his great-grandson Ram (even though he is not the firstborn of Hezron’s family, 1 Chronicles 2:25) because the line of the house of David goes through them (Pratt, 95).
         First Chronicles 2 also underlines the descendants of Hezron’s other two sons: Caleb and Jerahmeel.  Caleb (first called “Chelubai” in 1 Chronicles 2:9) is not the famous Caleb son of Jephunneh who remained faithful to Yahweh’s promise when the spies first entered the Promised Land in Numbers 13 and 14; this Caleb is an ancestor of Bezalel, one of the artisans filled with Yahweh’s Spirit to construct the
tabernacle (Exodus 35:30 and 1 Chronicles 2:20).  From this early time in Israelite
history there already was a strong tie between worship in the tabernacle and those who would form the royal house, one of the major themes of 1 and 2 Chronicles (Pratt, 95).  We don’t know with certainty why the chronicler highlights Jerahmeel too, but it probably has to do with his descendant Elishama (1 Chronicles 2:41) who probably would be recognized by readers of that time (Pratt, 96).
         The chronicler returns to Caleb’s descendants to finish 1 Chronicles 2 and then goes back to the line of Ram when he begins 1 Chronicles 3 and picks up David’s descendants.  Notice his interest in identifying the descendants of the royal house during and after the exile (1 Chronicles 3:17-24).  The anointed one promised to David would come through one of them.  Through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, we know that this key descendant of David is Zerubbabel.
         In 1 Chronicles 4 he concentrates on the descendants of Judah who were artisans and notes in one instance: “These were the potters who were inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah.  They lived there in the king’s service” (1 Chronicles 4:23). 
Once again, the connection with the royal family is important, and these men serve as examples to the ones returning from exile on the duty to support the royal house (Pratt, 100, 101).
         Today’s reading from 1 Chronicles ends with the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon.  Though they did not have as much influence as the tribe of Judah, they
give the returning exiles the geographic limits to which they should extend their territory (Pratt, 102-103).
         And along with these genealogies it is appropriate to read Psalm 105 to remind ourselves of Yahweh’s faithfulness across so many generations: “Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!” (Psalm 105:5-6)
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1 Chronicles 1 - 2 Chronicles 36: The ninth unit of the Bible

4/25/2012

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         We’ve just read a lot about the history of Israel.  Why must we go back and
read the same information again in the ninth unit of the Bible, the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles?
         Probably for the same reason that God gave us four gospels about the life of Jesus: each narrative describes the same life, but each organizes and describes that life from a unique perspective, and together they give us a fuller picture of our Lord.  Just as in the four gospels of the New Testament, we will read through the history of Israel four times in the Old Testament: the first time in all of our reading through 2 Kings (what we have just finished), the second time in 1 and 2 Chronicles, the third time in the books of the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the fourth time in the minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi).  From these four readings through Israel’s history, when we finish the Old Testament on September 9th, we should have a well-rounded knowledge of Yahweh’s grace manifested to His people.
         We will cover this new unit in approximately two and a half weeks, in the readings from April 26th through May 14th this year.  As you read, keep in mind the following observations:
         1)  The main events of the unit: Israel’s history from the perspective of the Levites.
         2)  Yahweh’s attributes that stand out: His glory and His eternal dominion
         3)  Yahweh’s main work: He blesses His people when they respond to His
glory.
         4)  The main participants: The kings of the united kingdom (David and Solomon) and of the divided kingdom
         5)  The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, and I will establish his kingdom…  I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. 
I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever” (1 Chronicles 17:11, 13-14; see also Hebrews 1:5).
         6)  Key observations: First and Second Kings is the history of Israel from the viewpoint of the prophets; 1 and 2 Chronicles covers the same time but from the perspective of the Levites.  The importance of the prophets in these books is greatly reduced.  For example, Elijah the prophet so important to 1 and 2 Kings, receives only one mention, and only through a letter (2 Chronicles 21:12-15).  The name of Elisha doesn’t even appear.  On the other hand, there will be an abundance of references to the devotion of the kings and the temple services.
         In these readings we’ll notice a preference for the kings of Judah; some of the kings of Israel receive no mention.  This is to highlight the importance of the Davidic line and Yahweh’s covenant with David in Israel’s past and future.
         The emphasis on David’s royal lineage, on the Levites and on the temple reflect one of the goals of the narrator of 1 and 2 Chronicles: directing the resettlement of Jerusalem and Judah by the descendants of the exiles, specifically in their continued submission to David’s royal line and in organized temple worship (Richard Pratt,
1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 2006, Christian Focus Publications, pgs. 14-15, 25-26).  Like Moses in Deuteronomy, the narrator of 1 and 2 Chronicles wants to portray Israel’s past so that his readers have a vision for Yahweh’s future blessings, all to solidify their commitment to obey Yahweh in the present.
         Our guide to the kings will be useful once again when we get to 2 Chronicles.  Meanwhile, enjoy this review of Israelite history, this time through 1 and 2 Chronicles.
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2 Kings 24 - 25 and Psalm 53

4/24/2012

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         In this reading we enter into the lowest point of the history of Israel in the entire Old Testament.  How far we have fallen from Solomon’s glory!  Only two weeks ago we read, “Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.  They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life” (1 Kings 4:21).  Today we read that the dominion of all this territory has passed into the hands of another: “And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates” (2 Kings 24:7).  And the tribute that was brought to Solomon is handed over to others: “[He] carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold” (2
Kings 24:13; see also 25:13-17).  In the loss of land, people, dominion and Yahweh’s Presence, the promises to Abraham have been reversed.
         Despite the sadness that we feel as we read these chapters, we must understand them well, in part because there are six prophetic books linked with this period of history: Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.  Therefore we want to have a good understanding of four key events that occur in these chapters.
         The first event is Judah’s loss of independence caused by Josiah’s death. 
Egypt and Babylon were fighting over the remains of the empire of the Assyrians, the old enemy of Yahweh’s people. The Assyrians were defeated in the destruction of their capital city of Nineveh in 612 BC and then of their next capital at Haran two years later.  In the year 609 BC, “Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates” (2 Chronicles 35:20), and just like the majority of international
transportation at this time, he went along the Mediterranean coast of the Promised Land. “Josiah went out to meet him” (2 Chronicles 35:20), possibly with the intention of imposing his dominion over a region that no longer belonged to Assyria.  “But he [Neco] sent envoys to him, saying, ‘What have we to do with each
other, king of Judah?  I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you’” (2 Chronicles 35:21).  But Josiah does not accept the warning; he attacks Neco on the plain of Megiddo and dies (2 Chronicles 35:22-24).  The prophet Jeremiah publicly laments Josiah’s death (2 Chronicles 35:25).
         Neco continues his march north and loses the battle of Carchemish to the Babylonians in 609 BC.  Returning to Egypt, he decides to impose his authority over the kingdom of Judah who has just placed Jehoahaz on the throne to replace his father Josiah as king (2 Kings 23:31; 2 Chronicles 36:1).  “Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold” (2 Kings 23:33).  The king of Judah, the reigning descendant of David, is taken prisoner!  At this moment, Judah loses its independence and will not recover it for centuries.
         Now the king of Judah is a puppet of Egypt: “And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim.  But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there” (2 Kings 23:34).  In submission to his new lord: “Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh.  He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco” (2 Kings 23:35).  The desire to regain lost independence is a strong motivation for the
decisions of the coming years.
         The second outstanding event is the change in authority over Judah when Egypt loses another battle at Carchemish in 605 BC.  As a consequence, the
Babylonians continue marching south and take over Egyptian territories including
Judah: “In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up” (2 Kings 24:1).  Now Jerusalem is put under siege, defeated and suffers its first deportation to Babylon, one that serves principally for the education of government workers for the administration of the new territory of Judah: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.  And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand” (Daniel 1:1-2).  “Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:3-4).  Among these youths are Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
         The third event begins when Babylon is defeated at the Egyptian border in 601 BC, and Jehoiakim sees an opportunity to declare independence: “Jehoiakim became his servant three years.  Then he turned and rebelled against him” (2 Kings 24:1).  The events that follow do not depend so much on the strength of Babylon
nor on the strength that Jehoiakim thinks he has: “And the LORD sent against him
bands of the Chaldeans [Babylonians] and bands of the Syrians and bands of the
Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets”
(2 Kings 24:2).  Jerusalem is put under siege again, Jehoiakim dies, and he is replaced by his son Jehoiachin who in 597 BC only has enough time to hand over the city and be carried off in the second deportation that includes many from the royal family, all the officials and mighty men of valor and all the craftsmen and smiths (2 Kings 24:10-16).  This group also includes another young man, Ezekiel, who will be called to prophesy in exile.
         Zedekiah is named king and governs during the fourth outstanding event, the final destruction of Jerusalem and the last deportation to Babylon in 586 BC: “For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence” (2 Kings 24:20).  Jeremiah prophesies in Jerusalem, and Daniel and Ezekiel in exile in the years the approach this decisive moment in Yahweh’s judgment of His people.
         To summarize, these four main events are:
1)  The loss of Judean independence with the death of Josiah (609 BC)
2)  Babylon takes control of Judah and orders the first deportation (605 BC)
3)  After Jehoiakim’s rebellion, Babylon defeats Judah again and orders a second, larger deportation (597 BC)
4)  After Zedekiah’s rebellion, Babylon destroys Jerusalem completely and orders a massive deportation (586 BC)
         In the midst of this devastating judgment over Jerusalem, there still remains a tiny ray of hope.  After 37 years of captivity, the former king Jehoiachin who had reigned only three months is freed from prison and placed in a position of grace and
privilege by the king of Babylon (2 Kings 25:27-30).  Though without a kingdom, the house of David continues.
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2 Kings 21 - 23 and Psalm 119:169-176

4/24/2012

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         After seeing the righteousness of Hezekiah and the great redemption that Yahweh worked for Judah in 2 Kings 18 – 19, it is difficult to read about Manasseh’s iniquity in 2 Kings 21.
         He is not ignorant of Yahweh’s commands; it appears that his policy is calculated to systematically contradict them.  “For he rebuilt the high places that
Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an
Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them” (2 Kings 21:3).  He profanes the house of Yahweh by making it a center of idolatry: “And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers.  He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger” (2 Kings 21:6).  The worst kings up to this point, the ones that provoked the most condemnation for Yahweh’s people
(Jeroboam, Ahab and Ahaz) cannot even compare with Manasseh and his evil.  The narrator must go back to pre-Israelite times to find a comparison with his iniquities: “And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 21:2).
         And that prepares us for the condemnation that Judah will receive for these actions.  We’ve read the warnings several times: “But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you” (Leviticus 18:26-28).  “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.  And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out
before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them” (Leviticus 20:22-23).
         Therefore judgment is coming: “Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle” (2 Kings 21:12).  Notice that this sentence echoes the introduction to the judgment that
Yahweh declared to Samuel against the house of Eli in 1 Samuel 3:11.  Then He told Samuel, “Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Samuel 3:14).  This
suggests that the judgment in 2 Kings 21:12 likewise will be
astonishing, national and without the possibility of cancellation.  Like the house of Eli, Manasseh has passed the limit, and the entire nation must suffer the consequences.
         This is a judgment directed by Yahweh: “I am bringing… I will stretch…” (2
Kings 21:12, 13) There is no doubt who will execute justice against Manasseh.  The events of the coming chapters will not occur by accident.  He who worked so often in Judah’s favor now will direct His sovereignty and power against it.
         This is
a judgment in conformity with historical precedents: “I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab” (2 Kings 21:13).  Yahweh does not act in an arbitrary or uncertain way; He always judges in accordance with His eternal righteousness.  If someone wants to see how He will punish, Judah only needs to look back to see what happened to the ten tribes in the north in 2 Kings 17.
         This is
a complete judgment that will remove iniquity completely: “I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down” (2 Kings 21:13).  Like washing a dirty plate, the judgment against Jerusalem will be
complete, leaving no sign of its former uncleanness.
         This is a judgment in which
Judah will experience abandonment by the God that they have abandoned: “And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the land of their enemies” (2 Kings 21:14).
         It is
a judgment of historical proportions: “They have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day” (2 Kings 21:15).  It is directed to the accumulation of sin through generations because the people have not repented of past sins but have nursed and multiplied them.
         The announcement of this certain, astonishing, national, unchangeable and cumulative judgment with Yahweh’s abandonment of His people makes our reading of Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 22 – 23 that much more impressive.  Just as Manasseh worked decisively to establish idolatry, Josiah worked to uproot it and solidify worship of Yahweh.  Notice the military campaign of destruction and defilement that Josiah leads in 2 Kings 23:4-20.  He even goes beyond the borders of Judah to eliminate idolatry!  We can compare this to the military campaigns of Joshua, or those of David against his enemies after his royal throne is established, or of Jehu against Ahab’s royal house, but in this case the enemies are not Canaanites nor Israel’s neighbors but idols, places of idolatry and the priests who promote it.  Josiah not only defeats and pulverizes them but ritually contaminates them so that they never can be used again.
         Along with this military campaign against idolatry, Josiah leads the people in devotion to Yahweh comparable only to the best moments of greatest thankfulness for His grace: “And the king commanded all the people, ‘Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant’. For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah” (2 Kings 23:21-22).  “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, nor did any like
him arise after him” (2 Kings 23:25).
         That is what makes the following verses about the judgment on Judah so shocking: “Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him.  And the LORD said, ‘I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there’” (2 Kings 23:26-27).  The judgment over the nation of Judah is so certain that even a king as repentant and devoted as Josiah cannot derail it.
         Therefore, two sobering lessons stand out in today’s reading: 1) we don’t know the day or the action in which Manasseh crossed the line to unleash this kind of judgment against Judah.  But when it happened, there was no way of stopping its consequences.  Wouldn’t it be better to repent of our sins immediately instead of continuing to pamper and play with them, not knowing when Yahweh finally will declare, “Enough”?  2) Is Yahweh worthy of devotion, repentance and worship… even though these actions may not counteract the future judgment of our societies?  Josiah’s life demonstrates that Yahweh is worthy of the reformation of all aspects of our daily lives, even if that reformation does not eliminate all the consequences of our sins or the judgment for having committed them.  May Yahweh be praised even when His devastating judgment is about to be launched.
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2 Kings 17 - 20 and Psalm 108

4/23/2012

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         In today’s reading the Assyrian threat overflows its banks.  It completely
swallows up the nation of Israel: “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes” (2 Kings 17:6).  The judgment declared against idolatry and disobedience to the covenant centuries before has been fulfilled: “I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste” (Leviticus 26:33). “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all
things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against
you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything.  And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.  The LORD will bring a nation
against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the
eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who
shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young (Deuteronomy 28:47-50).  The ten tribes of the north are conquered and taken into exile.
         A land empty of inhabitants is of no use to the Assyrians, so in accordance with their policy of exile, they send other nations to settle in the Promised Land: “And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel.  And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities” (2 Kings 17:24).  They mix devotion to the pagan gods of their places of origin with devotion to Yahweh: “They feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away… So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images.  Their children did likewise, and their children’s children – as their fathers did, so they do to this day” (2 Kings 17:33, 41).  The descendants of these people from outside the covenant with Abraham and Moses will remain in the Promised Land; seven centuries later they will appear in the New Testament under the name “Samaritans”.
         But the Assyrians did not stop with the conquest of Israel: “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them” (2 Kings 18:13).  Sennacherib sent an official, the Rabshakeh, to threaten and intimidate the people so that they would rebel against the weak anointed one of Yahweh and turn themselves over to the powerful king of Assyria. Yahweh responds with an impressive salvation.  He declares to His enemy, “I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.  Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came” (2 Kings 19:27-28).  He promises
Hezekiah, “For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band
of survivors.  The zeal of the LORD will do this…  I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (2 Kings 19:31, 34).  And He immediately fulfills the promised salvation.
         Despite the mercies shown to him, Hezekiah once again trusts the nations who do not know Yahweh for salvation, this time seeking alliance with Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-19).  The Assyrian threat will be replaced by the Babylonian threat. 
Judgment against sin will continue until it is completely uprooted.
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2 Kings 13 - 16

4/22/2012

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         As you read, be aware of the following themes:
        Israel’s persistence in disobedience: Yahweh’s judgment against the kings of Israel is repetitive because their sin is repetitive: “He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them” (2 Kings 13:2; see also 13:11; 14:24; 15:9, 18, 24, 28).  Despite the clear indications that this false religion through the two golden calves in Dan and Bethel was invented by the mind of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:26-33), despite the clear judgment by Yahweh against Jeroboam for his idolatry (1 Kings 13:1-10; 14:1-14; 15:29-30), despite Yahweh’s clear judgment against other Israelite kings for continuing these practices (1 Kings 16:1-4, 12-13, 19) and despite His clear judgment against all Israel for participating in the same (1 Kings 14:15-16), the kings of Israel obstinately practice the institutionalized sins of their predecessor.  Like uncontrollable weeds, rooted sin persists in protecting its turf and in spreading further.  Like uncontrollable weeds, this sin will not be eradicated without decisive action.
        Judah’s persistence in disobedience: Although the people don’t submit to the established religion of the two calves, they nevertheless devote themselves to idolatry: “The high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places” (2 Kings 14:4; see also 15:4, 35).  Their sin accelerates during Ahaz’s reign.  He makes changes in the temple to incorporate the latest pagan fashions (2 Kings 16:10-18).  Even worse than this: “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel.  He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 16:3).  The sacrifice of a son to a pagan god in itself is an abomination, but it is especially offensive when it is a possible candidate to reign on the throne of David through Yahweh’s covenant.  It is difficult to conceive of an act of rebellion against Yahweh more worthy of condemnation.
        
Yahweh’s patience and grace in the midst of Israel’s sin: “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. Then
Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw
the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them”(2 Kings 13:3-4).  “He [Jeroboam II] restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the sea of Arabah… for the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.  But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash” (2 Kings 14:25-27).
         The approach of a new threat: The Assyrians appear for the first time. They are a new empire centered in the north of Mesopotamia near the Tigris River and based on military conquest through extreme violence and intimidation and an insatiable desire to make all peoples submit to them.  They practice forced resettlement and exile of entire ethnic groups to ensure submission. Their conquests have grown progressively closer to Israel during this period, and they appear in the Bible for the first time in 2 Kings 15:19 when Menahem pays them to confirm his reign on the throne of Israel.  A very dangerous relationship has begun.  Already by 2 Kings 15:29 the Assyrians have taken the northern part of Israel and for the first time sent a part of Yahweh’s people into exile.  Then in 2 Kings 16:7-9, King Ahaz of Judah repeats the error by putting his trust in the Assyrians for his security.  They defeat the longtime enemies of Yahweh’s people, Syria. But what has happened to placing trust and finding security in Yahweh?
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    Ken Kytle serves as pastor of Iglesia bautista La fe en Cristo near Atlanta, Georgia.

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