2 Chronicles 13-14

"The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord, the God of their ancestors" (13:18).

And King Asa continued this trend.  Look at his prayer in (14:11)!

Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God: “Lord, there is no one besides You to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on You, and in Your name we have come against this large army. Yahweh, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder You.”

These are good days!

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 11-12

Divided Kingdom.  Judah vs. Israel.  Rehoboam vs. Jeroboam.  Worship of Yahweh vs. worship of goat-demons and golden calves.  How could things deteriorate so fast?

Yet even here the Lord is faithful and eager to forgive.  When Rehoboam humbled himself, God was eager to respond.  God's generous grace seems to have no limits.

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 9-10

The Queen of Sheba is a notable historical person.  "Sheba" is likely another term for Ethiopia which would have been a vast empire that stretched from northern Africa eastward through much of the Middle East.  For this queen to be impressed with Solomon speaks of his power, wealth, and especially his wisdom.  "It took her breath away" (9:4).

Yet the king who was the wisest man on earth somehow failed to pass his wisdom on to his son.  How can this be?  And the result is devastating!

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 7-8

One refrain continues to come back ...

For He is good,
for His faithful love endures forever.

We should repeat this verse over and over again.

All is well between God and His people.  Yet, there is one weakness already exposed.  Solomon loved and honored God, but he took a pagan wife - knowing the inconsistency of it (8:11).  And this one verse portends a coming disaster.

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 6

This is a powerful prayer by a man who rightly understood his place before a Sovereign God.

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 3-5

After a LOT of prep work, Solomon is almost ready to open the doors of the Temple.  Can you imagine the sound of 120 trumpets plus all sorts of other instruments and the company of the entre priesthood singing together with one voice, "For He is good; His faithful love endures forever!"

Man, I would have LOVED to have been there!

Read it here.

2 Chronicles 1-2

The start of a new year.  Let's jump back into our OT read-through!

2 Chronicles gives us the history of King Solomon and takes us all the way to the Babylonian conquest of Judah.

Today we read of Solomon's request of God ... for wisdom and knowledge to rule God's people.  God gives Solomon this gift in abundance!  In fact, "wisdom" is the central theme of the book of Proverbs that he pens later in his life.

Read it here.