Day 133 (Saturday) - 2 Chronicles 32:1-35:19

I couldn’t survive in Judah. Worship this god, no that god, no the real God, no back to this god…aaaahhhh! Jerusalem was living like a person in need of medication to help them through their split personality disorder. Can you imagine living through all of that? I would have hit the road in search of some kind of religious stability. I think you would get to the point that you wouldn’t care who you were worshiping as long as it stayed the same person for a few years. It’s no wonder these people are lost; there is no tradition or heritage being passed from one generation to the next.

Day 132 (Friday) - 2 Chronicles 29-31

Where does a man like Hezekiah come from? He was never taught the things he did. It must have seemed like a real jolt to the culture to all of the sudden declare that God was the only God, reopen the Temple and reintroduce the worship and sacrificial practices. The Passover was such an important part of their history and they had not been practicing it for generations. Where does a man like Hezekiah come from?

Day 131 (Thursday) - 2 Chronicles 24:15-28:27

Why is it that these kings continue to worship other gods? Do they really believe that there is more power in the gods of these other cultures than the God that has done so much for them? God has proven over and over that he can and does fight for his people. When they follow him, they are blessed but when they reject him they are cursed and abandoned. I don’t understand this. Even when they are faced with this reality, it pushes them to worship their false gods even more. It seems that only a new king is able to realign with God, but that doesn’t last very long before they follow the same footsteps. God is more patient than I could ever be.

Day 130 (Wednesday) - 2 Chronicles 20:14-24:14

Jehoiada was a strong leader as priest. Never before had a priest been in a position of such power and authority. As the one guiding bthe 7 year old king, he had great influence. The people loved him and he did a lot of good for Judah. It seems that he did not do quite as good of a job of raising the king to continue on in his ways as you will see in the reading tomorrow for as soon as Jehoiada dies, king Joash departs from God and the Temple worship. Mentors are important but we need to remember that a mentor is not supposed to make decisions for you but help you make your own correct decisions. What kind of mentor are you or how much do you lean on those that mentor you?

Day 129 (Tuesday) - 2 Chronicles 16:1-20:13

I like King Jehoshaphat, he is the only one to try and bring unity back to God’s people. He agrees to help the King of Israel in his time of need and is willing to risk his men even when God speaks judgment against King Ahab. If Ahab would have smartened up, this could have been the beginning of healing between the tribes, but he was still focused on himself and not God.

Did you notice that Jehoshaphat reminds God of his words to Solomon after building the Temple and God agreeing to dwell there? It was in 20:9. I love how Jehoshaphat is proving that he knows God and the history of what God has done for his people and the promises he has made to his ancestors. Jehoshaphat is a class act.

Day 128 (Monday) - 2 Chronicles 11:13-15:19

Have you been wondering what an Asherah pole is? Well, so have historians and archeologists for centuries. The truth is we don’t know. Some believe it was a pole (like a totem pole) or a planted tree. I don’t think it was a planted tree because King Asa’s grandmother had an obscene pole. It could have had carvings on it in the form of words or images. There is little description of these objects in historical documents, just that they existed. It is very possible that they were connected to the fertility goddess Asherah but it is not certain. No matter what it was, it was a popular pagan shrine and one that God’s people continued to fall into. This leads me to believe that it must have been connected to the fertility goddess and the practice of prostitution, a very common form of pagan worship.

Day 127 (Sunday) - 2 Chronicles 8:1-11:12

Civil war started with one decision, a decision that would last for generations, a decision that would spill much blood and a decision that would divide a nation. Rehoboam did not see value in the hard work it took to build the kingdom and the need for rest and lightening the load for the people who served faithfully to make it a reality. Instead he listened to the younger, less wise men and decided to push even harder. I don’t know if he felt he needed to outdo David and his father but the result was catastrophic. A riff had begun and it will eventually destroy the unity that they had previously enjoyed.