Month: November 2020

2 Chron 14:2 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
Lord, I’m feeling rather sorry for myself this morning. Thank You for allowing me to recognize the feeling. Thank You for the strength to keep dragging my mind and heart back to You. Thank You that I’m just exhausted from a long week. Nothing more.
2 Chron 14:4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey His laws and commands.
Lord, I know that true rest can only come from You. Thank You for the knowledge. Thank You for allowing me rest and shelter in Your arms. Thank You for allowing me to rest at Your feet. 
2 Chron 14:6 …No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. It is far too easy, especially at the end of a week, for me to get maudlin and moody. But to give in to those feelings would mean that I have taken my eyes off of You and allowed myself to become the center of my world. Help me to keep refocusing my mind and heart on You. Renew my spirit. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Chron 14:11 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…”
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 13:12 “God is with us; He is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”
Abijah did not have a heart like David. Commentary even says about this chapter that “though here he … maintained the better cause, yet [he] was indeed an ungodly man.” And yet, God heard him and helped him. 
2 Chron 13:13-14 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the LORD….
This walk through the Bible has been an incredible gift for my faith. Somehow I got it in my head that I had to be perfect, which is impossible, but what I have seen again and again and again is that God wants me to put Him first. He wants me to set my heart on Him. He wants me to be obedient when He calls. 
2 Chron 13:15 …At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all of Israel before Abijah and Judah.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this reminder that we are human, not perfect. Thank You for the reminder that You want us to have a heart focused solely on You. Thank You that my daily reading, prayer, and study time continues to draw me closer to You daily. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
2 Chron 13:16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 12:14 And Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. (BSB)
A refrain of mine from the past few weeks has been, “Lord, help me keep my eyes, mind, and heart focused on You.” I think verse 14, more than any other, shows why seeking Him—first, last, and always—is so crucial for our daily walk. If we don’t intentionally seek Him, set our minds and hearts on Him, things can go very poorly.
2 Chron 12:14 But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart. (NLT)
Here’s a recent example, involving, of all things, cleaning supplies. They are getting scarce again, more so in some parts of our state than others. When I focus on me, I feel fear—a fear of running out, of scarcity, of not being able to keep my family safe because of lack. When I focus on God, I can be generous and share because I know that even if they are harder to find, I will find what I need when I need it or find the strength and ingenuity to do something differently because that’s how God works.
2 Chron 12:14 Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the LORD. (CSB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder to keep my mind and heart intentionally focused on You. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Chron 12:14 …but still he did wrong and refused to obey the LORD. (CEV)
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 11:1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
The Upper Room is a devotional that I read every morning before I read my chapter from the Bible. This morning’s reflection was on humility.  The writer talked about how the world prompts us to gratify our desires but how Jesus’s life serves as a model of service to others.
2 Chron 11:2 But this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
How much humility did it take for Rehoboam, stinging from Jeroboam’s split, standing strong with 180,000 fighting men, to heed the voice of God, spoken through Shemaiah the prophet? 
2 Chron 11:3 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin….”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that my ego, my anger, have no place in Your kingdom. When I am riled up and spoiling for a fight, give me sense and equanimity to hear Your voice and heed Your word. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Chron 11:4 “…This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing’.” ….
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 10:12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”
Reading this chapter, I was filled again with a sense of frustration. I’ve seen Rehoboam make these mistakes before. It is just as disheartening to see it the second time. And since I know the purpose of the Bible is not for me to feel frustrated and hopeless, I went looking for an explanation of the books of Chronicles. What’s the point? 
2 Chron 10:13 The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders….
It turns out, the point of these books is to give hope. It is a history, a genealogy, a character study, and a hope for the future. In this light, verse 15 becomes more of a focus than a side note: “… for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam….” God is here. He is still in control. He is moving us towards a hope and a future.
2 Chron 10:14 …he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Just like those in these books, we face upheaval, poor choices, bad judgements, leaders who turn their hearts from You. Help us to read these books through the same lens You intended them for the original recipients. Help us to understand that even through the upheaval and turmoil, You are here. You are still in control. You are moving us towards a hope and a future. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
2 Chron 10:15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam….
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 9:15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
A popular theme in literature is that of appearance versus reality—when what seems to be isn’t actually what is. It is a common motif in life as well, and I feel like we see this theme clearly in this chapter. What appears to be a mighty defense—500 golden shields of various sizes, really isn’t made for defense. It is made to impress. Commentary says: “Gold was too heavy and too soft to be used as a metal for effective shields.”
2 Chron 9:16a He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels of gold in each shield….
The Queen of Sheba finds Solomon to be wise and wealthy. That’s true. But his actions toward the end of the chapter indicate that he is turning his heart from God, even now. Like his shields, Solomon appears to be getting heavy (with the weight of his amassed fortune) and soft (in his devotion to God).
2 Chron 9:16b … The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You must remain at our core for us to be effective for You. Help us to be diligent in keeping our eyes, minds, and hearts focused on You. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Chron 9:17 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 7:19-20 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you…then I will uproot Israel from My land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My Name….”
God was very clear about what would happen if Solomon turned away from His decrees or commands. And yet, in the very next chapter, Solomon begins subtly forsaking decrees and commands. He builds up chariots and horses; he has taken a foreign wife; little disobedient steps that end up taking him in a very bad direction.
2 Chron 8:5-6 He built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities….and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses….
But isn’t that how bad decisions go? The first ones are usually pretty easy because they are often so minuscule that we can justify our actions. Every step further in the wrong direction is easier and easier still because, really, what we are doing isn’t that bad, especially compared to every else, right? It’s frightening how quickly we can end up so far away from our Savior.
2 Chron 8:22 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder of just how easily and how quickly we can end up so far away from You. Help us to guard our hearts and our minds. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Chron 8:15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter….
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 7:17 “As for you, if you walk before Me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe My decrees and laws….”
David was far from perfect. He messed up, massively, more than once, but he had a heart for God, a love for God that ran deep, and God recognized that love. God tells Solomon to walk faithfully before Him as David did, not perfectly, but faithfully. It is not an all or nothing proposition.
2 Chron 7:18 “…I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’”
It put me in mind of starting a diet or exercise regimen. Often we start out strong but stumble. Many times, for me at least, that stumble can turn into a “Why do I even bother? I am so bad at this. I may as well eat the whole pie while sitting on the couch.” All or nothing. But God seems to indicate it isn’t all or nothing, it’s about being faithful, even when we stumble.
2 Chron 7:19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them….”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that loving You isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Help us to walk faithfully before You as David did, even though we aren’t capable of walking perfectly. When we stumble, help us to turn back to You and try again. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Chron 7:20 “…then I will uproot Israel from My land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My Name….”
Have a blessed day.

2 Chron 5:13a The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD….
What is the purpose of praise? Is it for us or for God? These are the thoughts that went through my head as I read this passage. The music, the singing, the sacrifices, all were in glory and honor to God. And God showed up as a cloud, and filled the temple to the point that “the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God” (v14).
2 Chron 5:13b …Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; His love endures forever.” …
And this imagery of God as a cloud, I find fascinating. I picture fog rolling in, taking an utterly familiar landscape and transforming it to something new and unfamiliar. Fall foliage in fog pops even more brightly. Fog shrouds the bigger picture, narrowing your perspective to what’s directly in front of you, shifting and moving so that your senses are heightened and you are much more diligent and aware. I find it a wonderful analogy.
2 Chron 5:13c … Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for showing up as we praise and glorify You. Thank You for the unique perspective that Your presence brings. May we never cease to be awed by and in wonder of You. Amen.
2 Chron 5:14 …and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
Have a blessed day.