Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Bible in one year 7/10/2022 2Chronicles Chapter 33-36 Josiah & the decree of cyrus By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Bible in one year 7/10/2022  2Chronicles Chapter 33-36 Josiah & the decree of Cyrus  

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                                          

Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

 

Chapter 33 Manasseh (695-642 ; 2Kings 21:1-18)

            Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. The evil he did as follows,

1)      He rebuilt the high place his father Hezekiah had demolished.

2)      He also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

3)      He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “ My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”

4)      In both courts of the temple of the lOrd, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger.

5)      He took the carved image he had made and put it in God’s temple, “ In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

Therefore, The Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.(vv.11-13). He got rid of the foreign gds and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, then, he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord.(vv.15-16).

 

Chapter 34-35 Josiah’s discovery of the law and observance of the Passover (640-609; 2Kings22:1-23:30)

            Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the way of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.

The right things he did as follows,

1)      In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols an cast images.

2)      Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.

3)      He tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to power and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel.

4)      He sent Shaphan and Joah to repair the temple of the Lord his God. They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the doorkeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.(vv.8-11).

5)      Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belong to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their fathers. (v.33).

While  they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan the secretary and reported to king. King Josiah heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes and asked them to inquire the Lord for him and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book. So Hilkiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the sons of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She said to them, “ Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘ this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord…because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and your will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.”(vv.14-28).

6)      Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Passover lamb were slaughtered, and the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. they set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as is written in the Book of Moses. The Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests. The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at the time and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.(2Chron. 25:1-17).

 Neco king of Egypt only wished to move his army through Palestine, without engaging in battle; however, Josiah refused to believe this even though the message was at God’s command. Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. Neco went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo. Archers shot King of Josiah, his officers took him out of his chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. (2Chron.25:20-23).

 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah. And to this day all the men and women singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.(2Chron.25:25).

 

Chapter 36 Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah did evil, and decree of Cyrus, king of Persial

 Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord their God. The king of Egypt dethroned Jehoahaz in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahz, king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s bother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.(vv.2-4). 

Jehoiakim(Eliakim,609-597; 2Kings23:34-24:7) did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attached him , and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to  Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles form the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple there.(vv.6-7). This refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Jerusalem in 605.

Jehoiachin (597;2Kings24:8-16) did evil in the eyes of the Lord. In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord. and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah (597-586, 2Kings 24:17-25:21) did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. The Lord sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked God’s massagers, despised His words and scoffed at this prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against His people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palace and destroyed everything of value there. (vv.11-19).

He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him, and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lrod spoken by Jeremiah. (vv.20-21).

Two reasons are given here for the Babylonian captivity: Continued Idolatry, and failure to give the land seventy sabbatical years of rest (Lev.25:2-7). For the completion of the seventy years of captivity refer to Ezra3:8.

The Decree of Cyrus

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus (king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

“ This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of His people among you may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.” (vv.22-23)

            In the first year.(v.22) the first year that Cyrus was ruler of the conquered Babylonian Empire (538; though he had been king of Persia since 559). Verses 22 -23 (identical to Ezra1:1-2) lead the reader directly to the continuing historical account in the book of Ezra.

 

Bibliography,

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986 

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