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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