Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Bible in one year 7/6/2022 2Chronicles Chapter 21-24 Jehoram and Joash’s lesson Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Bible in one year 7/6/2022  2Chronicles Chapter 21-24 Jehoram and Joash’s lesson

 Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                                          

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

 

Chapter 21 Jehoram’s lesson

                   Theme: Jehoram did evil, had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers, and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute and had led Judah astray. He died in an incurable disease of the bowels (intestine), and didn’t buried in the tombs of the kings. He reigned in Jerusalem only eight years.

            Jehoroam established himself firmly over his father Jehoshaphat’s kingdom. He put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.(vv.4-6) Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.(v.7).

Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.(vv.8-10).

    Jehoram’s sins and Elijah’s letter warming

Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers. He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.(vv.10-11).

Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said,

“ This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says, ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. But you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your father’s house, mem who were better than you. So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.” (vv.12-15).

The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived nearth the Cushites. They attached Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest. (vv.16-17).

The Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had for his fathers. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.(vv.18-20).

 

Chapter 23 -24 Joash’s lesson (835-796)

     Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the desert…they did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. The king and Jehoiada gave it to the men who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple.(vv.9-11). The men in charge of the work were diligent and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. (v.13). When  they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple.

 As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.(v.14).Now Jehoiada the priest was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.(v.15).

                 Joash forsake the Lord and ordered to stone Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, resulted in his officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest and they killed Joash in his bed. So he died and was buried, but not in the tombs of the kings.(24:17-27)

            After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.(vv.17-19).

            The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “ This is what God says, ‘ Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” (v.20).

 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”(vv.21-22).

At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash: it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, judgement was executed on Joash. When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the Kings.(vv.23-25)

 Implication/Application

   A man reaps for what he sows. Do not abandon, nor forsake the Lord your God. Do not lead people go astray to worship idols. Keep a faithful heart to serve the Lord, and devote to the Lord wholeheartedly.

 Historical lesson king of Judah Jehoram and Joash, though both were buried in the City of David, but both were not buried in the tombs of the Kings to be appreciated as kings. Because they were forsaken the Lord, worshiped idols, and led Judah astray. Jehoram caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray, so died in an incurable disease of the bowels.

         Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. However, after Jehoiada passed away, Joash abandoned the temple of the Lord, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. He even ordered to stone Jehoiada’s son Zechariah to dead, when Zechariah urged him to obey the Lord’s commands. A man reaps for what he sows. Joash in his earlier reigns, he was zeal to repair the Temple of the Lord and followed the commands. However, after forty years reigned in Jerusalem, he did not buried in the tombs of the kings to be recognized as king. It’s a sad story, but great lesson.

 

Bibliography,

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

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