Jehoshaphat, after His Compromise - 2 Chronicles 19
1. Text summary
A prophet rebukes Jehoshaphat on his return from the battle with Ahab, but encourages him for removing idols.
Jeho appoints judges from the priests and Levites and leaders, for Israel.
2. Jesus
Jesus as prophet rebukes kings.
He sets up leaders for His church.
3. Application
When a leader fails, he also needs encouragement where he has done well. Compromise in one instance does NOT mean he cannot recover and do better afterward.
Leaders need to delegate authority wherever it is needed, or malevolent forces will fill the vacuum.
Praise as Warfare - 2 Chronicles 20
1. Text summary
Several nations muster against Israel. Jehoshaphat assembles Israel and prays to God for help. A prophet promises victory. Jeho sends the choir out ahead of the army. Israel's enemies turn on each other at God's instigation and Israel just picks up the spoil. Later Jeho allies with Israel wrongly, again.
2. Jesus
Jesus leads His church to worship God, trust Him before enemies, and to sing.
3. Application
This is what trust in God looks like - hearing His Word, and sending a choir ahead of an army.
This is what lack of trust in God looks like - allying with His enemies in the naive hope that you are on the same side, because of history or ethnicity.
Jehoram's Wickedness - 2 Chronicles 21
1. Text summary
Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram takes the throne and kills all his brothers to secure the throne. He copies Ahab, having Ahab's daughter as his wife, and forsakes God. Elijah writes to rebuke him and prophesy tragedy in his family, and a painful, slow death for him. Enemies assail Israel militarily.
2. Jesus
Jesus rebukes kings. His Word confronts their sin, and they must give Him their loyalty.
3. Application
This is what paganism looks like
- pursuing your self-interest to the point of killing others near to you. Cain did this.
- following your wife's counsel, even if it's obviously against God (setting up worship sites to idols for Judah!) Adam did this. Job was tempted to.
Don't go this road.
Athaliah's Wickedness - 2 Chronicles 22
1. Text summary
Ahaziah reigns after his father Jehoram, for one year. But Ahab's daughter, Athaliah remains the power behind the throne. Ahaziah goes to fight with Ahab's Israel against Syria. He dies visiting the wounded Israelite king, when Jehu kills them both. Athaliah proceeds to kill all Athaliah's relatives, but Joash escapes with priest Jehoiada's wife's help. They hide him for 6 years, while Athaliah reigns.
2. Jesus
Jesus will cut down kings in judgment when their time comes, like Jehu did.
Jesus was saved from death as an infant, like Joash was.
3. Application
a. Beware the power hungry tyrant who will do anything, kill anyone, to keep their power. This is Athaliah.
b. Sympathy for God's enemies will end badly for you - Ahaziah went to visit the wicked king of Israel, and found himself in the buzzsaw of Jehu.
c. There is a time for the righteous to evade, work against, or resist the ruler's decree, to preserve life or avoid serious harm. Jehoiada deceived the queen of Judah for 7 years and then overthrew her.
Jehoiada's Revolt for God - 2 Chronicles 23
1. Text summary
Jehoiada plots with the priests and Levites of God to overthrow Athaliah.
He shows them 7-year-old Joash. The plan:
- Keep the people out of the temple a while.
- Arm the Levites. Crown Joash king in the temple.
- Cut down Athaliah when she comes to stop it.
It works!
They destroy Baal's temple and priests and go install Joash on the throne.
2. Jesus
Jesus' usurping contesters will be put down one day, by those loyal to him.
Jesus keeps working to stamp out idolatry among His people.
3. Application
a. Shrewd prudence is needed in dealing with the wicked in power. Have a plan. b. God will always protect His anointed King, and people, one way or another.
c. Don't ally with the side in power, just because they are in power.
Joash Repairs the Temple, but Kills the Son - 2 Chronicles 24
1. Text summary
Joash seeks to repair the temple, but the priests are lax in doing it, though given the funds. Jehoiada dies, and Joash and the leaders forsake God. Jehoiada's son Zechariah prophesies, rebuking them, and they stone him in the temple. Joash is assassinted, for having Zechariah stoned.
2. Jesus
Jesus mentions the stoning of Zechariah when the temple leaders seek to kill Him.
The incident foreshadows His own death at the hands of Israel's leaders, when they reject the prophet's rebuke of their forsaking Jahweh.
3. Application
a. Powers behind the throne like Jehoiada often grow lax. They need accountability, but don't have any, leading to trouble.
b. The powers that be usually find a way to get rid of nuisance voices that point out their wrongdoing.
c. Violence breeds violence. When you take out those who disagree with you unjustly, it'll come back to bite you.
Amaziah's Apostasy - 2 Chronicles 25
1. Text summary
Joash's son Amaziah comes to power. He executes his father's assassins, but not their children, wisely. He musters Judah and Israel to fight their enemies, but a prophet warns him against allying with Israel, so he sends them away. They are offended and raid Judah, while Judah fights successfully against Edom. But Amaziah adopts Edom's gods. A prophet rebukes him, and Amaziah stops his rebuke with threat of violence. God judges him by having him desire war with Israel, which he loses. Then by a conspiracy against him which costs him his life.
2. Jesus
Jesus cuts off Israel's rulers who reject Him, but many of their seed come to Him in conversion (Acts 6:7).
Jesus doesn't entrust Himself to people who are for themselves instead of for Him (John 2:24-25).
Jesus rebukes Israel's leaders, and they rebut Him with threats of violence (John 19:10).
3. Application
a. Justice must have its limit, or it becomes ungodly vengeance.
b. Don't ally with God's enemies or it'll get you in trouble.
c. Confronting sin will often get you in trouble, too.
d. God often brings us consequences for our sin, by giving us over to our desires for bad things (Romans 1).
Uzziah's Long Reign - 2 Chronicles 26
1. Text summary
Amaziah's son Uzziah comes to power. For 52 years! He builds Judah's defenses well, but takes on the priests' authority wrongly to burn incense in the temple. God strikes him with leprosy, and his son Jotham reigns for him.
2. Jesus
Jesus is a long-reigning King of His people, who defends them well.
3. Application
a. Kings should cultivate their fields and walls.
b. Authorities should stick to their realms of influence, and not cross them.
Jotham and His Mother - 2 Chronicles 27
1. Text summary
Uzziah's son Jotham comes to power, for 16 years. He does well, defeats the Ammonites, and "orders his ways before the LORD his God."
2. Jesus
Jesus defeats God's enemies at the cross, and arranges His earthly life according to God's commandments, too.
3. Application
Jotham's mother is mentioned in vs. 1. Never underestimate the power of a godly mother.
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