Week 18. May 3. Good King, Bad King…

This week we finished reading 2 Chronicles.  Wow, what a series of Good Kings and Bad Kings, Good Kings and Bad Kings…

One of those “bad kings” Jehoram, died “to no one’s regret” and wasn't even honored in his death with the usual funeral custom or buried with the other kings.  He must have been extra bad. (chapter 21, verse 20.)

The story of Joash, the boy king was interesting.  I wonder how you hide a little boy for 6 or 7 years… 

I liked reading about King Uzziah. He started good but ended badly.  I understood how he “loved the soil” (chapter 26, verse 10) because I do, too.  I liked that “as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. “ (verse 5) But “after he became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.”  (verse 16)

I enjoyed Chapter 29; reading about how they cleaned up and repaired and purified the temple. Verse 34 was interesting when they brought so many animals for offerings that there were not enough priests to skin them all (verse 34) so they had to go get their relatives to help them.   I cannot imagine what was like. 

Again, we read about the fall of Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 36.  And in the midst of the fire and destruction of the beautiful temple and the people becoming servants, there is the interesting verse 21 about the land enjoying its Sabbath rest for 70 years… Another reminder that Sabbath is very important to God. 

And now as we begin Ezra, we get to see the temple being rebuilt.  It was built with such “large stones” that people were still commenting about them 500 years later (Mark 13:1).

When the new foundation was laid, some people shouted for joy and some wept, but it was really loud.

I was at “The Cove” (the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, NC) this week visiting a friend and had a few minutes to stop by the Chatlos Chapel there.  I loved this inscription on this stone at the entrance.

Keep reading, till next week….Audrey