Mon.’s Devo - From the Temple to the Throne

Read: 2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21; Romans 11:13-36; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 20:7 Jehoshaphat made his oldest son, Jehoram king before he died. He was the son he had given Ahab’s daughter in marriage. Her name was Athaliah and she taught Jehoram to worship Baal. As soon as he had the kingdom, he had all his brothers killed. *** The Edomites rebelled against Judah and elected their own king to rule them, so Jehoram led his army against them. Judah lost control over Edom and Libnah because Judah abandoned the Lord. *** Elijah wrote Jehoram a letter rebuking his rebellion, murder, and worshiping false gods. He wrote that Jehoram would die a terrible death with an intestinal disease. *** God stirred up the Phillistines against Judah who came and plundered his palace and killed all his sons but the youngest, Ahaziah. Jehoram was struck with an incurable intestinal disease and died. Shariah was made king and his mother, Athaliah encouraged him to worship false gods and to join Joram, king of Israel in a war against the Arameans. Joram was wounded in the battle so Azariah went to Israel to visit him. Azariah was killed by Jehu who had been commissioned by the Lord to bring judgement against the family of Ahab. *** When Athaliah learned her son was dead, she began to kill all of Judah’s royal line so she would have no competition and could rule Judah. Azariah’s sister hid Azariah’s infant son, Joash. He was raised in the Temple by Jehoiada, the priest. They hid Joash for seven years then staged a coup. No one wanted Athalia to rule them so five army commanders rounded up Levites and clan leaders in all the towns to come to Jerusalem and crown Joash king and kill Athaliah, which they did. *** Jehoiada made a covenant with the Lord to make God their Lord. They tore down the temple of Baal and killed its priest. The Levites and priests took their places in the temple and they began offering sacrifices to the Lord. They escorted Joash from the temple to the throne. All the people in the land rejoiced. *** In Romans, Paul makes it clear that the root of God’s vine is Christ. The Jews who rejected Christ were broken off because they didn’t believe and Gentiles were grafted in. They too can be cut off if they don’t believe. When the full number of Gentiles come in, it will be time to graft the Jews back in to the vine. How glorious it will be when the branches from the root are grafted back in and bear fruit. There are many branches in God’s tree, so there is room for us all. *** Lord, may we trust in your kindness and goodness to us. Thank you that we must first go to the temple to ascend to the throne.

Sun.’s Devo - The Battle is the Lord’s

Read: 2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37; Romans 10:14-11:12; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 20:4-6 Jehoshaphat returned home from fighting on behalf of Ahab. Jehoshaphat had watched Ahab listen to the words of false prophets and reject the word of God given by one of God’s prophets. Ahab had put God’s prophet in prison while every word he said came true. To our knowledge, Jehoshaphat didn’t step in and object. *** The prophet, Jehu came to ask Jehoshaphat why he would help the wicked (Ahab) and love those who hate the Lord. God was not pleased with Jehoshaphat for going to war with Israel, but he had seen how he removed the Asherah poles in his land and committed himself to the Lord. *** Jehoshaphat appointed judges to help him judge the people. He instructed them to fear the Lord in their decisions and told them to show no partiality. They would judge all civil cases and the high priest would judge all cases pertaining to God. *** The armies of Ammon, Moab, and Menuites declared war against Judah. Jehoshaphat went immediately to the Lord for help. He declared a fast and reminded God of his promises to them. *** God spoke through a Levite named Jahaziel. He told them to march to the ascent of Ziz which opens up to the wilderness of Jeruel. Ziz means “a blossom” and Jeruel means “fear the Lord”. They would not fight this battle because God would. They were to take their positions and stand. They won the battle the moment they prayed and fasted. When they heard this word, they worshipped the Lord. They shouted to the Lord because the victory had been proclaimed. *** The next day they marched to the battle with the singers leading them. They were singing “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever.” *** The enemies began to turn on each other, then on themselves, so by the time Jehoshaphat arrived with his armies, there was not a living soul on the field. It took them three days to collect the plunder. *** They returned to Jerusalem singing praises to God. The fear of the Lord fell on the other nations. *** Jehoshaphat ruled 35 years and was remembered as a good king, though the people did not fully commit their hearts to the Lord. *** In the end of his years, Jehoshaphat went into the ship building business with Azariah, the evil king of Israel. It was a total flop and the ships never sailed. *** The people in the Old Testament were under an old covenant and didn’t have the gift of the Holy Spirit like we do. Paul calls our new covenant the good news! God had prophesied the salvation of the Gentiles even as far back as Moses. They rejected God and his prophets, so salvation came to the Gentiles that through us the Jews might be jealous for God again. They will one day repent and accept Christ and that will be a glorious day. *** Lord, thank you for the new covenant of salvation to all. May we live out our love for you in a way that it provokes your children to return to you.

Sat.’s Devo - Ahab’s Ending

Read: 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Romans 9:25-10:13; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 20:2-3 Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat became king. He honored and worshipped the Lord and rid the land of pagan worship. He fortified Judah against any attacks from Israel. He was very popular with the people so they blessed him with wealth. *** He sent men and priests to teach the people God’s laws. God put fear in the surrounding nations so they wouldn’t attack Judah and his large army. Many of them paid them tribute. *** Jehoshaphat made peace with Ahab of Israel and sealed it with the marriage of his son to Ahab’s daughter. Ahab invited him to a celebration in Israel and when he attended, Ahab talked Jehoshaphat in joining him in fighting to get Ramoth-Gilead back from the Arameans. *** Before they went to battle, Jehoshaphat wanted to find out what God had to say about their venture. All of Ahab’s false prophets said he would have great victory. When Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of God, Ahab reluctantly had Micaiah brought to them. He complained that Micaiah never told him anything good. *** At first, Micaiah was very sarcastic and dittoed what his prophets said but when Ahab pressed him to tell the truth he told Ahab he had seen a vision of all Israel scattered and their leader killed. He advised him to send his army home in peace and not fight. ***Instead, Ahab had Micaiah arrested and put in prison until he returned. Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to battle, ignoring God’s warning. *** Ahab disguised himself as a regular warrior but was killed when a random arrow hit the crease in his armor. There is nothing random with God. *** In Romans, Paul explained God’s plan for the Gentiles. They were not his chosen people from the start, but He was now choosing them to be his people. This had been prophesied by Hosea and Isaiah. God made salvation possible by faith which is activated by confession from your mouth and evidenced in a changed heart. God accepts all who call upon his name with sincerity and faith. *** Lord, thank you for making salvation open to all who believe. May we cause your first chosen people to want the relationship we have with you. Thank you for saving us.

Fri.’s Devo - Asa’s Reign

Read: 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14; Romans 9:1-24; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 20:1 Asa became king of Judah and did a sweeping reform getting rid of all idol worship in Judah. He even disposed his grandmother, Maacah as queen because she had set up an Asherah pole. He tore down all the altars to gods and burned them in the Kidron Valley. *** Ethiopia sent a million-soldier army against them and they cried out to the Lord for help. God not only defeated them but took over cities and took spoil. God fought with them and gave them the victory. *** Many people from Israel moved to Judah to worship God, so King Baasha of Israel fortified Ramah which was where they crossed over from Israel to Judah. They kept people from coming to Judah and began invading Judah. Instead of asking God to help them, Asa took gold from the Temple and hired Aram to end their treaty with Israel and fight for them instead. They agreed an attacked Raamah. Baasha called off his men from Raamah and the battle was over, but God was not happy. He sent the prophet Hanani to tell Asa that if he had asked His help he would have given him victory over Aram, but now he would be in constant war. Asa was so mad at Hanani that he had him put in jail. ***Asa died later of a foot disease. His ‘walk with God’ had become diseased. *** In Romans, Paul tries to help them understand that God doesn’t just automatically choose everyone who is a Jew. Isaac had twins : Jacob and Esau and God chose to love and bless Jacob but chose to reject and love Esau less. God chooses who he wants to for his purposes. We are honored to be chosen for his purpose which is to show his power through to spread his name. *** Paul likened this selection to a potter and his clay. The clay has no say-so in how it is used. It just conforms to the potter’s hands. *** Lord, may we conform to your hands. We are so blessed and humbled to be chosen for your purposes.

Thurs’s. Devo - Rehoboam’s Reign

Read: 2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22; Romans 8:26-39; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 19:27-29 Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem to get his army and go stop Jeroboam and get back his kingdom. He was stopped by the prophet, Shemaiah. He told Rehoboam that this was all God’s doing, so Rehoboam went home and fortified the towns he had left. He built up his army and gave the towns ammo and protection. *** Most of the priests and Levites left Israel and came to Judah where they could serve the Lord. Jeroboam served other gods and appointed his own priests. *** Reoboam got settled in his kingdom and became self-sufficient. He began to worship other gods also, leading his nation in sin. God sent Shishak from Egypt to conquer them. Rehoboam repented before the Lord. God said he would not completely destroy them but they would become his subjects and see the difference between serving God and serving an earthly ruler. Egypt took all the things of worth that they wanted. *** It is recorded that Rehoboam was an evil king who did not seek the Lord with his whole heart. He reigned over Judah for 17 years. When he died, his son Abijah ruled. *** Jeroboam and Abijah went to war. Abijah had 400,000 in his army to Jeroboam’s 800,000. They met in the hills of Ephraim. Abijah stood on the hill addressing Israel’s army. He reminded them of the covenant God made with Israel that one of David’s sons would rule on the throne forever. He explained how God was on Judah’s side. The whole time he was talking, half of his army was moving behind Israel’s army to ambush them. The priests blew their trumpets and the battle began. Judah defeated Israel killing 500,000 of their army. From that time on, Israel began to weaken while Judah strengthened. *** In Romans, we are greatly encouraged by how much God loves us and helps us overcome. When the devil brings something against us, God comes to our defense. He does something so good for us that it not only furthers his kingdom but it harms Satan’s kingdom. God is with us in our troubles and he turns them to victories. *** Lord, thank you that we always have reasons to be thankful and feel loved. May we bring you joy today.

Wed.’s Devo - Sons of God

Read: 2Chronicles 8:11-10:19; Romans 8:9-25; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 19:26 Solomon started out fearing God and worshipping him. He made sure the Temple was run the way it was supposed to run. He wouldn’t even let his wife, the Pharoah’s daughter, live in King David’s palace because the Ark had been there. We read in other places in the Bible where Solomon’s wives eventually led him into idolatry. *** I think it is interesting to note that when the Queen of Sheba visited, Solomon showed her everything about his kingdom and didn’t get reprimanded by the Lord, but years later when Hezekiah (2 Kings 20) showed the ambassadors to Babylon his kingdom, he was scolded by Isaiah and told he would lose it all because of it. This is explained in the proverb, “Don’t throw your pearls before swine.” Apparently, the Queen of Sheba was not swine. She blessed the nation with spices, gold, sandalwood, and jewels. *** Everything Solomon made was a display of God’s blessing, his glory and his opulence. When he died, his son Rehoboam became king. The people came to Shechem to meet with Reoboam and find out what kind of king he would be. When he took the advise of his young advisors to be tougher than his father, all the tribes left him to follow Jeroboam, except Judah and Benjamin. This was the division of the kingdom. Those who followed Rehoboam became the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The rest became the northern nation of Israel. *** Romans tells us that we can be controlled by the Holy Spirit and not our old sinful nature. His Spirit gives life to our natural bodies and following what it says proves we are his children and heirs to his glory. *** All creation is waiting for God to reveal his true children. Then we will be free from death and decay. *** Lord, we patiently wait with great expectation for the day we will be revealed as your children. May we get a revelation of that in our hearts.

Tues.’s Devo - Power Over Sin

Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10; Romans 7:14-8:8; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 19:24-25 Solomon had had a platform made in front of the altar where he stood and addressed the people. He bowed down and prayed, lifting his hands to heaven. He reminded God of his promise that if he and his descendants were faithful to follow God’s laws and do good then they would always sit on the throne. He acknowledged that God was everywhere and would not be contained to earth or a building. *** Solomon prayed that God would judge from this altar, forgive the repentant, help the sinners find the right path, bring rain, heal the land of famine, and answer the prayers of the humble. He prayed that even foreigners who prayed toward this Temple would be heard and God would answer their prayers. And, even if God’s people were taken captive, they would be able to pray toward this Temple and be heard. *** Then, Solomon invited God into the Temple and fire flashed from heaven and burned up the sacrifices on the altar. God’s glorious presence filled the Temple. The people fell on their face in reverence. The people offered thousands of sacrifices while the priests sang, “His faithful love endures forever.” *** They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days and the people went home on the eighth day. *** After Solomon finished the building of the Temple and his palace, God appeared to him again and told Solomon that if they found the curses coming on their nation because of sin, the people could repent and turn from their sin and humble themselves and they would be restored. He would bless Solomon’s descendants as long as they obeyed him and worshipped him as their only God. If they didn’t, God would reject them and this Temple. *** It took Solomon 20 years to build the Temple. He only used foreigners for his laborers and to fortify many towns. *** In Romans, Paul describes the battle within a person in his fight against his old sinful nature. The answer is Jesus. On the cross, he satisfied the requirement of the law. We are no longer a slave to follow our sinful nature, but we are now free to follow the Spirit. We can let our Spirit control our minds and have peace and life. *** Lord, thank you for your Spirit. Thank you that you hear our prayers and draw near. Thank you that we can walk in peace and life.