They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. -1 Chronicles 5:20 When all else fails, cry out to God. Better yet, before all else fails, cry out to God. In the list of family names that make up the first chapters of 1 Chronicles, one of the few breaks is a scene... Read more
Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan—five towns—and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record. -1 Chronicles 4:32-33 The descendants of Simeon were not as many as other clans in Israel, yet Scripture points out one important trait that is left for us today in a single line of Scripture: “And they kept a genealogical record.” Why does this matter? Because family matters. To... Read more
“These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron…” -1 Chronicles 3:1 Much of Israel’s history revolves around David. He was a shepherd boy who became king; a boy who conquered a giant; a musician who composed the songs used by the nation in worshiping the Lord. God called him a man after his own heart. What many often miss is that his journey to leadership was not overnight. 1 Chronicles 3 refers to the sons born to... Read more
These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. -1 Chronicles 2:1-2 The people of God came through the promises of God. Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, then Jacob. Jacob fathered 12 sons–men whose families became the nation of Israel. We look back now and view Israel’s family tree as a huge list of names, yet it was not always this way. Abraham was 99 years old before fathering Isaac;... Read more
“Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.” -1 Chronicles 1:1-3 Many theories exist to explain how human life began. In contrast, Scripture provides one clear line of family leaders who represent the start of human history. 1 Chronicles retells the narrative communicated in Genesis. No comments are made regarding age or stages of life, only that it began with Adam and that God continued to work through his descendants. In the names given to start 1 Chronicles,... Read more
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. -2 Kings 25:27-28 Despite the sins of the king of Judah, God extended a final period... Read more
It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. -2 Kings 24:20 Does God get angry? The Bible says he does–at least sometimes. What makes God angry? According to 2 Kings 24, one thing that made God angry was when his leaders did evil in his sight. Zedekiah reigned in Jerusalem–the one city where the Lord had placed his temple–yet this king chose to... Read more
Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. -2 Kings 23:1-2 After Scripture had changed Josiah’s life, he chose to share... Read more
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 13 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have... Read more
But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites. -2 Kings 21:9 Leaders influence others for good or for evil. In King Manasseh’s case, we are told he led his people astray. He influenced those he led to do evil to such a degree that God sent prophets to declare judgment upon the land. Leaders also influence for good. King David, despite his... Read more
Holy Writ
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