O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 10:16 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Tuesday May 6 >2 Chronicles 22-24 (The Message) > > 2 Chronicles 22 > King Ahaziah > 1-6 The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king. > Raiders from the desert, > who had come with the Arabs against the settlement, had killed all the > older sons. That's how > Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. Ahaziah was twenty-two > years old when he became > king, but reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, > granddaughter of Omri. He > lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, his mother training > him in evil ways. God also > considered him evil, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. > After the death of his > father, he attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in > doom. He did what they > taught him, went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in the war against > Hazael king of Aram at > Ramoth Gilead. Joram, wounded by the Arameans, retreated to Jezreel to > recover from the wounds he > received in Ramah in his war with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of > Jehoram king of Judah paid a > visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed at Jezreel. > 7-9 The fate of Ahaziah when he went to visit was God's judgment on him. > When Ahaziah arrived at > Jezreel, he and Joram met with Jehu son of Nimshi, whom God had already > authorized to destroy the > dynasty of Ahab. Jehu, already at work, executing doom on the dynasty of > Ahab, came upon the > captains of Judah and Ahaziah's nephews, part of the Ahaziah delegation, > and killed them outright. > Then he sent out a search party looking for Ahaziah himself. They found > him hiding out in Samaria > and hauled him back to Jehu. And Jehu killed him. > > They didn't, though, just leave his body there. Out of respect for his > grandfather Jehoshaphat, > famous as a sincere seeker after God, they gave him a decent burial. But > there was no one left in > Ahaziah's family capable of ruling the kingdom. > > Queen Athaliah > 10-12 When Ahaziah's mother Athaliah saw that her son was dead, she took > over. She began by > massacring the entire royal family. Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, > took Ahaziah's son Joash, > and kidnapped him from among the king's sons slated for slaughter. She hid > him and his nurse in a > private room away from Athaliah. So Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram > and Ahaziah's sister-she was > also the wife of Jehoiada the priest-saved Joash from the murderous Queen > Athaliah. He was there > with her, hidden away for six years in The Temple of God. Athaliah, > oblivious to his existence, > ruled the country. > 2 Chronicles 23 > 1-3 In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and > worked out a strategy with > certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of > Jeroham, Ishmael son of > Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son > of Zicri as his > associates. They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from > all the towns in Judah > along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem. The gathering met > in The Temple of God. > They made a covenant there in The Temple. > 3-7 The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: > "Here he is-the son of the > king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of > David. Now this is what you > must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the > Sabbath are to be posted as > security guards at the gates; another third will guard the palace; and the > other third will guard > the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The > Temple of God. No one may > enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites-they are > permitted in because > they've been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned > them. The Levites are to form > a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries > to break through your > ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming > and going." > > 8-10 All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the > priest. Each took charge of his > men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off > duty on the Sabbath, for > Jehoiada the priest hadn't exempted any of them from duty. Then the priest > armed the officers with > spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David > that were stored in The > Temple of God. Well-armed, the guards took up their assigned positions for > protecting the king, from > one end of The Temple to the other, surrounding both Altar and Temple. > > 11 Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him > the scroll of God's > covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they > shouted, "Long live the > king!" > > 12-13 Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and > praising the king, came to > The Temple to see what was going on. Astonished, she saw the young king > standing at the entrance > flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with > joy, trumpets blaring, > the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in > dismay and shouted, > "Treason! Treason!" > > 14-15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, "Drag her > outside- and kill anyone who > tries to follow her!" (The priest had said, "Don't kill her inside The > Temple of God.") So they > dragged her out to the palace's horse corral and there they killed her. > > 16 Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the > people: they were to be God's > special people. > > 17 The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing > altar and images to > smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. > > 18-21 Jehoiada turned the care of God's Temple over to the priests and > Levites, the way David had > directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God > as set out in The > Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David. He > also assigned security guards > at the gates of God's Temple so that no one who was unprepared could > enter. Then he got everyone > together-officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves-and > escorted the king down from The > Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne. > Everybody celebrated the > event. And the city was safe and undisturbed-Athaliah had been killed; no > more Athaliah terror. > > 2 Chronicles 24 > King Joash > 1 Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty > years in Jerusalem. His > mother's name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba. > 2-3 Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God > throughout Jehoiada's > lifetime. Jehoiada picked out two wives for him; he had a family of both > sons and daughters. > > 4-6 The time came when Joash determined to renovate The Temple of God. He > got the priests and > Levites together and said, "Circulate through the towns of Judah every > year and collect money from > the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying > this out." But the > Levites dragged their feet and didn't do anything. > > 7 Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, "Why haven't > you made the Levites > bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of God and the > congregation, set for the > upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are-wicked > Queen Athaliah and her sons > let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use > in Baal worship." > > 8-9 Following the king's orders, they made a chest and placed it at the > entrance to The Temple of > God. Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: "Pay > the tax that Moses the > servant of God set when Israel was in the wilderness." > > 10 The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought > their money until the > chest was full. > > 11-14 Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and > found it to be full, the > king's secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the > chest and put it back in its > place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money. The king > and Jehoiada gave the > money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons > and carpenters for the > repair work on The Temple of God. The construction workers kept at their > jobs steadily until the > restoration was complete-the house of God as good as new! When they had > finished the work, they > returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money > for making sacred vessels > for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the > Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other > gold and silver liturgical artifacts. > > 14-16 Whole-Burnt-Offerings were made regularly in The Temple of God > throughout Jehoiada's > lifetime. He died at a ripe old age-130 years old! They buried him in the > royal cemetery because he > had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God's > Temple. > > 17-19 But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of > Judah made a formal > presentation to the king and he went along with them. Things went from bad > to worse; they deserted > The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry > cloud hovered over Judah and > Jerusalem because of this sin. God sent prophets to straighten them out, > warning of judgment. But > nobody paid attention. > > 20 Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to > speak up: "God's word: Why > have you deliberately walked away from God's commandments? You can't live > this way! If you walk out > on God, he'll walk out on you." > > 21-22 But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the > complicity of the king-he actually > gave the order!-they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the > court of The Temple of God. > That's the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had > made him king. He > murdered Jehoiada's son. Zechariah's last words were, "Look, God! Make > them pay for this!" > > 23-24 A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah > and Jerusalem, massacred > the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus. > The Aramean army was quite > small, but God used them to wipe out Joash's large army-their punishment > for deserting God, the God > of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God's judgment against Joash. > > 25-27 They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him > off-it was a palace > conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They > killed him in his bed. > Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored > with a grave in the royal > cemetery. The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath > from Ammon, and Jehozabad, > whose mother was Shimrith from Moab. The story of his sons, the many > sermons preached to Joash, and > the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in > the commentary on the > royal history. > > Amaziah, Joash's son, was the next king. > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
