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: Thursday, May 07, 2009 10:24 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Friday May 8 >2 Chronicles 28-30 (The Message) > > 2 Chronicles 28 > King Ahaz > 1-4 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king and reigned sixteen > years in Jerusalem. He didn't > live right in the eyes of God; he wasn't at all like his ancestor David. > Instead he followed in the > track of Israel in the north, even casting metal figurines for worshiping > the pagan Baal gods. He > participated in the outlawed burning of incense in the Valley of Ben > Hinnom and-incredibly!-indulged > in the outrageous practice of "passing his sons through the fire," a truly > abominable thing he > picked up from the pagans God had earlier thrown out of the country. He > also joined in the > activities of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines that flourished > all over the place. > 5-8 God, fed up, handed him over to the king of Aram, who beat him badly > and took many prisoners to > Damascus. God also let the king of Israel loose on him and that resulted > in a terrible slaughter: > Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in one day, all of them first-class > soldiers, and all because > they had deserted God, the God of their ancestors. Furthermore, Zicri, an > Ephraimite hero, killed > the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam the palace steward, and Elkanah, second > in command to the king. And > that wasn't the end of it-the Israelites captured 200,000 men, women, and > children, besides huge > cartloads of plunder that they took to Samaria. > > 9-11 God's prophet Oded was in the neighborhood. He met the army when it > entered Samaria and said, > "Stop right where you are and listen! God, the God of your ancestors, was > angry with Judah and used > you to punish them; but you took things into your own hands and used your > anger, uncalled for and > irrational, to turn your brothers and sisters from Judah and Jerusalem > into slaves. Don't you see > that this is a terrible sin against your God? Careful now; do exactly what > I say-return these > captives, every last one of them. If you don't, you'll find out how real > anger, God's anger, works." > > 12-13 Some of their Ephraimite leaders-Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah > son of Meshillemoth, > Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai-stood up against the > returning army and said, > "Don't bring the captives here! We've already sinned against God; and now > you are about to compound > our sin and guilt. We're guilty enough as it is, enough to set off an > explosion of divine anger." > > 14-15 So the soldiers turned over both the captives and the plunder to the > leaders and the people. > Personally designated men gathered the captives together, dressed the ones > who were naked using > clothing from the stores of plunder, put shoes on their feet, gave them > all a square meal, provided > first aid to the injured, put the weak ones on donkeys, and then escorted > them to Jericho, the City > of Palms, restoring them to their families. Then they went back to > Samaria. > > 16-21 At about that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria asking for > personal help. The > Edomites had come back and given Judah a bad beating, taking off a bunch > of captives. Adding insult > to injury the Philistines raided the cities in the foothills to the west > and the southern desert and > captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, along with Soco, Timnah, and > Gimzo, with their > surrounding villages, and moved in, making themselves at home. Arrogant > King Ahaz, acting as if he > could do without God's help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. > Judah, brought to its knees by > God, was now reduced to begging for a handout. But the king of Assyria, > Tiglath-Pileser, wouldn't > help-he came instead and humiliated Ahaz even more by attacking and > bullying him. Desperate, Ahaz > ransacked The Temple of God, the royal palace, and every other place he > could think of, scraping > together everything he could, and gave it to the king of Assyria-and got > nothing in return, not a > bit of help. > > 22-25 But King Ahaz didn't learn his lesson-at the very time that everyone > was turning against him, > he continued to be against God! He offered sacrifices to the gods of > Damascus. He had just been > defeated by Damascus; he thought, "If I worship the gods who helped > Damascus, those gods just might > help me, too." But things only went from bad to worse: first Ahaz in ruins > and then the country. He > cleaned out The Temple of God of everything useful and valuable, boarded > up the doors of The Temple, > and then went out and set up pagan shrines for his own use all over > Jerusalem. And not only in > Jerusalem, but all over Judah-neighborhood shrines for worshiping any and > every god on sale. And was > God ever angry! > > 26-27 The rest of Ahaz's infamous life, all that he did from start to > finish, is written in the > Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. When Ahaz died, they buried > him in Jerusalem, but he > was not honored with a burial in the cemetery of the kings. His son > Hezekiah was the next king. > > 2 Chronicles 29 > King Hezekiah > 1-2 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in > Jerusalem for > twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. In God's > opinion he was a good king; > he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. > 3-9 In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having > first repaired the doors of > The Temple of God, threw them open to the public. He assembled the priests > and Levites in the court > on the east side and said, "Levites, listen! Consecrate yourselves and > consecrate The Temple of > God-give this much-defiled place a good housecleaning. Our ancestors went > wrong and lived badly > before God-they discarded him, turned away from this house where we meet > with God, and walked off. > They boarded up the doors, turned out the lights, and canceled all the > acts of worship of the God of > Israel in the holy Temple. And because of that, God's anger flared up and > he turned those people > into a public exhibit of disaster, a moral history lesson-look and read! > This is why our ancestors > were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken > prisoner and made slaves. > > 10-11 "I have decided to make a covenant with the God of Israel and turn > history around so that God > will no longer be angry with us. Children, don't drag your feet in this! > God has chosen you to take > your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship-this is > your life work; make sure > you do it and do it well." > > 12-17 The Levites stood at attention: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of > Azariah from the > Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the > Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah > and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites; Shimri and Jeiel sons of > Elizaphan; Zechariah and > Mattaniah sons of Asaph; Jehiel and Shimei of the family of Heman; > Shemaiah and Uzziel of the family > of Jeduthun. They presented themselves and their brothers, consecrated > themselves, and set to work > cleaning up The Temple of God as the king had directed-as God directed! > The priests started from the > inside and worked out; they emptied the place of the accumulation of > defiling junk-pagan rubbish > that had no business in that holy place-and the Levites hauled it off to > the Kidron Valley. They > began the Temple cleaning on the first day of the first month and by the > eighth day they had worked > their way out to the porch-eight days it took them to clean and consecrate > The Temple itself, and in > eight more days they had finished with the entire Temple complex. > > 18-19 Then they reported to Hezekiah the king, "We have cleaned up the > entire Temple of God, > including the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering and the Table of the Bread of > the Presence with their > furnishings. We have also cleaned up and consecrated all the vessels which > King Ahaz had gotten rid > of during his misrule. Take a look; we have repaired them. They're all > there in front of the Altar > of God." > > 20-24 Then Hezekiah the king went to work: He got all the leaders of the > city together and marched > to The Temple of God. They brought with them seven bulls, seven rams, > seven lambs, and seven > he-goats to sacrifice as an Absolution-Offering for the royal family, for > the Sanctuary, and for > Judah as a whole; he directed the Aaronite priests to sacrifice them on > the Altar of God. The > priests butchered the bulls and then took the blood and sprinkled it on > the Altar, and then the same > with the rams and lambs. Finally they brought the goats up; the king and > congregation laid their > hands upon them. The priests butchered them and made an > Absolution-Offering with their blood at the > Altar to atone for the sin of all Israel-the king had ordered that the > Whole-Burnt-Offering and the > Absolution-Offering be for all Israel. > > 25-26 The king ordered the Levites to take their places in The Temple of > God with their musical > instruments-cymbals, harps, zithers-following the original instructions of > David, Gad the king's > seer, and Nathan the prophet; this was God's command conveyed by his > prophets. The Levites formed > the orchestra of David, while the priests took up the trumpets. > > 27-30 Then Hezekiah gave the signal to begin: The Whole-Burnt-Offering was > offered on the Altar; at > the same time the sacred choir began singing, backed up by the trumpets > and the David orchestra > while the entire congregation worshiped. The singers sang and the > trumpeters played all during the > sacrifice of the Whole-Burnt-Offering. When the offering of the sacrifice > was completed, the king > and everyone there knelt to the ground and worshiped. Then Hezekiah the > king and the leaders told > the Levites to finish things off with anthems of praise to God using > lyrics by David and Asaph the > seer. They sang their praises with joy and reverence, kneeling in worship. > > 31-35 Hezekiah then made this response: "The dedication is complete-you're > consecrated to God. Now > you're ready: Come forward and bring your sacrifices and Thank-Offerings > to The Temple of God." > > And come they did. Everyone in the congregation brought sacrifices and > Thank-Offerings and some, > overflowing with generosity, even brought Whole-Burnt-Offerings, a > generosity expressed in seventy > bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs-all for Whole-Burnt-Offerings > for God! The total number > of animals consecrated for sacrifice that day amounted to six hundred > bulls and three thousand > sheep. They ran out of priests qualified to slaughter all the > Whole-Burnt-Offerings so their brother > Levites stepped in and helped out while other priests consecrated > themselves for the work. It turned > out that the Levites had been more responsible in making sure they were > properly consecrated than > the priests had been. Besides the overflow of Whole-Burnt-Offerings there > were also choice pieces > for the Peace-Offerings and lavish libations that went with the > Whole-Burnt-Offerings. The worship > in The Temple of God was on a firm footing again! > > 36 Hezekiah and the congregation celebrated: God had established a firm > foundation for the lives of > the people-and so quickly! > > 2 Chronicles 30 > 1-5 Then Hezekiah invited all of Israel and Judah, with personal letters > to Ephraim and Manasseh, > to come to The Temple of God in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to > Israel's God. The king and > his officials and the congregation in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate > Passover in the second > month. They hadn't been able to celebrate it at the regular time because > not enough of the priests > were yet personally prepared and the people hadn't had time to gather in > Jerusalem. Under these > circumstances, the revised date was approved by both king and people and > they sent out the > invitation from one end of the country to the other, from Beersheba in the > south to Dan in the > north: "Come and celebrate the Passover to Israel's God in Jerusalem." No > one living had ever > celebrated it properly. > 6-9 The king gave the orders, and the couriers delivered the invitations > from the king and his > leaders throughout Israel and Judah. The invitation read: "O Israelites! > Come back to God, the God > of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he can return to you who have > survived the predations of the > kings of Assyria. Don't repeat the sins of your ancestors who turned their > backs on God, the God of > their ancestors who then brought them to ruin-you can see the ruins all > around you. Don't be > pigheaded as your ancestors were. Clasp God's outstretched hand. Come to > his Temple of holy worship, > consecrated for all time. Serve God, your God. You'll no longer be in > danger of his hot anger. If > you come back to God, your captive relatives and children will be treated > compassionately and > allowed to come home. Your God is gracious and kind and won't snub > you-come back and he'll welcome > you with open arms." > > 10-12 So the couriers set out, going from city to city through the country > of Ephraim and Manasseh, > as far north as Zebulun. But the people poked fun at them, treated them as > a joke. But not all; some > from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun weren't too proud to accept the > invitation and come to Jerusalem. > It was better in Judah-God worked powerfully among them to make it > unanimous, responding to the > orders sent out by the king and his officials, orders backed up by the > word of God. > > 13-17 It turned out that there was a tremendous crowd of people when the > time came in the second > month to celebrate the Passover (sometimes called the Feast of Unraised > Bread). First they went to > work and got rid of all the pagan altars that were in Jerusalem-hauled > them off and dumped them in > the Kidron Valley. Then, on the fourteenth day of the second month, they > slaughtered the Passover > lambs. The priests and Levites weren't ready; but now, embarrassed in > their laziness, they > consecrated themselves and brought Whole-Burnt-Offerings to The Temple of > God. Ready now, they stood > at their posts as designated by The Revelation of Moses the holy man; the > priests sprinkled the > blood the Levites handed to them. Because so many in the congregation had > not properly prepared > themselves by consecration and so were not qualified, the Levites took > charge of the slaughter of > the Passover lambs so that they would be properly consecrated to God. > > 18-19 There were a lot of people, especially those from Ephraim, Manasseh, > Issachar, and Zebulun, > who did not eat the Passover meal because they had not prepared themselves > adequately. Hezekiah > prayed for these as follows: "May God who is all good, pardon and forgive > everyone who sincerely > desires God, the God of our ancestors. Even-especially!-these who do not > meet the literal conditions > stated for access to The Temple." > > 20 God responded to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people. > > 21-22 All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated the Passover > (Feast of Unraised Bread) for > seven days, celebrated exuberantly. The Levites and priests praised God > day after day, filling the > air with praise sounds of percussion and brass. Hezekiah commended the > Levites for the superb way in > which they had led the people in the worship of God. > > 22-23 When the feast and festival-that glorious seven days of worship, the > making of offerings, and > the praising of God, the God of their ancestors-were over, the tables > cleared and the floors swept, > they all decided to keep going for another seven days! So they just kept > on celebrating, and as > joyfully as they began. > > 24-26 Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand bulls and seven thousand > sheep for the > congregation's worship; the officials gave an additional one thousand > bulls and ten thousand sheep. > And there turned out to be plenty of consecrated priests-qualified and > well-prepared. The whole > congregation of Judah, the priests and Levites, the congregation that came > in from Israel, and the > resident aliens from both Israel and Judah, were all in on the joyous > celebration. Jerusalem was > bursting with joy-nothing like this had taken place in Jerusalem since > Solomon son of David king of > Israel had built and dedicated The Temple. > > 27 The priests and Levites had the last word: they stood and blessed the > people. And God listened, > listened as the ascending sound of their prayers entered his holy heaven. > > > > > > > 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
