Exploring the Scriptures Together
II Kings 23:1-27; II Chronicles 34:1-35:19 In today’s readings we have only one king, Josiah, and he is good – not a single bad word mentioned! He became king at 8 years old, he began to seek the LORD when he was 16, and he began his cleansing of Jerusalem and Judah when he was …
Continue reading “June 30 / II Kings 23:1-27; II Chronicles 34:1-35:19”
II Kings 22; Zephaniah 1-3 I noted yesterday that Josiah was regarded as a good king. We see that today, right off the bat: And [Josiah] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right …
II Chronicles 32-33; II Kings 21 Today, as in the past we have readings from Chronicles and Kings. If you are reading from The Chronological Study Bible you’ll have to move forward a few pages after II Chronicles 32 and II Kings 21 to get to II Chronicles 33. In between is material that we …
Continue reading “June 28 / II Chronicles 32-33, II Kings 21”
II Chronicles 29-31 Rewind. We get another look at the reign of Hezekiah, this time from the Chronicler’s perspective. Here we see that, right out of the gate, in his first month as king, Hezekiah initiates a complete 180-degree reversal from the practices of his faithless father, Ahaz, who had shut up the Temple and …
Isaiah 25-27 A tale of two cities… In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:“We have a strong city;He sets up salvationas walls and bulwarks.Open the gates,that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.You keep him in perfect peacewhose mind is stayed on You,because he trusts in You.Trust …
Isaiah 22:1-14; Isaiah 23-24 There is quite a bit in today’s reading that I do not fully understand, or, rather, that I just barely understand, or, rather still, that I do not understand at all. But one verse seems pretty clear to me: The LORD of hosts has purposed it,to defile the pompous pride of …
II Kings 19:8-37; Isaiah 37:8-38; II Kings 20:20-21 Unlike his father, Ahaz, Hezekiah listens to the right voice. He listens to what the LORD says through Isaiah. In faith, he recognizes that all those so-called gods of the other nations that Assyria has defeated are no gods at all. And so Hezekiah prays: Truly, O …
Continue reading “June 24 / II Kings 19:8-37; Isaiah 37:8-38; II Kings 20:20-21”
II Kings 18:17-19:7; Isaiah 36:2-37:7 Imagine yourself standing on the wall of Jerusalem, peering over the parapet, listening to the Rabshakeh of Assyria taunt Hezekiah’s officials and the people of Jerusalem (including yourself). You’ve heard reports of Assyrian brutality for years. You know that nations larger and stronger than Judah have fallen before the might …
Continue reading “June 23 / II Kings 18:17-19:7; Isaiah 36:2-37:7”
II Kings 20:1-11; Isaiah 38; II Kings 20:12-19; Isaiah 39; Isaiah 36:1; II Kings 18:13-16 Would you know the power of repentance? Would you understand the strong weapon of salvation and the might of confession? By confession Hezekiah routed 185,000 of the enemy. That was important, but it was little compared with what shall be …
Isaiah 22:15-25; Isaiah 30-32 Let’s recall the historical situation into which Isaiah speaks. Isaiah is in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, where Hezekiah is king, a good king who follows the LORD. The Northern Kingdom of Israel is no more, having been destroyed by the exceedingly strong — and brutal — Assyrian empire. Now Assyria …