Esther 2:1-18

Dear RTB’ers,           

I noticed yesterday, but failed to mention how the king was so easily manipulated – initially by Queen Vashti with her refusal to obey his demand, then by the wise men whom he consulted, Now this word pleased the king… (v. 1:21) Then today his attendants propose the beauty parade of young women and he quickly assents, And the suggestion pleased the king… (v. 2:4) And I wonder at how often I am too easily manipulated by those “attractions” the world offers.

One word kept showing up today – “favor” – with Hegai (the king’s eunuch, v. 9), with “all who saw her” (v. 15) and finally, with the king (v. 17). No doubt the Lord had endowed her with a particular personality that found favor from the very beginning and continuing to the end. He has also done that for us, with us. We are endowed with His Holy Spirit and our lives should reflect that – with every person, every encounter. Let ‘s think about how we might “find favor” with every person that we meet today.

Blessings!

Esther 1

Dear RTB’ers,

So, the king makes a demand, Vashti refuses,  and she is demoted. All that to provide a setting for which Esther rises to Vashti’s throne. My takeaway – God is at work in every activity that takes place on this huge earth and with these billions of people. How else could I have come to know each and every one of you??!! That’s a LONG story…!!

God is at work on behalf of His people in the book of Esther. Today we see only the beginnings of that!

Blessings!

II Chronicles 36

Dear RTB’ers,

Today we finish II Chronicles and in so doing we end the “formal” historical writings of the Old Testament authors (Samuel, Kings, Chronicles). We still have two historical books to read, Esther and Daniel that relate to activities taking place during the Babylonian Exile. In addition we’ve already read Ezra and Nehemiah and two prophetic books, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that relate to activities taking place in Jerusalem and Babylon. But for now, today ends the formal Old Testament historical writings.

We see four kings in this final chapter:

1. Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, did evil in the sight of the LORD (II Kings 23:32), taken captive to Egypt;
2. Jehoiakim (name changed from Eliakim), brother to Jehoahaz, reigned eleven years, did evil in the sight of the LORD, bound in chains and taken captive to Babylon;
3. Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, reigned only three months, did evil in the sight of the LORD, carried captive to Babylon;
4. Zedekiah (name changed from Mattaniah), brother to Jehoiachin (v. 10), or possibly uncle to Jehoiachin and brother to Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (II Kings 24:17), did evil in the sight of the LORD, rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) who captured him, slaughtered his sons before his eyes, and bound him in bronze to Babylon (II Kings 25:7).

Their stories, in a nutshell, with one common denominator: “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (vv. 5, 9, 12, plus II Kings 23:32 noted above).

Any questions…?

Blessings!

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See also:

• July 15 (2023) / II Kings 24:5-17; Jeremiah 22:18-30; 13:15-27; II Chronicles 36:5-10; Jeremiah 24:1-10
• July 27 (2023) / II Chronicles 36:13-16; Ezekiel 8-11
• August 8 (2023) / II Chronicles 36:17-21; Ezekiel 12; Psalm 89

II Chronicles 34-35

Dear RTB’ers,

I had to wonder if I was on the right readings for today – a first chapter on serious religious reforms (including the destruction of pagan images and altars) and finding the Book of the Law, then a second chapter detailing another Passover. Just three days ago we read two chapters on Hezekiah, with a first chapter on the temple repair and sacrifices, then a second chapter covering the celebration of the Passover.

And I wondered at today’s statement that No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. (v. 35:18a) Yes, there are similarities between the two Passovers, but Josiah’s Passover was clearly much more in adherence with specifics in the Book of the Law. Per an online source, “King Josiah’s celebration of Passover …, which the Chronicler declares incomparable to all prior Passovers in Israel since Samuel … emphasizes complete liturgical observance, priestly preparation, and the theological reunification of all Israel, demonstrating that authentic worship depends on right intention and covenantal obedience rather than institutional splendor.” The finding of the Book of the Law was very likely the prompt for the more serious Passover under Josiah.

Both Hezekiah and Josiah were highly regarded by the Kings and Chronicles authors and by the people. Our Chronicler noted that all Jerusalem and Judah mourned for Josiah. (v. 35:24b) Earlier he had said of Hezekiah that all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. (v. 32:33b)

What would we say today if each of us were to write our own obituary? One wonders…

Blessings!

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See also:

• June 30 (2023) / II Kings 23:1-27; II Chronicles 34:1-35:19
• July 5 (2023) / II Kings 23:28-37; Jeremiah 22:10-17; II Chronicles 35:20-36:4

II Chronicles 33

Dear RTB’ers,

Manasseh’s 55-year reign in a few words: Ungodliness. Evil. Judgment. Remorse. Forgiveness. Restoration. Renewal. Restitution. A verse that we might want to claim: He prayed to Him, and God was moved by his entreaty… (v. 13a, then repeated in v. 19a). God was moved by his prayer! So, your prayer for today…?

Blessings!

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See also: June 28 (2023) / II Chronicles 32-33, II Kings 21.

II Chronicles 31:2-32:33

Dear RTB’ers,

Today, another two chapters covering Hezekiah, king of Judah. Yesterday was the temple repair and sacrifices, then the celebration of the Passover. Then in today’s first chapter we see more regarding the temple, this time the tithes and offerings coming to the temple from people in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. Finally we close Hezekiah with Sennacherib’s failed invasion – which is covered in greater detail in II Kings 18-19. Our Chronicler also offers only small mention of Hezekiah’s illness, which is also covered in greater detail in II Kings 20.

Hezekiah speaking as Sennacherib nears the city: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles. (vv. 32:7-8a) It may not be a “horde” descending upon us, but we do have our own battles. It’s always good to remember Hezekiah’s words, Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed … but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles. Whatever battles we face…!

Blessings!

II Chronicles 29:1-31:1

Dear RTB’ers,

Today, Hezekiah: And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. (v. 29:2) And the Chronicler gets right after all that, with the temple cleansing and worship followed by the celebration of the Passover – fourteen days instead of the customary seven!

It was refreshing to see Judah invite their brothers from Israel (Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, Zebulun) to join them in keeping the Passover, in spite of their “uncleanness”: For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” (vv. 30:18-19) My online Gateway sidebar had this to say: “God is fundamentally concerned with the inward disposition of a person (everyone who sets their heart on seeking God) as opposed to the outward ritual. In short, faith and obedience take precedence over ritual requirements.” That doesn’t mean we throw out the ritual requirements. When we are forgiven, there is an expectation that we will not go on sinning in our old ways. Seeking God is more than simply celebrating one Passover.

One final item, So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. (vv. 30:10-11) I’m impressed by the courage of those men who humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem, in spite of the opposition they had faced in their homeland. I’m thinking of the persecution of millions of people in Africa and Asia in our own time, people who are actively suffering for their Christian beliefs. We need to pray for them more often.

Blessings!

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See also: June 27 (2023) / II Chronicles 29-31.

II Chronicles 26-28

Dear RTB’ers,

Three kings covered in today’s three chapters – Uzziah with his good-then-bad pattern that we have seen in a number of previous kings; then Jotham, only good (except that II Kings 15:34-35 notes that the high places had not been removed); then Ahaz, only bad.

The Chronicles author often connects battle victory and defeat with righteousness and obedience – or failures in that regard. Uzziah and Jotham were enormously successful in battles with the Philistines, the Arabians, the Meunites (a southeastern border people), and the Ammonites. By contrast, Ahaz who …did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD… (v. 28:1b) was first defeated by the Syrians, then by the Northern Kingdom, Israel, then even later by the Philistines and the Edomites. In spite of all his failures, Ahaz did not turn to the Lord as had his predecessors: In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD… (v. 28:22a)

Therein lies another good lesson for us. When we see one difficulty after another after another, do we take Job’s wife’s advice, “Curse God and die…” (Job 2:9), …or some similar response! Or do we seek Him all the more? There is no end to His loving help and presumably no end to His willingness to allow testing in our lives. We simply praise Him, thank Him, and move on.

So, the outcome of all the bad that we see in Ahaz? The good news is that Hezekiah is his son. But that’s tomorrow!

Blessings!

Personal note: In 1981 I saw seven consecutive months of fairly major difficulties, one per month, including a broken engagement between Carol and me; thankfully, we both remained faithful to God and to each other.

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See also:

• June 11 (2023) / II Chronicles 26; II Kings 15:8-16:4
• June 15 (2023) / II Chronicles 27-28; II Kings 17:1-4

II Chronicles 25

Dear RTB’ers,

Another chapter on Judah’s kings’ ups and downs: good kings, good reforms, then doing bad things. Amaziah follows that pattern – good for 13 verses, then a turn-around for the last 15 verses. One verse stood out for me today – But go, act, be strong for the battle. … For God has power to help or to cast down. (v. 8) Yes, go. But go with what God has given you and where He has directed you. And as you go, even in His will, bad things can happen to you. He knows that; He lets it happen – all for His greater purpose.

Go, act, be strong. God has the power to act as He will. Praise Him, thank Him, whatever the outcomes! Go.

Blessings!

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See also: June 2 (2023) / II Kings 14; II Chronicles 25.

II Chronicles 24

Dear RTB’ers,

The priests and Levites, a mixed bag today. First we see them failing to collect the Moses tribute (II Chr. 24:5-6). Then they act more faithfully in doing what the king orders in verses 8-14. But then the story switches to “the princes of Judah” who came and paid homage to the king (II Chr. 24:17). Third-person pronouns (they, them) continue in the next four verses, so that it seems that it’s the “princes of Judah” along with “the people” (II Chr. 24:20) who are responsible for Zechariah’s stoning (II Chr. 24:21). And I wonder what has happened to the priests’ and Levites’ leadership?

So yes, I wonder what’s going on here? But the main story turns in verse 15: But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. When Jehoiada died, Joash no longer had his wise counsel and Joash began listening to other voices (see II Chr. 24:17). It’s like Rehoboam all over again and John’s questions in his posts from years past, “To whom are we listening?” Thankfully at St. Andrew’s we have consistently had good voices from the pulpit. But beyond those 20-30 minute sermons, to whom are we listening? What are we reading? What movies are we watching? Which politicians have answers for us? Good questions that I need to consider!

One final item. I don’t have my Study Bible with me and I can’t find an answer online, but as I read today about Zechariah being stoned by the king’s order (II Chr. 24:21-22), I was remembering Jesus speaking similar words: You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. (Matthew 23:33-35) But here Jesus has Zechariah as the son of Barachiah, not the son of Jehoiada. The geography is also different – Jesus has the murder between the sanctuary and the altar while the Chronicler has it …in the court of the house of the LORD. (v. 21b) So it left me confused. John…?

Finally, one more time. To whom are we listening?

Blessings!

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See also: June 1 (2023) / II Chronicles 22:10-24:27; II Kings 13.