2 Chronicles 26:16

2 Chronicles 26:16 says, But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.  When Uzziah became strong in the world, he went into the temple and burned incense on the altar of incense, which was a transgression against God's law.  Only priests were supposed to do this, and Uzziah was taking over their role. As Christians, we may do something that sounds good, but if we are not doing it under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it is not going to be pleasing to God, and if it is contrary to the word of God, it will always be displeasing to Him.  Verse seventeen adds, And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:  Azariah and eighty priests who were said to be brave men went into Uzziah.  We may not have a lot of people stand with us, but if someone is doing something against the will of God, we need to bravely stand against them.  Verse eighteen continues, And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.  Amaziah and these eighty priests told him that he had done something that was against God's law, since only the priests were to burn incense to God.  It took some courage on their part, but at least they were united in their stand against what Uzziah was doing and to ask him to leave the temple.  It may take some courage on our part to take a stand against those in power today if they are doing things against God's will, but we must always do so by the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, even if we stand alone.  Verse nineteen states, Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.  Uzziah was angry with them, and still had the censer to burn incense in his hand, I believe to show them that he was going to do what he wanted to do.  While he was doing this, he was afflicted with leprosy in his forehead.  We might think he would have been afflicted with leprosy in his arm that held the censor, but it was actually his thoughts that had caused him to think he could do whatever he wanted to do.  It is our thoughts that will lead us to sin today, and we can always be certain that God is going to get to the root of sin and not just punish the symptoms or results of that sin.  Verse twenty adds, And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.  Azariah and the priests saw that Uzziah was stricken with leprosy and hurried to get him out of the temple and Uzziah himself hurried to leave, since it was against God's law for a person with leprosy to be in the temple.  We don't need to rush people out of church today of they are doing something against God's will, but if they won't be corrected, then we cannot allow them to continue to do what they have been doing and act as if it is okay.  Our worship needs to be pure.  Verse twenty-one continues, And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.  Uzziah didn't die for bis actions, but he was cut off from the people and the temple.  His prideful actions led to his downfall, and if we act out of pride and not out of obedience to God, we will not die spiritually if we have accepted the salvation of Christ, but we may be cut off from spiritual blessings.  Verse twenty-two says, Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.  We are told that Isaiah the prophet wrote the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from beginning to end.  God will write down our actions from the time we are born until the day we die, and nothing will be hidden from Him.  Of course, if we are a Christian, He will also write the day that we were born again, and this will be the most important fact. Verse twenty-three adds, So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.  Uzziah died and was buried, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.  

2 Chronicles 26:9

2 Chronicles 26:9 says, Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.  Uzziah then built towers in Jerusalem at three points and fortified them.  We need spiritual watchtowers today and we need them to be fortified by the Holy Spirit.  As Christians, we are always going to be under attack by Satan and his forces and we need to be prepared to see them coming and fight against them by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse ten adds, Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.  Uzziah also built watchtowers in the desert and dug wells so he could protect and water his many cattle and protect and provide for those who cared for them.  We as followers of Christ need to not only be concerned about the times we gather together to worship God, but also about the times we are out in the world doing God's work.  We will never be cut off from the Living Water nor away from the protection of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eleven continues, Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.  Uzziah had a host, or army, that went to war by bands and under the direction of the religious leaders.  We today need to do all that we do under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and I will still say that our main objective is not to make war against the world, but to reach out to them with the gospel.  Verse twelve says, The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred.  Verse thirteen adds, And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.  These two verses tell us the number of men who were men of valor and ready to fight for God and His purpose in life.  They weren't just ready to fight for what they had materially, but for God and His purpose.  We are not to be at war with the world as Christians for our own material gain, but for the advancement of God's kingdom and the obedience of His commandments under the power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen continues, And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.  These men were armed for war, and we as followers of Christ are armed with the armor of God spiritually to fight against the enemies of God today.  Verse fifteen concludes, And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.  We are not told what these engines were that were invented by cunning men, but they were made to help defend Jerusalem.  Whatever they were, they were to be used in defending Jerusalem, and Uzziah's name was spread abroad because he was marvelously helped, I believe by God, and he was strong.  We have all the weapons we need to defeat our spiritual enemies today as long as we are led by the Holy Spirit, because no matter what happens in this life, God has already won the victory, and we are not to fight the battle for our own glory but for God's glory.

2 Chronicles 26:1

2 Chronicles 26:1 says. Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.  The people of Judah then took Uzziah and made him king, though he was only sixteen years old.  Once more, they had a king who was really too young to rule, but he was a descendant of David.  This was a continuation of God's promise to David, which was fulfilled by forever Jesus Christ.  Verse two adds, He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.  We are told that during his reign, he built the city of Eloth and restored Judah.  During our lifetime as Christians, we need to spread the gospel so that the kingdom of God will grow, but we also need to make sure that our faith is always restored to Him as well.  Verse three continues, Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.  Uzziah ruled for fifty-two years, which was a long reign, but still wasn't that old when he died.  As followers of Christ, no matter how long or short our life may be, we need to always follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and do what God commands us to do.  Verse four states, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did.  Uzziah did what was right in the sight of God, following the example that his father Amaziah.  We as Christian parents need to set a good example for our children to follow in being obedient to God's commandments.  This does not mean he was perfect, though. Verse five adds, And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.  He sought to do the will of God during the days of Zechariah, who was a prophet of God and had an understanding of the visions of God.  We are even more blessed than Uzziah was, because instead of a prophet, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Verse six continues, And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.  Uzziah went to war with the Philistines and defeated them in several of their cites and he even built a city of his own among the Philistines.  We are not called on to build cities for God today but to share the gospel with people wherever they are.  Verse eight says, And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.  He was successful because he followed God all of his reign and God led him to go to war with the Philistines and gave him the victory.  If we want to be successful in our Christian life today, we need to always act under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and acknowledge that God is the One Who gives us the victory.  Verse eight adds, And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.  Other people began to give gifts to Uzziah, the Ammonites being name in particular, and his fame spread all the way to Egypt, because he had strengthened himself and Judah by obeying God's commandments.  If we are to be successful as Christians today, we need to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and acknowledge that whatever we accomplish is by the power of God, so that he can be glorified and not us.  

2 Chronicles 25:17

2 Chronicles 25:17 says, Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.  Following the advice of some who were advising him wrongly, Amaziah sent a message to Joash, the king of Israel, asking that they meet face-to -face.  Once again, as was often the case, we see no indication that this was being done by the advice of any priest or prophet of God.  We should always be careful who we get our advice from.  Verse eighteen adds, And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.  I believe that Joash was comparing himself to a cedar and Amaziah to a thistle and saying he could destroy him even if Amaziah tried to go to war with him.  I do know that people of the world today view Christians as little more than an annoyance and believe that they can be easily controlled or destroyed.  That is why we should never go to wraith anyone without God's guidance instead of just relying on Him to keep us safe.  Verse nineteen continues, Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?  Joash told Amaziah to remain at home, that his pride over destroying the Edomites was going to lead to his destruction and the destruction of Judah as well.  As followers of Christ, we should never do anything out of self-pride, and if we do, it will often lead to spiritual defeat.  Verse twenty states, But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.  This verse says that Amaziah would not listen to Joash because God had sent the message so that He could punish the people of Judah for worshipping the gods of Edom.  My personal belief is that God was going to allow Joash to defeat Amaziah because Amaziah would not listen to God and put his faith in idols.  I don't believe that God actually empowers sinful people to defeat Christians, but that if we are not obedient to His word, He often removes His protective hand from us.  Verse twenty-one adds, So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.  Joash went to Behtshemesh in Judah to fight with Amaziah.  Amaziah may have thought fighting in one of the cities of Judah gave him the upper hand, but he was fighting without the empowerment of God.  We may fight the enemies of God in the church building today thinking that puts us in a more powerful position, but if we are not in a right relationship with God in our actions, it doesn't matter where we fight against evil.  If God is not empowering us, we are going to be defeated in our battle against Satan and his forces of evil.  Verse twenty-two continues, And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.  The people of Judah were losing their battle against Israel, so they fled to their tents.  If we are engaged in battle against the world today outside of the will of God, then we may attempt to flee if we are being defeated, but if we do not repent and return to following God's will, there is no safe place for us.  Verse twenty-three says, And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.  Joash took Amaziah and returned to Jerusalem with him, breaking down the walls of Jerusalem when he got there.  If we have been relying on earthly things to protect us instead of relying on the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, we are setting ourselves up for failure in this life and in our spiritual life.  We do not win the battle against evil because of our own strength but we win through the power of God.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.  Joash took all the treasures of the temple and the treasures of the king and returned to Samaria.  Amaziah's pride had led to a great defeat of Judah, and our pride may lead us to a great spiritual defeat today.  We must always act under God's leadership if we are going to be successful spiritually.  Verse twenty-five continues, And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.  Amaziah lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash, but we are not told that he ever recovered what Joash had taken in the battle. with him.  As long as we are living in disobedience to God, even if we are a follower of Christ, we are going to lose many spiritual blessings, and some will be lost forever.  Verse twenty-six states, Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?  As with all the kings, we are told that the rest of the acts of Amaziah are written in the book of the kings.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.  After Amaziah turned away from God, his own subjects began to plot against him, and he heard about it and fled to Lachish.  If we are living outside of the will of God, there is no place that is safe for us to flee to.  The people of Judah found Amaziah there and killed him.  Joash and the people of Israel and Amaziah and the people of Judah were all a part of God's chosen people, but instead of reaching out to the world, they were busy destroying each other, and very few were actually following God's leadership.  We as followers of Christ are the church today and are all a part of the same family of God, but we often end up fighting with each other instead of reaching out to the lost people of the world with the gospel.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.  Amaziah's body was returned to Jerusalem, and he was buried with his fathers.  We have no record of his ever repenting and turning to God once more, and that was all that was really important.  If we allow sin back into our life, we need to repent and turn to the leadership of the Holy Spirit once more.  What happens to our body is really of little importance.  It is our spirit and our everlasting dwelling place that matters.  If we are a follower of Christ, we will always be a part of God's family, but we may lose all our spiritual rewards if we sin again and do not repent and ask forgiveness. 

2 Chronicles 25:11

2 Chronicles 25:11 says, And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.  When Amaziah had been strengthened in his position ad king, he went to battle against the people of Sier, who were Edomites, and killed ten thousand of them.   When we are acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will always be victorious spiritually and we should never compromise our faith to God by relying on the lost people of the world to fight our battles or even to help us in the fight, but we should rely on God alone.  Verse twelve adds, And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.  Matthew Henry says there is no reason given for this barbarous act of cruelty, but that it was certainly very severe.  I hear people today say things like bomb them all and let God sort it out, but this is not to be our attitude.  We are to reach out to people with the gospel and pray for their salvation and not for their destruction, no matter how much they may hate us as Christians.  Verse thirteen continues,  But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.  Those soldiers of Israel that Amaziah had sent home went to war against several cities in Judah and killed three thousand people.  They were only concerned with the spoils of war and not with helping defeat the enemies of Judah out of concern for them, and since they were denied the spoils of the war Judah was waging, they turned against Judah and took spoils from them instead.  People of the world may ally themselves with us as Christians today if they think it is going to be materially beneficially to them, but they will also quickly turn against us if they think they will profit more by doing so.  Verse fourteen states, Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.  Unfortunately, when Amaziah had returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought their gods back with him and set them up and bowed down and worshipped them.  God had given Amaziah the victory over those who worshipped these gods, but now he was worshipping them instead of God.  As followers of Christ, God has given us the victory over sin and death, but we often chose to allow the things of this world to be what we worship instead of worshipping Him.  Verse fifteen adds, Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?  God was angry with Amaziah because of this and sent a prophet to ask him why he was worshipping these gods that could not save the people who had worshipped them.  If we as Christians are guilty of allow anything to be more important than God in our lives, He is not going to be happy with us, and I believe that the Holy Spirit will always let us know this if we only listen to Him.  Verse sixteen continues, And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.  Amaziah basically asked the prophet who he thought he was to question him and told him to stop speaking.  The prophet it says did, after telling Amaziah that God was going to destroy him because he wouldn't listen to the counsel of the prophet.  All we can do today is present the gospel to people, and if they refuse to listen, one day they will be punished forever spiritually.

2 Chronicles 25:1

2 Chronicles 25:1 says, Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.  Amaziah was twenty-five when he became king of Judah, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.  He wasn't that old when he started to rule nor was he that old when he ended his reign.  We may start serving God when we are fairly young, but that doesn't ensure that we are going to have a long life here on earth.  Many great Christians today die much too young, but they live forever with God.  Verse two adds, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.  Basically, Amaziah went through the motions of worshipping God and did not go against Him, but he did so without any real zeal for following God's will.  It is not enough to just go through the motions of worship if we have no zeal to do what God calls us to do nor a personal relationship with God.  Verse three continues, Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.  When his kingdom was established, he had his servants that had killed his father killed.  Matthew Henry says that even though they likely killed the king for his having had God's prophets killed, it was not their responsibility presume to do God's work.  We, as followers of Christ, are not called on to be judge, jury, and executioner of those who are going against God, but we are to reach out to them with the gospel instead.  Verse four states, But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.  At least Amaziah did not kill the children of those who had killed his father the king but said that fathers should not die for the sins of their children, nor should children die for the sins of their fathers, but that everyman should die for his own sins.  This is God's truth.  Every person will be judged for their own sins.  Verse five adds, Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.  Amaziah then began to organize the people of Judah into an army, establishing captains over the people according to who their father was.  He also numbered them and had three hundred thousand men over twenty who were referred to as choice men able to go to war and who could handle a spear and shield.  We are all a part of the army of God, but our purpose is not to kill our enemies, but to reach out to them with the gospel while being protected by the armor of God.  Verse six continues, He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.  He then reached out to Israel and hired a hundred thousand of the Israelites to supplement his forces.  We should never reach out to lost people to protect us spiritually today, but must rely on God and His people, our fellow Christians, to fight with us as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.  Verse seven says, But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.  A man of God came to Amaziah and told him to not let the army of Israel go with him, because God was not with them, since they had turned away from Him.  We cannot ally ourselves with non-believers in order to find spiritual security today but must rely on God alone to give us that security.  Verse eight adds, But if thou wilt go, do it; be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.  Amaziah was told that if he went into battle with them that he was going to lose, because he would be relying on something other than God to give him the victory.  He was also reminded that God had the ability to help or to cast down.  The implication was that if Amaziah remained true to God, then God would give him victory over his enemies, and he didn't need those who didn't follow God to help him.  We as followers of Christ need to rely on God alone to keep us spiritually safe, and He has already won the victory.  Verse nine continues, And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.  Amaziah was worried about the money he had paid the people of Israel more than he was in doing what God commanded it would seem.  He said if he sent them away, he was going to lose the hundred talents that he had paid them.  If we have invested in something that goes against God's will in our life, we need to be more concerned with repenting and being restored to a right relationship with Him more than we are with what it may cost us financially.  Amaziah was told that God was able to give him much more than what he might lose by doing what God commanded.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have already gained more than we will ever lose, so we should never be concerned about what it might cost us financially.  Verse ten concludes, Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. To his credit, Amaziah listened to the prophet of God and sent the army of Israel home, but this made them mad.  When we do what God calls on us to do, we may make the people of the world mad at us, but we cannot allow that to stop us from doing what God tells us to do.

2 Chronicles 24:23

 2 Chronicles 24:23 says, And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.  Two years later, the king of Syria sent a small number of his army against Joash and the people of Judah, and they killed all the princes and carried away all the spoil from Jerusalem to Damascus.  We need to be careful that we don't start relying on our own power to overcome sin in our lives while turning away from God and His word.  Verse twenty-four adds, For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.  The Syrian forces were small compared to the army of Judah, but God allowed Judah to be defeated because He had removed His protective hand from them, and we are told that they executed judgment against Joash.  Matthew Henry points out that when the people of Judah were following God, they often defeated larger forces, but when they weren't following Him, they were often defeated by forces that were smaller than them.  As long as we as followers of Christ follow God through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, no force will ever be large enough to defeat us spiritually, but if we go in our own direction instead of following God, even a small sin may overpower us.  Verse twenty-five continues, And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.  The Syrians did not take Joash away, but left him because he had great diseases, and his own people conspired against him because of what he had done to Jehoiada the priest's sons and killed him in his bed.  He was buried, but not with the other kings.  Though we are not called on to kill those who go against God, even those who profess to be Christians, we can never follow them and must destroy anything in our lives that we have based on false teachings.  Verse twenty-six states, And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.  Those who conspired against Joash were the son of an Ammonite mother and the son of a Moabite mother.  These were foreigners to Judah, but God allowed them to exact vengeance for the death of His prophet.  We are not called on to exact vengeance on anyone as Christians but are to leave that up to God as we reach out to them with the gospel.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.  The things that Joash did which were referred to as a burden since he was not following God are said to have been written in the book of the kings.  Whatever we do as Christians that is not in accordance with God's will be a burden to us spiritually and will one day be destroyed.  Amaziah, Joash's son, was anointed king in his place.  There is but one King, and that is Jesus Christ, and no matter how hard the world tries to do so, He will never be replaced, whether we acknowledge Him or not.

2 Chronicles 24:15

2 Chronicles 24:15 says, But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.  Jehoiada lived for a hundred and thirty years, but he still got old and died.  No matter how long we live, we will still get old and this body will die one day if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, but our soul will live on forever.  That is why it is important that we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, because that decision is what determines where our soul will live.  Verse sixteen adds, And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.  Jehoiada was buried among the kings, though he was a prophet and not a king, because he had done good for both Israel and God.  We as Christians should do good for those around us, but more importantly we should do good for God.  We may do good in the world and not be a follower of Christ, but us doing good is not going to bring us everlasting life with God if we have not accepted salvation that He makes available by putting our faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Verse seventeen continues, Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.  After Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah came to the king and showed deferential respect to him.  They were attempting to influence him by appearing to be obedient to him, I believe, and people will still try to influence us if they want something from us by playing on our vanity as the saying goes.  We cannot be swayed to turn away from God just because someone is making us feel important, if we want to live a successful life as Christians.  Verse eighteen states, And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.  These princes left the house of God, or being obedient to Him, and served groves and idols.  Jehoiada had kept them on the right path, but once his influence was gone, the people of Judah soon turned away from God.  If we are only following God because of a certain person who has influence in our life and that person dies, we may turn away from God, because we don't have a personal relationship with Him.  This did not please God, and neither will we if we act the that way.  Verse nineteen adds, Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.  God once again sent prophets to the people of Judah, but they wouldn't listen to them.  God sent His Son Jesus Christ to call us to repentance and call on us to put our faith in Him so we can enter into a relationship with God, but too many people refuse to listen to God's call to salvation.  Verse twenty continues, And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.  Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, had the Spirit of God come on him and he asked the people why they were transgressing against God.  It was not the fact that Zechariah was Jehoiada's son that made what he said important, but it was the fact that he was being led by the Spirit of God.  Being the child of a Christian, or even a great preacher, doesn't make what we may say important, but proclaiming God's truth by the leadership of the Holy Spirit is what makes what we say important.  We must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord before we can be led by the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-one states, And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord.  The people of Judah, instead of listening to God's prophet, conspired against him and stoned him at the commandment of the king.  There are still people in authority in the world today who not only won't listen to Christians but will also either put them in prison or have them killed.  Verse twenty-two adds, Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.  Joash didn't remember the kindness that Jehoiada had shown him, but had his son killed instead.  As he died, Zechariah asked God to deal with those who were stoning him.  God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to call people to repentance and salvation, and they reacted by killing Him, or so they thought.  We know that He lives forever as the eternal King, and that even if people reject Him, He died for them and is still their only hope.  

2 Chronicles 24:9

2 Chronicles 24:9 says, And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.  There was then a proclamation made to bring all the collection that Moses had commanded them to make into the temple.  I believe this means that they were to bring things according to the way Moses had taught them and not that they still had a collection that he had taken then.  We are to bring our tithes and offerings to God today in accordance with His word.  Verse ten adds, And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.  We are told that everyone brought their money in and cast it into the chest and rejoiced.  Matthew Henry says gathering the gifts had never been done this way before, and maybe the novelty of it made the people more willing to give, but whatever the reason, they were now giving.  There are many ways to bring our tithes and offerings into the church today, and some are more novel than others, but however we do it, we need to bring our tithes and offerings into the church to be used to do God's work today.  Verse eleven continues, Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.  When the chest was brought to the king's office by the Levites, they saw that there was a lot of money, and the chief priests and scribes emptied the chest and took the chest back to the temple.  They did this every day and gathered a lot of money.  Of course, having the money really wasn't the purpose of gathering it.  It was collected to do the work of the temple, and what we as the church gather in tithes and offerings today must be used to do God's work.  It is not for the government or our personal use, just as the money then wasn't for the king nor the people of Judah themselves, but for God and His work.  Verse twelve states, And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord.  The money was given by the king and Jehoiada to those who were to do the work on the house of God, like the masons and carpenters and those who worked in iron and brass.  We need to use the gifts brought to God to do His work and to pay those who are doing the work.  It is not enough to just gather tithes and offerings if we never use them to do what we believe God has led us to do.  Verse thirteen adds, So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.  Those paid to do the work did it, and God's house was repaired.  When we hire someone to do God's work today, they need to do it to the best of their ability so that God's work will be perfected.  Verse fourteen continues, And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.  After they completed the work on the temple itself, they brought what was left of the money back to the king and Jehoiada and then the vessels of the house of God were made.  We do not serve God to get rich and have the right to keep more than we need to do His work but must be faithful in only using what we need to do whatever it is He has called us to do.  These craftsmen were a part of God's chosen people, so they needed to be faithful in using His money for His work and not for their own enrichment, and so must we today as followers of Christ.  We can never view the tithes and offerings as our money but must always use them to accomplish God's work under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

2 Chronicles 24:1

2 Chronicles 24:1 says, Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.  We are told that Joash was seven when he began to reign, but I believe the first several years he likely was more of a figurehead than the actual ruler, though God could have given him the knowledge to make all the decisions.  If we have young preachers today, though they should never be as young as seven in my opinion, they need the advice and guidance of older, more mature Christians as they serve.  This is not to say that they are to just do what these older Christians say, but that they need their support in leading the church under God's authority.  Verse two adds, And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.  As long as Jehoiada was alive, Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. This would imply that Jehoiada had been the one guiding Joash in the ways of God, probably especially when he was very young. Verse three continues, And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.  Matthew Henry says Joash was wise to let Jehoiada choose his wives, but I would have to say as a prophet, Jehoiada should have known that God did not endorse having more than one wife. I don't believe that we as followers of Christ should have someone else choose our wife for us, but we should rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to lead us to the right person.  Verse four states, And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord.  Joash was inspired to repair the house of God, which Athaliah definitely had not worried about.  We need to always be concerned with making sure that the things og God are in good repair, especially if we are in a position of leadership in the church.  Of course, this is true of all Christians in their lives daily.  We need to be in good spiritual condition.  Verse five adds, And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.  Joash told the priests and Levites to go to all of Israel and collect money to repair the house of God every year and to do so in a hurry.  The priests did not hurry to do this.  I would think that the priests would have been telling Joash that this needed doing, but they didn't even respond when he told them to do so.  People in power in the world today are not likely to be concerned with the things of God, but we as a part of the priesthood of believers must be, and the things of God should always take priority in our lives.  Verse six continues,  And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?  Joash, who I beleive had been guided by Jehoiada, now called him and asked why as the chief priest, he had not required the people to bring offerings to God in accordance with the law of Moses.  As Christians, especially if we are in a position of leadership, need to do all in accordance with God's word and we should never neglect His work.  Verse seven adds, For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.  Joash then reminded Jehoiada that Athaliah had destroyed the house of God, and all of the things dedicated to it were given to the worship of Baal.  As Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we cannot allow things that go against God to destroy our work for Him.  If we do, we need to repent and rebuild our lives based on faith in Jesus Christ and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eight continues, And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord.  Joash then commanded them to make a chest and set it outside the gate of the temple to collect the offerings.  Whatever method we use, we need to make it easy for people to bring their tithes and offering into the church today so that God's work can be done, but we don't need the government to be the one to cause to do this.

2 Chronicles 23:12

 2 Chronicles 23:12 says, Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the Lord:  When Athaliah heard all the noise of the people praising the king, she went to the temple, to see what was going on. Since she thought she had killed all those who could claim the kingship, she must have really been curious.  The people in Jesus's day thought they had killed Him, so they had to be confused when his disciples started to proclaim the He had risen, and too many people still don't believe that today, and some even come to the church to find out, but still won't believe.  Verse thirteen adds, And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.  When she got to the temple, she saw the king standing by his pillar and all the people singing and rejoicing and playing music, so then she cried out treason, treason.  On day, everyone is going to see the King, Jesus Christ, standing in His position by the right hand of God, and they may believe that they were somehow betrayed by those they believed in, but it will be too late for them to be saved, just as it was too late for her since she didn't repent of her actions.  Verse fourteen continues, Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord.  Jehoiada told the captains of the forces to take Athaliah out of the temple and slay her, and do the same to anyone who followed her.  She had accused the people of treason, but she was the one who was actually guilty of it.  When Jesus Christ returns to judge the world, those who would not put their faith in Him will be sent away to everlasting punishment out of heaven, God's realm.  They will be sent away because of their own rebellion, or treason, against Him.  Verse fifteen concludes, So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there.  She was taken and slain.  We are not called on to kill our enemies or the enemies of God, but one day He will send them away to everlasting punishment.  Verse sixteen states, And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's people.  Jehoiada made a covenant between all the people, the king, and himself that they should be God's people.  They all had to individually agree to this, because Jehoiada could not really make a covenant for them, just as we must all individually make a covenant with God today by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  No one else can make this decision for us, and it must be made while we are alive.  Verse seventeen adds, Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.  The people then went to the temple of Baal and destroyed all the idols to him and killed the priest of Baal.  We must destroy all idols in our lives today if we are to effectively serve God.  Verse eighteen continues, Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the Lord by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.  Jehoiada also reestablished the order of the priests in serving in the temple in accordance with the law of Moses.  We as Christians are under God's law, and we need to not only worship in accordance with His word, but we need to live life every day, no matter where we are or what we are doing, in accordance with His word under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nineteen says, And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.  Jehoiada also set up porters at the gates to make sure that nothing unclean came into the temple.  We are not called on to keep those who are sinners, or spiritually unclean, out of God's house, but to bring them in so they can hear the gospel, but we do need to make sure that we as followers of Christ do not bring anything unclean into the church, or even in to our lives as individuals, since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty adds, And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the Lord: and they came through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.  The king was then brought from the temple to the king's house, and he was set upon the throne.  Our King is already sitting on His throne, and we just need to acknowledge that fact.  Verse twenty-one continues, And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.  After this, everything was quiet in the city and the people rejoiced.  Everything in our lives as Christians should be quiet spiritually if we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and we should continually rejoice because of that fact.

2 Chronicles 23:1

2 Chronicles 23:1 says, And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.  Jehoiada rose up in the seventh year of the reign of Athaliah's rule and began to form a covenant with others to put the God chosen person back in power, and this was a seed of David.  We may suffer under the rule of ungodly leaders today, but we must never accept this as something permanent.  We as followers of Christ must always be in a covenant relationship with Him and join with other believers to present His word to the world.  Verse two adds, And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.  Jehoiada and those allied with him gathered the Levites and chief men from throughout Judah and brought them to Jerusalem.  We as Christians may not all be gathered in one place of service to God, but we do need to be united in purpose and that is to obey God's law and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Verse three continues, And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons of David.  These people made a covenant with the king, the descendant of David, that he would rein as God had ordained.  We need to make a covenant with our fellow believers to always do what God has called us to do and to support those that He has put in positions of leadership in the church, but Jesus Christ is the only King we will ever have.  Verse four states, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors;  Jehoiada made a plan, which started with a third of priests and Levites entering the temple on the Sabbath to be porters at the doors.  They were to control who came into the temple.  I will make the analogy that our bodies as Christians are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to control what we allow into our lives.  We cannot allow the things of this world to corrupt us if we are going to be successful in our spiritual life.  Verse five adds, And a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord.  Another third of the the group were going to be at the king's house, and the remaining third were to be at the gate of the foundation.  I understand these thirds were to be the priests and Levites, and then the rest of the people allied with Jehoiada were to be in the courts of the house of the Lord.  We need God called leaders in the church today to be in charge of our worship services, but we all have the command to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.  Verse six continues, But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD Only the priests and Levites were to be allowed to go into the house of the Lord, because they were considered to be holy, and the rest of the people were to keep watch for the Lord.  As believers in Christ, we are a part of the priesthood of believers and are never limited in where we can go for the Lord, and we have a responsibility to make sure that we represent God wherever we may be.  Verse seven says, And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.  The Levites were charged with keeping the king safe, and anyone other than a Levite who entered into the house, which I believe was the temple, was to be put to death.  They were to always be armed and with the king when he went in or came out.  We are to always be armed with armor of God wherever we go, and we are to remain faithful to our King, Jesus Christ.  Verse eight adds, So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.  The Levites and all of Judah did as Jehoiada had commanded, and we today as followers of Christ must do as God commands us.  We all have our calling from God, and we must obey it.  Verse nine continues, Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.  Jehoiada then gave them the armor that had been David's that was in the house of God.  We all are equipped with the armor of God as His people and are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  This is a much greater security than the armor of David could ever bring.  Verse ten states, And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about.  All those who were allied with Jehoiada were placed around the temple to guard the king.  As Christians, we are allied with Him and with each other and must do our best to preserve His kingdom here on earth through being obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and if we are, we will be where God needs us to be.  Verse eleven adds, Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.  They then brought the king's son out and put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king.  Jehoiada and his sons then anointed him and said God save the king.  Our King has been forever anointed, and the heavenly Father established Him as King forever.