2 Chronicles 33-36

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As we read the end of the book of 2 Chronicles, we notice a few lessons we can gain from this reading.

1) Christianity is only one generation from dying out! The last four chapters was a joy to read. It told us the story of a Godly king (Hezekiah) who lived a life that pleased the Lord (29:2). He reopened the Temple (the one Solomon built) and rededicated it to the Lord. He got the Levites and priests to serve the Lord again. And, he motivated and encouraged the people throughout Judah to serve the Lord with all their heart. In the end, he was successful in everything he did because he served the Lord with all his heart (31:20-21)!

However, at his death, his own son, Manasseh (only 12 years old) became the next king of Judah. In 33:2, the Bible says "He did what was evil in the Lord's sight." Unfortunately, either Hezekiah was too busy being king and didn't pass on the spiritual insights about God to his son, or his son simply rebelled. Either way, in spite of the fact that Hezekiah was so Godly, his son was so evil! In fact, the Bible says in 33:9 that he "led the people...to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land." Wow! That's saying something!

Even Hezekiah's grandson, Amon, was an evil king after the death of his father. It wasn't until Josiah (Hezekiah's great grandson) that a Godly king returned to the throne of Judah (34:1-2).

We, as parents, have a duty to be diligent to teach our children the ways of God and how to love the Lord, or they might lead several generations astray! Believe it or not, the impact of your parenting responsibilities can impact thousands of lives!!!

2) God's Word changes lives! There's is nothing more life changing than the words found in the Bible. In chapter 34, we read how Hilkiah (Jeremiah the prophet's father) finds the scroll containing the laws of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Once the king heard the message of God's Word, he changed his own life and charged the nation to change their ways! In fact, it so changed and moved him that he set up arrangements to reinstate the Passover Feast. In 35:18, the Bible records that this feast was the GREATEST PASSOVER ever! No other king had ever held a passover feast like this. It wasn't until Jesus' time did another remarkable passover feast occcur - Jesus' death on the cross!

That's why it is so important that you and I continually read the Bible. It is God's Way of speaking to us and shaping into the kind of people he wants us to be!

3) The Downfall and 400 years of silence! The last chapter (36) of 2 Chronicles tells the rapid succession of Israel's downfall and their unwillingness to listen to God's prophets or worship the Lord. Consequently, God allows Judah and Israel to be carried off into exile into Babylon (Iraq) and eventually into Persia (Iran). This leads to approximately 400 years of spiritual silence. It's not until Jesus begins His ministry that the acts of God begin to happen again in Israel.

When we, as Christians, fall away from the Lord, we tend to experience a great sense of emptiness and loneliness. While God is near, His presence seems to appear silent. This is what happened to Israel. Don't let this happen to you!

Have a great day in the Lord!