2 Kings 16 - 1 Chronicles 1: Good king, bad king

- Finally, a good king:  King Hezekiah held fast to God, and God held fast to him. He prayed an amazing prayer in 2 Kings 19:14-34, along with a prophecy by Isaiah. God promised to shield the royal city of Jerusalem from the arrogant and bloodthirsty Assyrian king. That night, an angel of God came and killed 185,000 Assyrians. The Assyrian king (Sennacherib) went home to Nineveh and was later murdered by his own sons in their temple.
- God listens:  Hezekiah prayed and asked God for physical healing. 2 Kings 20:4 says that God listened to his prayer and heard his tears and....God changed his mind. Wow. I should be praying more.
- Then more bad kings:  Manasseh set up pagan idols in the temple and sacrificed his own son to pagan gods. These passages report that this evil king set new records in evil and this type of sin led to the destruction of Jerusalem. The accounts of these evil kings and the consequences for Israel were heartbreaking and very, very difficult for me to read (2 Kings 21).
- Back to the book: Finally, along came another godly king named Josiah. He rediscovered the Word of God and read it to the people. They had forgotten what the Scriptures had to say, but Josiah's leadership led them to repentance. "The world would never again see a king like Josiah" (2 Kings 23:5).


Elena's verse of the day:  "This festival had not been celebrated in this way since the time that tribal leaders ruled Israel. But in Josiah's 18th year as king, everyone came to Jerusalem to celebrate

 year as king, everyone came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover" (2 Kings 23:22-23).

1 Kings 7-15: 14 day party, golden calves, & relentless love

- Relentless God:  Solomon finished the temple and held a dedication ceremony where he blessed the people, then prayed: "O God, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them...." (1 Kings 8:20-21). I love that--God is relentless in his love for us.
- A shepherd's heart:  Like his father David, Solomon had a shepherd's heart and interceded for his people with God: "Forgive your people who have sinned against you....They are, after all, your people and your precious inheritancae whom you rescued..." (1 Kings 8:50-51).
- Seven day party times two:  The temple celebration was incredible, with 22,000 cattle sacrificed. It's beyond imagination. Oh yeah, and 120,000 sheep! They started out to celebrate for seven days, then went another seven for two solid weeks of celebration.
- Obsessed with women:  The Message version I'm reading says that Solomon was obsessed with women. His pagan wives and concubines led him into worship of the pagan false gods and he openly defied God. How could the wisest man in the world be so foolish? A good, cautionary tale for us not to relax our pursuit of a holy life and to follow God our entire lives so we end well. Solomon loved God but lost momentum and allowed himself to be enticed away from his first love.
- Not the golden calves again:  Jeroboam made two golden calves for the people to worship, just as they'd done back in Moses' time. It's interesting how sin seems to run in cycles and come back around again.


Elena's verse of the day:  "There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, Lord God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple?" (1 Kings 8:27).

Joshua 9 - 21: Woodcutters & water carriers, giant hailstones, and happily ever after

- Woodcutters & water carriers:  Joshua and the people of Israel were outwitted by some locals in hobo outfits. They were tricked into signing a covenant. When the ruse was discovered, Joshua sentenced the tricksters to work as woodcutters and water carriers. Interesting story, that.

- Chapters and chapters of Joshua's conquests. One key battle included a day the sun stood still, along with God flinging giant hailstones from the sky. The Israelites won.
- Balaam, the old sorcerer with the talking donkey, was finally killed by Israel in battle. Notice his name, an homage to the pagan god Baal (Joshua 3:15-22).
- Happily ever after (at least for a while):  "God gave Israel the entire land that he had solemnly vowed to give to their ancestors. They took possession of it and made themselves at home in it....everything came out right" (Joshua 21:43-45). Lord, I want that for my life. Please make everything come out right.

Elena's verse of the day:  "When the priest, Joshua, and leaders of the families met to divide up the land, the Lord showed them how to do it" (Joshua 14:5).