The Generations (2 Chronicles)

For the past month or so I have been reading from the book of 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament. This book sums up the line of Kings that followed King David and ruled over Judah after the Israelites split into two kingdoms. I admit, I’m one of those who tries to read through the Bible once a year but usually ends up with the ‘leftovers’. Those being the books I’m not fascinated with and have put off until the end. For 2012 one of those books second Chronicles which with its often repetitive, sometimes monotonous history had not made my favorites list. However, I found myself especially drawn into the idea of generations and the affect of one leader upon the next in the history of Judah and the world. I also found intriguing personal accounts of these very human rulers. Since I finished the book this week I decided to reflect on some lessons learned from reading this book for this post.

2 Chronicles 12:1,14, “After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord…He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.”

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and the first King over the split kingdom of Judah. Although he initially followed the Lord’s ways he fell away because of a lack of commitment. Part of me wonders if this was a fall-out from Solomon’s own double-standards. Yes, Solomon was wise, yes God blessed him- yet he allowed idolatry and married women who would encourage idolatry (Rehoboam’s own mother?) in their children and in the country. In verse fourteen the word ‘set’ is the Hebrew word ‘kun’ which means according to Strong’s ‘established’ and according to the NAS Exhaustive Concordance is translated, ‘to be firm’, ‘determined’, ‘made it ready’, ‘steadfast’. Rehoboam had not prepared his heart to seek the Lord and when surrounded by idolatry and temptation, easily gave in. How many times have I given into temptation for this same reason- because I had not given adequate time to making my heart ready to seek the Lord despite the circumstances?

2 Chronicles 24:17, 18 “After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem.”

The story of Joash is dramatic- hidden in the temple until he became King at seven years old; he was guided by the wise and godly chief priest Jehoiada. We see glimpses of Joash’s potential as he begins the process of recovering the sacred objects and restoring them to the temple. However when Jehoiada dies (referenced in the verses above), Joash turns to other advisors and in deference begins to lead the nation away from the worship of God once again. Perhaps there was some fault with Jehoiada leading the King so closely rather than training him in independence, but the Bible does not indicate that. Merely the hint is given that without a trusted advisor Joash was easily led astray. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Both as a Christian and as a person with some leadership responsibilities, how important it is for me to be careful of the advice I take and the advice I give. Everything must be tested against the word of God and I must lean first and foremost on His guidance.

2 Chronicles 34:33, “Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.”

The story of Josiah might be familiar to many, but are we as aware of his ancestors? Josiah was the son of Amon who only ruled two years because of his evil idolatry and his pride. Josiah was also the grandson of Manasseh who spent part of his rule leading the people towards greater idolatry, even putting altars to false gods in the very temple of God. He also followed the pagan practice of sacrificing some of his children. Though Manasseh was later led back to worship of the Lord the damage had been done and the people continued in idol worship. Josiah came from this lineage and yet submitted fully to the guidance of God. He took it to the extremes needed and destroyed idolatry in the nation, not leaving room for the people to disobey while the king worshipped truly. Because of this radical obedience the people, “did not fail to follow the Lord…”. Josiah’s godly leadership portrayed the kind of kingship that the people needed. In my small capacity am I leading in radical obedience to God? What areas of my life have yet to be completely reformed by the grace of God?

These lessons of course do not even scratch the surface of what can be learned from the book but if anything I hope this helps to encourage others to read the Bible. And I mean, all of it, to seek out lessons in the books they might be avoiding- especially as that applies to the Old Testament. Sometimes we forget that when Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” he was referring to the only Scripture believers had at the time- the Old Testament. Is our whole heart determined to seek God through His word? If so I don’t think any time given to study will disappoint.

Text Reference: (1984). NIV. Grand Rapids : Zondervan.
(1998). NAS Exhaustive Concordance. La Habra: The Lockman Foundation.
Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.

Photo Reference: Smithsonian Institution Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Jacques Villon seated outdoors with a dog. Published in: Archives of American Art Journal v. 2, no. 3, p. 7; v. 38, no. 1-2, p. 14. 

Duchamp-Villon, Raymond, 1876-1918
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968