Tag: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
There was no remedy!
Scripture reading for May 2nd: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and His dwelling place. But they mocked His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against His people and there was no remedy.” 2nd Chronicle 36:15-16
The period of the Kings and Chronicles ends with this sober statement concerning the Lord’s evaluation of the state of His people. He sent messengers repeatedly. He had loved them and provided for them. He had driven out their enemies and delivered them miraculously time after time. He had given them His presence in their midst and a way to return to Him. But they mocked His words and mistreated the prophets. This aroused God’s anger and He sent the promised consequences!
“There was no remedy!” Does it mean that God would not hear the prayers of His people any more? Did it mean that He had given up on them and was through? Did it mean that God had failed His people and would not honor the covenants that He had made with them?
No, God is faithful, even when we are faithless! (2nd Timothy 2:11-13) God was going to allow the consequences of their stubbornness to fall on them. They would see the destruction of their temple and go into captivity. The land would enjoy it’s sabbath rests that they failed to give in accordance with God’s Word. (2nd Chronicles 36:21) Seventy years would pass in captivity as decreed by Jeremiah, the prophet. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) After this time of captivity and punishment, God would again restore the nation to their land and rebuild the temple. Isaiah the prophet correctly named Cyrus as the ruler who would give the decree to rebuild Jerusalem more than 150 years before it happened! (Isaiah 44:28)
God is merciful even in judgment! He lets us in on His plan if we are humble and will listen to His Word. But there is coming another day when there will be “no remedy” for those who reject Jesus Christ! Without repentance and faith in Him, there will be eternal captivity in the Lake of Fire! (Revelation 20:11-15) Let’s humbly cling to God’s remedy!
There was no remedy!
Scripture reading for May 2nd: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and His dwelling place. But they mocked His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against His people and there was no remedy.” 2nd Chronicle 36:15-16
The period of the Kings and Chronicles ends with this sober statement. God had done His best to call out to His people. He had loved them and provided for them again and again. He had driven out their enemies and delivered them miraculously time after time. He had given them His presence in their midst in the Temple and a way to return to Him. But they mocked His words and mistreated the prophets. This aroused God’s anger!
“There was no remedy!” Does this mean that God would not hear the prayers of His people ever again? Did it mean that He had given up on them? Did it mean that God had failed His people and would not honor the covenants that He had made with them?
God is faithful, even when we are faithless! (2nd Timothy 2:11-13) God was going to allow the consequences of their stubbornness to fall on them. They would see the destruction of their temple and go into captivity. The land would enjoy it’s sabbath rests that they failed to give in accordance with God’s directions. (2nd Chronicles 36:21) Seventy years would pass in captivity as decreed by Jeremiah, the prophet. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) After this time of captivity and punishment, God would again restore the nation to their land and rebuild the temple. Isaiah the prophet correctly named Cyrus as the ruler who would give the decree to rebuild Jerusalem more than 150 years before it happened! (Isaiah 44:28) The Book of 2nd Chronicles ends with a word of hope to all who would trust God and follow him through the captivity! (2nd Chronicles 36:23)
God is merciful even in judgment! There is coming another day when there will truly be “no remedy” for those who reject Jesus Christ! If you die in your sins without repentance and faith in Him, there is truly “no remedy”! (Revelation 20:11-15) Make sure today that you have received by faith the offer of mercy through Jesus Christ!
Youth and Leadership
Scripture reading for May 3rd: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
The Chronicles are filled with records of the kings of Israel and Judah. Each record usually begins with a note about the age of the king when he took office and a general comment about whether he did good or evil. Manasseh was only 12 years old when he began his reign and Josiah was only 8 years old. Manasseh did evil and Josiah did what was right and good.
Manasseh was the son of a good king, Hezekiah. Manasseh was born to king Hezekiah later in his life after God miraculously spared his life and gave him 15 more years. Hezekiah had torn down the idol temples and humbly tried to walk with the Lord but Manasseh undid much of his father’s reform and took the nation away from God. He worshiped the starry host of heaven and even offered his children to these worthless idols. (2nd Chronicles 33:3-6)
God tried to speak to Manasseh but because he refused to listen, he was taken in captivity to Babylon. Manasseh did cry out to the Lord there and God had mercy on him. He was restored to Jerusalem where he removed some of the idols he had erected and tried to restore the Lord’s altar. He failed to teach his own sons. One of them, Amnon, succeeded his father and did evil without repentance.
Josiah was one of the youngest kings and one of the best. He sought the Lord early in his reign and purged Jerusalem of idols and images. (2nd Chronicles 34:3-7) He set out to repair the temple, collecting funds to pay the workers and do the repairs. While repairing the temple, the priest Hilkiah, found the Book of the Law that had been lost and neglected. When Josiah heard the word of God, he humbled himself and sought prophetic help. Huldah, the prophetess, told the king of the anger of God aroused because of the unfaithfulness of his people and their disobedience to His commands. Josiah led the people to renew their covenant with the Lord.
These two kings took opposite paths. Their youth was not the main factor in their walk with God. Their heart to follow God and obey His word determined God’s verdict concerning their lives. What will He write about us?
There was no remedy!
Scripture reading for May 2: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and His dwelling place. But they mocked His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against His people and there was no remedy.” 2nd Chronicle 36:15-16
The period of the Kings and Chronicles ends with this sober statement concerning the Lord’s evaluation of the state of His people. God had done His best to call out to His people. He sent messengers again and again. His mercy had suffered long with this people. He had loved them and provided for them again and again. He had driven out their enemies and delivered them miraculously time after time. He had given them His presence in their midst in the Temple and a way to return to Him. But they mocked His words and mistreated the prophets that were sent to them. This aroused God’s anger and He decided to allow the consequences He had promised to fall upon them.
There was no remedy! What does this mean? Does it mean that God would not hear the prayers of His people any more? Did it mean that He had given up on them and was through? Did it mean that God had failed His people and would not honor the covenants that He had made with them? What about the land that belonged to them, would it be lost to them now because of their stubbornness?
No, God is faithful, even when we are faithless! (2nd Timothy 2:11-13) God was going to allow the consequences of their stubbornness to fall on them. They would see the destruction of their temple and go into captivity. The land would enjoy it’s sabbath rests that they failed to give in accordance with God’s Word. (2nd Chronicles 36:21) Seventy years would pass in captivity as decreed by Jeremiah, the prophet. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) After this time of captivity and punishment, God would again restore the nation to their land and rebuild the temple. Isaiah the prophet correctly named Cyrus as the ruler who would give the decree to rebuild Jerusalem more than 150 years before it happened! (Isaiah 44:28) The Book of 2nd Chronicles records the last word of God concerning this rebuilding as a word of hope to all who would trust God and follow him through the captivity! (2nd Chronicles 36:23)
Wow! God is merciful even in judgment! God has a plan and is working it out. He lets us in on His plan if we are humble and teachable. He has written down that plan in His Holy Word, the Bible! We need to pay heed while we still can. There is coming another day when again, there will truly be “no remedy” for those who reject Jesus Christ! If you die in your sins without repentance and faith in Him, there is truly “no remedy”! (Revelation 20:11-15) May that never be heard of concerning you or me!