Category: 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 28 is a great reminder of what happens when you try to handle things your own way. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king (v. 1), and many of us know that we could not run a country at that age. The problem with Ahaz is that he did not follow how his father ruled. If you remember yesterday, Jotham was a great king who was faithful to God. Ahaz was the complete opposite of that. In our story, Ahaz built idols (v. 3), sacrificed his son’s (v. 3), asked help from Assyria (v. 16), and became even more faithless (v. 22). Ahaz decided to run things the way he wanted them to run, and it ultimately left him with a defeated people and a terrible reign as king. He did not seek after God and it led to many consequences in his life.

Here is what we need to know: sin always brings consequences. It may not always be an earthly consequence, but it will always be a spiritual consequence. For an unbeliever, sin continually separates that person from God. For a believer, sin hinders that relationship with God in some way. Sin has to be taken seriously because God does not allow it in His presence. 

Thankfully, Jesus came to set us free from sin and ultimately cleanse us from our sin. Without Jesus, all people would deserve Hell. But thankfully, Jesus has cleansed those who have a relationship with Him. 

To wrap up, do not try to handle things your own way. Lean on God for direction and wisdom. Do not make the mistake that Ahaz made. Instead, walk in humble obedience to what God is calling you to do. 

By: Brice Stockton — Student Ministry Apprentice

2 Chronicles 27 picks up with the reign of Jotham who co-reigned with his father, Uzziah the leper, for a short time. Jotham’s example can teach us several things. Two things jumped out to me while I was reading. The first is to do right—even if you’re alone.

Verse 2 says that Jotham, “did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done.” That’s good news! “But the people continued acting corruptly.” That’s bad news. 

Jotham experienced uncelebrated faithfulness. He was the king, the highest authority in the land, and yet he was powerless to persuade. Despite his success, despite his position, the people went their own way. 

Maybe you’ve experienced similar things. Maybe you’re around your unbelieving family and their soul-crushing negativity, combativeness, etc. Perhaps your co-workers drive you to the brink of exhaustion as you pour out your Christian love upon them without response. You’ve done your best to love God and love others, but it sums up to uncelebrated faithfulness. Sure, it’s easy to say, “God sees your heart…” However, that platitude brings little comfort to the husband or wife of an unbelieving spouse or the parents of a prodigal.  

All I can say is, “Endure.” Christ did not call us into a life of ease and acceptance—despite these being idols in my own life. Living sold out for the Lord means preaching a message of “Good-News” that is only good to those who accept it in time. It also means storing up your treasure in heaven (Matt 6:20). It means obedience despite the cost. However, the second thing we see from Jotham is that obedience bears good fruit.

Jotham was victorious in his building projects, he was victorious in his military endeavors, and he was victorious in economics. But, verse 6 tells us why he was so victorious, “because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.” 

Obedience bears good fruit. Although people may not celebrate our faithfulness, God does. And sometimes, that celebration accounts for temporal blessings. There are two errors people make when teaching on God’s blessings. The health, wealth, and prosperity folks are obviously wrong. However, they make the topic of “blessing” difficult for good Bible teachers who want to distance themselves. The other error is to think of God’s blessings in the same way we think of karma. We can’t compel God for anything. Karma is a fallacy. However, the Bible teaches on sowing and reaping (Gal 6:7–10). Obedience means applying God’s wisdom to our lives. We agree with God about what is good and live consistently with it. When we do that, God has ordered this world in such a way that, by His providence, results are favorable. Obviously, the enemy and other forces are at play and things don’t always work out. However, obedience is always rewarded, often in this life as well as the next. 

In the comments, let us know what we can celebrate with you. We’d love to hear about steps you’ve taken, life-change, or how the Lord has been working in or through you.

By: Tyler Short — Connections Ministry Associate

Thank you for being a faithful Jumpstart reader!  Reading God’s Word every day is an essential discipline in the lives of believers.  Consistency in this will produce great fruit in your life.  Take a minute and encourage a family member or friend to join you in reading Jumpstart today.  

2 Chronicles 26 is the story of King Uzziah.  His name means Yahweh – God is my strength.  He was the tenth king of Judah – the son of Amaziah.  His reign was approximately 783-742 BC.  Uzziah was only 16 years old when he became king and He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight – learning from his father. (v.4)

Leading as a sixteen-year-old must have been challenging.  It makes me think of what Paul writes to Timothy when he led at a similar age…

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.   1 Timothy 4:12

Lead by your example – by how you live, how you love, your faith, and your purity.  This was true of Uzziah.  He lived during the days of Zechariah the prophet who discipled him – teaching him to fear God (v.5a).  God blessed Uzziah with success because he sought the Lord.   This is a good word for us to remember today!  As we seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness – God will guide and bless us (Matthew 6:33).

King Uzziah reigned during the time of Hosea and Isaiah – prophets of the Lord.

The word of the Lord which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah… Hosea 1:1

1In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.       Isaiah 6:1

Uzziah is listed in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Uzziah went on to win wars (v.6), build new towns (v.6), and become a very famous and powerful king (v.6-15).  All of this power went to his head and lead to his downfall (v.16a).  Unchecked power is a very dangerous thing.  All of us need accountability.  Uzziah went into the Temple and burned the incense – a job God had reserved for the priests only (v.16b).

Because of this, God struck him with leprosy, a fatal skin disease that he had to bear until his death.  The consequences of sin are great.

• What positions has God given you to use for His glory and honor?
• How are you doing fulfilling those God-given roles?
• How are you tempted to allow God’s blessings to cause you to act in pride?

By: Tim Parsons — Lead Pastor

Chapter 25 highlights the rule of Amaziah. Amaziah is an interesting study, to say the least. Up to this point in Chronicles, we have seen kings who either, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” and God made them great rulers, or they did not do what was right and God ended their reign. Amaziah doesn’t exactly fit into either of these categories.

Verse 2 of this chapter really tells the whole story. It says, “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.” In the next couple of verses, Amaziah kills his servants that killed his father but chose to spare their children. He did that to follow the Law of Moses found in verse 4, but he did not follow the law with his whole heart. I try and do the right thing, but am I doing it for my sake or because that is what God wants me to do? Do I do what is right in the Lord’s eyes with a whole heart?

Starting in verse 5, we read how Amaziah is gathering an army to fight the Edomites, but he doesn’t find enough troops so he hires people from Israel. He chooses to try and win a battle with his money instead of first asking God for the victory. When God rebukes him, Amaziah’s first thought is about the money he will lose if he chooses to listen to God. He chooses to dwell on the now instead of relying on God to provide.

We saw where God gave Amaziah a victory over the Edomites without the extra men just as he said he could do. Later, Amaziah chooses to worship false idols. God told Amaziah that he has the power to help or to cast down (verse 8), and according to verse 20, God chooses to let Amaziah not listen to advice and let Israel defeat him.

By: Jacob Kerr — West Campus Pastoral Ministry Apprentice – Students & Worship