For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Chron. 21
Jehoshaphat was a God-fearing king. However, he was careless in his devotion to God. He maintained some degree of alliance with Israel’s wicked house of Ahab throughout his reign. Because Jehoshaphat remained a God-fearing man in spite of this, you might say that he managed to play with fire and not get burned. I think we need to recognize, though, that our decisions and the way we live impact more than just our own lives. Jehoshaphat’s carelessness had a direct impact on his oldest son. Jehoram also had an alliance with the house of Ahab, through his wife and possibly also his mother. Unlike his father, though, Jehoram lost his soul to that fire. While Jehoram was absolutely responsible for his own decisions, his father’s conflicting life signals certainly didn’t point him clearly to the right path.
It isn’t just children who pick up our mixed signals, either. We never know who might be watching us, but we can be certain that somebody is. As the apostle Paul tells us, we need to keep that in mind so that we don’t become a stumbling block to others. Maybe we can withstand that fire we’re playing with, but what about the people who follow us in? And just because we can withstand it, doesn’t mean we should. When we are talking about choices with the potential to draw us away from God, like making alliances with evil, we would fare far better on all fronts to just say no.
2 Chron. 22-23
For the first time, Judah’s throne stated to look like that of Israel. Not just because of the royal family’s devotion to the false gods, but also because of the resulting chaos and turmoil. Entire royal families were slaughtered and a outside bloodline usurped the throne. Almost. There was one important difference, though. Israel had separated themselves from the House of David. Judah had not. Thus, Judah was still under God’s promise. The House of David was down to its last thread, but by the grace of God, that thread held. Though, “no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom” (2 Chron. 22:9c), God had the power to keep His promise.
The good thing I see in all of this is that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on ours. Because David had been faithful, God’s promise to him covered his faithless descendants. How much more does God’s promise through the perfect righteousness of Christ cover us? The not-so-good thing I see in all of this is how Judah’s downward spiral started. The downturn was initiated by the actions of faithful King Jehoshaphat. I keep coming back to that because, while his poor decisions had minimal impact on his life, they had a catastrophic ripple effect on those who followed him. How I choose to live my life before God is about so much more than the path I take. It is also about the path I point others to. I need to be both intentional and diligent in seeking God and shunning evil.