Daily Bible Devotionals

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.  But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom.  So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.  And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.” 2 Chronicles 22:10-12 (NKJV)

Let’s turn our focus to the future for a moment.  The Bible tells of a time forthcoming when a world ruler will arise and persecute God’s people.  The Bible calls him the “antichrist.” This will be an era immediately following the rapture of the Church yet before the second coming of Messiah Jesus.  During that time, there would be a revival among the remnants of those left behind.  That group of believers would be annihilated by the antichrist and his army were it not for the intervention of the second coming of Messiah.  It is easy to think of the “antichrist” as someone who will arrive in the distant future.  But did you know that the “spirit of the antichrist” is present in the world today?  

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3 (NKJV)

Yes, the spirit of the antichrist has been present throughout history.  It destroyed ¼ of the world’s population when Cain killed Abel; it attempted to irreparably pollute the human gene pool in the days of Noah; it sought to kill all the Hebrew males around the time that baby Moses floated into the arms of the pharaoh’s daughter; it almost eliminated the Hebrews (and the Messianic hope for the world) during the Egyptian exodus, until the Red Sea closed-in; it tried to destroy the Jewish people in the days of king Ahasuerus before Esther & Mordecai intervened; it almost killed all, the babies in Bethlehem in the days of Herod’s rule, yet baby Jesus was allowed to escape...and so forth.  Must we mention Hitler, Stalin, Arafat, and a host of others who sought to destroy the Jewish people, along with Christians?

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter deals with the spirit of the antichrist, operating through Athaliah to eliminate the Messianic line, yet the Lord prevails!  We praise God, Who preserves His people despite the spirit of the antichrist, which seems to prevail in our culture!

“Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians.  And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.  After all this the Lord struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease.  Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain.  And his people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers.  He was thirty-two years old when he became king.  He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed.  However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.” 2 Chronicles 21:16-20 (NKJV)

The book of Lamentations, found directly after the book of Jeremiah in Christian Bibles, is named “Echah” in the Hebrew Bible.  While the book is genuinely a lamentation over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people, the word “echah” does not translate as “lament  .”Echah means “how” in Hebrew; more specifically, it is a question: “How?”  Therefore, the Hebrew mindset (in approaching the book of Lamentations) is not focused on mourning the loss but rather on how the loss happened, how it can be reversed, and how it can be avoided in the future.

We approach today’s chapter with the same question.  How could other nations ransack the king of Judah’s house and take away all his possessions?  Jesus addressed that exact issue.

“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29 (NKJV)

How was the king of Judah bound?  He was bound by his promotion of idolatry.

“Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray.” 2 Chronicles 21:11(NKJV)

How could a king of Judah promote idolatry?  Because his father allowed it to fester.

“And he (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.” 2 Chronicles 20:32-33 (NKJV)

How will our nation return to the Lord’s favor, where we could sing, “God shed His grace on thee” with conviction?  We must first tear down the “high places” in our hearts, by repenting & receiving the grace of Messiah Jesus.  Then, we must seek God’s Word, obey it, and share it with others, so they, too, will repent.  That’s how!

“So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.’ Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.” 2 Chronicles 20:31-37 (NKJV)

This is how this chapter ends. Weren’t you expecting a “Well done, good and faithful servant?”  When I first read this years ago, I felt like Jehoshaphat got the raw deal, especially after he sought the Lord and rallied the people. But God’s standard is not fickle. He does not change his mind or show favorites, and this chapter is a good example of how we should be thankful that our salvation comes from God’s grace (through our faithful belief) and is not the byproduct of our works.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

Governments can legislate morality and tear down idolatrous “high places” in their communities, but they cannot tear down the high places in people’s hearts. After all the beseeching and tearful sacrificing, once the Lord’s deliverance was experienced, the people went right back to the party. As the old hymn pleas, have you “decided to follow Jesus? No turning back, no turning back”?

“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.”  Ezekiel 18:20-24 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Chronicles 19. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?’ And he answered him, ‘I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.’ Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.’” 2 Chronicles 18:1-4 (NKJV)

There is a tendency in our culture to compartmentalize our faith. Our actions and ideas say to God that He is welcome to speak into religious aspects of our lives, but there are other areas where we feel that we know better and where the Bible seems out-of-step with the “real world.” The Bible warns us against such a notion.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

Jehoshaphat obviously felt that God had His place, but when it came to politics, he chose to strengthen Judah by marrying into the pagan Israelite royal family. His statement of allegiance to his pagan relatives was exactly the opposite of Ruth’s words when she left her Moabite culture and gods to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem, saying, “Your people are my people; your God is my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Jehoshaphat’s decision is akin to the type of compromise we should avoid; in seeking to develop friendships with the world, we pit ourselves against God. Jehoshaphat’s “family planning” led him to the verge of war. Interestingly, he did not seek the Lord concerning marrying into a pagan family, but when the stakes rose to warfare, he felt that decision should fall into the compartment where he had stuffed the Lord. When you are hanging out with carnal Christians, your definition of “prophet” falls tragically short of the Bible’s standard.

“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?’ So they said, ‘Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.’ But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?’ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.’ And Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let not the king say such things!’”  2 Chronicles 18:5-7 (NKJV)

In all things, we must seek God’s Word and live according to it.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

“Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.” 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 (NKJV)

I have been in the music business all of my adult life—specifically, the Christian music business.  “Christian” music is the only style of music that is defined exclusively by its lyric content.  In Christian music, what is being said is more important than how it is delivered musically.  That is why Christian music comes in the forms of Praise, Worship, Rock, Choir & Orchestra, Country, Rap, etc.  What makes it “Christian” is not the style of music; it is the subject matter of its lyrics, namely, God’s Word.

Because Christian music albums are marketed products just like any other genre of music, Christian music sales follow the same basic principles of marketing and promotion as secular music: supply & demand.  Christian music marketing departments focus their efforts on raising demand among the population for Christian music and supplying products (specifically, the music of artists on their label roster) that tailor-fit the demand they have raised (or identified through market research).  Seems simple?  Well, it is, in principle.  

But what happens when God’s Word commands us to proclaim His Word boldly, but potential consumers may be offended by the message of God’s Word?  Then tension arises between two competing value systems: the principles of sales and the great commission!  Sadly, sales often win that battle, so much of what could (and most certainly should) be boldly proclaimed through Christian music becomes watered-down to meet the limited spiritual demands of a broader-market Christian consumer.  

Why do I mention all of that?  Jehoshaphat faced a similar dilemma.  As the king of a people (Judah) who were mingling idolatry with their worship of YHWH, Jehoshaphat had to choose whether to give the people what they wanted or what they needed, as commanded by God.  He could have sought popularity, which would have surely meant taking a more liberal stance on idols.  Or, Jehoshaphat could have risked popularity by choosing to trust God and rule according to His Word.  Jehoshaphat chose wisely.  He tore down places of idolatry and sent righteous men throughout the land to teach God’s Word.  And he got both revival AND prosperity.  Oh, that such boldness would overtake Christians today!  

“So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people. And the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.”  2 Chronicles 17:9-10 (NKJV)

“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.’ Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.”  2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (NKJV)

We live in an era where the growing sentiment among the general population is to rely on the government to provide for us. More & more, people believe it is the government’s responsibility to ensure our healthcare, college education, wages, and overall well-being. This idea of entitlement is very attractive because it takes the responsibility off us to be individually accountable. We would rather be corporate consumers than individual contributors. But a problem arises whenever we place our trust in politicians to be our providers. And that problem is that we need politicians who seek the Lord. Shouldn’t we skip the middleman and seek the Lord as our provider? Should we not labor with integrity as we search God’s Word? Judah had that exact problem. Their king just decided to quit seeking God. Perhaps it was because the people stopped seeking God. (2 Chronicles 15:17)  

Today’s chapter shows the exact scenario as yesterday (2 Chronicles 15). Judah was in distress and on the verge of being wiped out by war.   In chapter 15, the prophet exhorts the king with God’s Word, reminding Asa of God’s promise and strengthening him by remembering God’s abiding presence and love for His people. It is the same idea conveyed by David, running for his life from King Saul.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

It was the same message that King David exhorted the people of Israel with whenever they were threatened by foreign armies.

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)

King Asa chose wisely in chapter 15, but by chapter 16, he figured he did not need to consult God, choosing to trust in a foreign army. He should have listened to David.

“And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’” 2 Samuel 24:14 (NKJV)

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle.  ‘Listen to me, Asa!’ he shouted.  ‘Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin!  The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him!  Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him out, they found Him.  During those dark times, it was not safe to travel.  Problems troubled the people of every land. Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.’” 2 Chronicles 15:1-7 (NLT)

If you wanted a secure job in the Bible, “prophet” was probably not high on your list.  Prophets are like Navy SEALs.  Nobody calls a Navy SEAL to clean toilets or work in the lunchroom.  When a Navy SEAL gets called, the SEAL team member knows his job will involve a life-or-death scenario.  Prophets carry life-or-death messages.  When God calls a prophet, it always involves taking His Word into a hostile environment.  And so often in the Bible, the recipient of a prophet’s message responds by seeking to kill the prophet.  Jesus reminded Jerusalem of its historical past and unwillingness to receive the prophets’ messages.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!  She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” Luke 13:33 (HCSB)

Yet, we are called to act as prophets in our generation.  New Testament “prophecy” does not involve “special” or “new” revelation, as if we are writing new books of the Bible in our day.  Prophecy in our day involves seeking God’s Word and sharing what the Spirit reveals to us with the people with whom He wants us to share it.  The Apostle Paul exhorts us to seek that type of prophecy above all things:

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, not only did the prophet boldly proclaim God’s Word at an inconvenient time, but the king received God’s Word!  In our culture of “political correctness,” remember that we follow the God of the great “perhaps.” Perhaps men will seek to kill us, and maybe they will thank us for being forthright.  Still, we should not live in fear of offending men.  We should fear offending God!  

“When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim.  And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.”  2 Chronicles 15:8 (NLT)

“So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David.  Then Asa his son reigned in his place.  In his days the land was quiet for ten years. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.” 2 Chronicles 14:1-5 (NKJV)

I must confess that I do not know much about the stock market.  When I was a child, I recall sitting at my grandparent’s kitchen table and my grandfather being very interested in the stock pages, but he never turned to me and explained what all those numbers and plusses & minuses meant.  Sure, I get the basic concept of the stock market, but my greatest understanding comes from the idea of “trends.” You cannot look at a snapshot of a particular stock and simply focus on its value today.  It may spike upward today, only to fall sharply tomorrow.  If you buy high today, but it goes low tomorrow, you lose money!  You must focus on the stock’s trend, the broader view, to understand whether a company is gaining (or losing) value as it moves into the future.

That attitude of “trending” is how we must view the southern kingdom of Judah to adequately understand whether we want to buy into their brand of YHWH worship.  We already know that the northern kingdom of Israel is a losing stock!  (A laughing stock, were it not so tragic.)  They have forsaken YHWH altogether and went with the diversified portfolio of two golden calves.  Consequently, they are trending sharply DOWNWARD.  It will not be long before Assyria defeats the destabilized kingdom of Israel in a hostile takeover, toting the Israelites into exiled captivity.

Now, let’s look at the southern kingdom of Judah.  If we take a snapshot of Judah’s stock performance today, they are up and to the right, exactly where you want to be.  Kings are seeking the Lord, reforms are being made, and mandated anti-idolatry measures are employed by the king.  But before we declare a “bull market,” is there still a market for golden bulls in Judah?  Perhaps, and one sentence bothers us.

“He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.” 2 Chronicles 14:4 (NKJV – Compare with Jeremiah 31:34; Heb. 8:11)

Morality cannot be legislated.  Sure, you can make sin illegal, but has that ever transferred into a value system that people adopt?  Tear down the “high places” on the hills, but does that remove the high places in people’s hearts?  While we are glad to see a snapshot of a moment of revival, we can predict the morality trend of Judah is moving downward.  Idolatry still lives in people’s hearts; you just can’t see it because morality is being thrust upon them.  But what if the next king advocates idols?  Will they oust or embrace him?  Time will tell the trend.