2 Chr 21:8-20

The reign of Jehoram was marked with evil and disappointment in the eyes of the Lord. It was so bad that the Edomites rebelled against him since he had failed to follow the Lord and how he got the throne and ruled. Others followed suit including the people in the city of Libnah.Not only did he fail to follow the Lord, he encouraged idol worship by erecting the Asherah poles for the people to worship. Jehoram was so irate about the Edomites that he sent an army to overtake the land but found he and his armies couldn't stop the Edomites. What was the highlight (or lowlight) of his reign was the letter that was sent to him by the prophet, Elijah. Elijah's letter denounced Jehoram and his reign since he had violated every thing that a king was to do and be in the eyes of the Lord.He was to be punished for the deaths of his brothers and the punishment was to extend to his family. He was to die a long and horrible death. The letter also went on to say how the people will also suffer since they were living lives that were displeasing to the Lord. The death of Jehoram was marked as one that the people did not honor nor was he allowed to be buried in the land of his ancestors since he was not worthy.

What a waste! He had the legacy of two great kings and was led astray by ungodly people. He thought that he could mock God and not get punished. He died at the age of 40 after ruling for 8 years. He did reap what he sowed.

Not a bad day yesterday which was highlighted by the Mets beating the Sillies. Decent food at the stadium and tried to be good in that department but failed... Hopefully it won't put me too much off track of my goal. Decided not to gym it today since I have a decent amount of stuff to take with me and do before heading into the office this morning. Sadness this morning as I pay my respects to the Rodgers family as they lay to rest their second daughter. Prayers for those being affected by Issac.

Heading home later after work which I am looking forward to and will trek back here on Monday.

Praise for today: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. Psalm 41: 13

2 Chr 21:1-7

With the death of Jehosaphat came a new regime and a new era. Jehoram, one of his sons became king and he strengthen his throne by whacking off his brothers (6)and some of the leaders of Judah thus stopping any immediate claims. Jehoram was the eldest and took little chances that his "right" would be challenged. He was heavily influenced by his wife, Athaliah whose father was Ahab. Ahab was the king of Israel and a sworn enemy of the Lord. He didn't follow the ways of the Lord (obvious) and thus was only spared by God because of the Lord's promise that a descendant of David would always be on the throne of Judah. His rule was only 8 years.

I guess "all good things must come to an end" and I now am entering the phase where the kings will follow their foolish ways rather than the Lord's. All of these still point to the fact that the only perfect king would be Jesus.

Pretty decent day which culminated in a trip down the road to see the Wilmington BRs win. Long game and after 2+ hours we left at the end of the 6th inning with them up 5-1. Still enjoy that place and "dollar dog" night. Cheap entertainment for less than parking at a major league baseball game. Tonight, heading off to see the Metskis v the Sillies.

Praise for today: Those who know your name will trust you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9 :10

2 Chr 20:31-37

The book reports briefly about the balance of Jehoshaphat's reign. All in all, he reigned for 25 years and his heart didn't turn from the Lord as his father did. He did however fail to remove the idol worship that persisted in the land which reflected the divided hearts of the people. The agreement he had with Ahaziah was not "blessed" since Ahaziah was a wicked king whose heart was against the Lord. Ahaziah was the king of Israel around 850-849 BC. As a result, according to the commentary:

Jehoshaphat had not learned the lesson from his agreement with Ahab. The LORD sent Eliezer to prophesy against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat ought not to have made an agreement with Ahaziah. Because he had done so, the LORD destroyed the ships. Probably Jehoshaphat did not do what he had promised to Ahaziah. He built ships at Ezion-Geber to trade with Ophir. When Ahaziah wanted his sailors to join with Jehoshaphat’s sailors, Jehoshaphat refused. But all of the ships broke up as they sailed from Ezion-Geber (1 Kings 22:48-49).

 

Still the reign of  Jehoshaphat  was one that was commendable. All of the kings and men that are recorded had their flaws since they all pointed to the One that was flawless - Jesus. Jesus's reign would be eternal while theirs would be limited and usually would be one that lacked.

 

Overall, good weekend with the wedding on Sat and church yesterday. Good to see people that I haven't seen in years. This week should shape up to be decent despite paying respect to Keira who goes to be with the Lord. Prayers for those who I just found out have become victims of the economy as well.

 

Praise for today: Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. 2 Chr 20:20

2 Chr 20:1-30

The first part of this chapter recounts the threat to Judah by the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the people called Meunites. The armies were huge and they were blazing a path toward Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat had a decent size army but still chose to ask and plead with the Lord to take up the battle rather than trust his own strength. He had a history with the power of God and thus brought the people together to ask and pray to the Lord for relief. He called to the Lord based upon the answered prayers of Solomon and pleaded that the Lord do the same for him and his people. Jahaziel, the prophet, told Jehoshaphat and the people not to be afraid - the battle was the Lord's and He would prevail and save His people. He told them to stand their ground and instructed the armies to position themselves. The people responded, not with fear or with skepticism but with praise and thanksgiving.They rejoiced and praised God before the battle as if they had won it in advance. In fact, they did - God promised and delivered them. The enemies ended up fighting each other and killing each other even before the war was to be raged. The Judeans took the plunder from the dead armies and Jehoshaphat and his people praised the Lord again for His steadfastness and the victory over their enemies.

The battle truly is the Lord's and if He is with us - who truly can be against us. Prayers for the Rodgers family as they prepare to lay to rest their second infant daughter in two years. It seemed ill-fated from the start with Keira Eden given all the complications and struggles that they had with Hannah Joy but now she too is with the Lord. Praise for Renna's sister and her return home after  a trip to the ER.

Short week down in Delly next week since Thursday and Friday, I will be home and working out of Princeton.

Praise for today: O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 2 Chr 20: 6

2 Chr 19 4-11

Jehoshaphat is now setting up the land for rule by judges. Some of them were Levites but they were also priests and leaders of families. They were instructed not to be a judge for the people but rather a judge for the Lord. It was incumbent upon these judges to have a grasp of the Lord's word and his law as well as living totally for Him. They had to totally live for Him and not for someone else. They were to interpret the Lord's word and also to assure that the precepts that were in Law were followed. They were not to accept gifts from the people so that their judgement would not be compromised.  There was a chief court. This chief court had two divisions. The first division was for the Law of Moses. The second division was for all other matters.

Per the commentary: Then Jehoshaphat gave instruction to the judges. First, he told them that they must be loyal to the LORD. And they must serve him with all their hearts and with all their minds. This is good advice for all who trust in the LORD. Then he talked about the kinds of problems that they must deal with. People from the cities would bring to them the legal problems that were too difficult for the local judges. Also, there would be all kinds of other problems for them to solve. But in all these matters, they must warn the people not to sin against the LORD. Verse 11 There were two presidents over the courts in Jerusalem. Amaziah was the chief priest. He was the president over the first division of the court. He was responsible for all that was in the Law of Moses. Zebadiah was responsible for all matters that the second division of the court had to make decisions about. There were Levites who served as officials on behalf of the judges. In all their responsibilities, they should act with courage.

What foresight and how the way a country should be ruled and governed. I wished this country could be run this way. If man followed the precepts of the Lord, there would be so little crime and violence. Still poverty and man's greed causes most of the crimes that you hear on the media as well as self-interest and promotion. What the chapter described would truly be a wonderful world.

Glad to leave work an hour earlier yesterday to get my watch battery replaced. Such a prime day and took advantage doing some outdoor reading on the patio. Have a late day today but still should be a decent day.

Praise for today: Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. 2 Chr 19:7

2 Chr 19: 1-3

The war that was raged was over with no further attacks and Jehosaphat returning to Judah in peace. With Ahab dead and Aram no longer interested in continuing, Jehosaphat had no reason to stay there. God did spare Jehosaphat from physical harm and was told so by the prophet Jehu who was the son of Hanani who was the prophet to his father Asa. Jehosaphat was told that the Lord was angry with him for aligning himself with Ahab who detested the Lord. However, Jehosaphat did good things such as ridding the land of idols and returning the people to the Lord. His heart was for the most part aligned with the Lord.

We are told not to be "yoked" with non-believers because they can bring us down to their levels. We are told to preach and bring others into His kingdom. It is tough to meet the "happy" medium yet still be faithful to the calling and the love of Christ. What is our heart and what is our end game? I think that will determine how close we have aligned ourselves to the non-believer or the Christ. Easier said than done.

This week, I am continuing my quest to lose some weight. Cutting down on some carbs, particularly starches has been my goal to get to this point. Used some "new" recipes on chicken which was ok and that coupled with some corn, broccoli and carrots will be my dinner for the most part this week. Salads are the staple for lunch and cereal for breakfast. Don't know if I can continue this for a prolonged period of time but even if I do this type of dinner a few times a week I guess it will help. Gym time in the AM is also helpful as well.

Praise for today: The Lord hears the need and does not despise his captive people. Ps 69:33

2 Chr 18: 20-34

What a bizarre story and battle! To save his own hide. Ahab told his counterpart to wear his royal clothes into battle while he would wear regular battle gear. It was to draw less attraction to himself since when the head falls, the body will follow. Jehoshaphat chose to wear his royal gear and thus became the target of the king of Aram. His charge to his soldiers was not to engage with anyone except the king of Israel. As they turned to attack Jehoshaphat, he cried out to the Lord and the Lord protected him from harm. The Lord deflected their wrath since they were "told" that he was not the king of Israel. What was bizarre was that there was  a stray arrow shot by an Aramite which pierced the armor of Ahab and ultimately, he died at sunset. Ahab was buried in Samaria.

Still showed you can run but you can't hide. God will not be mocked and you will reap what you sow. It seems that his was the only death recorded on that battle during that skirmish. Go figure, ha!

What a weekend. Saw an old family friends' son get married on Saturday down the NJ shore (Spring Lake) and had a great day at church yesterday. Still didn't get enough sleep on either day but that's life. Last night was no exception either but still need to get to the gym in a few... Solidified my trip to Denver at the end of next month and will give up (for now) my usual birthday trip to FL. Looking forward to spending time with GG and exploring Denver and baseball!

Praise for today: Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. Psalm 99: 9