Articles
Advent – A Time of Preparation
Published December 2, 2023For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 I thought I would pause our series through the kings of Judah for December to give a preview of our Advent season. So, it isn’t really a pause as a slight re-direction since Advent is all about looking forward to the coming of the promised King – Jesus. He is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his descendant would […]
read moreThe Line of David – Jotham and Ahaz, Kings of Judah
Published November 2, 2023“In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus…but they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.” -2 Chronicles 28:23 Jotham started to rule when his father, Uzziah, who had grown prideful before the Lord, was struck with leprosy. After the death of his father, Jotham would reign another sixteen years as king of Judah. While there aren’t many details given about the reign of Jotham, we are told “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD …the people, however, continued […]
read moreThe Line of David – Amaziah and Uzziah, Kings of Judah
Published October 1, 2023“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” -2 Chronicles 26:16 This verse not only accurately reflects the reign of Uzziah, it also could summarize the reign of his father, Amaziah, and his grandfather, Joash. Each of these kings had strong starts, trusting in the Lord to grant them success. But each one, after achieving military victories and wealth, fell into the trap of pride. They each took credit for the success the Lord had given them. They stopped listening to the prophets and trusted in their own advisors and wisdom to guide the nation. Last month, […]
read moreThe Line of David – Joash, King of Judah
Published September 1, 2023“Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the yearsJehoiada the priest instructed him.” -2 Kings 12:2 This verse stands as a summary of what I find to be one of the saddestaccounts in Scripture. Last month, we saw how the Lord had beenfaithful to His promise to David despite the best efforts of the evil queenof Judah, Athaliah, to wipe out the line of David. For the faithful priestof the Lord, Jehoiada, and his sister, Jehosheba, had hidden awayJoash, the infant son of Ahaziah, the deceased King of Judah. When Joash was seven, Jehoiada organized […]
read moreThe Line of David – Ahaziah and Athaliah, Rulers of Judah
Published August 1, 2023“Jehoiada [the priest] then made a covenant that he, the people, and the king [Joash] would be the LORD’s people. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down.” -2 Chronicles 23:16-17a Last month’s article ended with the king of Judah, Jehoram, murdering all of his brothers in order to solidify his hold on the throne. His wickedness stemmed in part from the influence of his wife, Athaliah, daughter of Ahab – one of the most evil kings of Israel. Because of this, the Lord delivered a letter of judgment through the prophet Elijah which cursed […]
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