2 Chronicles 15 - 33

Study 9 – 2 Chronicles 15 and 16

1. Trusting in the Lord is the key to national success. Israel had time and time again fallen away from the Lord and suffered the consequencews of their failure to live in obedience. The prophet let Asa know that as long as he was obedient to the Lord that he would live at peace in the land.
   
   
2. Asa took the word of the prophet to heart to such a degree that he removed his own mother from her position as Queen Mother because she had an image of Asherah in her home. Asa was not messing around when it came to obeying the Lord. Asa a result Asa enjoyed 35 years of peace in the land.
   
   
3. Toward the later six years of his reign Asa placed trust in the foreign King of Syria for his deliverance from the northern Kingdom of Israel than he did in the Lord. As a result the Lord caused him to have a disease in his feet. Asa refused to trust in the Lord during the later years of his life.
   
   

Study 10 – 2 Chronicles 17 and 18

1. Jehoshaphat followed the law of God and rid the nation of idolatry. He also had teachers go throughout the land of Judah in order to instruct the people in the word of God.
   
   
2. Micaiah proclaimed the word of God in spite of the opposition that he knew would come. Micaiah was placed in the stockade after prophesying contrary to what Ahab desired to here.
   
   
3. Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from the Lord no matter what that word was. Ahab only wanted to hear positive things that reinforced him from the Lord.
   
   

Study 11 – 2 Chronicles 19 and 20

1. Whenever Jehoshaphat relied on any alliance other than the one with the Lord he put his reign in jeopardy. The Lord wanted Jehoshaphat to rely upon Him alone!
   
   
2. Jehoshaphat continued to provide leadership in the area of public worship and the instruction of the Word of God to the people of Judah.
   
   
3. When peril came at Engedi Jehoshaphat had learned that the key to victory was relying on the Lord alone. He immediately recognized that without the Lord in the battle that he had no chance of victory. When the Word of the Lord came and told Jehoshaphat that he need not worry – he didn’t worry, but waited on the Lord to fight the battle for him!
   
   

Study 12 – 2 Chronicles 21:1-22:9

1. Jehoram, who had married the daughter of Ahab, followed after the ways of Ahab rather than the ways of his own father Jehoshaphat. The only reason that God did not destroy the kingdom of Judah was because of the covenant that the Lord had made with Judah.
   
   
2. The arranged marriage that Jehoshaphat made with Ahab for his son Jehoram was the direct cause of Jehoram’s downfall. Had Jehoshaphat not made such an arranged marriage with his son then perhaps Jehoram would have followed in the ways of his father rather than in the ways of his father-in-law.
   
   

Study 13 – 2 Chronicles 22:10-23:21

1. Jehoiada waited seven years to ensure that he had a plan in place that was backed by all of the people and that would be sure to succeed. The more time that Jehoiada took to plan the more certain he could be of its success.
   
   
2. Walking in the way of the Lord does not mean that we no longer make plans. We walk in His ways, but at the same time do everything that we can do to make sure that His plans for us succeed.
   
   
3. Jehoiada made sure that the people had committed to his cause. This was not something that Jehoiada did on his own. He made sure that the people were invested in his decision as well.
   
   

Study 14 – 2 Chronicles 24

1. Joash was not a leader so he listened to whoever seemed to have the greater influence at the time. When Jehoiada was alive Joash listened to his advice. The moment that Jehoiada died Joash did not fill the vacuum of power. Instead he allowed others to fill that vacuum and he followed their advice. As a result the nation of Judah was defeated in battle by their enemy.
   
   
2. Zechariah was killed within the Temple grounds and with the full consent of King Joash.
   
   

Study 15 – 2 Chronicles 25

1. Amaziah served the Lord half-heartedly. Amaziah was willing to serve anyone or any god that he thought might give him the upperhand.
   
   
2. When we approach worship and obedience to the Lord in a halfhearted manner we are guaranteed to have disastrous results.
   
   

Study 16 – 2 Chronicles 26 – 28

1. Uzziah “was greatly helped until he became powerful (2 Chronicles 26:15). Uzziah reached a point at which he no longer felt it necessary to place all of his trust in the Lord. He came to a moment when he felt that he was self sufficient and he had forgotten that it was the Lord that had elevated him to the position that he held. It can become very easy to forget our humble beginnings and that it was the Lord that brought us each step of the way. It was from the Lord that we required our knowledge and experience it was not of our own doing. Had I made all of my own decision I would not be where I am at today and would not have acquired the knowledge and experience that I have required. We can never forget our humble roots.
   
   
2. Ahaz failed everyone. He failed the Lord by shutting the temple and serving other gods. He failed the people by allowing 200,000 of them to be carried off with no concern for their welfare. And, he failed himself in that his disobedience denied him all of the blessings of a kingdom that was founded on the Lord. Every one realized this and refused him burial in the tombs of the kings.
   
   
3. Obed the prophet stood for righteousness when no one else would. He confronted the northern kingdom of Israel with her unrighteousness in his demand for the release of the 200,000 captives of Judah. He went up against tremendous odds and did not back down for a moment. Praise should also be given to those in Israel that listened to him and sent the captives back well clothed and well fed.
   
   

Study 17 – 2 Chronicles 29:1 – 31:1

1. Hezekiah spared no expense and went to tremendous lengths to make sure that everything was done as it should be. He even delayed the celebration of the Passover for an entire month in order to make sure that enough priests had been consecrated for the celebration to take place in accordance with the Law of God. He did not rush things.
   
   
2. he fact that the people left the celebration at Jerusalem and immediately went throughout the towns of Judah and smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and destroyed the altars in the high places was an indication that they had truly turned from their wickedness. They were not worshiping the Lord simply because a tremendous festival was taking place. They had truly been transformed.
   
   

Study 18 – 2 Chronicles 31:2-32:33

1. Hezekiah made certain that every aspect of Temple worship was provided for and he went to great lengths to make certain that the priests and their families were well taken care of. As a result of the provisions he made for those that ministered in and in support of the Temple, Hezekiah’s reign was blessed.
   
   
2. Hezekiah met opposition by trusting in the Lord. He put all of his confidence in the Almighty God.
   
   
3. It was only when Hezekiah began to place confidence in himself that he was judged by the Lord. Pride tried to raise its head up against Hezekiah. Fortunately he was quick to repent and to avoid disaster. Quick repentance is key to blessing!
   
   

Study 19 – 2  Chronicles 33

1. You name it – Manasseh did it! Everything that God hated – Manasseh restored. Everything that God had previously destroyed other kingdoms for practicing – Manasseh worshiped!
   
   
2. The Lord caused Manasseh to be carried off in captivity by a roped attached to a ring in his nose! The Lord will do whatever it takes to bring those that he loves to a position of repentance no matter how much pain they may have to endure in the process.
   
   
3. Manasseh restores temple worship, but unlike Hezekiah does not go all the way by demolishing every place of worship outside of the Temple itself. Manasseh did not take the leadership role necessary to lead the entire nation in repentance.