Ezra - Chapter 1 - The return

 1:1-4

The beginning of Ezra is almost identical to 2 Chron 36:22,23. The emphasis is that Cyrus’ decree was to fulfil the word of the Lord, the Lord is sovereign over the nations. The decree of Cyrus fulfilled the word given through Jeremiah.  So the Jews were to be allowed to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, and they were to be provided with silver, gold, goods and livestock for the temple. Cyrus acknowledges who the Lord is.

1:5-7

Not everyone returned, but only those whose hearts God had moved. Their neighbours assisted them in providing them  with various goods. In the time before the exile, and after the defeat, various temple artefacts had been sent to, or taken to, Babylon. Cyrus arranged for these items to be sent back to Jerusalem.

1:8-11

It was common practice for Assyrian and Babylononian conquerors carried off plunder that kept a careful inventory. The list in v9,10 adds up to 2499. V11 refers to 5400 articles, it may be that the list given just includes the larger items.

Ezra - Introduction

Ezra - Introduction

2 Chronicles ends with Cyrus conquering Babylon, Ezra and Nehemiah deal with the return.The two books, Ezra and Nehemiah, were combined into one at an early stage. Indeed the Septuagint treats them as a single book.Origen (AD 185-253) is the first writer to consider them as separate books.. Many consider that the author of Ezra and Nehemiah was also the author of 1 & 2 Chronicles. Indeed the end of 2 Chronicles and the start of Ezra are very similar. Nehemiah is focused on the rebuilding work, while Ezra is more concerned with the religious rebuilding.

The TNIV study Bible lists the major  themes as:

• The restoration of Israel from exile. Sending  them into exile was a sovereign act of God, Babylon could not have defeated Judah unless God was against them. The restoration was also a sovereign act of God.

• The restoration was complete, although there was much work to be done in terms of rebuilding and restoring proper covenant worship.

• The restoration evoked opposition.

• The people needed to be taught, rebuked and corrected.

We can see parallels with Christian salvation. The work of Christ is complete (justification, sending of the Spirit) but there is much corrective work to be done (sanctification). There will be opposition, we need to be  taught rebuked and corrected.

2 Chronicles 36:9-23 - Downfall and return

36:9-14

Jehoiachin reigned for three months, he also did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He was also taken to Babylon and his uncle, Zedekiah was made king. He reigned for eleven years. And did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He ignored the prophet Jeremiah and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, but he did not turn to the Lord. The priests and people became increasingly unfaithful following the detestable practices of the nations. God’s people are not meant to be like the world.

36:15-23

God gave them plenty of warnings, but they were ignored and ill-treated. So the wrath of God was roused against them. So Babylon attacked and succeeded. The temple was destroyed, and goods and people were carried off to Babylon. The land enjoyed its sabbath rest. In the seventieth year Cyrus defeated Babylon, and the Jews were allowed to return.

2 Chronicles 36:1-8 - Downfall comes closer

36:1-4

Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, was the next king, though he didn’t last long, only three months. The king of Egypt dethroned him and imposed heavy payments on Judah. The brother of Jehoahaz, Eliakim was made king, and Jehoahaz was carried off to Egypt..

36:5-8

Eliakim’s name was changed to Jehoiakim and he reigned for eleven years. “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord”, so Babylon attacked and carried him off to Babylon. The end is nearing. He was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin.

2 Chronicles 35:1-27 Celebration of the Passover and the death of Josiah

35:1-7

The Passover was the most important festival in the Jewish Calendar,and so Josiah celebrated the Passover, sacrificing the Passover Lamb. He appointed the priests, and the Levites were instructed to put the sacred ark into the temple.The Levites were to represent the families of Israel.They were to follow the instructions of David and Moses. The king provided all the Passover lambs from his own possessions.

35:8-19

His officials also contributed voluntarily to the priests and Levites. So the Passover was celebrated in accordance with the Law.There was also worship. All this happened in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

35:20-27

Necho, king of Egypt attacked Judah. Josiah marched out to meet him. Josiah was shot by an arrow in the battle and later died. He was buried in the tomb of his ancestors and was greatly  mourned.

2 Chronicles 34 - Josiah the good

34:1-8

Josiah became king at the age of 8 and reigned for thirty one years. Unlike his father “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, not turning to the right or left.In the eighth year of his reign he began to seek the Lord, and in the twelfth year began to purge the country of the high places and idols. He scattered the pieces of the idols over the graves of those who had worshipped the. In the eighteenth year he began to repair the temple.

34:9-22

Money was given to people to carry out the repair work. There was proper management of the work. During the course of the work Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law. He gave the book to Shaphan who in turn took it to the king and read it to him. Josiah tore his clothes on hearing the words, probably because he realised how far the nation had fallen, and the promise of what the Lord would do if this happened. Josiah instructed the priests to inquire of the Lord. Hilkiah went to speak to the female prophet Huldah.

34:23-33

Huldah gave them a word, but not a comforting one.The curses (God’s judgement on man’s sin) would come upon Israel. Sin is very serious. However, because Josiah had humbled himself and sought the Lord, he would die in peace. Josiah then read the Book of the Law to all the people, they needed to know the word and learn to obey them.  They then all recommitted themselves to the Law of God. Perhaps Josiah hoped there was some way for them to avoid the judgement. Josiah continued to seek the Lord and to follow His ways.

2 Chronicles 33:10-25 - Manasseh repents, Amon doesn't

33:10-20

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and the people, but they paid no attention,Assyria came and took Manasseh prisoner. And he was led to Babylon. He then humbled himself and the Lord heard him, and brought him back to Jerusalem. He then knew that the Lord was God. He did some rebuilding work and got rid of the foreign gods, and undid much of the idol building he had done. However, the people continued to make sacrifices at the high places. He died and was succeeded by his son Amon.

33:21-25

Amon became king at the age of twenty two, but only reigned for two years. Sadly “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord”, indulging in idol worship like his father, but without eventually humbling himself. He was assassinated by his officials. The plotters were all killed by the people of the land, and his son Josiah was made king.

2 Chronicles 33:1-8 - Maasseh the bad

33:1-6

Manasseh was only twelve when he became king and he reigned for fifty five years. However, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, even rebuilding the high places that his father had demolished and erecting other places of idol worship. He bowed down to idols. He also sacrificed his children, His evil aroused the anger of the Lord.

33:7-9

He even put an image in the temple of the Lord. He led the people of Judah astray, so they did more evil than the nations that the Lord had expelled. In Hezekiah’s time the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem failed, but Manasseh was preparing the way for Babylon’s success.

2 Chronicles 32:1-33 - Assyrian attack repulsed.

32:1-12

Following the Lord does not mean absence from difficulty, for Assyria invaded Judah. Hezekiah took action and blocked off the water from outside the city, thus depriving Assyria of this supply.. He also worked on building up the defences., and built up the armaments. He organised the army and addressed the troops. He encouraged them to trust in God. The king of Assyria tried to counter this by telling the people not to believe Hezekiah’s words, there was a propaganda war.

32:13-23

Assyria also boasted about her past successes. But theGod of Israel is not like the gods of the nations.Hezekiah and Isaiah called out to the Lord. And the Lord sent an angel to wipe out the Assyrian army. Sennacherib retreated and was killed. So the \lord saved Judah and many brought offerings to the Lord. Hezekiah was highly regarded.

32:24-33

Hezekiah became ill, he prayed and was healed. He also became proud. He eventually died and was succeeded by his son Manasseh.

2 Chronicles 31:1-21 - Hezekiah leads the nation in following the Lord

31:1-4

The  people enthusiastically followed the lead of Hezekiah, and went about smashing the Asherah poles and other idol worship items.Hezekiah assigned Levites and priests to do the Lord’s work. The king made contributions from his own wealth, and he ordered the people to ensure that the priests were properly supported.

31:5-7

The Israelites gave generously of the first fruits, a tithe of everything. There was a lot of tithing going on.Hezekiah and his officials praised the Lord when they saw the obedience of the people. When leaders follow their own way the people follow, there is a vicious circle. Conversely when the leaders follow the Lord, the people also follow and there is a virtuous circle.Hezekiah blessed the people.

31:8-21

There was plenty of supplies for the priests, so storerooms were prepared for the surplus. Various people were appointed to look after the temple. Care was taken over administering the priesthood. Hezekiah assiduously sought to obey the Lord, and so he prospered. The returnees needed to take this lesson to heart.

2 Chronicles 30:1-27 - The nation celebrates the Passover

30:1-9

All Israel was invited to worship at the temple and to celebrate the Passover. THis mirrors in some way everyone being invited to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Letters were sent out to all of Israel calling the people to return to the Lord, this is the gospel declaration. It was the only way for things to improve.

30:10-27

However, the people scorned the message and ridiculed the messengers. However, some did respond favourably, and the hand of God was on them. So a large crowd assembled at the temple, and artefacts of idol worship were removed. The priests were not proud, but ashamed, presumably of their siN. Hezekiah prayed for those who sought the Lord. The Passover was celebrated for seven days with great rejoicing. “The Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people”. Hezekiah, the priests and the people sought the Lord, and the Lord heard them.

1 Chronicles 29:1-36 - Hezekiah

29:1-9

Hezekiah was the next king, taking the throne of twenty five years old and reigned for twenty nine years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He repaired the temple\he organised the priests and Levites. Getting worship of the Lord right is important. The sanctuary was to be undefiled and sanctified. He knew that the disobedience of previous generations was the root of the problem.

29:10-17

Hezekiah intended to make a covenant with the Lord. The people were to devote themselves to the Lord. So the Levites set about purifying the temple. All unclean things were ejected from the temple. The work was soon completed.

29:18-36

After the work was completed sacrifices were made to atone for Israel’s sins. There was also worship. It seems that at least some of the worship used the psalms. A vast number of animals were sacrificed. So proper worship was established. Atonement for sin (i.e. sacrifices) were a vital part of putting things right. Today recognition of Christ’s sacrifice is essential.

2 Chronicles 28:9-27 - Ahaz the foolish

28:9-15

God sent a prophet to the army of Israel warning them of mistreating Israel, adding to their own guilt. We should always be concerned first about our own guilt, before we start to worry about the guilt of others. In particular the guilt of others is never an excuse for our own sin. The leaders of Israel seemed to take the warning seriously, and the army acted upon it.

28:16-27

Ahaz was not a wise or good man, and he went to Assyria for help. Judah had suffered much at the hands of others. Assyria did not help, but only brought trouble. Ahaz even used the riches of the temple to try and placate Assyria, but this was not successful.Ahaz the fool then tried worshipping foreign gods. In fact he became increasingly desperate. He eventually died and was succeeded by his son Hezekiah, who would prove to be a somewhat wiser king.

2 Chronicles 28:1-8 - Ahaz

28:1-4

The next king was Ahaz who came to the throne at the age of twenty and reigned for sixteen years. He was not faithful to the Lord, so we cannot expect things to have gone well. Instead he followed the ways of the kings of Israel and was into Baal worship, even sacrificing children and worshipping at the high places.

28:5-8

So God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram, and the hands of the king of Israel. When we follow the Lord we have freedom, when we do not we are prone to being subject to all sorts of things.

2 Chronicles 27 - Jotham - all good

27:1-4

Jotham became king at the age of twenty five, and he reigned for sixteen years. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, taking after his father Uzziah, without entering the temple of the Lord. But the people continued “their corrupt practices”. Jotham also rebuilt the Upper Gate, along with other work.

27:5-9

He waged war against the Ammonites and conquered them. He took riches from them. Jotham grew powerful because he followed the Lord. There is no record of him failing in this. He died nd was succeeded by his son Ahaz.

2 Chronicles 26 - Uzziah, pride was his downfall

26:1-8

Uzziah was now made king, he was only sixteen years old. He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. It seems that Zechariah was an important prophet in his life. He instructed Uzziah in the fear of God. “As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success”. This sentence sums up the history of Israel in Kings and Chronicles. He went to war against the Philistines, and rebuilt various towns God gave him aid and he became very powerful.

26:9-21

He also fortified Jerusalem, and built cisterns in the wilderness because he had much livestock there. So Uzziah was a competent leader, but he became proud, and this led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord and burned incense, only the priests should have done this. We need to be on our guard when we are successful, for pride can easily take hold. God gave Paul his thorn in the flesh to stop him becoming proud.Azariah the priest and eighty other “courageous priests” confronted him, and warned him that what he was doing was wrong. However, pride had truly taken hold of Uzziah and he became angry, he was afflicted with leprosy. He had leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.

26:22,23

Uzziah is mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, after he dies he was succeeded by his son Jotham

2 Chronicles 24:17-28 - Joash fails

24:17-22

Things deteriorated after the death of Jehoiada, the temple was abandoned, and worshipped Asherah poles and idols instead. The Lord sent prophets to warn them, but the prophets were not listened to. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, spoke clearly to the people, but instead of listening they stoned him to death, even on the orders of the king.Zechariah issued a rebuke to the king before breathing his last. This is a sad demise of Joash.

24:23-28

The army of Aram marched against Joash  and killed all the leaders. Israel lost because they had abandoned the Lord. Joash was severely wounded and died. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

2 Chronicles 24:1-16 - Joash

24:1-5

Joash reigned for forty years. Most importantly, “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” Jehoiada chose two wives for him. That is one too many but moderate compared to Solomon! He then decided to restore the temple. He told the Levites to collect money for the repair of the temple, but they were rather tawdry in acting.

24:6-10

Joash summoned Jehoiada in order to get things sorted out. The sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the temple and taken the sacred objects for idol worship. Judah was in a terrible state. So a chest was made and placed outside the gate of the temple, the people were to place their “temple tax” into the chest. The people gladly brought their offerings. When leaders lead, people often follow.

24:11-16

The money was used to help restore the temple. The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the work progressed. During Jehoiada’s time the proper offerings were made. Jehoiada died at the age of a hundred and thirty, he was buried with the kings in the city of David.

2 Chronicles 23 - Jehoiada installs Joash

23:1-13

Jehoiada was a priest and married the  sister of king Azaliah. In fact it was Jehosheba whom he married, she who his Joash, Jehoiada made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred. Jehoiada believed God’s promise concerning the house of David.. Jehoiada was carefully planning a coup. All this was geared towards making Joash king. The measures were largely aimed at protecting Joash from the murderous Athaliah. Joash was crowned king. Athaliah was distraught at what was happening, crying out “treason, treason”, though she was the really treacherous one.

23:14

Jehoiada had Athaliah put to death, along with anyone who followed her. He then made a covenant with the Lord, smashed altars and idols, and the priest of Baal was killed. The Levitical priests were then put in charge of the temple. The king was then seated on the royal throne, the people of the land rejoiced. It is good for the people when there is godly rule.

" Chronicles 22 - Jehoram

22:1-9

Jehoram’s youngest son, Ahaziah, became king because raiders had killed all his older sons. He became king at age twenty two, but only reigned for one year. Sadly he followed the ways of Ahab, encouraged by his mother, he allied himself with Joram, son of Ahab. Ahaziah went to see Joram, son of Ahab, who was wounded, but the Lord brought about his downfall. The message of Chronicles is that the determining factor is whether or not we follow the Lord.

22:10-12

His evil mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, so she proceeded to destroy the  whole royal family. However, Jehosheba rescued Joash and kept him safe, he would become a good king. He remained hidden for six years while Athaliah ruled.

2 Chronicles 20:1-37 - Jehoshaphat - success and failure

20:1-14

We now see the good side of Jehoshaphat. A vast army from Moab and Ammon attacked Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was alarmed, but reacted in the right way by enquiring of the Lord. He also proclaimed a fast for the nation and all Judah sought the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came upon  Jahaziel, who then spoke to the assembly.

20:15-30

The word encouraged Jehoshaphat not to be afraid. God told him to attack, and made him aware of the enemy's tactics. The Lord would win the victory. The Korahites stood up and praised the Lord. Jehoshaphat organised the army  and plundered the enemy. They returned to Jerusalem full of joy because of the victory the Lord had given them, The fear of the Lord came upon the surrounding kingdom.

20:31-37

Jehoshaphat’s reign ended sadly. Having failed once by helping Ahab, and having been rebuked for it, he made an alliance with the wicked king Ahaziah of Israel. God sent a prophet to rebuke him, and his reign came to an end.

2 Chronicles 19 - Administration

19:1-3

A prophet, Jehu the seer, came and rebuked Jehoshaphat for being willing to help Ahab, a wicked king who hated the Lord. At the same time his good deeds worked in his favour, and God knew that he wanted to follow the Lord.

19:4-7

Jehoshaphat was concerned not just for himself, but worked to get all the people to turn back to the Lord. To help towards this end, he appointed judges throughout the land. None of us can do everything ourselves, nor are we meant to. Justice is an essential part of a godly land.

19:8-11

In Jerusalem Levites were appointed to settle disputes. They were to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, and to do so in the fear of the Lord. They were to promote the fear of the Lord. Without the fear of the Lord, justice cannot prosper, as western nations are discovering. Amariah was the chief pries appointed to oversee matters.

2 Chronicles 18:16-34 - Micaiah the true prophet

18:16-20

Then Micaiah gave a proper prophecy, i.e. an actual word from the Lord, and it was not good. The king of Israel  said such a word was all he expected, he did not believe or respond to the word. Micaiah then went on to say that ahab was being enticed into a foolish attack. A spirit volunteered to do the enticing. 

18:21-27

So the means of the demonic enticement is made abundantly clear, but to no avail. Ahab was determined to press ahead. Zedekiah, seeking favour with Ahab, assaulted  Micaiah, The situation is similar to the “trial” of Jesus. Micaiah is not swayed from his word.,he was confident in the Lord’s word.

18;28-34

So Ahab and Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth Gilead. Ahab sought to get round the word by disguising himself and getting Jehoshaphat to dress as a king, hoping to deceive the enemy.  However the ruse did not work, and Ahab was killed.

2 Chronicles 18:1-15 - Ahab and Jehoshaphat

18:1-4

Ahab was about the worst king Israel ever had, but Jehoshaphat allied himself with him by marriage. One time when he went to see Ahab, Ahab urged him to join him in attacking Ramoth Gilead. Jehosha phat agreed, but urged him to seek the Lord first.

18:5-8

So Ahab called in the prophets, but these prophets were favourable to the king, and they all encouraged him to attack and that God would give him victory. Jehoshaphat was not fooled, realising that they were not prophets of the Lord. \ahab told him there was still one prophet, but revealed that he did not like him, for he never prophesied anything good about Ahab, this was Micaiah, Jehoshaphat rebuked the king,and Micaiah was summoned.

18:9-15

Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes, maybe to impress Micaiah. \the ones who had brought Micaiah urged him to follow the line of the false prophets and to prophesy victory. Initially he does this, but Ahab was not fooled and demanded a true prophecy.

2 Chronicles 17:1-19 - Jehoshaphat leads the nation

17:1-6

Asa was succeeded by his son, Jehoshaphat. He fortified Judah against Israel. Jehoshaphat followed the Lord, so the Lord blessed his reign, and the people of Judah brought gifts. He found favour with God and man. He also removed the high places and Asherah poles.

17:7-11

The priests taught the people the Law of the Lord. Leaders are meant to lead the people in the ways of God, both by their own actions, and by teaching the people. This has an effect on the surrounding nations with the fear of the Lord falling on them. When God’s people deny the Lord, they are mocked by the world, when we obey the Lord the fear of the Lord falls upon them. Even Philistines and Arabs brought gifts.

17:12-19

Because he feared the Lord Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He also built up the army.

2 Chronicles 16:1-14 - Asa's downfall

16:1-9

Baasha, king of Israel, now sought to attack Judah. Asa used gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple to persuade Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to have a treaty with him, and to break his treaty with Baasha. Ben-Hadad agreed and initially the treaty had some success. Hanani, a seer, came to Asa and rebuked him for relying on the king of Aram instead of on the Lord.

16:10-14

Asa was not the only king to start out well, but then fail. He reacted badly to the words of the seer, and put him in prison. He also brutally oppressed some of the people. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign he was afflicted  with a disease of his feet. Even then he did not seek the Lord, but only from doctors. Asa died in his forty-first year of his reign. Does this mean that we should not seek the help of doctors. I do not believe that this is what it means, but we should always seek the Lord as well.

2 Chronicles 15:1-19 - Asa's reforms

15:1-7

“The Lord is with you when you are with Him”. These were words given to Asa, but words that all of Israel needed to heed. “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. “ This was the stark choice facing Israel, and they had been on the wrong side of this choice for so long. ”in their distress they turned to God”. It often takes distress for a person to turn to the Lord, but when we do the Lord accepts them. There was general trouble in the land, sounds a bit like our land! We need to turn to the Lord.

15:8-19

The words of prophecy encouraged Asa. He removed idols and repaired the temple of the Lord. People came to him because they saw the Lord was with Asa. We need to follow the Lord, then people will see that the Lord is with us. The people dedicated themselves to the Lord, and made sacrifices to Him. The people rejoiced, and the Lord gave them rest. Asa even deposed his grandmother, she had made a repulsive image. This is an example of loving God more than our family. There was no war until the thirty fifth year of Asa’s reign.

2 Chronicles 21:1-29 Jehoram

21:1-7

Jehoshophat died and was succeeded by his son Jehoram. Jehoram had some brothers and it seems that they may have been jealous of Jehoram. Jehpram reacted to this by killing his brothers, and a few officials as well. Jehoram was not a good king, he followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and married a daughter of Ahab. “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord”. The Lord still had mercy on the house of David.

21:8-20

Edom rebelled against Judah. Libnah also revolted, all this was because of Jehoram’s revolt against the Lord. He also built high places and , unlike his father, caused Israel to worship idols. Elijah sent a letter to Jehoram, warning him. The Lord roused enemies against Judah, who carried off members of Jehoram’s family;he had only one son left, Ahaziah.Then, in line with Elijah’s letter, he was afflicted with a disease of the bowels. So he died in great pain. He was not missed by the people, he reigned for eight years,and was not buried in the tombs of the kings

2 Chronicles 14 - Asa

14:1-6

Abijah was succeeded by his son Say, and the country enjoyed ten years of peace. Asa did “what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord”, including removing foreign altars and the high places. He led Judah to follow and obey the Lord, there was no war, and the strong implication is that this was because he sought the lord.

14:7-15

The towns were cleared of their idols and built up. He also established an army. Zerah the Cushite marched out against him, but Asa called on the Lord, and the Lord struck down the Cushites. The returnees are being reminded that salvation and restoration lie in seeking the Lord. So  Asa utterly defeated the enemy.

2 Chronicles 13:1-22 Abijah

13:1-22

During Jeroboam’s reign Abijah became king of Judah for three years, War existed between him and Jeroboam. There were four hundred thousand against eight hundred thousand. Abijah tried to argue with Jeroboam that David was the Lord’s chosen one. Jeroboam is painted in a bad light, gathering “worthless scoundrels”. Jeroboam was claiming to be on the Lord’s side while Jeroboam was not. Jeroboam had set up an ambush plan, but it didn’t work and he was defeated. Abijah inflicted heavy casualties on Israel. Judah’s victory is put down to their relying upon the Lord. Jeroboam died. Abijah had fourteen wives, who bore him twenty two sons and sixteen daughters.