I expected Second Chronicles to be the same as the first but perhaps worse. For as many services as I’ve attended, very little is ever read from Chronicles when following the prescribed lectionary. It could be because it is a vast recap of what has happened since the dawn of Adam and Eve and too much information to summarize neatly in a reading. I wanted to focus on key things I found during my first reading.
First is the prescribed prayer to the Lord. It appears multiple times throughout Chronicles and is a simple passage to remember and write upon one’s heart. “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” I hope I will remember that phrase when all else seems desperate or hopeless. Because God is good, and his steadfast love endures forever!
Second is the story of Hezekiah, who reigned over Jerusalem for 29 years. His story stood out after reading so many accounts of different kings and successors. He was a kind ruler who did right by the Lord and was compared in many parts to King David. He cleansed the temple and rid it of false objects. He rallied worship to be done as the Lord had prescribed to the letter of what was written. He invited many people to attend the Passover service to imbue faith amongst his kin and those in and surrounding Jerusalem. The story about Hezekiah shows the Levites as the most considerate and encourages all the priests to sanctify themselves for Passover. He understood that people had strayed from the path of the Lord, and their beliefs had faltered. Instead of condemning them, Hezekiah prays for them, saying the Lord will pardon those who seek Him with love in their hearts.
Hezekiah faced difficulties and invasions but always kept a strong faith in the Lord that he would be fine. Only in one instance, when Hezekiah is sick and near death, does he pray for his own life. The Lord answers him, but Hezekiah ignores what the Lord says because of pride. Until Hezekiah humbles himself to the Lord, he is not cured of his illness. I like to think that parents play a substantial role in the development of their children, but I have no proof that this opinion holds in Hezekiah’s timeline. When he died, his son Manasseh succeeded him, and right away, the world was thrown back into doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord. He carved idols and held gods before God. Worst still, he put the idol in the only house God had appointed for an earthly dwelling place. This angered God, and it wasn’t until Manasseh was in great distress that he prayed and humbled himself before the Lord. Manasseh reconciled with and served the Lord. So, maybe his father was a good example after all, but he needed to learn the part about the Lord being our father.
There were many more accounts throughout Second Chronicles, but these were the ones that stuck with me. Next, I tackle the Book of Ezra.
Amanda Renz