Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+034

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 34 (ESV)

 

14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses…

 

18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king. 19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”…

 

29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 31 And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

 

REFLECTION:

When King Josiah read the Book of the Law of the Lord found by Hilkiah the priest, he repented and humbled himself, and promised to follow God’s commandments recorded in the book. The Bible is the living and active word of God. If we do not read the Bible we will not understand God’s word. It is not enough even if we read God’s word, we also need to willingly do according to what was written. There is no difference between the Bible on the bookshelf and the lost Book of the Law of the Lord, they both have no effect if they are not read. Reflect if you always put your Bible on the bookshelf and do not read it. You may have many Bibles of different versions but your life will not have much changes if you do not read them often.

 

PRAYER:

Ask God to give you a fervent heart for His word and insist on reading the Bible daily. Ask God to not only give you wisdom to understand His word but also for a humble spirit and an obedient heart that you are willing to do according to God’s word – to live a life pleasing to God.

 

HYMN:

“Thy Word” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ycs23FQDRI

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+033

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 33 (ESV)

 

9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. 11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

14 Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. 16 He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Manasseh was the worst in the list of bad kings of Israel. He did evil throughout his life which included worshipping idols, offering his sons as sacrifice for idols, and profaning the temple. However, he knew his sins when he was in distress and called for God’s forgiveness. God listened to his prayer when he repented his sins with action. If God could forgive the evil king Manasseh he could surely forgive anyone. Have you doubted if what you have done is even forgivable? You can rest assured you will receive God’s merciful forgiveness if you genuinely confess and repent your sins by faith.
2. Although the Israelites knew they should worship God, they took the wrong approach. God once commanded them to make sacrifices in designated locations in order to protect them from the dangerous influence of pagan customs so that they would not change the way of worship. Unfortunately, they continued to make sacrifices to God at the high places (33:17). They were confused by mixing up pagan belief with worshipping God, and the pagan gods with the one true God. We must be careful not to let worldly influence confuse our truth in worship. Reflect if you or your church have similar confusion and mixing-up in worship. If there is, what will you do to correct it?

 

PRAYER:

Come before God with humility and examine your inner-self, confess your hidden sins and ask God for forgiveness, ask God to give you courage to repent and pay the price for repentance no matter how big it is. Ask God to protect you from the influence of secular culture so that you can worship God in spirit and truth.

 

HYMN:

“East to West” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_J34QyY0Pk

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+032

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 32 (ESV)

 

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.

24 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels; 28 storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. 29 He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions. 30 This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Trials can reveal our natural instinct. God tested Hezekiah in order for him to know his shortages and all that was in his heart (32:31). God did not forsake him nor tempt him to sin nor trick him. The purpose of trials is to add strength to him, nurture his character, and prepare him for the tasks ahead.
2. Most Christians can live a faithful life in smooth-going times but our faith is weak when we encounter pressure, hardship and suffering. People who are close to God will receive inner strength from God so they don’t have to worry about being collapsed under pressure. We cannot bear pressure because we do not trust God’s sovereignty and goodness in our lives. Reflect how you will react under pressure or adversity. Will you give in or ask God for help?

 

PRAYER:

Ask God to bless you not to lead you into temptation but deliver you from evil. If you are under trial like King Hezekiah, ask the Holy Spirit to help you and give you wisdom of discernment to know that the purpose of the trial is to refine your life to make you closer to God and after His own heart.

 

HYMN:

“Oceans” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJJJkiRukY

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+031

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 31 (ESV)

 

1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

2 And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and praise. 3 The contribution of the king from his own possessions was for the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of morning and evening, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts, as it is written in the Law of the Lord. 4 And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the Law of the Lord…

 

20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 21 And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Why is idol-worshipping a great sin? It is because although the Israelites belong only to Yahweh, they chose to pursue and become close to their idols instead. They do not worship the Creator but worship His creations. We will commit the same mistake of worshipping the idol if we do not put God first in our heart. When we think of treasures, feasts and fame more than God, we are actually worshipping these things as God. The people of Judah were exiled abroad because they worshipped idols. Although we are not exiled to foreign lands by enemies, we will receive God’s discipline if we value worldly matters more than spiritual matters. Reflect again if you still have idols in your life that are not removed, how will you rely on God to remove these idols?
2. Hezekiah was not a perfect man and he didn’t have the great achievements of King David and King Solomon. However, he was blessed by God because he “did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God” and he brought spiritual renewal to the people of Judah. Reflect how you will learn from the example of Hezekiah to be a person who seeks God in your life, and brings spiritual renewal to yourself and to those around you.

 

PRAYER:

Open your heart before God and ask Him to enlighten you and remove the darkness and filthiness in your heart, to completely smash the idols in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s will so that your spiritual life will be renewed and matured as you follow God’s will.

 

HYMN:

“Rescue” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGQkPy5PPE

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+030

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 30 (ESV)

1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel…

 

10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron…

 

25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Hezekiah invited the people to come to keep the Passover but they mocked his officials while only a few accepted the invitation (30:10-11). Nowadays, we will encounter a similar response if we want to share about God with others. Many people will mock you if you persuade them to receive Christ. However, we cannot stop sharing the gospel because we are being obstructed. Remember it is the Holy Spirit who touches people and makes them know their sin. Our responsibility is to tell people God’s works and promises for them to make their own choice.
2. All the good kings in Judah did not completely remove the pagan high places and idols. With the help of the people, Hezekiah finally accomplished this task and brought great joy to the people of Judah. Reflect whether your church has completely removed all the various visible and invisible idols. If not, how will you unite the strength of the congregation and encourage them to do so?

 

PRAYER:

Ask God to give you faith so that you will rely on God’s power and continue to share the gospel even if you encounter obstruction and mocking. Pray for the church leaders that they can learn from the example of Hezekiah in leading the whole congregation to remove all idols resulting in great peace and great joy.

 

HYMN:

“Tell the World That” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqYWE6Hqu3A