Well, we made it. Let’s be honest, 1 and 2 Chronicles can be tough to read, but throughout these two books, God continues to reveal things to me (and additional things to you). Today, I can’t help but recognize the active role that God takes in tracking down and restoring his people. He’s even willing to use the king of another country to bring his people back to their rightful place.

Up to this point, we’ve seen numerous examples of God using other nations to bring punishment against his people and their kings. It’s a common pattern: king does evil, some nations comes looking for a fight, nation defeats Israel/Judah due to the king’s unwillingness to follow the Lord. But the story of the king of Persia is different. In this story, it is the king of another nation that helps to restore God’s people.

Now, in order to do this, God actually has to work against human nature. It’s not too hard to get a nation to fight another nation – a little conflict stirred can grow exponentially and explode into a full-on war very quickly. But in order for the opposite to happen – for the king of another nation to take interest in people that aren’t his own – it requires a very powerful and deliberate move of God on the heart of this individual. God had to speak to Cyrus, king of Persia in such a way as to move him to action.

So, how does God accomplish this (other than through his sheer will, which is enough to accomplish anything)? He speaks Cyrus’ language – the language of power. Just look at the decree that Cyrus makes at the end of 2 Chronicles:

This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.” (2 Chronicles 36:23)

He’s building a temple where God’s people can go and worship and he’s saying a blessing over them. Incredible, right? But look at the first part of the statement: “God…has given me all the kingdoms of the earth…” God spoke Cyrus’ language. It was, in essence, a quid pro quo. God gave Cyrus an enormous amount of power, built up a cache of goodwill and then asked him to build a temple where the people could worship.

Throughout the books we’ve read so far, this is a common theme. God has the ability to reach out to people right where they are. He speaks to our most broken places. He speaks to our simplest thoughts. He stoops low so that we can reach him. In this case, he gave a king a little piece of earthly kingdom in order to gain for his people access to the vast, heavenly kingdom. A pretty decent trade, don’t you think?

The story of Josiah and his response to the newly rediscovered Book of the Law is still fascinating to me. If you remember, I discussed this back when we were reading 2 Kings. (You can find that here.) But something else sort of hit me as I was reading these passages. I realized that there was a whole economy being kept afloat by all these crazy kings.

I mean, think about it, there were craftsmen who built idols and people who destroyed them, people who built Asherah poles and people who tore them down. On the other side of the equation, there were those who destroyed temple walls, altars and the like and those who rebuilt them. Depending on the whims of the king in power at the time, something was almost always either being destroyed or rebuilt.

Now, I don’t think this was God’s perfect plan for his people, but I do find it interesting that, at some level, this was part of the ebb and flow of the life and livelihood of the people of Israel and Judah. It is, in some ways, an economy driven by brokenness – people earning a living off of the messed-up-ness of others.

We have the same thing today. What does a therapist do? He or she helps rebuild the lives that someone else has destroyed. What does a defense attorney do? He or she tries to salvage a life – one that has been destructive of others and/or self. How many ER visits are caused by the unseemly actions of people who hurt others or themselves. We build our economies around our brokenness. In fact, if not for our brokenness, we may not need any “economy” at all, in the traditional sense.

If not for selfishness, who would desire to profit from helping another person? If not for our sin, would we not share freely with everyone? But we do sin and we are selfish. And so, we deem some people worth of our effort and others not. Do attorneys work pro bono for someone they know is guilty? I doubt it – unless, of course, there is some amount of fame to be gained. No, they agree to do pro bono work for those who represent a cause worth believing in or who are the victims of some injustice.

And so, the brokenness that we see around us, combined with our own judgment of others (and our sense of justice) causes us to charge people for things and to occasionally help someone out of the kindness of our heart. What would the world be like if we were whole? What if we did everything out of the kindness of our hearts? Well, I guess we would be more God-like, huh?

I know, it’s a utopian idea and one that can’t be as long as we live in a broken world. But there is a place and time when we will have such an existence and, frankly, I can’t wait!

When people think about God, many think of two different “versions” of God. There is the Old Testament God – inflexible and sometimes cruel – and the New Testament God – gracious and compassionate. And, perhaps, if you just glance at the Bible or only read the most popular verses, it might be easy to draw that conclusion. However, we’re reading through the entire Bible and as we do, I think we’re getting a clearer picture of the full nature of God.

I’ve already talked about God’s willingness to be flexible and meet the people in ways that they could understand. But check out these verses from 2 Chronicles, chapter 30:

Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:18-20)

Do you see what happened there? These people hadn’t followed the rules. By eating the Passover meal while they were unclean, they had defiled the Passover, according to the law. A “by the book” king would have banished these people and begged God to forgive him. But Hezekiah somehow understood the heart of God. And so, rather than trying to save his own hide (and his kingdom), he went to God on behalf of the “lawbreakers,”

Hezekiah understood that the desire of the heart is more important than the outward acts. As God would later tell Samuel, people look on the outside, but God looks on the inside. Or, as Jesus would put it when criticizing the Pharisees:

“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25)

You see, God wanted the people to “clean the outside of the cup,” (he had given them orders to do so) but the more important thing was the inside. To put it another way, God would rather get his hands dirty (on the outside of the cup) than to drink filth (from the inside). And so, God gave the “unclean” people a pass. He showed the kind of grace and flexibility that most people associate with the “New Testament God.” In fact, when you read through the New Testament (I know, we’re a ways away from that in this reading plan) check out how many times “New Testament grace” is linked to the Old Testament.

The fact is, there is one God and his nature is and has always been the same. He is a God with high standards, but he also is and has always been a God who is eager to offer grace to those who seek it and to those who seek him.

Well, I would say we’re moving in the right direction. As we have seen over and over in our reading thus far, patterns of behavior are easily and often passed from parent to offspring. And whether you attribute these patterns to spiritual influences, environmental ones, or both, the fact is that they are very hard to break.

In fact, probably the best that any of us can hope for (without a life-changing intervention) is that we are able to make modest improvements on the actions of our parents. We can become a little better at the things they were bad at. We can make minor improvements. And that is what we see happening with Amaziah, Uzziah and Jotham.

Here are three guys who actively sought to improve on their fathers’ actions in the area of faithfulness to God. Amaziah’s father, Joash, was a wicked man, so the fact that Amaziah followed the Lord at all was a huge improvement, even if he didn’t do so “wholeheartedly.” Uzziah followed the Lord, but had a weakness that reared it’s head when he became powerful. Jotham, then, having seen his father’s error, did not let his power go to his head in the same way.

You see, the actions of each person (whether an ancient king or a modern day mother of three) are determined by a myriad of factors, both internal and external, past and present. The things that we’ve been exposed to, experiences we’ve had, people we’ve met along the way and countless other factors have all helped shape us into who we are today. They have, in part, caused us to be weak in certain areas and strong in certain areas. And, I believe, no factor shapes us as much as the “parental factor,” that is, how we were raised, the household we grew up in and the environments we were exposed to during that time.

Understanding this – that these factors help shape the person – will give us a better understanding of, and more grace for, those around us. Do you have a friend that is not a great parent? What were her parents like? If her parents were absent or neglectful or abusive, but she is none of those things, then she has made an improvement. Now, she might not win any “Mom of the Year” awards, but she doesn’t hit her kids, doesn’t leave them alone for hours on end while she goes clubbing and she plays an active role in their lives. The fact that she feeds them too much junk food or lets them watch TV isn’t even on her radar. She’s just trying to be sure she doesn’t do to her kids what her parents did to her.

You see, knowing that information helps us to be less judgmental. But here’s the hard part: we don’t always have all of the information. We don’t always know the factors that have helped shape a person. That is why we must lean toward grace – we must err on the side of understanding, rather than judging. That is why the only true judge is the one who knows all, has seen all and can view our lives with the kind of perspective that we can’t ever hope to have. Let’s leave the judging up to him!

“I don’t care what people think of me!” It’s a common refrain for rebellious teens and egotistic leaders the world over. In some circles, not caring about the opinions of others is a badge of honor. But should it be seen more as a sign of insanity? I mean, who actually doesn’t care what other people think of them? Well, for his sake, I hope that Jehoram didn’t care, or that he had thick skin, because this guy was really not liked.

He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 21:20)

Ooh. He passed away to no one’s regret. Considering the level of respect and honor typically given to kings of that time, Jehoram must have seriously failed as a leader to not have at least someone mourn his passing. Sure, he did a lot of bad things, but the way he was treated postmortem suggests that this guy had no noticeable redeeming qualities. What an incredibly sad legacy.

Contrast that, then, with the honor and respect given to a seven year old boy named Joash. Now, I’m sure that all of the people protecting Joash and installing him as king had their own reasons for doing so. But, given that his grandfather was so detested, his father was such a poor king and his grandmother was a tyrant, it seems interesting that there would be so much interest in making this boy king.

I supposed they thought that if he was isolated from the influence of his family members, he might have a shot at becoming a decent human being. Whatever the case, what we see here is, within two generations, a whole group of people who go from detesting their king to risking their lives to defend his grandson and install him as king. It’s an interesting contrast and one that points out how important “what other people think” can be in a person’s life.

Unfortunately, Joash was unable to break the cycle of his family and ultimately forgot how and why he became king. Ultimately, Joash would suffer a similar fate as his grandfather and father – wounded in battle and given a burial in an area other than the one reserved for kings.

I used to think I understood the Old Testament. God made rules, people broke the rules, God punished them, they repented and everything was good for a little while. I mean, that’s a pattern we see repeated over and over as we read these books and chapters. And yet, if you dig a little deeper, you discover that it’s never really as simple as that.

Sure, God does punish people when they don’t follow his commands, but he also shows grace at times and even leniency. At first, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why God punishes one person severely and the next mildly. But that is where I think my old understanding of scripture was flawed. You see, I was always looking for the magic formula that went something like this:

A Certain Action + God’s Anger/Wrath = A Certain Punishment

I (along with countless others) have tried in vain to figure out God’s ways using that formula. I now understand that the formula itself is flawed. In reality, God is not nearly as concerned with his rules and our ability to follow them as he is about his plan and our ability to play a part in it. The equation that seems to really matter is:

God’s Plan + Our Action + God’s Action = God’s Desired Outcome

When we look at the world that way, it’s easy to see that things are ultimately going to work out – that God will ultimately prevail. It’s also easy to see the weak link in the chain – us. God has a plan and he is perfectly capable of executing that plan, but he decides to insert us into the equation. Perhaps it should be rewritten like this:

God’s Plan – Our Action + God’s Action = God’s Desired Outcome

It sure seems like, more often than not, the things we do actually just create more work for God. And yet, he still wants us to play a part. In today’s reading, there are several people who are in the equation of God’s plan. The 200 prophets and the 1 prophet, the king of Israel (who thought he could outfox God’s plan) and the king of Judah (who sometimes got it right and sometimes got it wrong). These individuals were all making their own choice – not being forced by God to do anything. But God’s desired outcome still prevailed.

When Ahab and Jehoshaphat went into battle, God’s desired outcome was that Ahab be killed. By dressing in disguise and having Jehoshaphat wear his royal robes, Ahab thought he had tilted the equation in his favor. But the “weak link” was overcome by the strong one – God’s Actions – and, though he was a sitting duck, Jehoshaphat survived while Ahab was killed.

Here we have two kings – one with little regard for God and the other with high regard for God – whose actions threaten to throw the grand equation out of balance. For Jehoshaphat, his mistakes seem to be made mostly out of naivete or foolishness. For Ahab, his mistakes seem to be calculated decisions. In both cases, God takes the required action to balance the equation and to ensure  his desired outcome.

He will do the same in our lives. Whether through foolishness or deliberate disobedience, we are all guilty, at times, of throwing the equation out of balance. It’s reassuring to know that there is nothing we can do that God can’t right!

You’ve heard it said that “God helps those who help themselves.” And while that is certainly true in many circumstances, I think there is a much more profound, yet simple, definition of those who God “helps.” Simply put, God is for you if you are for him. He is the ultimate ally!

The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chronicles 15:2b)

What a powerful statement: “The Lord is with you when you are with him.” The onus, then, is on us, not him. If we desire God’s help, his provision, his wisdom, grace, peace, love – if we desire all of the great things of God, then we need to be close to him. That’s it. Simple. If we are close to him, loving him and serving him, then he will be on our side.

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this in print or out loud: God will not force himself on you! His relationship with you is one of reciprocity  – he will be as involved in your life as you desire for him to be. And he will be as engaged with you as you are with him.

What does that mean for us? It means that if we desire all that God has for us, we must give him all we have to give. God has offered us his life – perfect and rich – in exchange for ours – broken and messed up. Why wouldn’t we take that deal?

You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

- Bob Dylan, “Gotta Serve Somebody”

There is an incredible dichotomy built into the human condition. On one hand, we absolutely detest not being in control. But, on the other hand, if we are really honest with ourselves, we know that we can never truly be in control. Freeing ourselves from the control of one force will ultimately just land us in the hands of another. Truly, in the words of Dylan, we’re “gonna have to serve somebody.”

Rehoboam and the people of Judah would have to learn this lesson the hard way. You see, they thought they had figured this whole human experiment out. They could take care of themselves. They were tired of being under God’s thumb and they were going to make a change. Out with this whole God thing.

There were a couple of problems with their plan, however. First, they would soon learn that whether or not you acknowledge him, God is in control. Second, they would discover that not serving God didn’t mean that you weren’t serving somebody. In fact, life is much better serving the compassionate God than it is serving any of the other alternatives.

But even a compassionate God sometimes needs to teach us a lesson. Look at chapter 12, verses 7 & 8:

“My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.” (2 Chronicles 12:7b-8)

Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder – especially when we’re talking about the absence of God. But you see, God will leave you alone if you want him to. If I were to say, “You know what, I’m done with this God thing. I’m going to go it on my own,” God would say, “Alright, but you’re going to find it’s a tough world out there without me.” That’s what he did with Judah. He gave them exactly what they wanted. Be careful what you wish for!

In a time and culture where self-reliance is promoted from political podiums and preached from pulpits, God has to sit back and shake his head. He’s been trying to teach us this lesson since the very beginning of time. We cannot do this alone. We will need someone else. We will serve someone else. He’s just waiting for us to figure out that we’re better off serving him than any of the alternatives.

As I read today about the dedication of the temple, I was reminded of our reading 100 or so days ago, when Moses dedicated the tabernacle. In much the same way that Moses had done before him, Solomon stood before the people and prayed a prayer of dedication. Then, in much the same way as he had done before, God sent this immense fireball to consume the sacrifice. It was as if God was putting his stamp of approval on the temple – his signature on this massive undertaking. It served as a reminder, too, that the same God who brought the people out of Egypt and who had commissioned and blessed the tabernacle was now blessing this temple.

God’s fire from heaven was his initial, public response to the completion and dedication of the temple. But there is also a second, more private response God offers to Solomon. Away from all the festivities and crowds, God appears to Solomon at night and offers these words:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.” (2 Chronicles 7:12)

What an incredible assurance for a king who had worked his entire adult life to make sure that the temple was completed. Then came this:

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

Now, verse 14 may be familiar to you if you’ve spent any time around church. It is an incredible promise not only for the ancient Israelites, but for us as well. However, I think it’s important to read the sentence (it is, after all, only one sentence divided into two verses) in its entirety. You see, verse 13, the first part of the sentence, says “When” (not if) God shuts the heavens or commands locusts or sends a plague. When God does those things, if the people respond appropriately, God will will hear them, forgive them and heal them.

There are a few things going on here. First, God fully expects that the Israelites are going to screw up. (As I’ve mentioned before, he actually prescribed, in advance, ways for them to make amends for their sins.) Second, he is sending Solomon a subtle reminder that there will be consequences for the sins of the Israelites in the form of droughts, locusts, plagues and the like. And third, he is reminding Solomon that even as he acts as judge over the people, he also acts as defense counsel. If the people – his people – will humble themselves, pray, seek and turn, then he will commute the sentence, pardon the offenders and restore them to relationship with himself.

Verse 14 is an incredible offer of grace that you and I still get to take part in. However, it’s important to remember the truth of verse 13 – that there are consequences for our actions and that God doesn’t simply look the other way. His grace is freely given, but must be received. And, in order to receive it and to receive the pardon that comes along with it, we have to be humble, pray, seek and turn to him.

“You’ll never know unless you ask.”

That’s what my mom used to tell me about…well…any number of things. It seems that Solomon was heeding this advice when he sent a letter to Hiram, king of Tyre. Sure, Solomon was paying for the lumber and services he was asking for, but this was far more than a business transaction. You’ll notice that Hiram didn’t just respond to Solomon’s request by agreeing to his terms. Instead, he responded with praise and encouragement, as well as offering to send one of his most skilled workers.

You have to wonder why a man like Hiram would so generously respond to this request. Was it because of the power and influence that Solomon had in the region? We it because Hiram was hoping for a little quid pro quo down the road? Was it a supernatural working of God to soften this man’s heart toward Solomon? Whatever the case, it’s reassuring to know that God has set us up to receive the same kind of response when we make “the big ask.”

I have said it before that God doesn’t seem to look at our bank account before he asks us to do something. The truth is that he doesn’t need to. Instead, he looks at his bank account and knows that there are plenty of resources to be used to carry out his mission. However, sometimes our part of the equation is to swallow our pride, buck up and make the big ask.

And perhaps pride is our biggest obstacle. Imagine being Solomon. Here was the wisest human walking the earth – a man who had riches beyond compare and who dispensed profound wisdom like water flowing from a river. And yet, for all his wisdom, Solomon knew he didn’t have the skills necessary to build the temple. Not only did he not have the skills, he didn’t even have the materials. But he knew a guy who did. All he had to do was ask for help.

For those of us who are considered “wise” or “experts”, sometimes simply asking for help can feel like defeat. After all, shouldn’t we be able to handle this ourselves? I take some comfort in knowing that even the wisest man, with riches at his disposal, still relied on the generosity of others in order to walk out his God-given mission. It should serve as a reminder to us all that God has put us on this planet, in part, to work together toward his purposes. Don’t deny someone else an opportunity to participate in God’s plan with you. Don’t be afraid to make the “big ask.”