Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000576
00:15 Hello, and welcome to His Words are Life.
00:17 I'm Kelly Mowrer, and today we're reading in the book 00:20 of 2nd Chronicles. Before we begin, let's pray together. 00:23 Dear God, thank you for your word that is a light to our path 00:30 and it helps us to walk safely through the day. 00:34 Please be with us now in this time to hear your word for us. 00:38 Send the Holy Spirit to give us understanding. 00:40 Thank you so much. Amen. We're reading in 2nd Chronicles, 00:44 chapter 30, and we're in the middle of the story of 00:48 the reign of king Hezekiah, who is calling the people of Israel 00:53 to return to following the ways of the Lord. 00:57 We're picking up now in the middle of a proclamation that he 01:00 issued in verse 7. This is the King James Version. 01:04 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which 01:09 trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, 01:12 who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 01:16 Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield 01:21 yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, 01:24 which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your 01:28 God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 01:32 For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your 01:37 children shall find compassion before them that lead them 01:40 captive, so that they shall come again into this land: 01:44 for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, 01:47 and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. 01:52 So the posts passed from city to city through the country of 01:57 Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them 02:02 to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher 02:08 and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, 02:10 and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah the hand of God was to 02:16 give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and 02:19 of the princes, by the word of the Lord. And there assembled 02:22 at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened 02:25 bread in the second month, a very great congregation. 02:28 And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem 02:32 and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them 02:36 into the brook Kidron. Then they killed the passover 02:40 on the 14th day of the 2nd month and the priests and the Levites 02:44 were ashamed and sanctified themselves, and brought in the 02:48 burnt offering into the house of the Lord. And they stood in 02:51 their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses 02:54 the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, 02:57 which they received of the hand of the Levites. 03:00 For there were many in the congregation that were not 03:03 sanctified: therefore the Levites had the charge of the 03:06 killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean, 03:09 to sanctify them unto the Lord. For a multitude of the people, 03:13 even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and 03:16 Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat 03:20 the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed 03:24 for them, saying, The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth 03:28 his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be 03:32 not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 03:35 And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 03:39 And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem 03:42 kept the feast of unleavened bread 7 days with great gladness 03:46 and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, 03:51 singing with loud instruments unto the Lord. 03:54 And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught 03:59 the good knowledge of the Lord: and they did eat throughout 04:01 the feast 7 days, offering peace offerings, and making confession 04:07 to the Lord God of their fathers. And the whole assembly 04:10 took counsel to keep other 7 days: and they kept other 7 04:14 days with gladness. For Hezekiah the king of Judah did give 04:19 to the congregation a thousand bullocks and 7,000 sheep; 04:23 and the princes gave to the congregation 1,000 bullocks 04:26 and 10,000 sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified 04:30 themselves. And all the congregation of Judah, 04:34 with the priests and the Levites and all the congregation 04:37 that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the 04:40 land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. 04:43 So there was great Joy in Jerusalem: for since the time 04:48 of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not 04:52 the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the Levites arose 04:56 and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, 05:00 and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, 05:03 even unto heaven. Continuing with 2nd Chronicles, 05:07 chapter 31, and this is the King James Version. 05:09 Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present 05:15 went out to the cities of Judah and brake the images in pieces, 05:19 and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places 05:23 and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also 05:27 and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. 05:31 Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his 05:34 possession, into their own cities. And Hezekiah appointed 05:39 the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, 05:42 every man according to his service, the priests and Levites 05:46 for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, 05:49 and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents 05:53 of the Lord. He appointed also the king's portion of his 05:57 substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the 06:01 morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt 06:04 offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, 06:06 and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord. 06:10 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give 06:15 the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be 06:20 encouraged in the law of the Lord. And as soon as the 06:25 commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in 06:28 abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, 06:33 and of all the increase of the field: and the tithe of all 06:38 things brought they in abundantly. And concerning 06:44 the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities 06:46 of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, 06:50 and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto 06:54 the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps. 06:56 In the 3rd month they began to lay the foundation of the 07:00 heaps and finished them in the 7th month. And when Hezekiah 07:04 and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the 07:07 Lord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with 07:13 priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 07:15 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, 07:20 and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the 07:24 house of the Lord we have had enough to eat, and have left 07:28 plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people: 07:31 and that which is left is this great store. 07:35 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house 07:39 of the Lord; and they prepared them, and brought in the 07:41 offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: 07:45 over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler and Shimei his brother 07:51 was the next. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, 07:57 and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Elial, and Ismachiah and Mahath, 08:02 and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah 08:06 and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah 08:10 the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. 08:13 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the 08:18 east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute 08:22 the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things. 08:25 And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, 08:31 and Shemaiah, and Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the 08:36 priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by 08:40 courses, as well to the great as to the small: Beside their 08:45 genealogy of males, from 3 years old and upward, even unto every 08:49 one that entereth into the house the Lord, his daily portion 08:52 for their service in their charges according to their 08:55 courses; both to genealogy of the priests by the house of 08:59 their of their fathers, and the Levites from 20 years old 09:02 and upward, in their charges by their courses; 09:05 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, 09:08 and their sons, and their daughters, through all the 09:11 congregation: for in their set office they sanctified 09:15 themselves in holiness: also of the sons of Aaron the priests, 09:20 which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, 09:23 in every several city, the men that were expressed by 09:27 name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, 09:30 and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites 09:34 and thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that 09:40 which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. 09:45 And in every work that he began in the service of the house 09:50 of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, 09:53 to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered. 09:59 Continuing to read in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 32, 10:03 This is the King James Version. After these things, and the 10:09 establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came 10:13 and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced 10:17 cities, and thought to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah 10:22 saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed 10:25 to fight against Jerusalem, he took counsel with his princes 10:30 and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which 10:34 were without the city: and they did help him. 10:37 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all 10:41 the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst 10:44 of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, 10:47 and find much water? Also he strengthened himself, 10:51 and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up 10:54 to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo 10:58 in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. 11:01 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them 11:06 together to him in the street of the gate of the city, 11:09 and spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and courageous 11:15 be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all 11:20 the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than 11:25 with him: with him is the arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord 11:32 our God to help us, and to fight our battles, And the people 11:36 rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 11:40 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants 11:45 to Jerusalem, but he himself laid siege against Lachish, 11:49 and all his power with him, unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and 11:52 unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, 11:54 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, 12:00 that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah 12:04 persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine 12:08 and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of 12:12 the hand of the king of Assyria? Hath not the same Hezekiah 12:15 taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah 12:20 and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, 12:23 and burn incense upon it? Know ye not what I and my fathers 12:28 have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of 12:32 the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands 12:36 out of mine hand? Who was there among all the gods of those 12:39 nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver 12:42 his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to 12:46 deliver you out of mine hand? Now therefore let not Hezekiah 12:51 deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe 12:55 him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver 12:59 his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: 13:03 how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? 13:06 And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, 13:12 and against his servant Hezekiah He wrote also letters to rail on 13:18 the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, 13:21 As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered 13:25 their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah 13:29 deliver his people out of mine hand. Then they cried with a 13:35 loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem 13:38 that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble 13:42 them; that they might take the city. And they spake against 13:46 the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the 13:50 earth, which were the work of hands of man. 13:53 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah 13:57 the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. 14:00 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty 14:05 men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the 14:08 king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own 14:13 land. And when ye was come into the house of his god, 14:16 they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there 14:19 with the sword. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah 14:23 and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib 14:26 the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, 14:29 and guided them on every side. Thank you for joining with me 14:33 to read today. Please join me again next time to read the 14:37 word of God. Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17