Monday, August 2, II Chronicles 7
Vv. 19-20 — God here laid it on the line. At the height of David’s reign as king and while Solomon remained faithful, Israel was feared, envied and respected by their enemies. However, God warned them, “If you reject Me, you’ll be a byword, an object of ridicule among your enemies.” Sad to say, Israel chose the ridicule and unhappiness to respect and honor. In our individual lives as Christians, let’s always choose Christ, and not sin and disobedience. The latter two lead to ridicule, suffering and eternal death. Christ leads us from victory to victory to a life that never ends in heaven where we share eternal joy and happiness forever.
Tuesday, August 3, II Chronicles 8
- 11 –Solomon’s commendable action here does not excuse his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter. It was something God expressly had forbidden Israel to do. The sad results are in I Kings 11. While God does not have any laws stating whom we are to marry in the New Testament, He certainly is not pleased when we marry someone who is a confessing idolater. He does expect us, if we are in such a marriage, to live a faithful life so that we lead our partner to Jesus Christ. Cf. I Cor. 7:12-14, I Peter 3:1,2)
Wednesday, August 4, II Chronicles 9
- 7 — This is the kind of happiness we’ll have in heaven. However, it won’t be short-lived as it was for Israel because Solomon turned away from the Lord. In heaven that happiness will be forever as God in His wisdom brings us eternal pleasures forevermore. Read Ps. 16:11.
- 8 — The Queen offered a word of praise to God who made Solomon what he was. There is no indication she became a Christian. For a while, King Solomon was faithful to God. He eventually sought satisfaction in wisdom, building ventures, his kingdom, his wealth, and his many wives. Fortunately, in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon appears repentant.
Thursday, August 5, II Chronicles 10
- 8 — Saul had ruled as king for 40 years. David also ruled for 40 years. Solomon’s reign was 40 years. But at Solomon’s death, things began to fall apart. Under the leadership of his son, Rehoboam, the kingdom split into 2 divisions: the Northern Kingdom (10 tribes), and the Southern Kingdom (2 tribes). The split was caused by the fact that Rehoboam listened to his younger counselors who thrived on greed and power. They told him to keep the tax burden on the common people. Therefore, he threatened to be harder than his father. He should have listened to the advice offered by the elders who said it would be good to cut taxes. That’s an important lesson for us–to listen to the advice of our elders. Yes, they can be wrong, but their life-experience, combined with a knowledge of the Word, can be a great blessing for younger people.
Friday, August 6, II Chronicles 11
Vv 13-16 — When false teaching creeps into a church body, what these Israelites and Levites did was correct. They left it. God commands that we do the same in Rom. 16:17. What is the danger of staying in a church body that mixes truth with untruth? The believer may absorb the error and begin to build his life on it. Rejecting Christ will lead to eternal damnation. After Solomon, Northern Israel ended up in unbelief under the reign of Jeroboam. (vv. 14-15)
Saturday, August 7, II Chronicles 12
Vv. 13-14 — Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite. Ammonites were heathen people. If she was like Athaliah (Chap. 22:10-12; II Kings 8:26, 27), you can see why Rehoboam did evil and did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. An unbelieving spouse today can do the same spiritual damage to her or his children. How important both parents are Christians and together build their family on God’s inerrant Word.