In this episode, we delve into personal reflections from over 30 years of Bible journaling. Uncover insights on how 2 Chronicles serves as a handbook for revival through the experiences of kings who shaped the spiritual landscape of their era. Reflect on the lessons of asking rightly from God and how Solomon’s heart-led desires not only brought him wisdom but also unparalleled wealth and honor. Our exploration provides both historical context and spiritual applications relevant to our lives today.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we begin the book of 2 Chronicles. I’ll look to my English Standard Version Study Bible book introduction to cover 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles is a continuation of 1 Chronicles. The beginning of 2 Chronicles comes midway in the second major section of Chronicles on the United Kingdoms of David and Solomon. Solomon completes what his father David started. The third major section, after Solomon, recounts the history of a divided Israel, the northern kingdom and Judah, until the fall of both, the exile to Babylon and the invitation to return to Judea and rebuild. The theme of 2 Chronicles is revival. It reads like a revival handbook with stories of revival under kings Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Look for the principles of revival applicable to your own life. Let’s also look for a good king given a second chance and makes the worst of it, a wicked king given a second chance and makes the best of it, and also the sad account of the destruction of the great temple of Solomon. Did you know 1 and 2 Chronicles are one book in the Hebrew manuscripts? 2 Chronicles takes up exactly where 1 Chronicles ends. The break is only for convenience. And 2 Chronicles only records the reigns of kings of Judah. No kings of Israel are mentioned. Our guest reader in 2 Chronicles is Senator Kevin Grantham. I met Kevin over a decade ago as a member of the state cabinet of the Gideons International in Colorado. Kevin lives in Canyon City, Colorado, where he and his brother have a real estate sales and appraisal firm. In 2011, Kevin decided to try his hand in politics. He ran for a state senate seat and won. In 2014, he was re-elected and currently serves as the president of the Colorado State Senate. He is term limited, so he just wrapped up his final legislative session as president. I had not seen or talked to Senator Grantham for about 10 years, but when I asked him to be a guest reader for AdBible, he jumped at the opportunity, volunteering for Judges and Chronicles. Pray for Senator Grantham as he transitions, as he looks beyond his public service as a state senator, to what God has next in his life. Let’s listen in to Senator Kevin Grantham as we begin with the first two chapters of 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles 1
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Solomon, the son of David, established himself in his kingdom. And the Lord his God was with him, and made him exceedingly great. Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. And Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-Jerim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly sought it out. And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask what I shall give you. And Solomon said to God, You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours which is so great? God answered Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like. So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel. Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Cuy, and the king’s traders would buy them from Cuy for a price. They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. 2 Chronicles 2 Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country and 3,600 to oversee them. And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre, As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him and for the regular arrangement of the showbread. and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, For I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants to prepare timber for me in abundance. For the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cores of crushed wheat, 20,000 cores of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil. Then Hiram, the king of Tyre, answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them. Hiram also said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding. who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself. Now I have sent a skilled man who has understanding, Huram Abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving, and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsman, the craftsman of my Lord, David your father. Now therefore the wheat, and barley, oil, and wine, of which my Lord has spoken, let him send to his servants, and we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon, and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may bring it up to Jerusalem. Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 70,000 of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.
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To help us through 2 Chronicles, I will be using three of my personal Bible reading journals. One from 1983, one from 1997, and one from 2009. Back in 1983, I read 2 Chronicles one on one day, and I just wrote in my journal, Solomon King. The next day I read 2 Chronicles 2-4, so I’ll save that entry for tomorrow’s recording. In 1997, I was more aggressive. I read 2 Chronicles 1-5 on the same day, and I will share that journal entry today. I wrote, Solomon builds the temple, gets secular help, and used foreign labor. I guess we can use functional talents of non-Christians too. And in 2009, I read 2 Chronicles 1-3 on the same day, and I wrote, Solomon went before the Lord. After Solomon went to the Lord, God appears to Solomon. We need to be proactive with God. Go to Him. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, and God grants it to him. And more, because his motives were right. If God said, ask what I shall give you, what would we ask for? God blessed so much. The king made silver and gold, as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. according to verse 15 of chapter 1. Solomon begins building the temple, knowing the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain him. As we said in our book introduction, 2 Chronicles takes up where 1 Chronicles left off. David turned the kingdom over to his son Solomon, and in verse 1 it says, Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. It appears that one of the very first things Solomon did was go to the altar of the Lord and provide a thousand burnt offerings. That very night, God appears to Solomon and says, Ask what I shall give you. That’s verse 7 of chapter 1. And Solomon says, Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people. For who can govern this people of yours, which is so great? And because Solomon was not selfish, he asked for something that would be of value to him and the people. God granted him not only wisdom and knowledge, but also the things he didn’t ask for, riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you and none after you shall have the like. God blessed Solomon so much that in verse 15 it says, And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone. Can you imagine the wealth, the prosperity, the blessings of God in the reign of Solomon? What’s our application from the first two chapters of 2 Chronicles? ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full. Solomon asked correctly and God blessed abundantly. If God asked you, what shall I give you? What would you ask him for? Let’s pray. Father, we thank you that you love us like you love Solomon, that you’re available to us like you were to Solomon, and that probably you do ask us What can I do for you? What an amazing thought that you love us so much that you do want to give us our heart’s desire. And so, Lord, like Solomon, help us ask for the right things. Things that are not selfish, but things that can build up the kingdom of God. And like Solomon then, Lord, bless us. You blessed him abundantly. and you can do the same for us. To God be the glory, great things you have done and continue to do. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. It’s not too late to get your copy of the writings of the Old Testament historical books to follow along with this AdBible program. The book contains our studies on Job, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. We’ll be in those books for the next several weeks. The book has comments on every chapter, applications for your life, and a place for you to record your thoughts on each chapter of each book for future reference. Visit EzraProject.net and order the writings of the Old Testament historical books today so you can get more out of these radio programs and more out of your Bible. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
