1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: twenty eight and we'll be reading from the New English translation. 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did 8 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: not do what pleased the Lord. In contrast to his 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: ancestor David, he followed in the footsteps of the kings 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: of Israel. He also made images of the bales. He 11 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinham and passed 12 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: his sons through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by 13 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: the nations, whom the Lord drove out. Before the Israelites, 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: he offered sacrifices and burned in on the high places, 15 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: on the hills and under every green tree. The Lord 16 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: his God handed him over to the King of Syria. 17 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: The Syrians defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: He was also handed over to the King of Israel, 19 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: who thoroughly defeated him in one day. King Pica, son 20 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: of Ramaliah of Israel, killed one hundred twenty thousand warriors 21 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: in Judah because they had abandoned the Lord God of 22 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: their ancestors. Zikri, an Ephriamite warrior, killed the king's son 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: Messiah Azrakam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the 24 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: king second in command. The Israelites seized from their brothers 25 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried 26 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: off a huge amount of plunder and took it back 27 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: to Samaria. Odad, a prophet of the Lord, was there. 28 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: He went to meet the army as they arrived in 29 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: Samaria and said to them, look, because the Lord God 30 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 1: of your ancestors was angry with Judah, he handed them 31 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that 32 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: God has taken notice, and now you are planning to 33 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: enslave the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you 34 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: not also guilty before the Lord your God. Now listen 35 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: to me, send back those you have seized from your brothers, 36 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: for the Lord is very angry at you. So some 37 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: of the Ephriamite family leaders Azariah son of jehochinaan Berachiah 38 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: son of Mishilimoth, Jekiskaiah son of Shallam, and Amassa son 39 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: of Hadlai confronted those returning from the battle. They said 40 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: to them, don't bring those captives here. Are you planning 41 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord? 42 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: Our guilt is already great, and the Lord is very 43 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: angry at Israel. So the soldiers released the captives and 44 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly men 45 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among 46 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: the plunder for those who were naked, so they clothed them, 47 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and 48 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 1: provided them with oil to rub on their skin. They 49 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: put the ones who couldn't walk on donkeys. They brought 50 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of 51 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: the date palm trees, and they returned to Samaria. At 52 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: that time, King Ahaz asked the King of Assyria for help. 53 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried 54 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: off captives. The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah 55 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: in the lowlands and the Negev. They captured and settled 56 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: in Beth Schemesh, Ijalon, Getteroth, Soko and its surrounding villages, 57 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: Timna and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 58 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: The Lord humiliated Judah because of King AHAs of Israel, 59 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful 60 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: to the Lord. King Tiglath, Poliser of Assyria, came but 61 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 1: he gave him more trouble than support. A has gathered 62 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: riches from the Lord's temple, the royal palace, and the 63 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: officials and gave them to the King of Assyria, but 64 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: that did not help. During this time of trouble, King 65 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: AHAs was even more unfaithful to the Lord. He offered 66 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, whom he thought had 67 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 1: defeated him. He reasoned, since the gods of the kings 68 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so 69 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: they will help me. But they caused him and all 70 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: Israel to stumble. A has gathered the items in God's 71 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the 72 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: Lord's temple and erected altars on every street corner in 73 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: d Jerusalem, in every city. Throughout Judah, he set up 74 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered 75 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: the Lord God of his ancestors. The rest of the 76 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: events of Ahas' reign, including the accomplishments from start to finish, 77 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: are recorded in the scroll of the Kings of Judah 78 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: and Israel. Ah has passed away and was buried in 79 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: the city of David. They did not bring him to 80 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: the tombs of the Kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah 81 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: replaced him as king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you 82 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: for your word, and we thank you for the opportunity 83 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: to look at it today. And Lord, as we look 84 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,679 Speaker 1: at this portion of scripture, we could see how easy 85 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: it is for the human heart to drift toward false 86 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: sources of help and false sources of comfort. But Lord, 87 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: you have assured us in your word that you are 88 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: the source of our help, that you are the God 89 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 1: of all comfort, and the you provide ultimate help, ultimate strength, 90 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: and ultimate victory to each of us through faith in 91 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: your son Jesus Christ. So Lord, we pray that that 92 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: would be the help that we would seek, and that 93 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: our confidence would be in you always. We're grateful, Lord 94 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: for your presence with us, and we commit this day 95 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: to your care, and we thank you for all these 96 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: things in Jesus' name. Amen.