WEBVTT - 2 Chronicles 33

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter

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<v Speaker 1>thirty three, and we'll be reading from the New English translation.

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<v Speaker 1>Manassa was twelve years old when he became king, and

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<v Speaker 1>he reigned for fifty five years in Jerusalem. He did

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<v Speaker 1>evil in the sight of the Lord, and committed the

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<v Speaker 1>same horrible sins practiced by the nations whom the Lord

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<v Speaker 1>drove out ahead of the Israelites. He rebuilt the high

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<v Speaker 1>places that his father has Akiah had destroyed. He set

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<v Speaker 1>up altars for the bales and made a shira polls.

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<v Speaker 1>He bowed down to all the stars in the sky

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<v Speaker 1>and worshiped them. He built altars in the Lord's temple,

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<v Speaker 1>about which the Lord had said, Jerusalem will be my

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<v Speaker 1>permanent home. In the two courtyards of the Lord's temple,

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<v Speaker 1>he built altars for all the stars in the sky.

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<v Speaker 1>He passed his sons through the fire in the valley

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<v Speaker 1>of Ben Hinhem and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery.

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<v Speaker 1>He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld's spirits,

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<v Speaker 1>and appointed magicians to supervise it. He did a great

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<v Speaker 1>amount of evil in the sight of the Lord and

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<v Speaker 1>angered him. He put an idolatrous image he had made

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<v Speaker 1>in God's temple, about which God had said to David

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<v Speaker 1>and to his son Solomon. This temple in Jerusalem, which

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<v Speaker 1>I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,

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<v Speaker 1>will be my permanent home. I will not make Israel

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<v Speaker 1>again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, provided

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<v Speaker 1>that they carefully obey all I have commanded them, the

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<v Speaker 1>whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses. But

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<v Speaker 1>Manassah misled the people of Judah and the residence of Jerusalem,

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<v Speaker 1>so that they sinned more than the nations whom the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord had destroyed. Ahead of the Israelites, the Lord confronted

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<v Speaker 1>Manassa and his people, but they paid no attention. So

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army

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<v Speaker 1>of the King of Assyria. They seized Manassa, put hooks

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<v Speaker 1>in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried

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<v Speaker 1>him away to Babylon. In his pain, Manassa asked the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord his God for mercy, and truly humbled himself before

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<v Speaker 1>the God of his ancestors. When he prayed to the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>The Lord responded to him and answered favorably his cry

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<v Speaker 1>for mercy. The Lord brought him back to Jerusalem to

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<v Speaker 1>his kingdom. Then Manassa realized that the Lord is the

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<v Speaker 1>true God. After this, Manassa built up the outer wall

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<v Speaker 1>of the city of David on the west side of them,

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<v Speaker 1>the Gihan in the valley to the entrance of the

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<v Speaker 1>fish gate, and all around the terrace. He made it

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<v Speaker 1>much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities.

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<v Speaker 1>In Judah, he removed the foreign gods and images from

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord's temple, and all the altars he had built

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<v Speaker 1>on the hill of the Lord's temple and in Jerusalem,

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<v Speaker 1>he threw them outside the city. He erected the Altar

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<v Speaker 1>of the Lord and offered on it peace offerings and

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<v Speaker 1>thank offerings. He told the people of Judah to serve

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord, God of Israel. The people continued to offer

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<v Speaker 1>sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>their God. The rest of the events of Manassa's reign,

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<v Speaker 1>including his prayer to his God, and the words the

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<v Speaker 1>prophets spoke to him in the name of the Lord

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<v Speaker 1>God of Israel are recorded in the Annals of the

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<v Speaker 1>Kings of Israel. The annals of the Prophets include his prayer,

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<v Speaker 1>given account of how the Lord responded to it, record

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<v Speaker 1>all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identified the sites

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<v Speaker 1>where he built high places and erected ashira, polls and idols.

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<v Speaker 1>Before he humbled himself. Manassa passed away and was buried

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<v Speaker 1>in his palace. His son Ammon replaced him as king.

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<v Speaker 1>Ammon was twenty two years old when he became king,

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<v Speaker 1>and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. He did

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<v Speaker 1>evil in the sight of the Lord, just like his

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<v Speaker 1>father Manassa had done. He offered sacrifices to all the

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<v Speaker 1>idols his father Manassa had made, and worshiped them. He

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<v Speaker 1>did not humble himself before the Lord as his father

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<v Speaker 1>Manassa had done. Amin was guilty of great sin. His

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<v Speaker 1>servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace.

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<v Speaker 1>The people of the land executed all who had conspired

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<v Speaker 1>against King Amin, and they made his son Josiah king

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<v Speaker 1>in his place. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>your word, and we thank you for the privilege of

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<v Speaker 1>being able to look at it today. And Lord, in

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<v Speaker 1>this passage of scripture, we see that you chose to

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<v Speaker 1>allow Manassa to experience some very difficult trials, but those

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<v Speaker 1>trials ultimately served to his benefit. He was so proud,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was so arrogant, as he worshiped false gods,

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<v Speaker 1>as he worshiped idols that he had crafted from physical material.

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<v Speaker 1>But then, in the midst of his pain, and in

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<v Speaker 1>the midst of his anguish, he came before you and

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<v Speaker 1>asked you for mercy. He was humbled, and he recognized

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<v Speaker 1>his need for you. Lord. The same is true for

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<v Speaker 1>us today. Left to ourselves, we would act with pride

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<v Speaker 1>and arrogance and convince ourselves that we can be self sufficient.

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<v Speaker 1>But by your grace, Lord, you show us our need

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<v Speaker 1>for you. You open our eyes, and you open our

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<v Speaker 1>hearts and help us to recognize our need for salvation.

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<v Speaker 1>That's only possible through faith in your son Jesus Christ,

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<v Speaker 1>who paid for our sin. But Lord, in humility, we

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<v Speaker 1>need to come before you, as you prompt our hearts

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<v Speaker 1>to do so. We need to recognize that we're sinners

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<v Speaker 1>in need of your gift of salvation, and we thank

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<v Speaker 1>you that, by the power of your Holy Spirit, you

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<v Speaker 1>open our eyes and soften our hearts so that that's

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<v Speaker 1>something we come to understand. Lord. Again, naturally speaking, we

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<v Speaker 1>would never come to that understanding. But we thank you

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<v Speaker 1>that you reveal these things to us, and that you

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<v Speaker 1>draw us unto yourself. We pray Lord that our faith

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<v Speaker 1>and your son, Jesus Christ, would be strong, and that

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<v Speaker 1>it would grow stronger day by day, and that we

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<v Speaker 1>would learn to rely on your power, your wisdom, and

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<v Speaker 1>your guidance. We thank you, Lord for all these things,

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<v Speaker 1>and we thank you for your presence with us. We

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<v Speaker 1>pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.