WEBVTT - 2 Chronicles 31

0:00:02.720 --> 0:00:06.680
<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:10.760
<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:15.280
<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:19.599
<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter

0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.160
<v Speaker 1>thirty one, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation.

0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:28.760
<v Speaker 1>When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to

0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:32.879
<v Speaker 1>all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephrium, and Manassa, and

0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:37.120
<v Speaker 1>they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the ashira polls,

0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:41.599
<v Speaker 1>and removed the pagan shrines and altars. After this, the

0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:46.400
<v Speaker 1>Israelites returned to their own towns and homes. Hezekiah then

0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.519
<v Speaker 1>organized the priests and levites into divisions to offer the

0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:54.080
<v Speaker 1>burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give

0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:56.320
<v Speaker 1>thanks and praise to the Lord at the gates of

0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:59.880
<v Speaker 1>the Temple. The king also made a personal contribution of

0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:04.240
<v Speaker 1>animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, the

0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:08.720
<v Speaker 1>weekly Sabbath festivals, the monthly New Moon festivals, and the

0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:11.960
<v Speaker 1>annual festivals as prescribed in the Law of the Lord.

0:01:12.680 --> 0:01:16.160
<v Speaker 1>In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring

0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.400
<v Speaker 1>a portion of their goods to the priests and levites

0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:22.920
<v Speaker 1>so they could devote themselves fully to the law of

0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:27.160
<v Speaker 1>the Lord. When the people of Israel heard these requirements,

0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:31.440
<v Speaker 1>they responded generously by bringing the first share of their grain,

0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:35.560
<v Speaker 1>new wine, olive, oil, honey, and all the produce of

0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.520
<v Speaker 1>their fields. They brought a large quantity a tithe of

0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:42.880
<v Speaker 1>all they produced the people who had moved to Judah

0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.440
<v Speaker 1>from Israel, and the people of Judah themselves brought in

0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.360
<v Speaker 1>the tithes of their cattle, sheep, and goats, and a

0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.240
<v Speaker 1>tithe of the things that had been dedicated to the Lord,

0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:56.560
<v Speaker 1>their God, and they piled them up in great heaps.

0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:00.280
<v Speaker 1>They began piling them up in late spring, and the

0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:04.480
<v Speaker 1>heaps continued to grow until early autumn. When Hezekiah and

0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:08.160
<v Speaker 1>his officials came and saw these huge piles. They thanked

0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.960
<v Speaker 1>the Lord and his people Israel. Where did all this

0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:16.919
<v Speaker 1>come from? Hezekiah asked the priests and levites, and Azariah,

0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:20.680
<v Speaker 1>the high priest from the family of Zadok, replied, since

0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:23.720
<v Speaker 1>the people began bringing their gifts to the Lord's temple,

0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.680
<v Speaker 1>we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare.

0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.880
<v Speaker 1>The Lord has blessed his people, and all this is

0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:35.040
<v Speaker 1>left over. Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the

0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:38.239
<v Speaker 1>Temple of the Lord. When this was done, the people

0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:42.520
<v Speaker 1>faithfully brought all the gifts, tithes, and other items dedicated

0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:46.200
<v Speaker 1>for use in the temple. Conan Aiah the Levite was

0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:51.000
<v Speaker 1>put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimai. The supervisors

0:02:51.080 --> 0:03:02.440
<v Speaker 1>under them were Jaheel, Azaziah, nay Hath, Azahel, Jeremath, josephad Eliel, Ismakiah, Mayhath,

0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:08.920
<v Speaker 1>and Benaiah. These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah.

0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:13.519
<v Speaker 1>The chief official in the Temple of God, Kor son

0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:16.440
<v Speaker 1>of Imna, the Levite, who was the gatekeeper at the

0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.840
<v Speaker 1>east gate, was put in charge of distributing the voluntary

0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:23.280
<v Speaker 1>offerings given to God, the gifts and the things that

0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:27.200
<v Speaker 1>had been dedicated to the Lord. His faithful assistants were

0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:36.280
<v Speaker 1>eden Minniemin Jeshua, Shamaiah, Amariyah, and Shechaniah. They distributed the

0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:39.440
<v Speaker 1>gifts among the families of priests in their towns by

0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:43.920
<v Speaker 1>their divisions, dividing the gifts fairly among old and young alike.

0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.120
<v Speaker 1>They distributed the gifts to all males three years old

0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:52.160
<v Speaker 1>or older, regardless of their place in the genealogical records.

0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.440
<v Speaker 1>The distribution went to all who would come to the

0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.880
<v Speaker 1>Lord's temple to perform their daily duties according to their divisions.

0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.880
<v Speaker 1>They distributed gifts to the priests who were listed by

0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:07.920
<v Speaker 1>their families in the genealogical records, and to the levites

0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:10.720
<v Speaker 1>twenty years old or older, who were listed according to

0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:15.320
<v Speaker 1>their jobs and their divisions. Food allotments were also given

0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.320
<v Speaker 1>to the families of all those listed in the genealogical records,

0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:23.880
<v Speaker 1>including their little babies, wives, sons, and daughters, for they

0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:29.159
<v Speaker 1>had all been faithful in purifying themselves. As for the priests,

0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.960
<v Speaker 1>the descendants of Erin who were living in the open

0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:35.800
<v Speaker 1>villages around the towns, men were appointed by name to

0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:39.480
<v Speaker 1>distribute portions to every male among the priests and to

0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:44.600
<v Speaker 1>all the levites listed in the genealogical records. In this way,

0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:49.280
<v Speaker 1>King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what

0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:51.840
<v Speaker 1>was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord

0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:54.760
<v Speaker 1>his God. In all that he did in the service

0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.159
<v Speaker 1>of the Temple of God, and in his efforts to

0:04:57.200 --> 0:05:02.520
<v Speaker 1>follow God's laws and commands, Kiah sought his God wholeheartedly.

0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:10.400
<v Speaker 1>As a result, he was very successful. Let's pray. Lord,

0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.000
<v Speaker 1>we thank you for your word, and we thank you

0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:14.280
<v Speaker 1>for the privilege of being able to look at it

0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:17.520
<v Speaker 1>together today. And we thank you, Lord for the testimony

0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:20.920
<v Speaker 1>of Hezekiah's life, how he was intent on doing what

0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.920
<v Speaker 1>was pleasing and good in your sight, how he made

0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:27.360
<v Speaker 1>certain that the needs of the temple were met, and

0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:30.800
<v Speaker 1>how he sought to follow your laws and your commands

0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:36.440
<v Speaker 1>wholeheartedly as one who genuinely believed in you. And Lord,

0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:38.680
<v Speaker 1>we pray that that would be the kind of mindset

0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:42.400
<v Speaker 1>and attitude you would foster within us as well. Lord.

0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.080
<v Speaker 1>We're grateful that you have revealed to us our need

0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:49.280
<v Speaker 1>to trust in your son, Jesus Christ, and it's our desire, Lord,

0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:53.200
<v Speaker 1>to follow you wholeheartedly. But we know that the temptations

0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:56.440
<v Speaker 1>and the tugs of this world can have a very

0:05:56.480 --> 0:06:00.120
<v Speaker 1>strong influence on our heart. So we pray Lord, you

0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.359
<v Speaker 1>would keep us strong, that we would focus on you,

0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:05.880
<v Speaker 1>and that with our entire hearts we would worship you,

0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:09.000
<v Speaker 1>We would value what you value, and we would put

0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:12.239
<v Speaker 1>you first. Thank you, Lord for your presence with us today.

0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:14.600
<v Speaker 1>We commit this day to your care, and we pray

0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.880
<v Speaker 1>this all in Jesus' name. Amen.