Pastor: The Leadership Trap That Destroyed King Zedekiah (And How to Avoid It)

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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch31" data-usfm="2CH.31">
 <div class="label">31</div><div class="p"> 1When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.</div><div class="s1">Contributions for Worship</div><div class="p"> 2Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions&#8212;each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites&#8212;to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord&#8217;s dwelling. 3The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the Lord. 4He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. 5As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps. 7They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month. 8When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel.</div><div class="p"> 9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; 10and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok, answered, &#8220;Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord, and this was done. 12Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Konaniah, a Levite, was the overseer in charge of these things, and his brother Shimei was next in rank. 13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were assistants of Konaniah and Shimei his brother. All these served by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah the official in charge of the temple of God.</div><div class="p"> 14Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the Lord and also the consecrated gifts. 15Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns of the priests, distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and young alike.</div><div class="p"> 16In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records&#8212;all who would enter the temple of the Lord to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. 17And they distributed to the priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. 18They included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.</div><div class="p"> 19As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farm lands around their towns or in any other towns, men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of the Levites.</div><div class="p"> 20This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 21In everything that he undertook in the service of God&#8217;s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkDAN">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="DAN.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="nb"> 1And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)</div><div class="s1">The Kings of the South and the North</div><div class="p"> 2&#8220;Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.</div><div class="p"> 5&#8220;The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power#11:6 Or offspring will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father#11:6 Or child (see Vulgate and Syriac) and the one who supported her.</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans#11:17 Or but she will not succeed or help him. 18Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. 19After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses&#8212;but only for a time.</div><div class="p"> 25&#8220;With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26Those who eat from the king&#8217;s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.</div><div class="p"> 29&#8220;At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.</div><div class="p"> 31&#8220;His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.</div><div class="p"> 33&#8220;Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.</div><div class="s1">The King Who Exalts Himself</div><div class="p"> 36&#8220;The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.#11:39 Or land for a reward</div><div class="p"> 40&#8220;At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites#11:43 That is, people from the upper Nile region in submission. 44But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at#11:45 Or the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="ACT.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">Peter Explains His Actions</div><div class="p"> 1The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, &#8220;You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5&#8220;I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7Then I heard a voice telling me, &#8216;Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;I replied, &#8216;Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;The voice spoke from heaven a second time, &#8216;Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.&#8217; 10This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man&#8217;s house. 13He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, &#8216;Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 15&#8220;As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: &#8216;John baptized with#11:16 Or in water, but you will be baptized with#11:16 Or in the Holy Spirit.&#8217; 17So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God&#8217;s way?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, &#8220;So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Church in Antioch</div><div class="p"> 19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord&#8217;s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 22News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.</div><div class="p"> 27During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="ACT.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Peter&#8217;s Miraculous Escape From Prison</div><div class="p"> 1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.</div><div class="p"> 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.</div><div class="p"> 6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. &#8220;Quick, get up!&#8221; he said, and the chains fell off Peter&#8217;s wrists.</div><div class="p"> 8Then the angel said to him, &#8220;Put on your clothes and sandals.&#8221; And Peter did so. &#8220;Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,&#8221; the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.</div><div class="p"> 11Then Peter came to himself and said, &#8220;Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod&#8217;s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When she recognized Peter&#8217;s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, &#8220;Peter is at the door!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15&#8220;You&#8217;re out of your mind,&#8221; they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, &#8220;It must be his angel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. &#8220;Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,&#8221; he said, and then he left for another place.</div><div class="p"> 18In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.</div><div class="s1">Herod&#8217;s Death</div><div class="p">Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king&#8217;s country for their food supply.</div><div class="p"> 21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22They shouted, &#8220;This is the voice of a god, not of a man.&#8221; 23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.</div><div class="p"> 24But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.</div><div class="s1">Barnabas and Saul Sent Off</div><div class="p"> 25When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from#12:25 Some manuscripts to Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.</div>
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