BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

The chronicler does not sugarcoat Judah’s kings. He records the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today’s reading covers four turbulent generations in David’s line, with both successes and failures offering valuable lessons for future generations of God’s people.

From Hezekiah, we learn that a life of faithfulness requires trust in Yahweh from start to finish. Hezekiah starts well, but when the fields around Jerusalem teem with cattle instead of Assyrian siege engines, Hezekiah begins to trust his overflowing treasuries instead of Yahweh.

When illness tests the king’s faith and ominous Babylonian diplomats visit town, Hezekiah stumbles further into the misguided belief that material wealth provides security now and hope for the future.

From King Manasseh, we learn that no matter how far a person strays, it’s never too late to course correct. Idolatry, witchcraft, child sacrifice, temple desecration—if the Torah banned it, Manasseh did it. We know from the book of Kings that Manasseh’s ruinous evil was the last straw for the Southern Kingdom. He brought it to utter destruction. But Chronicles adds a hopeful epilogue to his tragic story. Near the end of his life, Manasseh humbles himself before Yahweh and does his best to get the nation back on track.

With King Amon, Manasseh’s son, we see Yahweh refusing to allow evil a permanent foothold. He exposes and eradicates it. Amon starts his reign with idolatry and injustice. Unlike his father, he refuses to change. Amon follows the road to ruin.

Amon’s son, King Josiah, brings an unexpected, bright twist. Just a teenager, Josiah finds a Torah scroll during temple renovations. He gathers everyone at the temple to read the entire scroll aloud, then guides the whole Southern Kingdom to repentance.

We learn something in Josiah’s story about the restorative power of God’s instruction. This good story unfolds against a dark backdrop. Disaster is coming; Josiah knows it, and so do we. But there’s still time for one more generation to choose life.

Reflection Questions

• Compare 2 Chronicles 32:24-31 to 2 Kings 20. What similarities and differences do you notice? What does each scroll emphasize in the story of Hezekiah’s failure of faith later in life?
• While the chronicler uses the history of Judah’s kings as a series of character studies, we can also study the character of God in these stories. How might today’s reading help you understand what it looks like for Yahweh to be “a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal love and faithfulness” and who “maintains loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, yet he won’t declare innocent the guilty” (Exod. 34:6-7)?