Worship service 8/17/25.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints, beloved brethren, the called, faithful and chosen of the Lord. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied unto you through the love of the Father and the free gift of righteousness by the Son Jesus Christ. Inasmuch as by His Spirit He hath quickened us and made us alive according to His word, so we are reformed with new habits, and renewed with righteous inclinations, towards holiness and the sincere delight in the purity of God’s worship. Let us come before Him on this Sabbath day, offering our hearts in thanksgiving, and our spirits in joyful praise. Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy will on mine holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, to consecrate it, as glorious to the Lord, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor seeking thine own will, nor speaking a vain word, Then shalt thou delight in the Lord, and I will cause thee to mount upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Truly it should be counted for a delight and distinguished honor to worship the Lord, as He is holy and worthy of it, therefore let us lay aside all vain and worldly thoughts on this holy day, and take up the whole of it in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, even as we are commanded in His word. It will certainly be for our blessing and prosperity.
A Puritan minister writes, “Each Sabbath may be the last we shall ever keep; we may go from the place of hearing to the place of judging; and shall not we give reverend attention to the word? Did we think when we come into God’s house ‘Perhaps this will be the last time that ever God will counsel us about our souls, and before another sermon death’s alarm will sound in our ears; with what attention and devotion should we feel, and our affections would be all on fire in hearing!”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Eternal, immutable, and full of all glory justice and righteousness,
Merciful, compassionate, and faithful—The God who will by no means clear the guilty, Yet showing mercy to thousands that love thee with the whole heart and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly and sincerely, as those whom thou hast redeemed and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and into the marvellous light of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. According to thy word, we are bid and commanded to draw near to thee humbly, with a single heart and upright affections; and therefore we ask thee to grant it unto us, that it may be even so—Acknowledging that thou art incomprehensibly great, holy, and excellent, Glorious in power, fearful in praises, doing wonders. We are therefore careful to approach thy altar, knowing the severity of thy law, the holy requirements of the gospel, as well as our own vileness and unworthiness to draw so near unto thee.
We freely confess, O Lord, that apart from the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are justly denied entrance into thy glory, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. For we are guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Yet we believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, we boldly cry unto thee for the free gift of thy grace: For pardoning mercy to cover our iniquities, And sanctifying mercy to make us meet for thy presence. Hear our prayers, deliver us from all trouble, cleanse us, we pray, by the blood of Christ. Assist us by the power of thy Spirit. Defend us from all evil, Strengthen our faith, subdue the lusts of the flesh that swell within us, And enable us to perform this holy service, Not in our own strength, But in the virtue which thou dost supply of thine own free goodness. And now, O Lord, as we come to the reading of thy holy word, we pray for a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture, that it may be effectual to build up thy holy church, which thou hast called thy special possession, and thy little flock. Open our hearts to receive it with meekness; Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to worship thee by it; And may the same Spirit who spake unto the fathers, apostles and prophets, the reformers and Puritans, so guide our whole lives, That we may grow up in Him in all things, even He who is the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King. All this we ask in his most worthy name,
Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 26 [9] (Verse 6): 1 David oppressed with many injuries, finding no help in the world, calleth for aid from God: and assured of his integrity towards Saul, desireth God to be his judge, and to defend his innocence. 6 Finally he maketh mention of his sacrifice, which he will offer for his deliverance, and desireth to be in the company of the faithful in the Congregation of God, whence he was banished by Saul, promising integrity of life, and open praises and thanksgiving.
A Psalm of David.
1 Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:
7 That I may declare with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 O Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
10 In whose hands is wickedness, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
Exposition:
We saw previously the source of the Christian’s separation from the world: not personal irritation or malice, but practical integrity and moral necessity. The righteous withdraw, because they ever bear in mind that at the end of all days the wicked shall be severed from the just. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:31–32). Then shall the blessed be called to inherit the kingdom; and the cursed, to everlasting fire. Knowing this, we separate now from the ungodly in time, as we shall certainly be divided from them in eternity.
The world calls loneliness an acute misery, but the believer a moral necessity. Loneliness is indeed the bitter fruit of the Fall. For man, made noble and holy in the image of God, was created for communion. But sin has defiled him, robbed him of honour, and filled him with vain affections—pride, envy, violence, deceit, and every evil imagination. The sinner neither sees others as worthy of communion nor is himself fit for it. And being corrupted in soul, he invents new evils daily until his heart grows weary of life itself, as is just and meet. He forgets that his hatred of men is first hatred of God. For God hath said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” And what is done to man is reckoned before God. Sin against man is twice sin against God who ordained our society, so that conceited disharmony cannot be separated from blasphemy.
Therefore, as the wicked have cast off the law, so they are cast off from the communion of the saints. They are suspicious, selfish, unclean, proud, and unworthy of fellowship. But the Christian, being taught by grace, sees man not only as a sinner but also as a creature of God—created for God’s glory, and placed in the world for the good of society, especially for the training of the righteous. He performs all his service willingly towards men not because they are worthy, but because he himself is called to manifest the law of God in the world, and to leave men without excuse for their rebellion. “Let your light so shine.”
So then, David’s protest in this Psalm is ecclesiastical, not merely secular. It is aimed chiefly at false professors—hypocrites within the church who pervert doctrine, flatter the proud, and defile the worship of God with their heresy, idolatry and duplicity. These are they of whom the Lord said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Woe be to them whose hearts are far from God, for God is far from them. Far from them as friend, but very near as a destroyer!
Scripture often speaks of “the wicked,” and carnal men assume it appertains only to criminals or the irreligious. But it is not so. Often, it refers to those who are esteemed by men as righteous—teachers of religion, moralists, and philosophers—who in truth are enemies of the gospel. They do not rob purses, but they rob God of His glory. They do not stain their hands with blood, yet they destroy men’s souls by flattery and false doctrine. They say, “Free will and free grace are all one.” They plead pretended sincerity as the measure of worship, while overthrowing the truth. Therefore all who share David’s spirit say: “I will not sit with the wicked.” Paul writes, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” But these monsters live to please men. They cleverly mint flattering doctrines to gain praise from sinners. They build religious empires and elevated reputations- on the bones of the damned. Bewitched by their own delusions, they know not that they are blind; worse still, they make blind disciples after themselves—twofold more the children of hell than they. These are the wicked whom David abhors. Therefore he declares: “I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD.”
If our hands are to be clean, our company must be pure. No man can profess holiness whilst harbouring heretics in his habitation. Fellowship is not a matter of indifference: it declares allegiance; it manifests affections. Those who gladly hear heretics share in their hypocrisy (2 John 11). Those who flaunt fellowship with flatterers shall be flayed with them by the same fire. The judgment of God does not overlook our associations. Our friendships will either be our crown or our curse. The heretics we excused, the flatterers we embraced, the apostates we tolerated—they will rise to witness against us. Not voices in a choir, but vultures at the carcass; not friends at our defence, but Brutus with a dagger, opening so many new wounds, that, bloodied and bewildered we will look each one of them in the eyes as we are damned on their account saying, “and you?…and you? …and you?”
And so David says, “I will wash mine hands in innocency”—not by action only, but by association. For what fellowship hath light with darkness? What concord hath Christ with Belial?
Modern evangelicalism knows nothing of this. It is a religious empire built on impure mixture and sinful compromise. But the faith of Christ is grounded in precise truth. “Sanctify them through thy truth,” saith our Lord, “thy word is truth.” Again, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man.” Our doctrine will determine our association, for good unto everlasting life, or for ill unto everlasting contempt and damnation. David here joins them together: “I will wash my hands in innocency”—that is, I will cleanse my life and my fellowship—“so will I compass thine altar, O Lord.” That is that the altar of the Lord is holy. It is not to be defiled by dogs or swine.
Those who sit, eat, drink, and worship with the wicked will be damned with the wicked. The righteous delight not in their company, but are content to be lonely rather than lost. Better to walk alone toward heaven than with a crowd to hell. And is this not why so many choose the world’s way? Because they love the company of fools, blasphemers, and flatterers. Birds of a feather flock together; and these black crows flock to their own everlasting cursing. Therefore, being free from this corrupting company, David says his hands shall be clean; for it is our duty before God to honour Him in all things—in how we exercise faith and in how we choose friends. Moreover he continues, showing the manner in which he will compass God’s altar—thereby proving, first, that he speaks chiefly of religious company (he will not join hands with heretics), and secondly, that all our choices—waking or sleeping—lie under the Lord’s scrutiny. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chr. 16:9). And again, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto his eyes with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).
Therefore, as we shall be judged by our actions and our associations, let us depart from all iniquitous mortals who would draw us into perdition. The Lord’s eyes still run to and fro—searching hearts that seek Him, and noting those who depart to serve the appetites of sinners. If the LORD be our God, then our companions shall be of His choosing: few in number, despised by the world, yet faithful to His Word and precious in His sight. If precious to Him, let them be precious to us. Eschew the fellowship of heretics and heathen; cleave to the congregation of the Lord.
For we are called—holy, faithful, and chosen. Let us then live even as we are named.
John Calvin,
I will wash my hands in purity. Referring, in these words, to the ordinary use of the sacrifices, he makes a distinction between himself and those who professed to offer the same divine worship, and thrust themselves forward in the services of the sanctuary, as if they alone had the sole right to perform them. As David, therefore, and these hypocrites were one in this respect, that they entered the sanctuary, and surrounded the sacred altar together, he proceeds to show that he was a true worshipper, declaring, that he not only diligently attended to the external rites, but came to worship God with unfeigned devotion. It is obvious that he alludes to the solemn rite of washing which was practiced under the law. He, accordingly, reproves the gross superstition of hypocrites, who in seeking only the purification of water, neglected true purification; whereas it was God’s design, in the appointment of the outward sign, to put men in mind of their inward pollution, and thus to encourage them to repentance. The outward washing alone, instead of profiting hypocrites, kept them at a greater distance from God. When the Psalmist, therefore, says, I will wash my hands in innocence, he intimates that they only gather more pollution and filth by their washings. The Hebrew word נקיון, nikkayon, signifies the cleanness of any thing, and is figuratively used for innocence. We thus see, that as hypocrites derive no moral purity whatever from their washings, David mocks at the labor with which they vainly toil and torment themselves in such rites. However high, therefore, the wicked may be exalted in the Church, and though crowds of them should fill our sanctuaries, let us, after the example of David, celebrate the outward profession of our faith in such a manner as not deceitfully to substitute its external rites in the room of true devotion. Thus shall we be pure and free from all stain of wickedness. Moreover, as the people were not permitted to touch the altar, David uses the word encompass.
Opening Prayer.
Our glorious and gracious Father in heaven,
The God of justice and of all righteousness,
The Creator of the heavens and the earth, the King of the Ages, and the Judge of all men:
Thou hast surely reserved a day when all shall be judged by thee;
When every hidden thing shall be brought to light,
When every secret thing shall be revealed,
When all righteousness shall be rewarded, and all sin and iniquity brought to the balance.
Inasmuch as no man living can be justified in thy sight, be thou justice for us, O Lord.
Be our God, and save us from our sin, that we perish not in that day.
Clothe us in thine own purity, and wash us by thine own Spirit;
That we may compass thine altar in innocency,
And wash our hands in holiness, even as thy word commandeth.
Preserve us pure for thine own worship, O Lord,
For there are many vain and foolish things in this world that would steal our affections
And draw our hearts away from singlehearted service unto thee.
Work in us that which is right and acceptable,
That we might ever serve thee in sincerity and godly fear.
Prepare us for the last day, and preserve us from all evil,
For the whole world lieth in wickedness, and the path of sinners is exceeding broad that leadeth unto destruction.
But cause us by grace to walk in the narrow way of righteousness,
That our portion may not be with the wicked,
But with the congregation of the righteous, in whom thou delightest.
Let us delight also in them for thy sake.
Hear us, O Lord, for we pray in the name of Jesus Christ—
Our Governor, our Captain, our Mediator,
Who shall judge the world in righteousness,
And present his people faultless before the presence of thy glory with exceeding joy.
Amen.
Lesson 46. [1.2.21.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Histories: 2 Chronicles. Part 4.
Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,
Genesis- 1 Chronicles…2 Chronicles
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
John Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the church. (1543):
As yet, I have only alluded to this in passing, but by-and-by I will unfold it more clearly.
I come now to those things which I have likened to the body: that is, government and the dispensation of the sacraments, of which, when the doctrine is subverted, the power and utility are gone, although the external form should be faultless. What, then, if there was no soundness in them externally or internally? And it is not difficult to demonstrate that this was the fact.
First, in regard to the sacraments, ceremonies devised by men were placed in the same rank with the mysteries instituted by Christ. For seven sacraments were received without any distinction, though Christ appointed two only, the others resting merely on human authority. Yet to these the grace of God was held to be annexed, just as much as if Christ had been present in them. Moreover, the two which Christ instituted were fearfully corrupted. Baptism was so disguised by superfluous additions, that scarcely a vestige of pure and genuine baptism could be traced; while the holy supper was not only corrupted by extraneous observances, but its very form was altogether changed.
What Christ commanded to be done, and in what order, is perfectly clear. But in contempt of his command, a theatrical exhibition was got up, and substituted for the supper. For what resemblance is there between the mass and the true supper of our Lord? While the command of Christ enjoins believers to communicate with each other in the sacred symbols of his body and blood, the thing seen at mass ought more properly to be termed excommunion. For the priest separates himself from the rest of the assembly, and devours apart that which ought to have been brought forward into the midst and distributed. Then, as if he were some successor of Aaron, he pretends that he offers a sacrifice to expiate the sins of the people.
But where does Christ once mention sacrifice? He bids us take, eat, and drink. Who authorizes men to convert taking into offering? And what is the effect of the change but to make the perpetual and inviolable edict of Christ yield to their devices?
This is, indeed, a grievous evil. But still worse is the superstition which applies this work to the living and the dead, as a procuring cause of grace. In this way the efficacy of Christ’s death has been transferred to a vain theatrical show, and the dignity of an eternal priesthood wrested from him to be bestowed upon men.
If, at any time, the people are called to communion, they are admitted only to half a share. Why should this be? Christ holds forth the cup to all, and bids all drink of it. In opposition to this, men interdict the assembly of the faithful from touching the cup. Thus the signs, which by the authority of Christ were connected by an indissoluble tie, are separated by human caprice. Besides, the consecration, both of baptism and of the mass, differs in no respect whatever from magical incantations. For by breathings and whisperings, and unintelligible sounds, they think they work mysteries. As if it had been the wish of Christ, that in the performance of religious rites his word should be mumbled over, and not rather pronounced in a clear voice. There is no obscurity in the words by which the gospel expresses the power, nature, and use of baptism. Then, in the supper, Christ does not mutter over the bread, but addresses the apostles in distinct terms, when he announces the promise and subjoins the command, “This do in remembrance of me.” Instead of this public commemoration, they whisper out secret exorcisms, fitter (as I have observed), for magical arts than sacraments.
The first thing we complain of here is, that the people are entertained with showy ceremonies, while not a word is said of their significance and truth. For there is no use in the sacraments unless the thing which the sign visibly represents is explained in accordance with the word of God. Therefore, when the people are presented with nothing but empty figures, with which to feed the eye, while they hear no doctrine which might direct them to the proper end, they look no farther than the external act. Hence that most pestilential superstition, under which, as if the sacraments alone were sufficient for salvation, without feeling any solicitude about faith or repentance, or even Christ himself, they fasten upon the sign instead of the thing signified by it. And, indeed, not only among the rude vulgar, but in the schools also, the impious dogma everywhere obtained, that the sacraments were effectual by themselves, if not obstructed in their operation by mortal sin; as if the sacraments had been given for any other end or use than to lead us by the hand to Christ.
Then, in addition to this, after consecrating the bread by a perverse incantation, rather than a pious rite, they keep it in a little box, and occasionally carry it about in solemn state, that it may be adored and prayed to instead of Christ. Accordingly, when any danger presses, they flee to that bread as their only protection, use it as a charm against all accidents, and, in asking pardon of God, employ it as the best expiation; as if Christ, when he gave us his body in the sacrament, had meant that it should be prostituted to all sorts of absurdity. For what is the amount of the promise? Simply this that as often as we received the sacrament, we should be partakers of his body and blood. “Take,” says he, “eat and drink; this is my body, this is my blood. This do in remembrance of me.” Do we not see that the promise is on either side enclosed by limits within which we must confine ourselves if we would secure what it offers? Those, therefore, are deceived who imagine that, apart from the legitimate use of the sacrament, they have anything but common and unconsecrated bread.
Then, again, there is a profanation common to all these religious rites: that is, that they are made the subjects of a disgraceful traffic, as if they had been instituted for no other purpose than to be subservient to gain. Nor is this traffic conducted secretly or bashfully; it is plied openly, as at the public mart. It is known in each particular district how much a mass sells for. Other rites, too, have their fixed prices. In short, any one who considers must see that churches are just ordinary shops, and that there is no kind of sacred rite which is not there exposed for sale.
Were I to go over the faults of ecclesiastical government in detail, I should never have done. I will, therefore, only point to some of the grosser sort, which cannot be disguised.
Lesson. The Contents of 2 Chronicles.
IX. Chapter 17 — Jehoshaphat’s teaching reformation.
a. Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel, placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken (2 Chr. 17:1–2).
b. “His heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD”: he removed the high places and groves out of Judah (17:6).
c. In the third year of his reign he sent to his princes—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel, Michaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, Tobadonijah—and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram (17:7–8).
d. “And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people” (17:9).
e. “And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms… so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat”; the Philistines brought presents and tribute silver; the Arabians brought flocks (17:10–11).
f. Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; he built in Judah castles and cities of store, with mighty men of war set by courses (17:12–19).
X. Chapter 18 — The snare of ungodly alliance.
a. “Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab” (2 Chr. 18:1). He went down to Samaria; Ahab persuaded him to go up to Ramoth-gilead (18:2–3).
b. Four hundred prophets said, “Go up”; Micaiah the son of Imla, being sent for, foretells destruction: “I saw all Israel scattered… as sheep that have no shepherd,” and declared the LORD’s counsel against Ahab (18:4–22).
c. Zedekiah smites Micaiah; Micaiah is put in prison, yet the word which came by the Lord stands(18:23–27).
d. Ahab disguises himself; but Jehoshaphat wears his robes. When the Syrians compassed about Jehoshaphat, “he cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.” A certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel; Ahab died at even (18:28–34).
e. Jehoshaphat returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem, to be reproved for this alliance in the next chapter (19:1–2).
XI. Chapter 19 — Judicial reformation.
a. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet Jehoshaphat and said, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee…” (2 Chr. 19:2–3).
b. Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem, “and he went out again through the people… and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers” (19:4).
c. He set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities, and charged them, “Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment… there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (19:5–7).
d. In Jerusalem he set of the Levites, priests, and chief of the fathers for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies; “in all matters of the LORD” Amariah the chief priest was over them, “and for all the king’s matters” Zebadiah the ruler of the house of Judah; the Levites were officers (19:8–11).
e. Final charge: “Deal courageously, and the LORD shall be with the good” (19:11).
XII. Chapter 20 — Prayer, fasting, and deliverance.
a. The children of Moab, Ammon, and with them others (of Mount Seir) came against Jehoshaphat; he feared, set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah (2 Chr. 20:1–4).
b. Jehoshaphat prayed, pleading covenant mercies, the sanctuary, and promise: “O our God… we have no might against this great company… neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (20:5–12).
c. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the Levite: “Be not afraid… for the battle is not yours, but God’s… Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (20:14–17).
d. The Levites stood up to praise the LORD “with a loud voice on high”; singers went before the army saying, “Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever” (20:19–21).
e. The LORD set ambushments; the enemies destroyed one another. Judah found “dead bodies fallen to the earth”; they were three days in gathering the spoil, it was so much (20:22–26).
f. “The fear of God was on all the kingdoms” and God gave Jehoshaphat rest round about (20:29–30). After this he joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel to make ships; Eliezer prophesied, “Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works.” The ships were broken (20:35–37).
XIII. Chapter 21 — Jehoram’s apostasy and judgment.
a. Jehoram, having strengthened himself, slew all his brethren with the sword; he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, “for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife,” and wrought that which was evil; he made high places and caused Judah to commit fornication (2 Chr. 21:1–6, 11).
b. The LORD would not destroy the house of David, “because of the covenant… to give a light to him and to his sons for ever” (21:7).
c. Edom revolted; Libnah revolted; Jehoram made high places in the mountains of Judah (21:8–11).
d. There came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, pronouncing plague on his people and a sore disease in his bowels “because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat… but… hast slain thy brethren… which were better than thyself” (21:12–15).
e. The LORD stirred up the Philistines and Arabians; they carried away substance from the king’s house and his sons, “so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz” (21:16–17).
f. After two years of an incurable disease of the bowels, “his bowels fell out,” and he died of sore diseases; “his people made no burning for him,” and “he departed without being desired”; he was buried in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings (21:18–20).
XIV. Chapter 22 — Ahaziah and Athaliah.
a. The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king; he also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, “for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly” (2 Chr. 22:1–4).
b. He went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael; God allowed Ahaziah’s overthrow by Jehu: Jehu slew the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brethren and slew them; Ahaziah was taken and put to death (22:5–9).
c. When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah (22:10).
d. Jehoshabeath (Jehoshabeath/Jeho-shabeath), the king’s daughter and wife to Jehoiada the priest, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain; she hid him and his nurse in the bedchamber. He was hid in the house of God six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land (22:11–12).
e. Thus the lawful heir was preserved in the temple under priestly care until the time appointed (to be revealed in ch. 23).
XV. Chapter 23 — Jehoiada’s covenant restoration.
a. Jehoiada strengthened himself and made a covenant with the captains of hundreds in the house of God: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri (2 Chr. 23:1).
b. They went about Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and came to Jerusalem; and all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God (23:2–3).
c. Jehoiada brought forth the king’s son (Joash), set watches, crowned him, gave him the testimony, and anointed him; the people said, “God save the king” (23:3, 11).
d. Athaliah, hearing the noise, came into the house of the LORD, cried “Treason,” and by Jehoiada’s command was brought forth by the way of the horses’ gate and slain (23:12–15).
e. Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the LORD’s people; they brake down the house of Baal, his altars and images, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal (23:16–17).
f. Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests and Levites, set porters at the gates, brought the king down to the king’s house, and all the people of the land rejoiced; the city was quiet after they had slain Athaliah (23:18–21).
XVI. Chapter 24 — Joash’s repair and relapse.
a. Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest; he purposed to repair the house of the LORD, set a chest at the gate, and the workmen restored the house to its state and strengthened it (24:2, 4–14).
b. Jehoiada died, being full of days, an hundred and thirty years; after his death the princes of Judah made obeisance to the king, and he hearkened unto them; they left the house of the LORD and served groves and idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem (24:15–18).
c. Prophets were sent to bring them again unto the LORD, but they would not give ear; “Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.”And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings. And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess. Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.” v17-25.
d. At the end of the year the host of Syria came with a small company; the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand because Judah had forsaken Him. They destroyed all the princes, sent the spoil to Damascus, and left Joash sore diseased (24:23–25a).
e. Joash’s own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada and slew him on his bed; he was buried in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings (24:25b–27).
XVII. Chapter 25 — Amaziah’s mixed obedience.
a. Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart; he executed the servants that had slain the king his father, but he slew not their children, according to what is written in the law of Moses (25:1–4).
b. He mustered Judah and Benjamin and hired an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver; a man of God told him to send the army of Israel back, “for the LORD is not with Israel.” Amaziah obeyed; the men of Ephraim were wroth and fell upon the cities of Judah (25:5–10, 13).
c. Amaziah smote the Edomites in the valley of salt, ten thousand, and took Selah by war; afterward he brought the gods of the children of Seir, set them up to be his gods, bowed down, and burned incense unto them (25:11–14).
d. A prophet rebuked him; the king said, “Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten?” The prophet answered, “I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel” (25:15–16).
e. Amaziah challenged Joash king of Israel; at Beth-shemesh Judah was put to the worse; Jerusalem’s wall was broken, the treasures of the house of God and the king’s house were taken, and hostages carried to Samaria (25:17–24).
f. After the turning away of Amaziah from following the LORD, a conspiracy arose against him in Jerusalem; he fled to Lachish, but they sent after him and slew him there (25:27).
XVIII. Chapter 26 — Uzziah’s rise and fall.
a. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign; he sought God in the days of Zechariah (who had understanding in the visions of God), and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper (26:1, 5).
b. He warred against the Philistines, and Ashdod; built cities, towers at Jerusalem and in the desert; loved husbandry; and had a host with engines invented by cunning men to be on the towers and bulwarks (26:6–15).
c. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; he went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense (26:16).
d. Azariah the priest, with fourscore priests of the LORD, withstood Uzziah: “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense… go out of the sanctuary.” While he was wroth, leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD (26:17–19).
e. They thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, dwelling in a several house, cut off from the house of the LORD, and Jotham his son was over the king’s house (26:20–21).
f. Uzziah slept with his fathers; they buried him in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper” (26:22–23).
XIX. Chapter 27 — Jotham’s steady piety.
a. Jotham reigned sixteen years; he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD, and the people did yet corruptly (27:1–2).
b. He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much; moreover he built cities, castles, and towers (27:3–4).
c. He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed; the Ammonites gave him an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley, for three years (27:5).
d. So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God (27:6).
e. He slept with his fathers; they buried him in the city of David; Ahaz his son reigned in his stead (27:7–9).
XX. Chapter 28 — Ahaz’s abominations.
a. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years; he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, made molten images for Baalim, burnt his children in the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places and under every green tree (28:1–4).
b. The LORD delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; they carried away a great multitude to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel; Pekah slew a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, and took two hundred thousand captives, women, sons, and daughters, with much spoil, to Samaria (28:5–8).
c. The prophet Oded went out before the host that came to Samaria and reproved them; certain chiefs of Ephraim rose up against bringing the captives in. The men appointed took the captives, clothed all that were naked, gave them to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, to their brethren (28:9–15).
d. Edom smote Judah and carried away captives; the Philistines also invaded the cities of the low country. Ahaz sent unto the kings of Assyria to help him, but Tiglath-pileser distressed him and strengthened him not (28:16–21).
e. In the time of his distress he trespassed yet more against the LORD; he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, made altars in every corner of Jerusalem, and in every several city of Judah made high places to burn incense unto other gods (28:22–25).
f. Ahaz slept with his fathers; they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings (28:26–27).
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Our gracious and merciful Father,
God of all compassion and consolation,
The Lord who brought thy people out from the house of bondage,
Who overthrew Pharaoh and his captains in the Red Sea,
Who broke the chariots of Egypt and cast the rider into the deep,
So that they sank as lead in the mighty waters and rose no more (Exodus 15:4–5).
Thou art He who smotest kings and overthrew mighty nations,
For thy mercy endureth forever (Psalm 136:10–20).
O Shepherd of Israel, who led Jacob like a flock,
Be not silent in this our wilderness, for there is none to help.
The godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men (Psalm 12:1).
Thy people who are called by thy name cry out to thee daily, How long, O Lord?
How long shall the adversary reproach?
Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name forever? (Psalm 74:10)
They tear down thy holy ordinances,
They profane thy sanctuary and wrest thy word and judgments.
They scoff at thy holy doctrine and reject thy ministers who are sent by thee.
The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken:
Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them? (Jeremiah 8:9)
They say, “We are wise,” but thou hast said, “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).
Teach us to fear thee, O Lord, before the day of darkness come,
A day not of light, but of thick darkness,
As when a man fleeth from a lion and a bear meeteth him,
Or entereth his house and leaneth on the wall, and a serpent biteth him (Amos 5:18–19). Yea, there shall be no escape for the wicked in that day.
But thou, O Lord, hast been our hiding place in all generations (Psalm 90:1).
Be thou now our refuge again. Be the escape of thy people.
Redeem us, O God of our salvation, for thy great name’s sake.
Deliver us from the wrath to come and remember thy covenant, for we are thine—we call upon thy name in truth.
Remember us, not for our merit, but for the sake of Him who is our Advocate and Surety. Jesus Christ, thy dear Son, Our Prophet, Priest, and King—Our Mediator, Advocate, and only Redeemer. Our help and our Salvation.
In His holy and most precious name we pray,
Amen.
Fearless Puritan: 