November 29, 2025

Jehoshaphat handed the kingdom to his firstborn son, Jehoram, before he died. He had other sons who would have been a better choice because they were holier than he was, but he gave them cities, silver, and gold for their inheritance. However, after Jehoshaphat passed away, Jehoram killed all his brothers. He was probably protecting his throne so none of them would try to overtake him. Jehoram was not a good king like his father, Jehoshaphat, and his grandfather, Asa, and the people didn’t like him. It makes perfect sense that he turned out the way he did since he was married to Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah. Elijah had passed a letter on to him before he was translated into heaven, telling him that all his family would be killed, his people would die of disease, the goods in his house would be taken away, and he would die because disease would cause his bowels to fall out. Everything Elijah told him came true. He reigned for only eight years. God saved one of his sons to keep the Davidic line reigning over the kingdom. Given that information, we know now that Ahab and Jezebel were in the lineage of Jesus through Athaliah and Jehoram. Jesus is the prime example of how you can overcome your lineage. 

The lesson is not to allow fear to overtake you to the point that you undermine your own life. Relax and let God handle the details so you can live in peace knowing that nothing happens unless God allows it. Could fear have been the issue with Jehoram’s bowel health? It’s possible; that’s why we need to let it go and trust God.

And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. 2 Chronicles 21:15

November 28, 2025

Hanani the seer made sure Jehoshaphat knew that God wasn’t pleased with him for dealing with the ungodly Ahab, who had set himself against Him. Here’s what he said to him:

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. 2 Chronicles 19:2

Yes, we are to love our neighbors, and those who hate us, but are we to love those who hate God? Even David set himself apart from those who hated God. You have to think hard about this one. Can “Christian,” who hates you, even love God? My thoughts are that we should keep them at a distance and have no dealings with them because it seems that they are a “Christian” in name only, and there is no true love there. This situation may be one of those instances where we must rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit; we don’t want to cross the line and face rebuke for dealing with someone who hates God like Ahab. 

Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? Psalms 139:21

Even though Jehoshaphat aligned himself with the ungodly king, Ahab, He commended him for the good he had done for Judah. God was pleased with how he tried to set the people in the right direction and bring them back to Him by removing the groves (the Phoenician goddess Astarte) from the land.

November 27, 2025

We must be careful with whom we align ourselves. Jehoshaphat made an agreement with Ahab for his son Joram to marry Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah. He must have thought that his son should marry a king’s daughter, even though Ahab was not a son of David and was a usurper to the throne. Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to help him go to war to recover Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. They inquired of the fake prophets of Ahab, but Jehoshaphat wanted him to ask one of the Lord’s prophets; however, Ahab hated him because he never prophesied good for him. He was right, because when you are bad, you only get dire prophecies. The Lord’s prophet, Micaiah, in so many words, told him he would die in battle. Ahab put him in prison.  Ahab devised a plan: he would dress as a soldier, while Jehoshaphat would wear kingly robes. Jehoshaphat should have been suspicious of a plan coming from Ahab since he was a good-for-nothing scoundrel, but he wasn’t, and when the Syrian king sent his men to kill King Ahab, they thought Jehoshaphat was him. Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord, and He saved him. However, the Syrians did kill Ahab, and the prophet Micaiah’s prediction came true. 

We must be careful. There are scoundrels out there hoping to take advantage of our godly nature; we must always be aware of the character of those we deal with and use our best judgment when we align with others. Remember, just because someone calls themselves a Christian doesn’t mean they are holy. They may be the devil in disguise. Pray and listen to the Holy Spirit, especially when he gives you a check in your spirit about someone’s intentions. God admonished Jehoshaphat for aligning with such a scoundrel. 

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle. 2 Chronicles18:29

November 26, 2025

After King Asa’s death, Jehoshaphat, his son, began to reign. At that time, Ahab reigned in Israel; if you remember anything about Ahab and his wife Jezebel, you know they were awful. So Jehoshaphat increased his army to over a million soldiers and began fortifying the cities against Israel. Seeing this, Ahab allied with Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat tore down all the high places and groves where the people worshipped their fake gods. The people loved him, brought him gifts, and he increased in wealth. He built castles and storehouses throughout the land. The more his wealth increased, the more grateful he was to God. He loved the Lord and didn’t worship any other gods, but because his people were ignorant of the truth about God, three years into his reign, he sent princes, Levites, teachers, and priests to teach the people the law of the Lord. Up to this point in the story, there was peace in the land of Judah. 

When we set our minds to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, worshiping only Him, the one thing we can count on is inner peace. Jesus is the key to our peace, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us in the right direction. Your household is your kingdom; start there, and God will increase your kingdom.  

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 2 Chronicles 17:3-4

November 25, 2025

Baasha, king of Israel, the northern kingdom, decided to rebuild the city of Ramah to control King Asa, from the southern kingdom, and keep him from coming and going as he pleased. King Asa, forgetting what God had done to help him win against Ethiopia, consulted with the king of Syria, King Benhadad, sending him gifts from the temple and from the king’s house to encourage him to help. Benhadad went to war with Israel and smote some of the territories. When King Baasha heard what had happened, he stopped building Ramah, and Judah went in and carried away all the building materials they were using. God wasn’t happy about what Asa did without consulting Him and sent the seer, Hanani, to admonish him for what he did. Asa got mad about his chastisement and put Hanani in prison. If ever there was an example of the saying, “don’t shoot the messenger,” this was it! We need to make sure we express our anger only to the appropriate person; in this case, he should have been mad at himself and become remorseful. A few years later, he began to suffer from a disease in his feet, but still didn’t consult God for healing. Instead, he relied on those considered doctors. He died a couple of years later. 

Don’t forget that God is your source for everything. We must rely on Him. Consult Him before every decision you make, whether it is about a business deal or about your health. Allow Him to guide your actions. He is very jealous and wants all of your attention, so make sure you never leave Him out.

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. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 2 Chronicles 16:9

November 24, 2025

After Abijah’s death, his son Asa became king. Asa started well and did what was right in the eyes of God, and encouraged the people to return to God. He destroyed all the altars, high places, idols, and groves, then persuaded them to follow the commandments. It was quiet for ten years under his watch, so they began building cities and fortifications. His army in both Judah and Benjamin was solid, and their use of weapons was complementary. They had peace until Ethiopia decided to cause them trouble. However, Ethiopia didn’t factor in Asa’s closeness to God, and even with an army many times bigger than Asa’s, they were overtaken and plundered. That day, God increased the herds of cattle and sheep for the people of Judah.

This story is a good lesson for us not to be idle during times of peace in our household. Find something to do; don’t waste your day away just because you think everything is under control. Shore up your relationship with God because you never know when the enemy will strike; send them running because your relationship with the Almighty is solid. Remember, He will fight for you; you only need to be still.. 

So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. 2 Chronicles 14:12

November 23, 2025

Abijah is now the King of Judah; he was the son of Rehoboam, the grandson, or possibly the great-grandson, of Absalom, King David’s son, who had amazing hair that led to his death. That’s not the point of 2 Chronicles 13, but I thought it was a good tidbit of information to help keep track of the lineage. Abijah tried to restore the ten tribes to the authority of the line of David, but King Jeroboam disagreed. Abijah continued to acknowledge God and continue the daily ritual of sacrifice to Him, but Jeroboam and the people of Israel, the ten tribes that left, worshipped the golden calf that Jeroboam had made for them to worship. Abijah told them that God was on his side. A battle ensued, with Abijah having 400,000 men of valor and Jeroboam having 800,000 soldiers. Jeroboam ambushed the soldiers of Abijah’s army, but the priests sounded the trumpets, and the men of Judah shouted unto God. Israel fled, and God delivered them into the hands of Judah; it was a slaughter. Judah won because God was on their side. Jeroboam was weakened that day and never recovered; he died a few years later.  

We all face battles, but if you want to win, you had best proclaim God as your strength. There might be an order to procuring the victory: tell your enemy that God is on your side, and when you appear to be losing, cry for God to intervene, and don’t ever leave God out; make Him the reason for your confidence. It worked for Abijah; it certainly couldn’t hurt to use his strategy. The point is never to go it alone; God is for you, so who could be against you?

Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 13:18 

November 22, 2025

Of course, Rehoboam forsook the Lord. Did we expect anything different? He was only 24 years old when he began his reign. Could you imagine a person that young running our country? He sowed his oats and paid the price because God sent a massive army from Egypt to teach a lesson. Egypt robbed them of all the treasures in the temple and the king’s house. Rehoboam’s fortifications didn’t hold. According to the marginal notes in Matthew Henry’s Bible, those who didn’t waver in their commitment to God prospered during this time of calamity in their country. Rehoboam repented and turned back to God, and God lifted His hand of wrath from upon them. Rehoboam died at the age of 41. There are several things we can learn from what happened here in 2 Chronicles 12. 

1. God doesn’t leave you until you turn away from him. Always keep your eyes on Him.
2. If you fall but turn back to Him, realize and acknowledge that He was justified in His actions against you. It is to our advantage to admit that God was right in His rebuke.
3. This lesson is my favorite: Those who maintain their commitment to God during times of trouble and wrath will prosper during those times.

Don’t worry about what is going on in the country; stay the course, and at no point turn your back on God. Remain faithful, and you too will prosper during times of trouble. 

And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14

November 21, 2025

Though I felt sorry for Jeroboam because Rehoboam caused the kingdom to split into the northern and southern kingdoms, I’m now angry with Jeroboam. (Refer to 2 Chronicles 10.) When the land was sectioned off back in the time of Joshua, each tribe was required to give a portion of land to the Levites, who were the priests of the temple and were to provide them with all the necessities, as they were not allotted any land; they were to find their sustenance in God. What were the priests of the northern kingdom to do now that they were separated from the temple at Jerusalem? Jeroboam had set up calves and idols to the devils, and wouldn’t allow the Levite priest to continue in their assigned duty at the temple. So they left their homes and went to Jerusalem to be near the temple, so that they could continue their duty to God. They left the comfort of their homes and all their possessions because it was more important to be free to serve God and even face the possibility of becoming poor than to stay where they were no longer allowed to do their duty to God. They left all they had in pursuit of God. 

What are you hanging onto that prevents you from worshipping God fully? How willing are you to leave everything you have to pursue a relationship with God? You must be willing to leave everything behind to follow Jesus; he taught this lesson himself. God strengthened Rehoboam’s kingdom because all their priests were there. Was God testing the commitment of the Levite priests? It could be.

And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 11:16

November 20, 2025

The way you treat people matters. Not only should you treat the people over you with kindness and respect, but your subordinates should also receive your due regard and appreciation. After King Solomon died, Rehoboam reigned in his place. However, when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had served King Solomon for many years but had fled to Egypt because Solomon placed a heavy burden on him and his people, came to the newly crowned King Rehoboam to plead for mercy and to lighten their burden. Rehoboam sought counsel with the elders, who told him to lighten their load, but when he consulted the younger men, they told him to increase their burden. He took the younger men's advice. The people were shocked by how he was treated, and they left Jerusalem; the ten tribes of the northern kingdom parted ways with Benjamin and Judah and crowned Jeroboam king. Israel was the northern kingdom, and Judah was the southern kingdom. A prophet had told Jeroboam that he would reign over ten tribes, and this is how God brought that prediction to fruition. 

Kindness is essential! You never know how your actions will impact your future. As for Rehoboam, he lost the support of a significant portion of the kingdom, which had likely significantly contributed to Jerusalem's wealth. Also, if things don't seem to be going your way, wait and don't get too bent out of shape; sometimes it is God's plan falling into place.  

And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 2 Chronicles 10:19

November 19, 2025

The Queen of Sheba came to see King Solomon, bringing many gifts. Knowing what I do about King Solomon and all the wives and concubines he had, I was curious whether he had consummated a relationship with the queen. Of course, the Bible doesn’t mention it; however, if you do a quick search on the internet, you will find historical information concerning their promiscuity. I don’t mean to sensationalize a story, but the information is out there, whether it is accurate or not. The Ethiopians say the Queen of Sheba was from their region and had a son by King Solomon, Menelik I, who later became emperor. However, Jewish historians say it is possible that the queen had a daughter who was an ancestor of Nebuchadnezzar. Whether any of this is true or not, it makes for an interesting story. 

King Solomon reigned in peace for forty years, and died and was buried in the City of David. Why doesn’t the Bible mention any of the sins of Solomon? To answer that question, we must ask ourselves why God doesn’t mention any of our sins. It’s because we, like Solomon, have been forgiven much. Remember, because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and forgotten. I’m grateful for that. 

Imagine trying to trace Solomon’s lineage; it stresses me out just thinking about it.

 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. 2 Chronicles 9:31

November 18, 2025

Solomon spent twenty years building the house of the Lord and his home. We sometimes spend years in schools and colleges. Solomon, using his wisdom, didn’t waste time; he got right to work, completing the temple, his home, and building cities. He built a palace for his wife, the daughter of Huram, the Egyptian, because he didn’t think it was proper for her to live in the house of David. After all, it had been a house of great piety. She had converted to the Israelite religion; however, she had people working for her who likely didn’t leave their idolatry behind. Solomon observed all the feasts and holy days of his father, David, and sacrificed the proper offerings as required by the Lord. 

Use the time you have here on earth wisely. When you reach a certain age, you realize how short our lives are, and wasting them by not appreciating all the things God has given us and by not pursuing a relationship with Jesus is a careless use of time. The very best use of our time is honoring Jesus and worshipping the Father. If you need to, wake up a little earlier so that you can begin your day by spending time with Jesus, feeling the movement of the Holy Spirit through songs of worship, and enlightening your mind with the Holy Scriptures.  

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come. 2 Chronicles 8:11

November 17, 2025

After Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the temple, fire came down from God and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices. Then the glory of the Lord filled the house of the LORD. The people brought their sacrifices, along with the massive amounts that Solomon offered; there were so many that Solomon made the middle court holy so that no sacrifice was turned away. All of this happened during the fall feasts, including the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. After he sent everyone home, while he was sleeping, God came to him in a dream or night vision and spoke to him about his prayer, the one recorded in 2 Chronicles 6. His answer to this prayer is that famous verse that nearly everyone quotes for the repentance of our nation.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The turning from our wicked ways is where our country seems to have trouble; not only that, but how can we seek His face when we cannot even turn away from our sinfulness? We must pray for our government and those causing distress in our nation. Individually, we do our best to honor God, but collectively, we depend on those who’ve fallen for their own self-interest, which puts us in quite a predicament. Our best bet is that more people turn to God and follow Jesus; that’s when things will turn around. 

November 16, 2025

Solomon prayed a blessing for the people and then dedicated the temple to God. However, God didn’t need a building to live in because he can exist in the vast darkness. He chose not a particular tribe to reside with, but chose Jerusalem as His place to dwell, particularly the temple that He sanctioned, which was planned by David and built by Solomon. The words Solomon prayed are almost a list of prophetic words concerning the people of Israel that have come to fruition over time. Did the words spoken over them cause them to come true by speaking them into existence, or was it pure prophecy? He was asking God to hear their prayer and intervene should any of the negative things happen, but I can’t help but think his words set the stage for them to come true. I believe we need to be cautious about the things we speak over ourselves, such as negative self-talk. Not only does God hear those words, but the enemy and his cronies also hear them and may try to make your words stick. For this reason, we should avoid any detrimental words and speak only positive things about ourselves and others. Don’t give the devil any ammunition. Keep your words holy, confident, and optimistic. 

O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. 2 Chronicles 6:42

November 16, 2025

Part 2 of 2 Chronicles 5

One thing I failed to expand on in yesterday’s devotional for 2 Chronicles 5 was that once the priest had left the holy of holies, they began to sing and play their instruments, worshiping and praising God; that’s when God filled the temple. The room, empty of all the ungodly, and the praise and worship brought Him in. It was the music and singing that brought in the presence of God! Make sure to empty yourself and raise your voice in praise to help usher in the presence of God during your time of devotion; this may be crucial, so don’t miss it. 

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; 2 Chronicles 5:13

November 15, 2025

Did you know that all the remains in the Ark of the Covenant are the stone tablets? By the time Solomon placed the ark in the temple, all that remained in it were the tablets. What happened to the rest of it, Aaron’s staff, the show bread, and the manna? If the Philistines took them out, how did they get them out without dying? Isn’t it funny how a straightforward verse can cause so much curiosity? At least that’s my experience when reading the scriptures. 

There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 2 Chronicles 5:10

The temple was finished, and all the dedicated items were brought in. The ark was brought up, and a multitude of people gathered before it for the innumerable number of sacrifices. Then they placed the ark in its designated location, the priests exited the holy of holies, and the singers and musicians began worshiping and praising God. The glory of the Lord filled the temple, and His presence was so powerful that they could no longer stand. 

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God; how can we stand? Because we don’t get out of the way. Our minds are too focused on other, unimportant things to empty our vessels so that He can come in. I know He’s always there, but when do you actually feel his presence? It’s when you empty yourselves of all the worldly cares and focus your attention on Him. Stay in constant communication with Him, but make sure to set aside dedicated time to empty yourself so God can fill your temple with His presence and put you on your face, just as He did the priest when the temple was dedicated. 

So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:14

November 14, 2025

Some of the furnishings for the temple were bigger and more abundant than what was used in the tabernacle. Solomon used every bit of gold, silver, brass, and other things that had been dedicated to God; it wouldn’t have been right for him to use them elsewhere, so he made sure that all of it was made into utensils and other items for use in the temple. The scale of the temple was much larger than the tabernacle that Moses had put together, and so the areas for sacrifices were also larger. God didn’t want anyone to have excuses for not bringing their offerings; the number of people had grown, and there needed to be a sufficient number of priests with plenty of room to handle the number of people coming into the temple daily. We are so fortunate that Jesus came as our offering for our sins; not only was he the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins, but he also did away with the need for a priest and the slaughter and burning of all the animals. Can you imagine having to bring your cow to church? Make it a point to ask forgiveness for your sins daily and start your day fresh and clean. If you think you don’t sin, you might be delusional. You may want to seek forgiveness for deceiving yourself.

Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out. 2 Chronicles 4:18

November 12, 2025

Solomon began building the temple in the fourth year of his reign. It probably took the people those first few years to gather all the necessary materials and craft the decorative objects and utensils. All of the walls were overlaid in gold, and precious stones were added for extra sparkle, making it extraordinary; it must have been a sight to see. The Holy of Holies was a gigantic 30-foot square with the Ark of the Covenant and two standing cherubim with their wings spread, touching one another with a total wing span of 30 feet. The cherubim's heads faced the Ark as a reminder that they, too, worship God and should not be the objects of our worship. The images that came to mind likely don't compare to the temple's actual magnificence. Imagine how luxurious the new heaven and new earth will be when we reach our eternal life; our lives will not be ordinary, but instead spent in true luxury beside our Savior. 

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. 2 Chronicles 3:6

November 12, 2025

Have you ever wondered why Darius, King of Persia, was willing to help rebuild the temple, or why his heart was full of kindness towards the Israelites captive in his country? I stumbled upon a tidbit of information that answers that question in the Matthew Henry Commentary, where he elaborates on Solomon's use of resources from Huram, King of Tyre, to build the temple. Perhaps I'm the only one who didn't know, but it seems to be well-known historical information that wasn't detailed in the Bible, at least not to my knowledge, but did you know that Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus had a daughter and a son? The son was Darius King of Persia! According to 2 Chronicles 2, the original temple built by Solomon utilized building materials from Tyre. The same country assisted in the rebuilding of the temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel after the Babylonian exile. The fact that Darius was willing to help with the temple makes so much more sense now; he was part Israelite through his mother, Hadassah, also known as Esther. God is good at filling in the gaps of our knowledge when we pray for Him to expand our understanding. Why does that excite me so much? It confirms that God heard my prayer and was faithful in answering it. Ask for more spiritual knowledge; God is faithful in answering our questions and curiosities. Remember, this information comes from historical sources not mentioned in the Bible, as far as I can tell.

And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. 2 Chronicles 2:3

November 11, 2025

Before Solomon began to reign as king, he gathered the captains, judges, governors, and chief fathers to accompany him to Gibeon, where the tabernacle was set up, so that he could honor God by offering sacrifices there. At this time, the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were not together because David had brought the Ark to Jerusalem and placed it in a tent. While he was sleeping, God came to Solomon in a dream and instructed him to ask for anything he desired. He responded by requesting wisdom. Because he hadn’t asked for wealth, but had asked for something spiritual, God gave him what he asked for, and also made him the wealthiest man who has ever lived. His net worth was estimated to be over $2 trillion. 

If you haven’t yet prayed for wisdom like Solomon, why haven’t you? Not to gain material wealth, but to know God, His ways, and to understand the scriptures. One prayer that I prayed is that God would fill in the gaps of my understanding, and He granted me the answer to that prayer. Now, I weave bits of that information into my devotions and have a clearer understanding of the prophecies that seem to be coming to fruition. Just know that when Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, he wasn’t kidding. The lies blind us, but the truth is hidden in plain sight. Pray for wisdom and discernment today. If you think your eyes are open, keep digging, because I guarantee you that they aren’t. Just know that if you keep Jesus close to your heart, you will be just fine whether or not you see the truth. 

Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. 2 Chronicles 1:12