Transcript

Distinguished Producer

A servant of Christ from somewhere in the North country.

Executive Producer

Sean of San Pedro

Associate Producer

Rob Brink and Kevin Schneider

Podcast Introduction

This is the 300th episode of the 12th season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Today is History Tuesday. Our reading is 2 Chronicles 25-28. I’m calling today’s episode “Legacy.”

Comments on 2 Chronicles 25-28

In these chapters we read of the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz. 

Each of these kings were descendants of David, and as I have said in previous episodes, coming from a believing family does not mean that the next generation will follow God. The opposite is also true. Coming from a non-believing family does not mean the following generation will not follow God. We saw that in these kings, and I’m sure most, if not all of us have seen this in our own families. 

The reason I’m pointing this out is that I believe that many of us, especially those of us that are parents, take it for granted when raising our children in a believing home, that they will follow us in accepting Jesus as their Savior. Beloved, if we do that, we make a terrible mistake. We can never assume that our kids will absorb our faith as their own. There will come a time when they must choose to believe. Just as we chose to believe, they will have to choose. As parents, we have to be very deliberate in showing them in a thousand different ways why believing in Him is the very best thing they could ever do. We have to let them see that our faith is real, that Jesus is the center of our lives, and that He matters. Not just on Sundays, but every day. And we have to talk to them about our faith…and our talk has to match our walk. Our children are our most important missions field. 

Now back to today’s chapters…

As is common to most people, the first two of these kings, Amaziah and Uzziah, had their good points and bad. Their spiritual victories and spiritual failures. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. It’s the human condition. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Anything less than perfection, anything less than a completely sinless life means that we fall short of the glory of God. That’s why we all need a savior.

There is a common thread that was evident in the chapters we read today with the failures of Amaziah, Uzziah and Ahaz. Each one of them sinned in their own ways, but the common thread was pride. Pride invariably brings destruction, even to people who showed great devotion to God in their early days. Once we begin to believe that our accomplishments come from our own abilities, we are headed for a fall. It can happen to anyone, at any age. I have discovered that my own susceptibility to sin is still alive, even after more than fifty years of being a follower of Jesus. If I take my eyes off of Him, if I begin to rely on my own “goodness”, I quickly find that I cannot walk His path on my own. As the old hymn says, “I need thee every hour.”

To his credit, of the four kings we read about today, only Jotham seems to have had a lifelong record of following God’s direction. Verse 6 of chapter 27 tells us, “Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted.” What a legacy.

My legacy will unfortunately not be without a list of failures, but I am determined to keep my eyes on the prize, because I long to hear my Savior say on that day that I finally see Him face to face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 25 NKJV; Ch. 26-27 GW; Ch. 28 ESV

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
The common thread was pride.

INTRO S12E300 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the 300th Episode of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, Twelfth Season. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s History Tuesday and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 25 through 28. I’ve got an On This Date in Church History for you. I’ve got some people to thank and I’m calling today’s episode, “Legacy”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Then my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

2 CHRONICLES 25 (NKJV) – 0:46
2 Chronicles, chapter 25. (1) Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. (2) And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.

(3) Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established for him, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. (4) However he did not execute their children, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin.”

(5) Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. (6) He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. (7) But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. (8) But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”

(9) Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?”
And the man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” (10) So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

(11) Then Amaziah strengthened himself, and leading his people, he went to the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of the people of Seir. (12) Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces.

(13) But as for the soldiers of the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil.

(14) Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. (15) Therefore the anger of the Lord was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?”

(16) So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?”

Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

(17) Now Amaziah king of Judah asked advice and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.”

(18) And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. (19) Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”

(20) But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. (21) So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. (22) And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. (23) Then Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. (24) And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

(25) Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. (26) Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, indeed are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? (27) After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. (28) Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

2 CHRONICLES 26 (GW) – 5:35
2 Chronicles, chapter 26. (1) All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. (2) Uzziah rebuilt Elath and returned it to Judah after King Amaziah lay down in death with his ancestors. (3) Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. (4) He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. (5) He dedicated his life to serving God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. As long as he dedicated his life to serving the Lord, the Lord gave him success.

(6) Uzziah went to wage war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. (7) God helped him when he attacked the Philistines, the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. (8) The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah, and his fame spread to the border of Egypt because he became very powerful. (9) Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at Corner Wall, Valley Gate, and the Angle, and he reinforced them. (10) He built towers in the desert. He dug many cisterns because he had a lot of herds in the foothills and the plains. He had farmers and vineyard workers in the mountains and the fertile fields because he loved the soil.

(11) Uzziah had an army of professional soldiers. They were ready to go to war in their companies based on the number organized by the scribe Jeiel and the officer Maaseiah. They were commanded by Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. (12) The total number of family heads among these warriors was 2,600. (13) Under them was an army of 307,500 soldiers. They were a powerful force that could support the king against the enemy. (14) For the entire army Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for slings. (15) In Jerusalem he made machines designed by inventive people. The machines were placed on the towers and corners to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.

Uzziah’s fame spread far and wide because he had strong support until he became powerful. (16) But when he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God. He went into the Lord’s temple to burn incense on the incense altar. (17) The priest Azariah went in after him with 80 of the Lord’s courageous priests. (18) They opposed King Uzziah. They said to him, “Uzziah, you have no right to burn incense as an offering to the Lord. That right belongs to the priests, Aaron’s descendants, who have been given the holy task of burning incense. Get out of the holy place because you have been unfaithful. The Lord God will not honor you for this.”

(19) Uzziah, who held an incense burner in his hand, became angry. While he was angry with the priests, a skin disease broke out on his forehead. This happened in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple as Uzziah was at the incense altar. (20) When the chief priest Azariah and all the priests turned toward him, a skin disease was on his forehead. They rushed him away. Uzziah was in a hurry to get out because the Lord had inflicted him with the disease.

(21) King Uzziah had a skin disease until the day he died. Since he had a skin disease, he lived in a separate house and was barred from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the royal palace and governed the country.

(22) Everything else about Uzziah, from beginning to end, is recorded by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz. (23) Uzziah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in a field containing tombs that belonged to the kings. People said, “He had a skin disease.” His son Jotham succeeded him as king.

2 CHRONICLES 27 (GW) – 9:19
2 Chronicles, chapter 27. (1) Jotham was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. (2) He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Uzziah had done. But unlike his father, he didn’t illegally enter the Lord’s temple. Nevertheless, the people continued their corrupt ways.

(3) Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple and did extensive building of the wall at the Ophel. (4) He built cities in the hills of Judah, and he built forts and towers in the wooded areas. (5) He fought with the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites gave him 7,500 pounds of silver, 60,000 bushels of wheat, and 60,000 bushels of barley. The Ammonites gave him the same amount for two more years. (6) Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted.

(7) Everything else about Jotham—all his wars and his life—is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. (8) He was 25 years old when he began to rule as king. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. (9) Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

2 CHRONICLES 28 (ESV) – 10:34
2 Chronicles, chapter 28. (1) Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, (2) but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, (3) and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. (4) And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

(5) Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. (6) For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. (7) And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.

(8) The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. (9) But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. (10) And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the Lord your God? (11) Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”

(12) Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war (13) and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” (14) So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. (15) And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

(16) At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. (17) For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. (18) And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. (19) For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. (20) So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. (21) For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

(22) In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. (23) For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. (24) And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. (25) In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. (26) Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. (27) And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

COMMENTS – 15:07
Well, Beloved, in these three chapters, we read of the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz. And each of these kings were descendants of David, of course. And as I’ve said in previous episodes, coming from a believing family does not mean that the next generation will follow God. And the opposite is also true. Coming from a non-believing family doesn’t necessarily mean that the next generation won’t follow God. We saw that in these kings, and I’m sure most if not all of us have seen this in our own families.

The reason I’m pointing this out is that I believe that many of us, especially those of us that are parents, take it for granted when raising our children in a believing home, that they’ll follow us in accepting Jesus as their Savior. Beloved, if we do that, we make a terrible mistake. We can never assume that our kids will absorb our faith as their own. There will come a time when they have to choose to believe. Just as we chose to believe, they’re going to have to choose. As parents, we have to be very deliberate in showing them in a thousand different ways why believing in him is the very best thing they could ever do. We have to let them see that our faith is real, that Jesus is the center of our lives, and that he matters, not just on Sundays, but every day. And we have to talk to them about our faith, and our talk has to match our walk. Our children are our most important missions field.

Now, back to today’s chapters…

As is common to most people, the first two of these kings, Amaziah and Uzziah had their good points and their bad points, their spiritual victories and spiritual failures. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. It’s the human condition. Romans 6:23 tells us, though, that the wages of sin is death. Anything less than perfection, anything less than a completely sinless life, means that we fall short of the glory of God. And that’s why we need a savior.

This is a common thread that was evident in the chapters we read today with the failures of Amaziah, Uzziah and Ahaz. Each one of them sinned in their own ways. But the common thread was pride. Pride invariably brings destruction even to people who showed great devotion to God in their early days. Once we begin to believe that our accomplishments come from our own abilities, we’re headed for a fall. It can happen to anyone at any age. I’ve discovered that my own susceptibility to sin is still alive, even after more than 50 years of being a follower of Jesus. If I take my eyes off him, if I begin to rely on my own goodness, quote, unquote, I quickly find that I cannot walk his path on my own. As the old hymn says, “I need the every hour…”

BRYAH DUNCAN SINGS I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR – 17:51
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like Thine, can peace afford.

COMMENTS (CONT’D) – 18:17
To his credit of the four kings we read about today, only Jotham seems to have had a lifelong record of following God’s direction. Verse 6 of chapter 27 tells us Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted. Man, what a legacy.

My legacy will unfortunately not be without a list of failures. But I’m determined to keep my eyes on the prize, because I long to hear my savior say on that day that I finally see him face to face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What are your thoughts? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Tomorrow is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read Psalms 125 through 127.

Boost.

300TH EPISODE MILESTONE THANKS – 19:05
I’ve got some people to thank today for helping to bring the Episode 300 to you. We’ve got a Distinguished Producer today here from A Servant of Christ From Somewhere in the North Country. They sent in $300. And they said, “Let’s round out the year.” Well, let’s do that. Yes, thank you and God bless you.

And I’m going to make an executive decision here. I’m going to make Sean of San Pedro an Executive Producer. He sent in this donation last week before I announced that we were going to do anything special for this episode. He sent in $103 donation with this note, he said, “For S12e300. Congrats on the milestone. And we have a praise report. We’re having a boy!” Well, thank you for the donation, Sean. God bless you for that. And congrats to you and Brittaney. We shared in your joy when you found out that God was going to be adding a new little life to your family, your first child. And now that we know it’s a boy. We rejoice over that now with you too. And as I said, I’m going to credit you as an Executive Producer on this episode because you’ve been streaming and boosting sats almost from the day that I announced that the show had activated that feature. Not to mention you’re doing the chapters for the show and working on a very cool web app that makes the job easier. So Sean, you have undoubtedly earned this Executive Producer credit. Thank you for your donation of time, talent and treasure.

And we have a couple of Associate Producers today. Rob Brink from Troy, Michigan sent in $50, and he said, “Thanks for the podcast.” Well, Rob, thanks for the donation. If I’m not mistaken, this is Rob’s second donation. So, Brother, I thank you for it and God bless you.

And Kevin Schneider from Edmonton, Alberta send in $33.33. He’s been a Lifespring family member for some time now and he’s donated several times. Kevin, thank you very much. And God bless you. I truly appreciate each one of you that sent in a special Episode 300 donation today and it just warms my heart. Thank you.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 21:06
On this date in church history, June 28, 1851, Eliza E. Hewlett was born. She was an American Presbyterian Church worker and devotional author. Four of her hymns are still sung today: “Will There Be Any Stars”, “More About Jesus Would I Know”, “Sunshine In The Soul”, and “When We All Get To Heaven”.

WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN – 21:25
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.

CLOSING PRAYR – 21:58
Let’s prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace. We know that we are unable to live sinless lives and we confess our sins now. Help us to cling to you and to say NO to temptation. Help us to always remember that we cannot make it on our own and that we need you every minute of every day. We truly do need you every hour. Help us to remain humble and to be aware when pride begins to creep in. We only want to serve you and bring glory to your name. And we thank you and we rejoice with Sean and Brittaney as they await their new baby boy. I pray that he’ll be healthy and strong and, most of all, that he would grow up to be a man of God. Give Mom and Dad wisdom and love as they raise him and may the Holy Spirit guide them and fell them and may their home be a place of peace with you at the center.

I thank You, Lord for the Lifespring family and the brothers and sisters who pray with me and for me, and for those who sacrifice to help support the show. I pray that you’ll bless them and each and every one who allows me to come to this microphone every day to share your word. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise that you’d like to share with the Lifespring family, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E300 – 23:17
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks so much to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. I thank God for you each and every day.

And thanks to A Servant of Christ From Somewhere in the North Country. Sean of San Pedro, Rob Brink, and Kevin Schneider for your very generous donations to help celebrate this 300th Episode of Season 12 of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible.

And, Beloved, thank you for inviting me into your life today wherever you are. I sure hope you’ll be with me for the remaining 64 episodes. And no matter how long you’ve been hanging around these parts, I thank you and I commend you for your commitment to read the Word of God with me. Let’s finish strong, shall we? Keeping our eyes on the prize. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise