February 6: 2 Chronicles

What Will Your Epitaph Say?

Wandering through a cemetery one can find the names, birth and death dates, and sometimes a word or phrase describing something meaningful to or about the person. The Chronicler included an epitaph, or summary description, of the life of each king. Here are some samples:

“Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.” (2 Chronicles 1:1, ESV)

Concerning Rehoboam, he says: “And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 12:14, ESV)

“And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” (2 Chronicles 14:2, ESV)

“The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 17:3-4, ESV)

About Jehoram we read: “And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 21:6, ESV)

About Ahaziah: “He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing.” (2 Chronicles 22:4, ESV)

“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chronicles 24:2, ESV), but 2 Chronicles 24:17-27 reveals that after the death of Jehoiada, he took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Uzziah also started well but did not finish well. “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5, ESV) “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (2 Chronicles 26:16, ESV)

The summary for Jotham is revealing for the contrast between his life and the behavior of the people. “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still followed corrupt practices.” (2 Chronicles 27:2, ESV)

Ahaz did not follow in the footsteps of his father. “…but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, 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.” (2 Chronicles 28:2-3, ESV)

Hezekiah did not imitate his father, Ahaz. “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2, ESV)

Here are some takeaways:

• It is one’s relationship with the Lord that is most important.
• A good or evil life is defined by whether or not one follows the Lord.
• Choose carefully whose life you choose as a model (Ahab or David, etc.).
• Does good or evil characterize the direction of your life and summarize the course of your life?
• The evaluations of the kings’ reigns were not made by the kings or even by the people. God, through words of the Chronicler, made the evaluation. What do you think He would say about your life?
• It isn’t easy for us to gain a proper perspective on the motives and actions of one’s life.

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:2-4, ESV)