Spring/Summer 2025             Second Chronicles 24–36

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Introduction

In this section of Chronicles we follow the line of the kings of Judah from Joash to the downfall of the nation. We may trace the flow of these chapters by observing two high points and two low points. The first low point is the reign of Ahaz. In judgment for Ahaz’s rampant idolatry, God brings multiple military defeats on the nation. On the other hand, the reign of Ahaz’s godly son, Hezekiah, provides the singularly most notable high point. The Chronicler lingers here, devoting four full chapters to Hezekiah and his reign.

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The second high point in this section is the reign of Josiah. Like his great-grandfather Hezekiah before him, Josiah repairs the temple and leads a momentous Passover celebration. Josiah’s reign, however, ends tragically when he fails to listen to the Lord and is thus defeated in battle. This defeat is followed by the final low point, the definitive judgment on the nation for her many sins. The last chapter of Chronicles details the reigns of a series of short-lived puppet kings, culminating in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the carting off of the people into exile in Babylon.

 

One focal point of these chapters is the temple, the place where God dwells in the midst of his people. How kings treat the temple speaks to their regard for God’s presence. It is thus a very low point indeed when Ahaz chops up the temple vessels and locks the temple doors. Hezekiah reopens those doors, but eventually the Babylonians destroy the temple. Thankfully this is not the end. The final word of Chronicles is a summons seventy years later to rebuild the temple. Ultimately, Old Testament temples point forward to an even better meeting-point between God and his people, our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Schedule

May 4:    2 Chron 24                    “You have forsaken the Lord.”                              (Stefan Matzal)

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May 11:    2 Chron 25                    “You have not listened to my counsel.”               (Nathaniel Jackson)

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May 18:   2 Chron 26–27             “He grew proud to his destruction.”                     (Stefan Matzal)

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May 25:  2 Chron 28                    “He sent to the king of Assyria for help.”             (Nathaniel Jackson)

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Jun 1:      2 Chron 29                    “Consecrate the house of the Lord.”                    (Stefan Matzal)

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Jun 8:     2 Chron 30                    “They slaughtered the Passover lamb.”               (Nathaniel Jackson)

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Jun 15:    2 Chron 31                     “To give themselves to the law of the Lord.”       (Stefan Matzal)

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Jun 22:   2 Chron 32:1–23           “With us is the Lord our God.”                               (Nathaniel Jackson)

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Jun 29:   2 Chron 32:24—33:25  “To do more evil than the nations.”                      (Stefan Matzal)

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Jul 6:      2 Chron 34                     “I have found the Book of the Law.”                    (Nathaniel Jackson)

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Jul 13:     2 Chron 35                    “They kept the Passover.”                                     (Stefan Matzal)

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Jul 20:    2 Chron 36                    “They polluted the house of the Lord.”                (Nathaniel Jackson)

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Jul 27:                                             TOPICAL                                                                (Stefan Matzal)

 

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--The Eldership: April 2025