Readings: May 30-June 5

We’ll gather for our monthly encouragement and sharing on Wednesday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Join through this link or Meeting ID: 886 7583 8454, Passcode: westbury

Rise and Shine... (1956), Candido Portinari

The closing chapters of 2 Chronicles brings another take on three kings. We talked previously about how differently Manasseh is treated in Chronicles, where his redemptive arc is completely ignored in Kings. Likewise, Hezekiah and Josiah - two of the most outstanding kings in Judah’s history - are given slightly different treatments as well. For example, Hezekiah’s focus on the temple step into the spotlight, and his illness and sin are downplayed by the chronicler. Josiah’s untimely death gets an explanation in Chronicles, perhaps to help rationalize why such a good king died so young.

All of this leads to the end of the book which jumps from the destruction of Jerusalem and subsequent exile in just a few verses to the arrival of King Cyrus and the Persian empire. If we follow the order of books for the Hebrew Bible, then these are the final words - spoken by decree from a non-Jewish ruler, encouraging the rebuilding of God’s temple. In the Christian order of books, this naturally leads to Ezra - a priest and scribe who emerges from Persia to lead God’s people to return and rebuild. We officially enter the Second Temple era.

Day One: 2 Chronicles 24-27

Day Two: 2 Chronicles 28-30

Day Three: 2 Chronicles 31-33

Day Four: 2 Chronicles 34-36

Day Five: Ezra 1-6

Day Six: Ezra 7-10