This keepsake edition of The Second Book of Chronicles was taken from the King James translation of the Bible. The King James Translation is a masterwork of style, and the most important book in the English language, it has been the driving force in shaping the English-speaking world for hundreds of years. The Second Book of Chronicles is concerned with the Kingdom of Judah with occasional references to the second kingdom of Israel. In the last chapter Judah is destroyed and the people taken into exile in Babylon, and in the final verses the Persian king Cyrus the Great conquers the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and authorizes the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the return of the exiles.
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name * They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author * They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
This is such an interesting parallel to 2 Kings. There are a few things that really stand out to me from this book…
~ the individual choices the kings made. There were those like Ezechias, whose father was one of the most wicked—if not THE wickedest—and who yet was one of the very best kings of Israel, following God with all his heart. Yet his son Manasse chose to be almost as wicked as his grandfather…
~ the high places. So many times God says, “he was faithful to the Lord like David his father… YET THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT REMOVED.”
~ the way people can be flawed and yet God calls them righteous.
~ how graciously He gives second chances, warns, forgives…
There are so many stories that speak to me…
The story of Eli, who insisted he alone served God—yet God told him that 700 other people had also refused to serve Baal. The story of Jehosaphat, who served God so faithfully, who sought God in times of danger and won incredible victories—but who chose to ally himself with Achab & his family, which ultimately ruined Jehosaphat’s family. The story of Josias, who cleaned the land and brought everyone back to God—but who was told He must punish, and who was given death as an escape.
Sandwiched between the wicked kings Ahaz and Manassah, we have the story of an amazing man named Hezekiah (Okay, Manassah did repent at the end of his life, but most of his reign was spent in working evil and turning the hearts of many Israelites away from God.). In chapter 29, it is said about Hezekiah that "he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done." The next chapters go on to describe his work to cleanse the temple and organize priests, and to restore temple worship and observation of the Passover. Then comes my favorite part: Sennacherib invades Judah. It's evident that poor Sennacherib had no clue what he was up against! Soon he was on the receiving end of a dramatic wake up call. Because of the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah, "the LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So [Sennacherib] returned with shame of face to his own land."
I haven't read the full poem entitled "The Destruction of Sennacherib," but I plan to do so shortly. I don't know why this story always gives me such a thrill!
1 and 2 Chronicles are one book in Hebrew. They were placed at the end of the Old Testament as a summary of Israel's experience and reflect the point of view of David's line of kings.
What I found this time was how rounded each king was portrayed: the best kings had flaws, even the worst kings had moments of repentance.
Several kings were righteous in their rulership: Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, yet everyone had at least one big mistake or error.
Manasseh was the worst of Judah's kings, yet in captivity in Assyria he repented greatly and was brought back to rulership.
The contention for kingship was ruthless--or queenship. Queen Athalia killed all the rivals to her son's rule, and when he died, she took over the rule of Judah. She, in turn was killed when one sibling of her son escaped and became the king in her place.
Judah's overall trajectory is downhill for the whole book. The nation keeps getting worse until they go into captivity in Babylon. The book then ends with a hopeful note of Judah returning to the promised land after 70 years of captivity.
In my latest re-read I learned something new: the book tracks David's line because it focuses on the future, promised Messiah, the ultimate hope for Israel. None of the kings fulfills the promise. The Messiah is yet future in 539 BC when the book ends.
The Second book of Chronicles outlined/chronicled the reign of the kings of Judah. the two that stand out to me were Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. Below are scriptures that described their victory when they relied on the Lord:
2 Chronicles 20 - Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there[d] were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[e] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
2 Chronicles 32 - After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”
And his servants said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.
Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.
Part of my READ THE BIBLE WITHIN A YEAR challenge.
Wish me luck, as I've got a long way to go, and I’m really struggling at the moment.
This book covers the reign of Solomon. He begins his reign by turning to the LORD for guidance by asking, “Give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead the people…”
This book begins with the reign of Solomon, continues the history of the kings of Judah to captivity, and concludes with the fall of the monarch and the destruction of the temple. The book ends when Cyrus, the king of Persia, order the Judeans to return to the land.
This book details the construction of the Temple which is very interesting to read. It would have been a beautiful tribute to the one God.
Following Samuel, the Books of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah can really all be thought of as a collective continuation. It is on all these for which this “review” is concerned. They are classified in the Old Testament as the historical books, and Maccabees is considered the last of them before the so-called Wisdom Books, two of which I’ve already read (on that topic I’ll speak of at a later time).
In any case. Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah all have relatively similar structures. There are some odd distinctions between them: the first ten pages or so of Chronicles is a continuous list of names (think a phone book without phone numbers, and almost everybody is an ancient Israelite), and parts of Nehemiah are written in first person. They are suspected to have the same author, which would make sense given how they cover interpretations of historical events for Israel after their collective exile from Jerusalem.
I’ll probably have more to say when I finish Maccabees.
I really enjoyed this book of the Bible. It made me feel closer to God and realize that my sins are forgivable in his eyes. I took into comparison Manassehs sin and how the Lord ultimately forgave him through repentance. Overall this was an enlightening book. Glory be to God.
2 Chronicles is the fourteenth book in the bible, it is inspired by God. 2 Chronicles deals with the history of the Kingdom of Judea from the reign of Solomon to the fall of the kingdom. It spends much of its time on the reign of Solomon and his building of the temple. This book gives more time to the Judean kings as they are either punished or rewarded for their service or lack thereof to the Lord. The most interesting case is that of Hezekiah who served God with all his hear and was saved from the Assyrians. I also found the most enlightening statement when God allows the people of Israel who come to worship in the Passover to participate even though they were ceremonially unclean. This indicates that the Lord looks at the hearts of his people rather than only at the physical appearances of service. The most important thing is to serve the Lord not how it is done as long as you truly focus your heart on him. This is important as we go through our lives today as it shows that the focus should be on the heart not on what we are around. If ones heart is focused on God and the grace that he provides we will be made right with in by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Chronicles 12:14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the lord.
2 Chronicles 14:2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. I love this one because I still remember Deuteronomy 6:18 from when I was a little kid in Bible drill. "And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord."
2 Chronicles 16:9 for the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
2 Chronicles 20:12 we do not know what to do but our eyes are upon you.
2 Chronicles 20:17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, oh Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.
2 chronicles 24:19 Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.
I love this Word because it is God's and it is true now and forever.
Sidenote: The reason for such vague and short and "eh" words on each of these books, is because I wasn't challenging the study of the Bible when I read these. I was challenging myself to read the whole Bible in a year because I knew it would be discipline to keep at it daily. I do, however, plan to pick up a book and study what it is saying. Those will be longer reads and more notes.
So here is my review from my "Read the Bible in a Year" challenge. Usually just snippets of thoughts and random things I liked about the book itself. Nothing in-depth.
So here is my review on 02 Chronicles.
So this was better then the first one. Talked a lot about Solomon and how he is great and things and how everything fell apart after he died and the nation split into two nations. It talked about the kings of the southern nation more than the northern.
There's a pattern here and it's shocking and disturbing. One king is completely faithful to God, and then that king's son does literally everything evil and against God's will. Then the next king abolishes everything his father did and reverts to following God 100%. Repeat about 20 times until the book ends. The people of Judah were getting whipsawed, and seemed to go right along with the king and what he prescribed, whether good or bad. (Side note - somehow I got all confused about the two competing kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and how God was on the side of Judah, not Israel, throughout 2 Chronicles.)
I think the fundamental message of 2 Chronicles is that God forgave and restored even the bad guys, when they called out to God and repented. Glad to be done with this one and ready to move on to Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester and Job.
The Second book of Chronicles, began with the reign of Solomon and his building the house of God. This book concentrated more on the kings of Judah, the kings of Israel were mentioned however this was in context of their relationship with the Kings of Judah, either in partnership like King Jehosaphat and King Ahab or fighting against each other. The mercy of God was highlighted for me in that although Manassah was the wickedest king in Judah, when he prayed unto God, he heard him and assisted him. Thank God that His mercies are limitless and it does not matter how great and big our sin is when we cry out to him and ask him for forgiveness He always hear us and show mercy and compassion. Bless the name of Jesus!
I found this work of immense interest and importance. The compilation of historical accounts, wisdom & proverbial insights, and thought provoking texts, along with descriptive and informative footnotes, are of great value. Explanations, including varying scholarly views depicting the material related in this book, are available for each of the 66 individual books of the Bible. This book is but one of the individual 66 books/letters which were written by forty different authors over at least 1500 years in three different languages on three different continents, which comprise the Bible. Read for life-related reasons and personal research. Overall, a great resource for the researcher, enthusiast, and devotee.
It's just very boring at this point. The people followed God, a new king came in, they stopped following God, God got angry, they started following him. Conveniently every victory is through God and every defeat is because he scorned you. His mercy comes at arbitrary points, good luck guessing whether you'll feel his forgiveness for devil worship or be put to death in the wastelands, either way it was his Big Plan for sure. I'm happy Jerusalem fell and looking forward to hopefully some more interesting capers following this 4-book historical slog.
2 Chronicles seemed to mostly emphasize the outcomes of the kings, whether righteous or wicked. The ones who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord were blessed, while the ones who did evil weren't so much.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
The reading of God's Word is so remarkable that there is nothing that I can say to make it any better. Please, if you are a lost soul, turn to God! He can heal you and give you the greatest peace that you will ever know!
The Second book of Chronicles outlined/chronicled the reign of the kings of Judah. the two that stand out to me were Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. Below are scriptures that described their victory when they relied on the Lord:
2 Chronicles 20 - Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there[d] were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[e] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
2 Chronicles 32 - After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”
And his servants said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.
Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.
The Second book of Chronicles outlined/chronicled the reign of the kings of Judah. the two that stand out to me were Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. Below are scriptures that described their victory when they relied on the Lord:
2 Chronicles 20 - Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there[d] were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[e] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
2 Chronicles 32 - After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”
And his servants said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.
Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.