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First Reading: 2 Chronicles Chapter 13 and 142 Chronicles 13
13:1 Abijah Reigns in Judah
(1 Kings 15:1-8)
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He
reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Michaiah the daughter
of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah set the battle in order
with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam
also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice
men, mighty men of valor.
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim,
and said, "Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Should you not know that
the LORD God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him
and his sons, by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant
of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. 7 Then worthless
rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son
of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand
them. 8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD, which is in
the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are
the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 Have you not cast out
the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves
priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate
himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are
not gods? 10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him;
and the priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites
attend to their duties. 11 And they burn to the LORD every morning and every
evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order
on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every
evening; for we keep the command of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken
Him. 12 Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding
trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight
against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!"
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front
of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked around, to
their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out
to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah
gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam
and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before
Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17 Then Abijah and his people
struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel
fell slain. 18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the
children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages,
Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephrain with its villages. 20 So Jeroboam did
not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD struck him, and
he died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons
and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and
his sayings are written in the annals of the prophet Iddo.
2 Chronicles 14
14:1 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of
David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet
for ten years.
2 Asa Reigns in Judah
(1 Kings 15:9-15)
Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God, 3 for he removed
the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred
pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD
God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also
removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah,
and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6 And he built fortified cities in Judah,
for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given
him rest. 7 Therefore he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and
make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before
us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has
given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had
an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears,
and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and
drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.
9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men
and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out against
him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing
for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us,
O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude.
O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"
12 So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians
fled. 13 And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So
the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken
before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. 14 Then
they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon
them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil
in them. 15 They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep
and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
Hebrews 3
3:1 The Son Was Faithful
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who
appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has
been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house
has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He
who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house
as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast
the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
7 Be Faithful
(Ps 95:7-11)
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion,In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested
Me, tried Me,And saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with that
generation,And said, 'They always go astray in their heart,And they have not
known My ways.' 11 So I swore in My wrath,'They shall not enter My rest.'"
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is
called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of
our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
"Today, if you will hear His voice,Do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion."
16 Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers
For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Bible BackgroundBOOKS OF THE BIBLE
HEBREWS
Part 3 of 3
In chapters 6 and 10 of Hebrews there are strong warnings about turning against Christ after acceptance of his atonement. The book of Hebrews encourages and exhorts perseverance in faith in Christ in the face of trials and persecutions. Chapter 11 is known as the faith chapter and defines faith in the first verse:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Chapter 11 also tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
A section that summarizes the book of Hebrews is found in chapter 10:19-25:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
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