The Good Book Club: Week 25
Judah's kings keep cycling through the same pattern, Solomon's poetry ends, and Elisha takes the mantle
This Week
We are reading:
2 Chronicles 13-28
2 Kings 1-6
Song of Solomon 5-8
Psalms 69, 70, 72
Summary
This week we’re back to Chronicles, watching the southern kingdom of Judah continue to cycle through a series of kings. They repeat the same pattern yet somehow never learn the lessons — faith in God brings stability, compromise brings war and loss, and repentance brings restoration. Over and over again.
One of the most interesting things that keeps coming up in Chronicles this week is the idea that physical illness (foot disease, intestinal disease, leprosy) results from a separation from God.
And then we’re back in Kings, where Elijah disappears in a chariot of fire leaving Elisha to pick up where he left off.
And we finish Song of Solomon, wrapping up the Bible’s most erotic book. A poetic testament to what it means to be truly devoted and committed in love — and giving us some insight into why some of the Israelite kings kept getting distracted by foreign women.
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Here is the daily breakdown from our annual plan:
Day 166 — Monday, 6/15 — 2 Chronicles 13-15, Song of Solomon 5
Day 167 — Tuesday, 6/16 — 2 Chronicles 16-18, Song of Solomon 6
Day 168 — Wednesday, 6/17 — 2 Chronicles 19-21, Song of Solomon 7
Day 169 — Thursday, 6/18 — 2 Chronicles 22-25, Song of Solomon 8
Day 170 — Friday, 6/19 — 2 Chronicles 26-28, Psalm 69
Day 171 — Saturday, 6/20 — 2 Kings 1-3, Psalm 70
Day 172 — Sunday, 6/21 — 2 Kings 4-6, Psalm 72
Day 166 — Monday, 6/15 — 2 Chronicles 13-15, Song of Solomon 5
Abijah, Rehoboam’s son, goes to war against the northern kingdom and wins despite being outnumbered two to one.
His son Asa is one of Judah’s genuinely good kings. He removes the foreign altars, smashes the sacred stones, commands Judah to seek God.
Day 167 — Tuesday, 6/16 — 2 Chronicles 16-18, Song of Solomon 6
Asa’s late reign is yet another cautionary tale: when faced with another military threat, he makes a militarily good decision, but forsakes his reliance on God. He then develops a foot disease and once again seeks only physicians, not God, and he dies. The idea that physical disease stems from a disconnection from God is, of course, not lost on me.
His son Jehoshaphat is another good king who makes the mistake of allying himself with Ahab of Israel, which costs him.
Day 168 — Wednesday, 6/17 — 2 Chronicles 19-21, Song of Solomon 7
Jehoshaphat survives the battle but gets a rebuke from another prophet on his return. The alliances with unfaithful kings come at the expense of the credibility of Judah’s good rulers — tale as old as time, a classic Israelite move.
A vast coalition of Moabites and Ammonites and others marches on Judah. Jehoshaphat’s response is to call a fast and pray publicly in the temple court. They march out the next morning with the choir leading the army, singing praise, and find their enemies have destroyed each other — thanks be to God.
His son Jehoram takes the throne and his first act is to kill all his brothers. He had married into Ahab’s family and he reigns poorly. A letter arrives from Elijah with a specific prophecy about his death. He dies of a painful intestinal disease, two years exactly as described. Once again we see physical ailments resulting as a disconnection from God.
Song of Solomon continues to contrast our readings of wars and illness and death with borderline erotica.
Day 169 — Thursday, 6/18 — 2 Chronicles 22-25, Song of Solomon 8
We learn about more kings and the violence accelerates. Ahaziah is killed by Jehu. His mother Athaliah — Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter — seizes the throne and tries to kill all the royal heirs. A nurse hides the infant Joash in the temple for six years. Athaliah rules Judah for six years not knowing there is a legitimate heir hidden in the house of God.
At year seven, the priest Jehoiada brings Joash out, crowns him, and Athaliah is executed. The crowd tears down the temple of Baal. Joash reigns well as long as Jehoiada is alive — but when the old priest dies, Joash reverses course, abandons the temple, and has Jehoiada’s own son Zechariah stoned to death when he prophesies against him. Joash is then assassinated by his own officials.
Amaziah follows — good at first, then captures ten thousand Edomites and brings their gods back to worship — despite the fact that their gods clearly couldn’t save them.
Day 170 — Friday, 6/19 — 2 Chronicles 26-28, Psalm 69
Uzziah reigns fifty-two years and is mostly faithful. But then he enters the temple to burn incense, which was the priests’ role alone. The priests confront him and Uzziah, furious, erupts in leprosy on the spot. He lives as a leper until he dies, cut off from the temple he tried to commandeer.
His grandson Ahaz is one of Judah’s worst kings. He sacrifices his own children in fire, sets up high places everywhere, and when invaded strips the temple to bribe Assyria for help. Assyria does not help. In his time of troubles, he becomes even less faithful to the Lord.
Day 171 — Saturday, 6/20 — 2 Kings 1-3, Psalm 70
We’re back to Kings, and back with Elijah. Two companies of fifty soldiers come to summon him to Ahab’s son Ahaziah. Instead, he calls fire down on them. A third captain comes and falls on his knees: “Man of God, please have respect for my life.” Elijah goes with him.
While walking with Elisha, Elijah strikes the water of the Jordan with his cloak and it parts. They cross the river. Elijah asks what Elisha wants before he’s taken, and Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Then the chariot of fire and a whirlwind come to take Elijah. Elisha picks up the cloak, strikes the water, it parts, and he crosses back. The spirit of Elijah is now resting on Elisha.
Elisha’s first miracles follow immediately, with him healing a spring and dealing harshly with a group of youths who mock him.
Day 172 — Sunday, 6/21 — 2 Kings 4-6, Psalm 72
Elisha’s ministry is extraordinary and strange. A widow’s oil multiplied until she has enough to pay her debts. A wealthy woman in Shunem hosts him faithfully and he promises her a son — she’s barren and her husband is old. A son is born, and then dies, and Elisha brings him back to life. A pot of poisoned stew is made edible. A hundred men are fed with twenty loaves of bread.
Then Naaman, commander of Aram’s army, comes to Elisha on the advice of an Israelite slave girl, in order to heal his leprosy. Elisha sends a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times. He does, and he is healed — convinced now that there is no God other than the God of Israel.
An iron axhead falls in the Jordan and Elisha makes it float so they can retrieve it. Then the Arameans come to capture Elisha, but they are instead blinded and led straight to the capital of Israel. Instead of slaughtering the enemy army, Israel feeds them and sends them home — for a while. They ultimately come back and siege the capital, plunging Israel into another devastating famine.
What thoughts do you have on this week’s readings? We’re almost halfway through our Bible in a Year study — are you struggling to keep up (like me), or are you still full steam ahead?