Day 534 of 939

2CH 34:1-13

2CH 34:1-13 · PSA 74:12-23

Not written yet

The reading for this day is below. The commentary has not been written and reviewed yet — it is added a book at a time, and every day is read by a person before it appears here.

1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images. 4Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them. 7He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 8Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 9So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who guarded the doors had collected from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem. 10They put it into the hands of those supervising the work in the house of the LORD, who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and repairing the house of the LORD. 11They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to buy dressed stone, as well as timbers for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to deteriorate. 12And the men did the work faithfully. The Levites overseeing them were Jahath and Obadiah, descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descendants of Kohath. Other Levites, all skilled with musical instruments, 13were over the laborers and supervised all who did the work, task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
12Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. 13You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. 15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. 17You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter. 18Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. 19Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. 20Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. 21Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. 22Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. 23Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.