Monthly Archives: July 2017

One way to look at this story is to say: Look how bad Judah became, look at the effects of idolatry and self-love in this society! Even though we have this moment of repentance, obedience and mercy shown by Israel, it wasn’t enough to save that nation from destruction, either. (It’s like getting to the end of the book of Jonah—and realizing that God eventually destroyed Assyria for rebellion.) While this is true on some level, I don’t think it’s the way that the Chronicler wants us to read the story.
I believe that the positive way that the Chronicler wants us to look at it is: No matter how far is the human descent into sin and depravity—and it is far!—God is present. He is willing to descend into that darkness to rescue his people. In this story, it takes the form of a prophet, Oded, who probably wasn’t listened to much of the time! But God was present there. And God was present in the Chronicler’s day, as well—despite the fact that a Persian Emperor ruled over God’s people, not the chosen descendant of David. Continue reading →