2 CHRONICLES 17:1-18:34
ROMANS 9:25-10:13
PSALM 20:1-9
PROVERBS 20:2-3
2 CHRONICLES 17:1-18:34
Then Jehoshaphat, Asa's son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. 2 He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had conquered. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father's early years and did not worship the images of Baal. 4 He sought his father's God and obeyed his commands instead of following the practices of the kingdom of Israel. 5 So the LORD established Jehoshaphat's control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. 6 He was committed to the ways of the LORD. He knocked down the pagan shrines and destroyed the Asherah poles. 7 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent out his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. 8 He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also sent out the priests, Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They took copies of the Book of the Law of the LORD and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people. 10 Then the fear of the LORD fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them declared war on Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought seventy-seven hundred rams and seventy-seven hundred male goats. 12 So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and built fortresses and store cities throughout Judah. 13 He stored numerous supplies in Judah's towns and stationed an army of seasoned troops at Jerusalem. 14 His army was enrolled according to ancestral clans. From Judah, there were 300,000 troops organized in units of one thousand, under the command of Adnah. 15 Next in command was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 troops. 16 Next was Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered for the LORD's service, with 200,000 troops under his command. 17 From Benjamin, there were 200,000 troops equipped with bows and shields. They were under the command of Eliada, a veteran soldier. 18 Next in command was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 armed men.19 These were the troops stationed in Jerusalem to serve the king, besides those Jehoshaphat stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah. 18:1 NOW Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches and high esteem, and he arranged for his son to marry the daughter of King Ahab of Israel. 2 A few years later, he went to Samaria to visit Ahab, who prepared a great banquet for him and his officials. They butchered great numbers of sheep and oxen for the feast. Then Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to join forces with him to attack Ramoth-gilead. 3 " Will you join me in fighting against Ramoth-gilead?" Ahab asked. And Jehoshaphat replied, " Why, of course! You and I are brothers, and my troops are yours to command. We will certainly join you in battle." 4 Then Jehoshaphat added, " But first let's find out what the LORD says." 5 So King Ahab summoned his prophets, four hundred of them, and asked them, " Should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?" They all replied, " Go ahead, for God will give you a great victory!"6 But Jehoshaphat asked, " Isn't there a prophet of the LORD around, too? I would like to ask him the same question." 7 King Ahab replied, " There is still one prophet of the LORD, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah." " You shouldn't talk like that," Jehoshaphat said. " Let's hear what he has to say." 8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, " Quick! Go and get Micaiah son of Imlah." 9 King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab's prophets were prophesying there in front of them. 10 One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, " This is what the LORD says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!" 11 All the other prophets agreed. " Yes," they said, " go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious. The LORD will give you a glorious victory!" 12 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, " Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success." 13 But Micaiah replied, " As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what my God tells me to say." 14 When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, " Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?" And Micaiah replied, " Go right ahead! It will be a glorious victory!" 15 But the king replied sharply, " How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth when you speak for the LORD?"16 So Micaiah told him, " In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ` Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.' " 17 " Didn't I tell you?" the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat. " He does it every time. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me."18 Then Micaiah continued, " Listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven on his right and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, ` Who can entice King Ahab of Israel to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so that he can be killed there?' There were many suggestions, 20 until finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, ` I can do it!' " ` How will you do this?' the LORD asked. 21 " And the spirit replied, ` I will go out and inspire all Ahab's prophets to speak lies.' " ` You will succeed,' said the LORD. ` Go ahead and do it.' 22 " So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For the LORD has determined disaster for you." 23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. " When did the Spirit of the LORD leave me to speak to you?" he demanded. 24 And Micaiah replied, " You will find out soon enough, when you find yourself hiding in some secret room!"25 King Ahab of Israel then ordered, " Arrest Micaiah and take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash. 26 Give them this order from the king: ` Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!' " 27 But Micaiah replied, " If you return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me!" Then he added to those standing around, " Take note of what I have said." 28 So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead. 29 Now King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, " As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes." So Ahab disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had issued these orders to his charioteers: " Attack only the king of Israel!" 31 So when the Aramean charioteers saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. " There is the king of Israel!" they shouted. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the LORD to save him, and God helped him by turning the attack away from him. 32 As soon as the charioteers realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.33 An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops, and the arrow hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. " Get me out of here!" Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. " I have been badly wounded!" 34 The battle raged all that day, and Ahab propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then, just as the sun was setting, he died.
ROMANS 9:25-10:13
Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, " Those who were not my people,
I will now call my people.
And I will love those
whom I did not love before."
26 And, " Once they were told,
` You are not my people.'
But now he will say,
` You are children of the living God.' *"
27 Concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, " Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand on the seashore,
only a small number will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth
quickly and with finality."
29 And Isaiah said in another place, " If the Lord Almighty
had not spared a few of us,
we would have been wiped out
as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah."
30 Well then, what shall we say about these things? Just this: The Gentiles have been made right with God by faith, even though they were not seeking him. 31 But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, " I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that causes people to stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who believes in him
will not be disappointed."
10:1 DEAR brothers and sisters,* the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jewish people might be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don't understand God's way of making people right with himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. They won't go along with God's way. 4 For Christ has accomplished the whole purpose of the law. All who believe in him are made right with God. 5 For Moses wrote that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But the way of getting right with God through faith says, " You don't need to go to heaven" (to find Christ and bring him down to help you). 7 And it says, " You don't need to go to the place of the dead" (to bring Christ back to life again). 8 Salvation that comes from trusting Christ--which is the message we preach--is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, " The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." 9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, " Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed." 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They all have the same Lord, who generously gives his riches to all who ask for them. 13 For " Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
PSALM 20:1-9
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 In times of trouble, may the LORD respond to your cry.
May the God of Israel keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
3 May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Interlude4 May he grant your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory,
flying banners to honor our God.
May the LORD answer all your prayers.
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
7 Some nations boast of their armies and weapons,
but we boast in the LORD our God.
8 Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.
9 Give victory to our king, O LORD!
Respond to our cry for help.
PROVERBS 20:2-3
The king's fury is like a lion's roar; to rouse his anger is to risk your life. Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.
