December 13: 2 Chronicles 14–15; Revelation 4; Haggai 2; John 3 - a podcast by Crossway

2 Chronicles 14–15(Listen)

Asa Reigns in Judah

14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.2 ¹And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered.8 And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah²carried away very much spoil.14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 The Spirit of God came³upon Azariah the son of Oded,2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress.7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.⁴9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul,13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.

16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

(ESV)

Revelation 4(Listen)

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said,“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings¹and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

  “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11   “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
  for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

(ESV)

Haggai 2(Listen)

The Coming Glory of the Temple

2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet:2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,11 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:12 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.”13 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”14 Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.15 Now then, consider from this day onward.¹Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD,16 how did you fare? When²one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD.18 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider:19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

20 The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.23 On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a³signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.”

(ESV)

John 3(Listen)

You Must Be Born Again

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.2 This man came to Jesus¹by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”3 Jesus answered him,“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again²he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”5 Jesus answered,“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.³7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You⁴must be born again.’8 The wind⁵blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”10 Jesus answered him,“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you⁶do not receive our testimony.12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.⁷14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.⁸

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world,⁹that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”¹⁰

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

(ESV)