2 Chronicles 21 – 24

Verse 21:4 is one of those scenarios that may one say “huh”:

 Once Jehoram had taken over his father’s kingdom and had established himself, he killed all his brothers and some rulers of Israel so they could not challenge his right to rule.

Imagine being in a “system” where being the “boss” is rank in the family and once you obtain that position all your siblings want to be “boss” and the only way for that to happen is for you to die. Therefore in order to keep “them” from killing “you” the first order of business is kill “them” so they can’t kill “you”. It’s parts like these that people get all worked up about since the Bible is God’s Word and therefore it “condones” killing your family. Once must understand that much of the Bible is history and just what happened, not intended to be an example of how we should live our lives. So much of the stories about the kings are just history of what happened and examples of how God worked during these times.

Verses 22:11 & 12 show how David’s lineage survived through a very bleak time:

¹¹ But little did she know that Jehoshabeath, King Jehoram’s daughter, had stolen Ahaziah’s son Joash from among the king’s sons when Jehu’s soldiers were killing them. She hid Joash and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the sister of King Ahaziah, saved the Davidic line by protecting him from Athaliah’s murderous rage. Since she was the wife of Jehoiada the priest, Jehoshabeath¹² was able to hide Joash and his nurse in the temple of the True God during the six years of Athaliah’s reign.

The ancestors were all thought to be killed, but in reality one was saved and was able to carry on the lineage to Jesus. Details like this help us understand the barbaric methods used by evil, since Satan understands the ramifications of what will happen to him in the future.

Verse 24:11 talks about the church and giving:

Each day the Levites returned the chest to the king’s officer, where the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would empty the chest and return it to the temple gate. They emptied the chest every day because the people gave so much money.

Tithing in a mega church sometimes is odd to many since they see the lavish life or the ornate buildings their money is paying for and not “mission” work. In the Jewish temple it’s all about “glory” to God and ornate fixtures to honor Him. This has carried over to the Christian church in a way looking at the majesty of ancient cathedrals and modern day churches. It seem to miss the mark of Jesus’ teachings. At the same time often the “show” attracts new believers to explore deeper into Jesus’ teachings.

Do I have the answer on what to do? Often when I “tithe”, especially on big transactions/wins, I “spread” it out over a few ministries. The key really is giving without question or control, but to honor God and others with our “blessings”.