Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 12:13-21.  Let’s go!

Exercising Financial Self-Discipline (Also, How You Finish > How You Start)

2 Kings 12:13-16 (NIV) 
13  The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; 
14  it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. 
15  They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 
16  The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 11:1-21.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 11:1-3 (NIV) 
1  When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 
2  But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. 
3  He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

On verses 1-21:  After talking about the kingdom of Israel and how Jehu became its king in 2 Kings 9 and 10, the author of 2 Kings turns our attention once again to the kingdom of Judah.  Judah’s King Ahaziah was killed by Jehu of Israel, but instead of Ahaziah’s brother or son taking over Ahaziah’s throne in Judah, Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah seizes power for herself.  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 10:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-17:  Having assassinated Joram king of Israel and Jezebel the queen mother, Jehu continues his mission to eliminate the remaining sons in Ahab’s house.  Instead of a sneak attack, Jehu issues a formal challenge to the high officials in Israel’s capital city as well as those in charge of Ahab’s sons.  Jehu challenges them to put one of Ahab’s sons on Ahab’s throne and to fight Jehu and his troops. Fearing that they are no match for Jehu, Israel’s high officials surrender to Jehu and express their willingness to do whatever Jehu wants them to do. So further to Jehu’s command, Israel’s high officials slaughter 70 sons of Ahab and place their heads in baskets.  Jehu then announces that the word of the Lord which Elijah spoke against the house of Ahab has been fulfilled (v10).  Jehu then goes on a killing rampage:  

– First, Jehu kills Ahab’s chief officials, close friends and priests in Jezreel (v11).  

– Then on his way to Samaria, Jehu slaughters 42 unsuspecting relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah who had gone to visit King Joram and Jezebel, not knowing that Jehu had already killed them (v12-14).   Jehu also invites Jehonadab to get into his chariot and says to him, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” (v16)   

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:14-29.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 9:22 (NIV) 
22  When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” 

On verses 14-29:  These verses describe how Jehu assassinates Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah.  Jehu travels from Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel where Joram king of Israel is nursing his wounds from battle and where Ahaziah king of Judah has gone to visit Joram (v14-16).  When Joram’s guards spot Jehu approaching in his chariot, twice Joram sends a horseman to ask Jehu, “Do you come in peace?” and each time Jehu replies, “What do you have to do with peace?”  Instead of reporting back to Joram, both of these horsemen decide to follow Jehu (v17-20) and Jehu continues driving “like a madman” in his chariot toward King Joram (v21).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:16-29.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 8:16-18 (NIV) 
16  In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 
17  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 
18  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 

On verses 16-18:  Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat as the king of Judah.  But instead of being a humble, wise, God-fearing king like his father Jehoshaphat was, Jehoram is said to have “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done” (v18).