READING FOR NOVEMBER 27, 2025: 2 CHRONICLES 24, 1 JOHN 5, PSALM 119:97-104 2 CHRONICLES 24 We have listened to so many voices over our lifetimes. We first listened to those in our family. Then our teachers and classmates influenced us considerably. For some of us, our pastors may have shaped our understanding of God. Most of us today are more influenced than we realize by traditional and social media. Advertisers have figured this out using computer algorithms. They invest billions of dollars based upon their belief that those you mostly listen to will determine what your future behavior will be. They are not wrong. In this chapter we see that those Joash listened to strongly influenced him, positively and negatively. Was he still responsible for his behavior before God? Completely! Could he have been wiser about whose advice he sought and how he processed that advice? Yes!
First Influencer: “Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (vs 2). Good for Joash. He could have either avoided Jehoiada or not taken his advice. We all have that right. For example, we can choose to avoid the Bible or not obey it completely. Blessings to all of you who are working through this reading plan with us. The next step? OBEY IT!
Second Influencers: “But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs” (vs. 17-18). Joash could not really avoid the officials of Judah, but he could have had enough discernment by now to reject their advice. Neither can we avoid the messages from our culture, unless we choose an Amish lifestyle. But we can weigh its messages against the truth of scripture.
Third Influencers: “Yet He [God] sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen” (vs. 19). Why do some think the God of the Old Testament is harsh and unloving? He is constantly sending His people messages even after they reject Him. Does God persist in sending us good influencers to whom to listen. Ask the Lord who or what is the carrier of His message(s) to us in our lives at present. Let’s not ignore His messenger!
Not only did Joash not listen to God’s prophets, he ordered that Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, be stoned to death. (Folks didn’t like to be criticized back then any more than now.) Do we really want God to bless and accept those who intentionally disobey Him like this? That might be an inclusive approach, but not a just one. A very small force from Aram was then used by God to exercise His judgment on Judah (vs. 24). Joash, who started out so well, was murdered in his bed and not buried with the kings. We are all listening to someone or some- thing. Do our major influencers lead toward or away from God? Our eternal life is at stake!
READING FOR NOVEMBER 27, 2025 CONTINUED: 1 JOHN 5, PSALM 119:97-104 1 JOHN 5 John states if we believe, as in fully trusting in Him and His work, that Jesus is the Christ/Messiah, then we are born again. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus he must do in John 3. If we are so born again, then we must in turn love all others who have also been born again. No exceptions. And what is a test to prove we are born again? Here John says it is if we obey God’s commandments and don’t find them to be burden. This is God’s pathway to a victory.
Just earlier, John said it’s essential to believe Jesus was the Christ/Messiah. Here he says we must also believe He is the Son of God. Both titles refer only to Jesus. The reference to water and blood could mean Jesus’s baptism and resurrection or it could mean that Jesus was fully a physical human, thus refuting the Gnostics. Both observations are biblical, so any ambiguity shouldn’t be problematic. The King James Version reads as follows for verse seven: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” While this statement about the Trinity is true, these words are not found in the earliest manuscripts of 1 John and should not be considered authentic.
Verses 9-12 emphasize that the testimony of God about Jesus is much greater than that of man. What is the testimony of God? Certainly, that would include the Holy Spirit: “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me” (John 15:26). Verses 13-14 clarify that we don’t have eternal life without believing in Jesus. We can be certain that we have eternal life if we do believe. Can this be any clearer? An immediate and wonderful extra benefit believers have is receiving anything we ask of God that is according to His will. Conversely, verse 26 warns of a sin leading to death. Given the preceding context, that may refer to the sin of rejecting Jesus.
PSALM 119:97-104 The Psalmist promises that if we love and constantly meditate on the scriptures, we can be wiser than those who oppose us. Do we feel inadequate to speak about Jesus to those who don’t believe? The solution is simple. It’s not rocket science; It is commitment to God’s word. And it’s not too late for us to start. Chuck Colson was well known as the first person in the Nixon administration to be incarnated for Watergate. Then this happened: “His mid-life religious conversion sparked a radical life change that led to the founding of his non-profit ministry Prison Fellowship to a focus on Christian worldview teaching and training around the world. Colson was also a public speaker and the author of more than 30 books” (from Wikipedia). Because he complied with God precepts (vs.100), he no longer pursued evil ways (vs. 101). One trick of the enemy is making us think God’s word is boring and inhibiting. If we truly hang on every word as our loving God’s gift to us for that moment, it will become sweeter than honey. Those of us who can remember receiving love letters know the feeling.
