Daily Bible Study

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Good morning. As promised, I am back fulltime with the Daily Bible study. Day 348 – Obedience 2 Kings 23:1 Now the king sent them to gather the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 Then the king went up to the house of JEHOVAH with the men of Judah, and with him the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and the people, both small and great. He read in their hearing the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of JEHOVAH. 3 Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before JEHOVAH, to follow JEHOVAH and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with his entire heart and his entire soul, to perform the words of this covenant written in this book. Everyone took a stand for the covenant. 4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of JEHOVAH the articles made for Baal, for Asherah, and for every host of heaven; and burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to the host of heaven. 6 He brought out the wooden image from the house of JEHOVAH to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 7 Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons in the house of JEHOVAH, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8 He brought the priests from the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also, he broke down the high places at the gates at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, to the left of the city gate. 9 Nevertheless, the priests of the high places did not come to the altar of JEHOVAH in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren. 10 He defiled Topheth, in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. 11 Then he removed the horses the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of JEHOVAH, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The altars on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of JEHOVAH, the king broke down and pulverized there and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. 13 Then the king defiled the high places east of Jerusalem, on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. 14 He broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs on the mountain. He sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of JEHOVAH which the man of Elohiym proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17 Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?” Then the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of Elohiym who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you did against the altar of Bethel.” 18 Then he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” Thus, they left his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19 Now Josiah also took away the shrines of the high places in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke JEHOVAH to anger; and he did to them according to the deeds he did in Bethel. 20 He executed the priests of the high places on the altars and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem. 21 Then the king commanded the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to JEHOVAH your Elohiym, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 However, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before JEHOVAH in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household elohiym and idols, the abominations seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law written in the book Hilkiah the priest found in the house of JEHOVAH. 25 Now, before him there was no king like him, who turned to JEHOVAH with his entire heart, with his entire soul, and with his entire might, according to the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. 26 Nevertheless, JEHOVAH did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 JEHOVAH said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ‘My name will be there.’” 28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and everything he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place. 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 He did evil in the sight of JEHOVAH, according to everything his fathers did. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there. 35 Then Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 He did evil in the sight of JEHOVAH, according to everything his fathers did. God’s names: JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal Elohiym – Supreme God Yeshuwa – Jesus God’s character: Judge Kings and presidents rise and fall. History tells the story of their reign whether they were good or bad. Josiah was a good king, who sought JEHOVAH with his entire being. He destroyed everything related to the elohiym of his fathers. He got rid of everything that could tempt a person to return to idol worship. However, after he died, his sons returned to idol worship and JEHOVAH purposed in his heart to bring judgment against Judah in the same manner He did to Israel. What will history record about you? When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, you committed to serve Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love Him and obey Him in everything He told you. Yet for everything you committed yourself to, Satan worms his way into your life to tell you there’s a better way. What did the serpent tell Eve in the garden of Eden? Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which JEHOVAH Elohiym had made. He said to the woman, “Has Elohiym indeed said, ‘You will not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 Then the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, Elohiym said, ‘You will not eat it, nor will you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 For Elohiym knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohiym, knowing good and evil.” From the moment Satan tempted Eve to sin and sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, he continues to tell JEHOVAH’S people there’s a better way. It’s hard to believe what Yeshuwa tells you when you see something more pleasurable. However, when you determine to live your life in obedience to Yeshuwa and His Word, you will see through the lies Satan tells you. Josiah saw through the lies and tore down and destroyed everything that brought dishonor to JEHOVAH. He also caused Judah to make a covenant to obey Elohiym in everything the Law of Moses declared. Examine your life. Have you kept your commitment to Yeshuwa to obey Him in everything? Everyone sins. Everyone listens to Satan’s lies and strays from Him. Yet, it’s an easy step back to obedience. Josiah took that step. He destroyed everything that brought dishonor to JEHOVAH. What do you have in your life that seems innocent and wouldn’t cause you to stray but does because you put it in the place of Yeshuwa in your life. Many things in life aren’t evil until you put them in first place. Only one person should occupy first place in your life, Yeshuwa. When you seat Him on the throne of your heart, you will find your life in complete harmony with Him. Those things you thought important will have little to no value in your life. On this first day of 2025, a day of new beginnings, determine to put Yeshuwa in first place. Get rid of everything that wants to take first place. Don’t let it hold sway over your life. When Satan sees he cannot tempt you with those things, he will move on. He might try to bring other temptations into your life, things that didn’t interest you will want to take hold. You know the signs, don’t let Satan in to destroy your relationship with Yeshuwa. Remember, he wants to destroy your life and relationship with Yeshuwa. However, Yeshuwa promised to give you life and more than that, abundant life. Satan can’t promise you an abundant life. His temptations are temporary, not eternal. Though they can lead to eternal destruction if you allow them to have control over your life. John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (NKJV) Let’s pray: Father, show me those things in my life that take first place and help me get rid of them and put You in first place in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 1 January 2025 by Valerie Routhieaux Thanks for reading. The image belongs to me. Happy New Year.