Wednesday, July 17
Read 2 Chronicles 24
Think About It:
In his parable about the sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23), Jesus explained that, from a spiritual viewpoint, there are four kinds of hearts in response to seeding of the Word in four different ways. When the hard-hearted hear the Word, the seed can’t grow roots on the hard ground, so Satan snatches it away. Shallow-hearted people receive the Word but provide no room for it to take root, so the shoots grow up but don’t last. A plant can’t grow and bear fruit if it doesn’t have roots. Those with crowded-hearts receive the seed but the shoots are smothered by the weeds that should’ve been hoed up. The person with a heart that bears fruit is honest, repentant, understands the Word and embraces it by faith. When it came to his own personal faith, King Joash had a shallow heart. At first, he faithfully obeyed all that Jehoiada instructed him to do. After Jehoiada’s death, King Joash struggled with understanding what was right and what was wrong. Finally, he forsook the LORD his God and suffered greatly because of that and was assassinated. The people would not even bury him in the royal cemetery.
- What type of heart do you have? What changes need to be made to be a person with a heart that bears fruit and is honest, repentant, understands the word and embraces it by faith?
Family Time:
- Joash did what was “right in the eyes of God” while he had Jehoiada to advise him. What major thing did Joash do to restore his people to God?
- When Jehoiada died, what happened to change Joash’s rule? (verse 17)
- In verses 20-23, Joash’s true nature is revealed. What did he do to show who he really was? How did his life and rule end?
