https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Psalm+104;+2+Chronicles+36
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 28 December 2025:
Psalm 104:1-4 — Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
Psalm 104 opens with worship rooted in awe. God is presented not as a tribal deity or local power, but as the cosmic King, actively sustaining creation. The imagery is intentional: light, heavens, wind, fire. Creation is not autonomous; it is animated by God’s presence. The psalmist reminds us that all authority, motion, and order flow from God’s sovereign will. This sets the theological frame for understanding history: nations rise and fall under the same God who commands the wind.
– 1 Timothy 6:16 — …who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
“He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.” The writer of Hebrews quoted Psalm verse 104:4, revealing that “He” refers directly to Jesus, the Messiah to whom angels and ministers belong – “Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.’” (Hebrews 1:7).
Psalm 104:5-9 — He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
Creation obeys God instantly. Chaos retreats at His command. This matters deeply when reading historical collapse in Chronicles. The same God who restrains waters restrains evil. When disorder is allowed, it is not because God has lost control, but because He has withdrawn restraint for redemptive purposes.
– Matthew 8:26 — And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Psalm 104:10-13 — You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
God’s care is comprehensive and generous. He sustains even creatures that do not acknowledge Him. This common grace underscores God’s patience with Judah in Chronicles. Judgment only comes after extended mercy, provision, and warning.
Psalm 104:14-18 — You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
Provision is not accidental. Work, joy, nourishment, and strength are God-given gifts. When people abuse these gifts, turning blessing into entitlement or worship into self-indulgence, judgment follows. This is precisely the trajectory Judah follows in 2 Chronicles 36.
Psalm 104:24 — O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Wisdom governs creation, not chance. Therefore, history is also governed by wisdom. Collapse is not random. Exile is not accidental. God’s wisdom governs even discipline.
The natural laws and the laws of ethics (justice) were both created by God in perfection. They both determine the order of things, and the outcomes (or consequences) of God’s natural and ethical laws are inextricably linked, reliable and predictable. If we attempt to defy God’s natural laws (the laws of science or nature), we will face devastating consequences. Likewise, if we attempt to defy God’s moral ethical laws, we will face devastating consequences. Again, God will not be mocked. There are predictable consequences for every action. God’s word can guide you down the path of predictably good consequences. Do not be deceived by following the teachings of man rather than the teachings of God. God is the author of “principles” (the truth about how life works) and “ethics” (justice), but man is the author of “values” (mankind’s interpretation of principles) and “morality” (mores, customs, what is generally considered good and acceptable by the majority). Today, we use all these words interchangeably, and values and morality are preached rather than God’s principles and ethics. This is the story of the Book of Judges where the people did “what was right in their own eyes.”
Everything is perfectly orchestrated by God. Everything is totally dependent upon God. The palmist makes it clear – God’s creations belong to Him. This is to be both praised and respected. Thank God your life is not your own – never forget your life is not your own.
– Isaiah 29:16 — You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
– Romans 14:8 — For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
– Jeremiah 10:23 — I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Psalm 104:27-30 — These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
“Food in due season.” God give what is best when it is best. Faith means we trust God’s perfect provision beyond our perceptions.
“You give… they gather it up.” God provides, but He expects us to work too and do our part. Grace is not opposed to effort, only a perception of earning or entitlement.
“When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die.” Our every breath depends on God’s mercy, grace, and love. We should have far more respect and appreciation for our Creator and LORD.
“When you send forth your Spirit, they are created.” Separation from God is death. But life in the Spirit is eternal abundant life, the fullness of love, joy, and peace, overflowing forever.
Psalm 104:31-35 — May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works…. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!
The psalm ends where it began: worship. The final goal of creation and history is not human success but God’s glory. This provides the interpretive lens for 2 Chronicles 36. When a people refuse to glorify God, He will still glorify Himself, either through repentance or through judgment.
When you consider the Sovereignty and Majesty of God, it can only cause you to say, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord…. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” If your heart isn’t yet filled with this level of adoration for the Lord, pray that God will more clearly reveal His Glory to you as you meditate on verses such as found in Psalm 104.
2 Chronicles 36:1 — The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Leadership transitions reveal the heart of a nation. After Josiah’s godly reign, the people quickly revert to pragmatism rather than faithfulness. Choosing Jehoahaz reflects political anxiety rather than spiritual discernment. When people prioritize stability over obedience, decline accelerates.
“His name is omitted from among those of our Lord’s ancestors in Matthew 1…which may imply that God did not recognize Jehoahaz, the people’s choice, as being in a true sense the successor.” (Knapp)
2 Chronicles 36:2-4 — Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem…. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king… and changed his name to Jehoiakim.
Foreign powers now determine Judah’s leadership. Loss of spiritual autonomy leads to political subjugation. Name changes symbolize ownership. Judah belongs no longer to God in practice, even if covenantally still claimed.
“Jehoiakim was nothing more than a puppet king presiding over a vassal kingdom under the Egyptians. He imposed heavy taxes on the people and paid the money to the Egyptians, as required (2 Kings 23:35).” (David Guzik)
2 Chronicles 36:5 — Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign…. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
The Chronicler wastes no words. Evil leadership is the norm now. God’s patience continues, but the trajectory is set.
“To all his former evils he added this, that he slew Urijah the prophet (Jeremiah 26:20, 23).” (Trapp)
2 Chronicles 36:6-7 — Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains… Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon.
This is theological humiliation. Sacred vessels are removed from the temple and placed in pagan treasuries. God allows His house to be desecrated because His name was already being dishonored by His own people.
2 Chronicles 36:8-10 — Jehoiachin… did what was evil in the sight of the Lord… The king of Babylon brought him to Babylon.
A pattern emerges: short reigns, repeated evil, rapid decline. Sin compounds quickly when repentance is rejected.
2 Chronicles 36:11-14 — Zedekiah… did what was evil…. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet…. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart…. All the officers… and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful.
This is the core diagnosis. The problem is not Babylon; it is hardness of heart. Leaders and people alike reject God’s Word. Prophets speak; hearts resist. Judgment is now inevitable.
You must take a humble approach to God’s word and obey. Each day, you should pour into the word of God, let the Holy Spirit convict you, and respond in repentance and renewal.
2 Chronicles 36:13 — He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.
God expects you to keep your promises, oaths and commitments.
2 Chronicles 36:14 — All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.
God’s people have a long and terrible history of, at times, being more influenced by the world around them than an influence on the world. In this chapter, the government leadership led the nation adrift, and the church followed. The church should serve as the conscience of the nation, exposing darkness and preserving order (salt and light) in accordance with the Laws of God. This is warning to churches found throughout the Bible.
2 Chronicles 36:14 – All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.
Your sin leads others to sin.
2 Chronicles 36:15-16 — The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers… But they kept mocking the messengers of God… until there was no remedy.
This is one of the most devastating verses in Scripture. Mercy exhausted. Warning ignored. The phrase “no remedy” signals the end of restraint. Judgment now serves the purpose mercy could not: purification.
God’s people are called to proclaim His message to the nation. If God’s word is ignored and despised, there may come a national crisis without remedy. Pray for corporate repentance and revival among God’s people and a new Great Awakening.
2 Chronicles 36:17-19 — Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans…. They burned the house of God… and destroyed all its precious vessels.
The unthinkable happens. The temple burns. God allows the destruction of what symbolized His dwelling because His people refused to live as His dwelling. External religion collapses when internal faithfulness dies.
If you disobey the God who loves you, He may choose those who don’t love you to punish you.
If God has chosen evil leaders to punish a people, the political efforts of the people to remove the evil leaders are futile. Repentance is the answer.
2 Chronicles 36:20-21 — He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped… to fulfill the word of the Lord… until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths.
Exile is not meaningless suffering. It is covenant fulfillment. Even the land rests. God’s law is honored, even when His people refused to honor it willingly.
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 — Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia…. “Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.”
Grace has the final word. God moves a pagan king to fulfill prophecy. Restoration begins not because Israel repents nationally, but because God remains faithful covenantally. Judgment never cancels promise.
Again, when God’s people prove unfaithful, God can use unbelievers to punish them and to complete the work He intended to be accomplished. Several times, we see God using unbelievers to do what the church should have done for His glory. Be strong and courageous and do the work of a disciple and an ambassador!
This chapter ends not with Israel’s strength, but with God’s sovereignty.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) — 28 December 2025: Respond to God’s Word quickly and humbly today. Do not delay obedience or dismiss correction. Let worship shape your response to discipline, and let repentance become your path to restoration. Honor God now so that correction does not become necessary later.
Pray: “Lord God, You are sovereign over creation and history. Keep my heart soft when You speak and quick to obey when You correct. Guard me from gradual drift, hardened resistance, and spiritual pride. Teach me to worship You not only in comfort but in conviction. Thank You that even in judgment, Your mercy endures, and even in exile, You prepare restoration. Shape my life so that it brings You glory, now and forever. Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 