In 2 Chronicles 31and 32 the people are so inspired by the worship of God that they go back home and tear down all of the places of idols worship in Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. Hezekiah makes a tithe of his possessions to the Lord. The people follow his example and give one tenth of their possessions to the Lord. They brought the first and best offerings of their crops and products.  These are stored in the house of God. The priests take from the offerings made and do the work of the people of faith.

Because Hezekiah led his people in service of God, God blessed him. A major part of our worship of God is giving a tithe to further the work of God. According to the scriptures our gift to God should be made first before we spend anything on ourselves. The Old Testament speaks of giving the first tenth (10%) to the Lord. As we offer our gifts to God, God blesses us to give more.

King Sennacharib tries to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah protects the water supply and keeps it from reaching the Assyrians. Hezekiah tells his people to be courageous because God is with them. King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah pray for Jerusalem and God delivers them from the Assyrians.

Hezekiah is not perfect in his faith and lets his pride cause him to sin. He receives gifts for his mighty acts and does not acknowledge God. He becomes sick and humbles himself so God doesn’t punish Jerusalem and Judah as long as Hezekiah is alive.

We return to the gospels with Luke which is actually the first of a two book series along with the book of Acts.

Luke 1:1-38 tells of a priest named Zechariah whose wife Elizabeth is barren, she has no children. They are very faithful and had prayed for children but now they are getting old. While Zechariah is serving in the temple and angel appears to him and tells him that Elizabeth is going to have a son. He is to name his son John and he is to live as a Nazarite, serving God. He will turn peoples’ hearts to the Lord.

Zechariah does not believe the angel. The angel Gabriel makes him unable to speak because of his disbelief. The people are waiting outside the temple for Zechariah to give them a blessing but when he comes out he cannot talk.

Elizabeth becomes pregnant and is thankful that God has blessed them. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy Gabriel comes to a young woman named Mary. She is engaged to be married to Joseph who is of David’s line. Gabriel tells Mary that God has favored her and she will have a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The angel tells her about Elizabeth, who is her relative, and says that nothing will be impossible for God. Mary tells Gabriel that she is God’s servant and that she accepts what God says.

This is the beginning of the birth story of Jesus. It helps us see how God works things together to accomplish his purposes for our lives. Oh, that we would be as willing as Mary to accept God’s plan.

Congratulations! You have completed six months of reading the Bible. If you are behind, keep at it. God will bless your efforts. There is still much to learn as we continue our journey.