Wednesday August 31st, 2016 2 Chronicles 12:1-12
Because [Rehoboam] humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy them completely; moreover, conditions were good in Judah. (verse 12)
While it is true that Christianity is rooted in Judaism, the two religions are remarkably different. We could put it in this vastly oversimplified way: in Christianity, religion takes place in history; in Judaism, religion is history.
So we have this story from the Hebrew scriptures about a tiny nation overrun by a world power because its king turns away from Yahweh, their God. The king repents and God mitigates the punishment so Judah survives and “conditions were good in Judah.”
Some Christians read stories like this as devout Jews do, only substituting their own country for Judah: bad things happen to us because God is punishing us for being unfaithful. And when we enjoy prosperity and peace (“conditions were good in Judah”) God is rewarding obedience. My bias is that this distorts both religion and history.
O God of all peoples, in my own history, give me courage to do what is right and just. Amen. — GHN
Contributed by Is History Religion?
While it is true that Christianity is rooted in Judaism, the two religions are remarkably different. We could put it in this vastly oversimplified way: in Christianity, religion takes place in history; in Judaism, religion is history.
So we have this story from the Hebrew scriptures about a tiny nation overrun by a world power because its king turns away from Yahweh, their God. The king repents and God mitigates the punishment so Judah survives and "conditions were good in Judah."
Some Christians read stories like this as devout Jews do, only substituting their own country for Judah: bad things happen to us because God is punishing us for being unfaithful. And when we enjoy prosperity and peace ("conditions were good in Judah") God is rewarding obedience. My bias is that this distorts both religion and history.
