24 February 2015

EJ&T - 2 Chronicles: Don't love those who hate the Lord

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

  1. Kill whoever will not seek the Lord.
  2. Whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. 2 Chronicles 15:13-15

  3. When you are sick, ask God (not physicians) to cure your illness.
  4. And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. 2 Chronicles 16:12
    The moral of the story about Asa's foot disease is that sick people should ask God (not physicians) to heal them. But when it's combined with the following verse from James, it becomes a commandment.
    Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick ... pray one for another, that ye may be healed. James 5:14-16

  5. Don't help the ungodly.
  6. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly? ... Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. 2 Chronicles 19:2

  7. Don't love those that hate the Lord.
  8. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou ... love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.2 Chronicles 19:2

  9. Take away the groves out of the land.
  10. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee [Jehoshaphat], in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land. 2 Chronicles 19:3

  11. Purify your heart.
  12. Purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8

  13. Only priests may enter the house of the Lord to burn incense. Anyone else who tries it shall be killed (or given leprosy by God).
  14. Let none come into the house of the LORD, save the priests ... whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death. 2 Chronicles 23:6-7

    He [Uzziah] transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead ... behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death. 2 Chronicles 26:16-21

  15. Don't sacrifice or burn incense in high places, on hills, or under green trees.
  16. He [Ahaz] sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him. 2 Chronicles 28:4-5

    In every several city of Judah he [Ahaz] made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. 2 Chronicles 28:25

  17. Sanctify the house of the Lord.
  18. Sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers. 2 Chronicles 29:5a

  19. Remove the filthiness from the holy place.
  20. Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 2 Chronicles 29:5b

  21. Don't trespass against the Lord.
  22. Our fathers have trespassed ... Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 2 Chronicles 29:6-8

    Be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 2 Chronicles 30:7

  23. Don't do evil things.
  24. Our fathers have ... done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God. ... Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 2 Chronicles 29:6-8

    Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 2 Chronicles 22:1-6

    Depart from evil. Psalm 34:14, 37:27, Proverbs 3:7

    Put away evil from thy flesh. Ecclesiastes 11:10

    Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16

    Return ye now every one from his evil way. Jeremiah 18:11

    Let none of you suffer as ... an evildoer. 1 Peter 4:15

  25. Don't forsake the Lord.
  26. Our fathers have ... forsaken him. ... Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 2 Chronicles 29:6-8

    Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place ... Because they have forsaken me. 2 Chronicles 34:24-25

  27. Don't turn away your face (or back) from the habitation of the Lord.
  28. Our fathers have ... turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. ... Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 2 Chronicles 29:6-8

  29. Don't shut up the doors of the porch or put out the lamps.
  30. Our fathers have ... shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps. ... Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 2 Chronicles 29:7-8

  31. Minister unto the Lord.
  32. My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you ... to minister unto him. 2 Chronicles 29:11

  33. Yield yourself to the Lord.
  34. Yield yourselves unto the LORD ... that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 2 Chronicles 30:8

  35. Enter the Lord's sanctuary.
  36. Enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever ... that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 2 Chronicles 30:8

  37. Return to the Lord.
  38. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. 2 Chronicles 30:9

    Return unto the LORD thy God. Hosea 14:1

    Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Zecharaiah 1:3

    Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:7

  39. Don't build high places.
  40. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down. 2 Chronicles 33:1-2

  41. Don't build altars for Baalim.
  42. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... reared up altars for Baalim. 2 Chronicles 33:1-3

  43. Don't worship the host of heaven.
  44. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... worshipped all the host of heaven. 2 Chronicles 33:1-3

  45. Don't serve the host of heaven.
  46. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 2 Chronicles 33:1-3

  47. Don't build altars for the host of heaven in the house of the Lord.
  48. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 33:1-5

  49. Don't set a carved image in the house of God.
  50. Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God. 2 Chronicles 33:1-7

  51. Burn the bones of priests upon their altars.
  52. Josiah ... did that which was right in the sight of the LORD ... And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars. 2 Chronicles 34:1-5

  53. Don't burn incense to other gods.
  54. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place ... Because they ... have burned incense unto other gods. 2 Chronicles 34:24-25

2 comments:

Stephen said...

Wow! Numbers 590 and 591 give a lot to think about! And it looks like you're coming up on the magic number. :-)
Steve Weeks

Steve Wells said...

Yeah, I finally made it to 613, though not in just the Torah, as in the list by Maimonides. I expect that I'll break 1000 before finishing the project.

I'll probably drop some of the ones in the current list and add others before it's finalized. I try to avoid repetition, but it's not easy since many of the commandments are so similar.

Let me know if you find any that I've missed and I'll add them to the list.