Today’s Reading:
Read II Kings 24; 25:1-6,8-21; II Chronicles 36:1-21; Jeremiah 52
We have made it to the point in our reading where a quick review will be helpful.
Jump back in your reading to II Samuel 5. Read about how David led the Israelites to take over the city of Jerusalem and he brought the Ark of the Covenant to rest there. Jerusalem was called the city of David and was a unifying place for all of the Israelites to go to worship God. Now, go back to I Chronicles 23 and read about how David chose Jerusalem to be the place where the temple would be built. Remember, David did not build the temple. He left the plans and instructions for his son, Solomon, to build the temple in Jerusalem. And finally, in our review, read 1 Kings 9. God gave specific warnings to the people about what would happen if the Israelites disobeyed his covenant and did not treat the temple with respect.
Sadly, the Israelites continued to worship false gods and idols as well as breaking the covenant promise that they had made with God. As a result of this disobedience, the city of Jerusalem was taken captive. As part of that battle, the temple was completely destroyed. God had been very clear about what would happen if the Israelites worshiped other gods. The Israelites were realizing that if God said it would happen, they could trust that it would. Even the hard consequences would come as a result of their disobedience.
Application/Prayer:
Think about the seriousness of disobeying God. Sometimes, because we live under grace and have God’s forgiveness as result of what Jesus did on the cross, we don’t really remember how serious it is when we disobey God. Disobeying God is sin, and we know that sin separates us from God. Thank God for the gift of Jesus and the truth of I John 1:9 that He is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sin to Him.
August Memory Verse:
“Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
August memory verse coloring sheet
August Fill-in the blank activity