Week 18 2 Kings 13
Yesterday was the end of April so it was time to do a reading-progress check.
2022 is 33.3% in-the-books now so I needed to be 33.3% of the way through the bible to be on-track. I add up the numbers (Genesis-2 Kings 12 plus 121 psalms = 446 chapters).
That means I’ve read 37.5% of the bible. I don’t think staying-ahead is any easier than catching-up…but being ahead definitely feels better.
So if someone asked me ‘how’s your reading going?’ I’d say ‘okay’.
But if someone asked me ‘how’s your Kings reading going?’ I’d likely say ‘okay…I guess’. Because Kings – the second book especially – is an Attentiveness-Demanding book and a minefield for a careless reader.
One example: 2 Kings says that Joash the son of Ahaziah was king of Judah. Then it says that during Joash’s 37th year as king Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel.
And then in the next chapter it referred to Joash the son of Joahaz king of Israel. I logically infer that Jehoash & his father Jehoahaz (in chapter 13) are a different son-father than Joash & his father Joahaz (in chapter 14). But an added note in my bible says that the name Jehoash is a variation of the name Joash. Jehoash (in 13) = Joash (in 14). So now I’m guessing that Jehoahaz is likely a variation of the name Joahaz…which makes Jehoahaz (in 13) = Joahaz (in 14).
And that’s just one example that I happened to read today.
Note: see the Joash story in 2 Kings 13:1-14:1 (NASB). Especially 13:9-10 & 14:1