Jeremiah 5-6

Jeremiah 5-6

Chapter 5: Sin= Less or No Blessings

                Judah’s iniquities are recounted. It will be destroyed by a strange nation whose tongue is unknown. Their “…prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them…” (Jeremiah 5:13) They continue to serve strange gods. The Lord calls out to Judah; “Hear now this, O foolish people and without understanding; which have eyes and see not; which have hears and hear not: Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence…” (Jeremiah 5:21-22) The people of Judah did not listen to the Lord. Because they have strayed from His path and committed sin the Lord calls out; “…your sins have withhoden good things from you.” (Jeremiah 5:25) Because of evil and sin, the Lord can and will hold blessings that could be yours. If we are not willing to the live the Gospel and follow the Lord’s commandments he is not bound to bless us.

In Doctrine and Covenants we read “I, the Lord am bound wjem ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10) So if we strive to do what is right and generally do what is right, we are entitled to more blessings from the Lord and He will not have to withhold those blessings from us. However, in the case of Judah they have strayed from the Lord and therefore the Lord will not protect it.

Chapter 6: Jerusalem shall be destroyed

Jerusalem will be made desolate, because they did not hearken unto the word of the Lord.

“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? …behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10)

 In the Last days, like Jerusalem the people will become ashamed of the word of the Lord and will no longer listen. Because of this Jerusalem with be destroyed and punished for its transgressions by a nation from the north. This nation is cruel and will have no mercy. Repent.

Isaiah 59-60

Isaiah 59-60

Chapter 59: Israel is separated from God

                The problem is not that the Lord’s hand is shortened, so it cannot save. The problem is the sins of the people – lies, iniquity and injustice. Darkness comes, and the people growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves. In the absence of righteousness, the Lord Himself became a righteous warrior, and lifted up his standard before the enemy. The Redeemer shall come to Zion.

                Our sin will separate us from God “…your iniquities have seperated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

Chapter 60: Israel shall be Restored

Arise, shine, for your light has come. The gentiles shall come to your light. “…the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:2) , this verse is talking about the Apostasy that will cover the earth, but with the light of God, He will restore His Gospel and His Church… The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Great treasures will come to Israel from many lands. The sons of those who afflicted Israel shall come bowing. The walls shall be called Salvation, and the gates Praise. The Lord will be an everlasting light to replace the sun and the moon. The days of mourning shall be ended.

Proverbs 21-22

Proverbs 21-22

Chapter 21: Safety is the Lord

                “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” (Proverbs 21:17)

                When we only partake in activities that give us pleasure or we only focus on being rich… we will never be rich in spirit and we will separate ourselves from what is really important.

                “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman” (Proverbs 21:19)

                It is better for anyone to be away from an angry woman or man. We need to choose our partners and friends very carefully.

Chapter 22: A Good Name

                “A Good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

                Essentially respect and honor are better than wealth. We should always honor the name of our father and make sure our names are known for good and not bad.

                “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

                Parenting is not easy, however if parents teach their children from birth and raise them right they will be proud of their children. This can also be applied to self training. If we give up early in the training we will not be disciplined to stay on the right path.

                “Make no friendships with an angry man…” (Proverbs 22:22)

                Again, choose our friends and partners with care or else they will “rub off” on us and we will be just like them.

Proverbs 13-14

Proverbs 13-14

Chapter 13: Evil Pursues the Sinner

                This, like many of the Proverbs has many words of wisdom, here are the ones I think are most important, followed by my thoughts.

                “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” (Proverbs 13:7)

                Sweet and simple… MONEY is not everything. You can be happy with money or without and sad with money or without money.

                “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” (Proverbs 10:10)

                When people “have to be right” and cannot swallow their pride, you will have arguments.

                “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” (Proverbs 13:11)

                Money gained through unethical or immoral means will really have no value. However, money that is earned through ethical and moral means will mean something. Essentially, having money is not a bad thing; it is what you chose to do with it that makes you a good or bad person. If you worked hard for your money, it is yours to keep!

“Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.” (Proverbs 13:21)

                Anytime you sin, evil is drawn in and will surround you.

“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children…” (Proverbs 13:22)

                A good man will leave behind something of himself to his children and grandchildren. I don’t believe that this has to just be money… it could be a life lesson or some sort of family heirloom or tradition.

“He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24)

                Those parents who refrain from disciplining their children are bad parents. If a child does not hate or despise their parents at one point in their life, then they have failed. Sometimes parents have to be tough… even if that include a smack on the head or a spanking. There is a difference between tough love and abuse. Good parents know that sometimes you have to do these things.

Chapter 14: Truth and Lies

                “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies… knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when tou perceives not in him the lips of knowledge.” (Proverbs 14:5-7)

                Those who are going to lie, are going to lie. If someone is doing that and is acting foolishly… don’t converse with that person… go from them!

                “Fools make a mock at sin…” (Proverbs 14:9)

                We see a lot of this in the modern world, those who say that the Bible is silly or that religion is silly… or even that God doesn’t exist. One person who does not find this mocking to be amusing is God, so we shouldn’t give into those fools.

                “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” (Proverbs 14:15)

                This is something very interesting and I find to be a great principle in the LDS church… One of our fundamentals states: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may” (Articles of Faith, 11)

                Right there it states that men are free to choose. We shouldn’t believe every word, we should question and question some more. Then we can know for ourselves and not follow what someone else tells us.

                “A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.” (Proverbs 14:25)

                Many churches out there are sadly built for gain. This does not discredit good churches with good church-goers. But those who are “true” witnesses will not speak lies and will only have a desire to save souls.

                “Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.” (Proverbs 14:33)

                If you are among fools, you to will become one or be known as one.

Proverbs 7-8

Proverbs 7-8

Chapter 7: “La Diabla”: Her house is the way to hell

                Again, Proverbs 7 carries on a similar message from Proverbs 5. A “strange woman” will lead you to hell. Sex outside of the bonds of marriage is sinful.

                “…keep thee from thy stange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.” (Proverbs 7:5) The author goes on to say that they witnessed from their window “…a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house.” (Proverbs 7:8)

                The author then describes the characteristics of the ‘strange woman’.

                “…the attire of an harlot… loud and stubborn… lieth in wait at every corner…” (Proverbs 7:10-12)

                The author then tells us that this ‘strange woman’ “…she caught him and kissed him…[and tells the young man] …I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come let us take our fill of love until the morning… For the goodman is not at home, he is gone on a long journey… with flattering of lips she forced him.” (Proverbs 7:13-21)

                Essentially this could very well have been a story of something that actually was seen through the eyes of the author. But we can also assume that this could just very well be a metaphor for sexual sin. Notice how she deceives him like the devil would. She sweet talks him and flatters him with her clothing, her smell, her sweet lips and assures the man that he wont get caught because the ‘good man’ is gone on a long journey. This good man could be her husband or could be God. If the devil deceives someone, he will tell them that what they are doing is ok, and that God or anyone else that might look down on them or get them in trouble will never know.

                “Let not thine hear decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” (Proverbs 7:25-27)

                I think it is safe to assume that “her” or the “strange woman” is a metaphor for sexual sin and the devil. OR while I was serving in Spanish Speaking Honduras I liked to call this chapter “La Diabla” meaning the devil, but more specifically the “female devil”. Because after all the devil can take on many forms of influence. We need to refrain from the lustful desires that the devil will place before us. This author has warned that if we participate or even loiter near her house we will be on the path to hell. Notice how it says that she has slain even the strongest of men? I don’t believe that it was talking about physical strength. I believe it was talking about how even the strongest willed man, can fall into the trap of sexual desires and lust. But going back to the last few chapters, if we marry we can avoid those lustful desires, because we will have the sexual satisfaction from our spouse and he or she will keep us from sin.

Chapter 8: The Truth: The Great Missionary

                I absolutely love this Proverb! It expresses that wisdom is to be greatly desired and that we possessed this wisdom in the pre-mortal life.

“O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward [difficult] or perverse [unreasonable] in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward [difficult] mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” (Proverbs 8:5-14)

                This is the GREAT MISSIONARY, a missionary who has a simple yet easy to understand message. Those who have a desire to know the truth will hear that message. The message is more valuable than gold, silver, rubies or diamonds. The Lord does not like to deal with evil, he hates pride and arrogancy. Those missionaries, who have been called to serve, must remember that they have the knowledge and the strength to complete their mission.

                This proverb helps us to understand the great purpose of our eternal life. The Lord has had a plan from the beginning and we were there with him before the world was. (Proverbs 8:23)We were there with the Lord before the heavens! (Proverbs 8:27) We were with the Lord from the beginning (Proverbs 8:30)

Proverbs 5-6

Proverbs 5-6

Scripture Thought (What I Learned): 

                Both Proverbs 5 and 6 have a very clear message that is directed towards men, but can easily be applied to women. That message is pretty simple; 1: Don’t fornicate or commit adultery; 2: Be careful who you marry or who you trust in general. People can deceive and have lying lips that appear to be sweet as ‘honey’ but once you partake the ‘sweet honey’ turns ‘bitter’; 3: Once you are married is important to stay married and ensure that both partners feel a strong connection on all levels that includes a very healthy sexual intimacy.

                I believe that all too often (especially in the LDS Church) that sex is talked about as something evil and perverted. Which is true if done outside of marriage, but in marriage it should be something that both husband and wife can have sexual fulfillment that will keep them from lust and sin. Eternal Marriage goes one step beyond traditional marriage in the sense that being married to someone who you can trust with your physical and spiritual life. Husband and wife should be a check and balance system to ensure that both return to our Heavenly Father and dwell in the Celestial Kingdom. God knew that man was weak, so he gave man the woman to keep man in check and ensure that we will return to live with him. Mankind in general is weak, and men and women sin. But if man and woman are bound together in Holy Matrimony they become ONE, just like God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are ONE, one in purpose.

Chapter 5: Don’t Divorce

                In this proverb we learn a lot about the importance of marriage to the right person. We also learn about the evils of the world and the ways that man can be tricked into evil ways.

                “…the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:” (Proverbs 5:3)

                Essentially this is a warning to men who may get caught in the trap of lusting after a woman who may appear to have “lips of honey” and someone who is a “smooth” talker. She may appear to be sweet, but… “…her end is bitter… sharp as a twoedged sword… her steps take hold on hell… her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.” (Proverbs 5:4-6)

                The counsel given in this proverb is very clear: “Remove thy way far from her…” (Proverbs 5:8)

                But the proverb continues to tell us who we should marry “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.” (Proverbs 5:18-19)

                Something very important to remember and take away from this Proverb… sex is not evil. Sex outside of marriage is evil. Those who are married should enjoy sexual intimacy between one another and if a healthy sexual relationship is balanced with all other activities of being married, spending time together, working through problems together, having children etc… then the marriage will be successful and filled with love. God does not want us engaging in sexual relations before marriage and wants to make sure that once we are married, WE STAY married. God does not like divorce.

Chapter 6: Seven things the Lord Hates

                This proverb lists seven things that the Lord hates (in my version of the Bible, which is the King James Version it tells me that there are ‘6’ things the Lord hates, I like to classify them as 7.

1.       “A proud look…” (Proverbs 6:17)

2.       “…a lying tongue…” (Proverbs 6:17)

3.       “…hands that shed innocent blood.” (Proverbs 6:17)

4.       “An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations…” (Proverbs 6:18)

5.       “…feet that be swift in running to mischief.” (Proverbs 6:18)

6.       “A false witness that speaketh lies…” (Proverbs 6:19)

7.       “…he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:19)

God does not like sin, period. The laws don’t change, we either choose to follow them or we don’t. “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” (Proverbs 6:23)

                Essentially the law is light, we can choose how much light we want in our lives by adjusting the amount we follow the commandments (our lantern), if we chose to not follow the commandments it is like not putting any oil (or batteries) in our lamp. If we chose to follow the commandments and fill our lantern with fresh oil or batteries then we can have more of the light. If we go against this WE WILL be left in the dark. We also have to understand that criticism and even chastisement is part of life and it occurs for our own learning.

                This proverbs ends by re-addressing what we learned from Proverbs 5; that is “…whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” (Proverbs 6:32)

                Committing adultery, or fornication (sex outside of the bonds of marriage) will be wounded and dishourned and will carry that sin for life (Proverbs 6:33)

                We must remember that “…jealousy is the rage of a man…” (Proverbs 6:34)

Psalms 31-32

Psalms 31-32

Chapter 31: All Ye Saints, Love the Lord

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

                David starts off by telling the reader that he trusts the Lord, and he rejoices in his mercy. Her refers to the Lord as his “…strong rock…” (Psalms 31:2) and asks the Lord to lead and guid him (Psalms 31:3), because the Lord is his “…strength.” (Psalms 31:4)

                David in prayer tells God and the reader that the Lord “…hast known my soul in adversities.” (Psalms 31:7). This is something that we all might not consider, but it is something to remember… God knows all of our problems, He understands, and He knows what we are going through. We can take comfort knowing that He is there and He knows everything that we are going through (good and bad), He knows better than ANYONE!

                David says that when he was a sinner that his “…strength faileth…” because of his “…iniquity…” (Psalms 31:10) Sometimes the world will tell us that true strength are in things like having big muscles, possibly even having power and wealth. Is this really the case? No. True strength comes from the Lord! I have seen big macho men fall to their knees and cry over the loss of a loved one. I am not saying that this isn’t sad, but when we have the strength of the Lord and understand His will, then we can shed tears of joy instead of tears of sadness when we lose someone.

                David even mentions people who are slandering his name and devising to take his life away (Psalms 31:13). We can have comfort knowing that the Lord will be there for us. Finally David ends this Psalm by reminding the saints to “…love the Lord… Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart…” (Psalms 31:23-24)

Chapter 32: The Lord will Guide Thee

A Psalm of David, Maschil.

“Maschil – It derives from the Hebrew root word (maśkīl lit.) meaning to have insight, to ponder and wisely understand. A maskil was a skillfully written poem aimed at imparting wisdom in song.”

                “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven…” (Psalms 32:1). David was most likely speaking of himself here, relieved to have felt forgiveness in his own life. David tells us that anyone who is without sin, or who tries to avoid sin will be much happier. He says that he tried to hold his sin in, keeping it from being confessed but that it was too heavy for him.

So he prays to the Lord and says; “I acknowledged my sin unto thee… I will confess my transgressions…” (Psalms 32:5). David confessed his sins to the Lord and because of it, he was feeling more impowered. He goes onto finish this Psalm by saying that the wicked will be filled with sorrows, but the righteous shall be filled with mercy. We can learn from this, and know that it is better to confess our sins to the Lord and keep from them. If we keep ourselves righteous we will be filled with the mercy of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 21-22

1 Chronicles 21-22

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 21: David Numbers Israel

                David commands that a census be taken, to "number" Israel. This is prompted however by Satan who has his own reasoning for doing things. God allows this temptation to move David into numbering Israel because God wants to chastise David. So why was it so bad to "number" Israel? In these times a man would "number" only what belonged to him. David did not own Israel or its people, God does. If God were to command a "numbering" of his people, then the motive would be service to the Lord and doing as He had commanded. However in this instance David was only concerned with protecting and putting his trust in a "multitude" of hosts, or in other words putting his trust in numbers of a manmade army over the trust of God.

                In our daily lives we can see this happen to us on a daily basis. How often do we put our trust in something manmade or putting our trust in another man (or woman) over God? I would say quite often. We must put our trust in God. That, however, does not mean that we are free to do as we please, or to simply sit back and say that we are putting our trust in God, without any actions! To trust, or have faith in God, we must ACT. We must do all that we can in following the commandments and working hard for what we feel is right, and then and only then will the hand of God be shown in our lives.

                Joab objects to the numbering and asks David to reconsider his foolish ways. Joab knew that David's reasoning was built up in pride, wanting to know how powerful he was, perhaps to conquer a neighboring nation. In Samuel 24:4 we read that it was not only Joab who objected to the numbering, but also the captains of the army, but David however prevails in his desire to number Israel, and he was immediately sorry for doing so.

                Joab comes back to David with the census complete and finds that there are 1.3 million fighting men among the twelve tribes, which is a small portion of the 6 million people living in Israel. Although Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, for fear that God would strike them down and all that would remain would be those who were not numbered. God would have struck down all of Israel, but God had already done so with the deeply afflicted heart of David. David, wasn't perfect, but when he knew that he had sinned his heart was very sensitive to sin and therefore was very remorseful of his ways. David admits that he has been foolish and asks God for, forgiveness.

                God sends a messenger to David and gives him three options of Judgment to forgive his sin:

#1: 3 years of famine.

#2: 3 Months until you are defeated by your enemies.

#3: For 3 days a plague would engulf the land.

                God gave David these three options to test David's heart and wisdom:

#1: 3 years of famine would surely kill most of Israel, the wealthy and resourceful would survive by depending on neighboring nations for food.

#2: 3 Months until you are defeated by your enemies would surely mean the death of most of the soldiers, and would probably result in new enemies.

#3: For 3 days a plague would engulf the land, this would cause a great deal of death among all of Israel, no matter who; rich, poor, military...etc.

                David chooses to have 3 days of plagues. This is important, because had David chose war; his family and himself would have been protected. Had David chosen famine, his wealth would have sustained him. Therefore he humbled himself and accepted of God's punishment by choosing something that could ultimately effect himself and his loved ones. By choosing 3 days of plague he was also in the hands of God, whom he knew would be more merciful than man.

               

                The destroying angel comes and kills 70,000 men of Israel and as the destruction is happening, God steps back and relented of the disaster and commanded the angel to restrain from continuing. David seeing the destructions laments to God asking him why he had killed so many of his innocent sheep and had refrained from touching him. God then commands David to erect a altar to the Lord. So
David does as he is commanded.

               

                David goes to Ornan and asks him to build an altar where his threshingfloor stands. David buys the land for 600 shekels of God, the full price of the property. David offers peace and burnt offerings there, as a tribute to his understanding of God and his ways in destroying 70,000 of his sheep.

                David finally knows where the Lord wants his temple to be built, right there on the threshingfloor.

Chapter 22: Solomon Is to Build the Temple

                David is commanded to gather men who were foreigners in the land of Israel, which were about 70,000 slaves to build the temple of Solomon. David gathered the finest materials, cedar trees from Lebanon. The house of God would have to be magnificently built unto the Lord, so David made preparations for his son Solomon to continue building the temple after his death. David charges (gives blessing) to Solomon to complete this great work of building the House of the Lord after his death, in a sense if Solomon failed in building the temple, David failed as well. David warns Solomon to stay faithful to God and his word, in accomplishing the construction of the temple. David counsels Solomon to;

                "...be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed." (1 Chronicles 22:13)

                                This is something that we can all appreciate and place in our hearts in our daily activities. Life, after all, is tough. Our challenges we face on a day to day level are not easy ones, but if we put our trust in God and don't worry about the future or how something will come about, then we can have that courage and strength that we need to continue fighting towards our righteous individual dreams and desires.

                David prepares the construction by leaving Solomon in charge of a great deal of money and resources to ensure that the temple does get built and with all its magnificence. 

2 Kings 13-14

2 Kings 13-14

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 13: Jehoahaz Reigns in Wickedness

                In the 23rd year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, his reign lasted 17 years. While Jehoahaz reigned in did so in wickedness. Because of this wickedness, the Lord was angry and caused that all of Israel fell into the hands of Hazael the king of Syria. Jehoahaz  hearkened unto the Lord and because of this the Lord caused a savior to arise among the Israelites and lead them out from underneath the Syrians. Because of their past wickedness Jehoahaz was left with a very small army of men.

                Jehoahaz dies and is buried with his fathers. Elisha falls sick and is on his death bed. Joash comes to visit him and cries over him. Elisha tell him to grab a bow and some arrows and point to the window and tells Joash to shoot out the window, and he does. Elisha tells him that the arrow he shot symbolizes the deliverance of the Lord and that he would have victory over the Syrians. So Elisha tells him to shoot into the ground some more... so Joash shoots three times and then stops, but before Elisha dies he tells him that he should have shot 6 or more times, because that is how many times he would have victory over the Syrians.

                One of the more bizarre things of the Bible happens in verse 21, where they lower another dead man into Elisha's tomb and when the man touches the bones of Elisha he revives and stands up! The verse does not give any more details, and the reader is left to wonder why Elisha's bones would make some re-live? Maybe it is to honor this great prophet?

                Hazael, the king of Syria oppresses Israel... but the Lord was gracious unto them because of the covenant that He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and would not destroy them. Hazael the king of Syria died and his son, Ben-hadad reigned in his place.

Chapter 14: Jeroboam Reigns in Wickedness

                In the second year of the reign of Joash, reigned Amaziah in Judah. Amaziah was only 25 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for a total of 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan.

                Amaziah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Once, however he came to power he slew the servants who had killed his father. But he did not kill the children of the murderers. The reason he did not do this, is because it was written in the "Book of the Law of Moses" that

                "...The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin." (2 Kings 14:6)

                There are a few things that I can say about this...

                First; "The book of the Law of Moses" could very well be referring to one of the five books of Moses that we know of today as the first 5 books of the Bible. However, more likely than not this verse is referring to a book that we do not know about currently TODAY. The Bible is not complete, because there were at least 10 times as many books that should have or could have been part of the Bible and 10 times is a LOW number. We know that the Bible is not complete, because the Bibe refers often to books that DO NOT EXIST today. So we must accept that the Bible (while very important book, and I personally believe to be the WORD of God) is not a complete WORD of God, but not doubt words from God.

                Second; It mentions that we are not responsible for the sin of our parents. So if we are to assume that Adam and Eve are our first parents (which all human life according to the Bible stems from) then why would we be held accountable for their sin? What exactly am I talking about? I am talking about the "Original Sin". I know that there might be other religions that believe in this, but I know for a fact that the Catholic church does believe this. Now, I am not going to tell anyone how to worship... we are all free and we all were given agency to do as we please. I believe that everyone has a right to worship God in any way that they see fit. However, I do not understand why a baby (whose life has just begun) could possibly be a sinner!  This is why babies are baptized. But in my personal opinion it is a great abomination before the Lord. We are not responsible for our parents sins... so why are we being held accountable for something that Adam and Eve did? We must be baptized when we gain faith in Jesus Christ and want to change our lives to follow him... which means we have to repent of our sins. How can a baby possibly repent? A baby cannot. Therefore should not be baptized. This is a doctrine that is unique to the LDS church (the Mormons) that a person should not be baptized until the age of accountability (which we know, through modern revelation is 8 years old.)

                Amaziah with his new found power as king goes and kills ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela and renamed is Joktheel. Amaziah with his cocky winning streak decided to send a letter to Jehoash the king of Israel and told him to battle against him. But Jehoash writes back and tells Amaziah to glory in his victory, but to stay home and not come up to battle against him, because he would essentially destroy him. But Amaziah does not listen and goes to battle anyways... and just like Jehoash said, Judah was defeated and the men ran back to their tents. As a result of their defeat the king of Israel takes Amaziah as prisoner and also takes all his gold and silver along with the gold and silver of the treasuries of God. He had lost not only personal belongings, but that which also belonged to the children of the Lord.

                Jehoash dies and his sons Jeroboam reigns in his place. Amaziah lived for 15 more years after the death of Jehoash before he too passed away. The people arise and form a conspiracy against Jehoash and end up killing him and burying him in the City of David and put Azariah the son of Amaziah in charge.

                Jeroboam the second, the son of Joash became king in Samaria and reigned for 41 years. But did so wickedly. Jeroboam recaptured many parts of Israel. He died and his son Zechariah reigned in his place.