2 Kings
Children think of "grown-ups" as people who are done growing and changing. They expect the big people in their lives to hum along day after day on an even keel, like well-oiled machines that don't have problems. Boy, do they have a lot to learn!
Adult life is not a smooth interaction of totally mature individuals with easily manageable responsibilities. Adult life is an unending rat race. Experience teaches us that every adult will face at least two major crises, such as loss of employment, death of a loved one, divorce, or natural disaster. Each of those crisis defines the next stage of life.
2 Kings is a book about the Israelite people and about the decisions their king make. After Solomon died, Israel became two kingdoms. The kingdom in the south was called Judah. Its capital city was Jerusalem. Rehoboam became king of Judah. The kingdom in the north was still called Israel. It was also called Samaria because that was the name of its capital city. Jeroboam became king of Israel.
The most important prophet in 2 Kings is Elisha, who took Elijah's place. He told the people that they should worship only God.
After Elisha died, many of the kings were very bad. In the end, God decided to send his people away from their land. This happened to the 10 tribes of Israel first. Then it happened to the people of Judah, who belonged to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. God did not let his people go back to their land for 70 years.
In 2 Kings, Israel faced two calamities that helped define its identity. Separated by about 150 years, two invasions of Palestine by world powers wiped Israel and Judah from the map and scattered the Israelites among the conquerors. What did this mean for the future of this nation? how would the Israelites respond?
The book of 2 kings calls its readers to decide how they will handle their own difficulties of life. Those who will consistently trust God can expect divine assistance in their lives. Those who consistently ignore God can expect to face disaster alone.
Second Kings is the second half of a single book that was divided into two parts, 1 and 2 Kings because together they were too long to fit on one scroll. The book of 2 Kings continues the history of the two separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
The book of 2 Kings has two main parts. The first part (1-7) is the history of the two kingdoms until 722 B.C., when the northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians. Samaria, the capital city of Israel, was destroyed and the people of that kingdom were taken as prisoners to Assyria. Only Judah, the southern kingdom, was left.
The second part of the book (18-25) is the history of Judah until 586 B.C., when it was conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. Jerusalem, the capital city, was completely destroyed, and many of the people of Judah and Jerusalem were led away as prisoners to Babylonia. King Nebuchadnezzar then made Gedaliah ruler of those left in Judah. The book concludes with some hope for Judah's future: King Jehoiachin is released from prison in Babylon and is invited to eat with the Babylonian king every day.
According to the book of 2 Kings, Israel and Judah were destroyed because the people refused to be faithful to the Lord. He had sent prophets over and over to warn the people and their kings to stop worshiping other gods and to turn back to him. Finally, the people were punished. The two kingdoms were destroyed, and the people were forced to live in foreign nations, far from their own land. The fall of Jerusalem is one of the most important events in Israel's history. the book itself explains why this disaster took place:
The people of Judah and Jerusalem had made the Lord so angry that he finally turned his back on them. That's why these horrible things were happening.
Before you begin this study, it is suggested that you read or listen to the entire book. This study skips much of the content and the characters change quickly. Listening can help with the hard names. Link for TEXT-New Living Translation (NLT) Once you arrive at the text site, there is a speaker icon at the top for the audio version.
Week 1 - More Power to You – 2 Kings 2:9-15
🔎 TEXT - Kings 2:9-15 (NLT)
9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”
And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”
11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.
13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.
15 When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened, they exclaimed, “Elijah’s spirit rests upon Elisha!” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
🔎 CONSIDER
When Elisha asked for twice as much of Elijah's power, he was asking to be the one who would continue Elijah's work as leader of the prophets. This request was similar to the custom in which the first-born son received a double portion of the father's inheritance.
Elisha did not want to outdo Elijah for his own pride; Elisha wanted to do great things for God. And God granted Elisha's request. During his lifetime, Elisha did nearly twice as many miracles as Elijah.
When we ask God for success, fame, power, or ability, we should look closely at our motives. When our motive is to glorify and serve God, he often answers in ways beyond our imagination
🔎 THINK
A cloak, a long, heavy, robe-like coat, was an Old Testament symbol of authority. For a prophet in Israel, it was a symbol of the power of God resting on him. When Elijah first met Elisha (1 Kings 19:19), he threw his cloak around him. I wonder what it was like to feel the weight of the anointing of the Spirit of God. When Elisha felt that, he left everything and followed Elijah.
But now, with Elijah gone to heaven, Elisha must go on. Picking up the cloak that Elijah left behind, Elisha goes back the way they came, and he knows God is with him as the water of the Jordan River divides, just as it did for Elijah.
Is there a follower of Jesus whom you admire? Often, for example, when an old Christian grandmother dies, her children and grandchildren will speak through tears and with deep warmth about her faith. They'll recall how she went to church every Sunday, loved the old hymns, read the Bible every day, prayed every morning and night, and stayed married to grandpa all those years. They'll speak of how her faith inspired them.
But, sadly, in many such families the kids only come to church occasionally--and the grandkids, rarely. Though inspired by Grandma's life, they don't imitate it.
Do you know any people who walk faithfully with the Lord? Follow their example. Pick up their cloak.
🔎 SIMILAR
John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Acts 20:25-36 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
Acts 8:17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Zechariah 12:8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them.
Numbers 11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John 17:9-13 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Luke 24:45-51 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Psalm 42:10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
Week 2 - Your Part and God's Part – 2 Kings 4:1-7
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 4:1-7 (NLT)
1 One day the widow of a member of the group of Priprophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”
2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.
3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. 4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”
5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. 6 Soon every container was full to the brim!
“Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons.
“There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”
🔎 CONSIDER
The widow's family had a serious problem. In biblical times, when poor people and debtors could not pay their bills, they not only "lost their shirts," they lost themselves. They were often forced to sell themselves or their children as slaves.
Elisha did not instruct the indebted woman to sit back and do nothing. he told her to gather as many jars as she could. We see in this story how God miraculously provided for the widow as she obeyed Elisha's instructions. Not only did he provide for her debs to be paid, God also gave her an abundance so that she and her sons could live without worrying. Certainly, God is not limited by our faith or our resources. But he often asks us to do our part before he does his.
🔎 THINK
The widow’s dilemma can be as real today as it was in Elisha’s time. She faced poverty and exploitation, hopelessness and despair. Notice that Elisha responded to this crisis by engaging her in finding a sustainable income to support herself and her sons.
Yesterday we affirmed the importance of meeting immediate needs. But we also know that bigger problems often call for more sustainable solutions.
Elisha’s response to the widow respects her abilities, invites her participation, engages her neighbors, and transforms her “nothing but a little oil” into a cottage industry to support her family.
While bandages have their uses, new skills, knowledge, and opportunities are needed to help people find new beginnings and pathways out of poverty.
I thank God for the many organizations and people who are “teaching people to fish” by teaching sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and health care, literacy and numeracy skills, leadership and human rights—and who do all that as an expression of God’s love and his desire for abundant life for all people.
Have you considered supporting such important work?
🔎 SIMILAR
James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
2 Kings 6:26-27 Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” And he said, “If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?”
2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
2 Corinthians 6:10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
Acts 3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
John 6:5-7 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
Matthew 15:34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
Matthew 14:20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
Luke 6:19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
John 6:12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”
Matthew 15:37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
Week 3 - A Divine Joke – 2 Kings 6:8-23
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 6:8-23 (NLT)
8 When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”
9 But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” 10 So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.
11 The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”
12 “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
19 Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria.
20 As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”
22 “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.”
23 So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.
🔎 CONSIDER
No wonder the Syrians gave up attacking Israel for time! God would prefer that we see our own foolishness rather than punish us. He promises to be "quick to forgive" (See Nehemiah 9.17)
🔎 THINK
Elisha’s servant was looking but not seeing. He saw the army of Aram surrounding their town, but he did not see the host of angels protecting God’s people. He was walking in spiritual blindness.
We can be the same way. We might see only disappointments, or discouragements, or enemies all around. We might fear the stranger, complain about the lazy, and point fingers at those who disagree. We might fear that the world is lost to the devil, and we are the ones who suffer. We might be baited with putting God aside so that we can earn our fortune and have fun, only to experience everlasting loss.
Elisha’s prayer is a great way to address our blindness to God’s rule. We can pray, “Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.” When our eyes are opened, we see sin as sin and the lust of the flesh as rebellion against God. And we see that Jesus has already won the victory. Christ already rules in heaven. This world is all in his hands. Have no fear, for we know that God wins.
When
the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, “he looked and saw the hills
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” These
heavenly hosts were surrounding and protecting them. The servant’s
fear melted away. If God is on our side, who can stand against
us?
🔎 SIMILAR
Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.
Proverbs 20:18 Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Acts 27:24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
Matthew 24:15-17 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house,
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Matthew 2:12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:3-12 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
Isaiah 57:20-21 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Psalm 48:4-5 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Acts 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
John 12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Genesis 19:11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
John 9:39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Romans 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Mark 8:34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Week 4 - The only True Way to Peace – 2 Kings 9:21-28
🔎 TEXT - 2 Kings 9:21-28 (NLT)
21 “Quick! Get my chariot ready!” King Joram commanded.
Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah rode out in their chariots to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of land that had belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. 22 King Joram demanded, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?”
Jehu replied, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?”
23 Then King Joram turned the horses around and fled, shouting to King Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” 24 But Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he sank down dead in his chariot.
25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, “Throw him into the plot of land that belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Do you remember when you and I were riding along behind his father, Ahab? The Lord pronounced this message against him: 26 ‘I solemnly swear that I will repay him here on this plot of land, says the Lord, for the murder of Naboth and his sons that I saw yesterday.’ So throw him out on Naboth’s property, just as the Lord said.”
27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled along the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu rode after him, shouting, “Shoot him, too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot at the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam. He was able to go on as far as Megiddo, but he died there. 28 His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem, where they buried him with his ancestors in the City of David.
🔎 CONSIDER
When Joram asked Jehu if he came in peace, Jehu's answer revealed more than he knew, It is impossible to have true peace when our hearts are divided between worshiping the Lord and worshiping false gods and things. When we allow evil to go on in our lives, any peace we have will be incomplete and short-lived.
Real
peace comes from God. Peace is the natural by-product of a loving
relationship with him. When we turn from evil ways and things and
live according to God's Word, we have peace in our hearts and in our
minds.
🔎 THINK
Watching today’s news, it is easy to see Jehu's life. He was a wild chariot-driver and a no-holds-barred warrior. He could kill and then sit down and eat.
Jehu was called by God to wipe out the family of Ahab, including two evil kings (Joram and Ahaziah) and Jezebel. In the midst of completing all this, he later gives a man a ride in his chariot, saying, "Come ... and see my zeal for the LORD" (2 Kings 10:16).
It breaks my heart to read that Jehu later got snared in the sins of Jeroboam (10:28-31). Why? How? Where did his "zeal for the LORD" go?
For a time, though, wild Jehu was godly and glorious.
Maybe this is your Jehu year. Maybe you're young, single, looking for direction. Or maybe you're settling. Could it be settling for a lifeless job, sin-directed friends, spiritually lackadaisical romances, or a lukewarm, mildly committed faith?
In
the words of a popular cruise line commercial, "Get out there!"
No, not on a pleasure cruise--on a mission trip. Join Youth with a
Mission. Work with a relief agency. Do something strong and risky at
your church. Step out of the box as you do something for Jesus. Show
your zeal for the Lord!
🔎 SIMILAR
1 Kings 21:19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”
Isaiah 13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
1 Kings 21:24-29 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Malachi 1:1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
Ezekiel 18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.
2 Chronicles 25:4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.”
2 Chronicles 24:25 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
1 Kings 21:19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”
Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.
Judges 1:27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
Joshua 17:11 Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Week 5 - Almost Doesn't Count – 2 Kings 10:18-31
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 10:18-31 (NLT)
Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal
18 Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the city and said to them, “Ahab’s worship of Baal was nothing compared to the way I will worship him! 19 Therefore, summon all the prophets and worshipers of Baal, and call together all his priests. See to it that every one of them comes, for I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who fails to come will be put to death.” But Jehu’s cunning plan was to destroy all the worshipers of Baal.
20 Then Jehu ordered, “Prepare a solemn assembly to worship Baal!” So they did. 21 He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning those who worshiped Baal. They all came—not a single one remained behind—and they filled the temple of Baal from one end to the other. 22 And Jehu instructed the keeper of the wardrobe, “Be sure that every worshiper of Baal wears one of these robes.” So robes were given to them.
23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Recab. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, “Make sure no one who worships the Lord is here—only those who worship Baal.” 24 So they were all inside the temple to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the building and had warned them, “If you let anyone escape, you will pay for it with your own life.”
25 As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, “Go in and kill all of them. Don’t let a single one escape!” So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu’s men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal. 26 They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and burned it. 27 They smashed the sacred pillar and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet, as it remains to this day.
28 In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel. 29 He did not, however, destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan, with which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin.
30 Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, “You have done
well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab.
Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the
fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu did not obey the Law of
the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to
turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
🔎 CONSIDER
Jehu partially obeyed the lord. He was the man God used to bring judgment upon Ahab's family. He also cleared the country of Baal worship.
But
Jehu did not obey God completely. As a king, he continued to allow
the worship of the golden calves that Jeroboam had made. This caused
the people of the country to continue their downhill slide. God gave
Jehu credit for what he had done well, but he also condemned Jehu's
unwillingness to totally break away from the sins of the past. We
should not condone beliefs or practices that lead people away from
God's Word. To almost obey God is to disobey him.
🔎 THINK
God requires that we totally, wholeheartedly follow Him. He wants our total surrender to His ways and plans. Partial obedience = disobedience. This concept is hard to see sometimes as we like to rationalize how our doing part of what God wants and see that as okay with Him. Looking at verse 30, God wants it all. The glory for the battle victory belonged to the Lord. The parallel for us is that God knows the evil or worldly influences He desires eliminated from our lives. He desires our wholehearted devotion. By only being partially obedient to Him, we are allowing those influences to remain in our lives and leaving ourselves open to temptations and sin.
Ponder
this verse and examine your own obedience and ask God to show you
where you are only partially obeying Him. God desires obedience as
it pleases Him. 1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied, “What is more
pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or
your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than
sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Timothy 3:1-7 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ...
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Deuteronomy 28:1-68 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ...
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ephesians 2:2 In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
Romans 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
Week
6 - Break the Mold! – 2 Kings 15:1-38
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 15:1-38 (NLT)
1 Uzziah son of Amaziah began to rule over Judah in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
3 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. 4 But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. 5 The Lord struck the king with leprosy, which lasted until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house. The king’s son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.
6 The rest of the events in Uzziah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 7 When Uzziah died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Jotham became the next king.
8 Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six months. 9 Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. 10 Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king.
11 The rest of the events in Zechariah’s reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 12 So the Lord’s message to Jehu came true: “Your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”
13 Shallum son of Jabesh began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. Shallum reigned in Samaria only one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him, and he became the next king.
15 The rest of the events in Shallum’s reign, including his conspiracy, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
16 At that time Menahem destroyed the town of Tappuah and all the surrounding countryside as far as Tirzah, because its citizens refused to surrender the town. He killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.
17 Menahem son of Gadi began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 But Menahem did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. During his entire reign, he refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.
19 Then King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria invaded the land. But Menahem paid him thirty-seven tons of silver to gain his support in tightening his grip on royal power. 20 Menahem extorted the money from the rich of Israel, demanding that each of them pay fifty pieces of silver to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned from attacking Israel and did not stay in the land.
21 The rest of the events in Menahem’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 22 When Menahem died, his son Pekahiah became the next king.
23 Pekahiah son of Menahem began to rule over Israel in the fiftieth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years. 24 But Pekahiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.
25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, the commander of Pekahiah’s army, conspired against him. With fifty men from Gilead, Pekah assassinated the king, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the palace at Samaria. And Pekah reigned in his place.
26 The rest of the events in Pekahiah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
27 Pekah son of Remaliah began to rule over Israel in the fifty-second year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty years. 28 But Pekah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.
29 During Pekah’s reign, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked Israel again, and he captured the towns of Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also conquered the regions of Gilead, Galilee, and all of Naphtali, and he took the people to Assyria as captives. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah and assassinated him. He began to rule over Israel in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.
31 The rest of the events in Pekah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
32 Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
34 Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done. 35 But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord.
36 The rest of the events in Jotham’s reign and everything he
did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of
Judah. 37 In those days the Lord began to send
King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah. 38 When
Jotham died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
And his son Ahaz became the next king.
🔎 CONSIDER
In this chapter, we see a series of kings who followed the patterns set by their parents. In Judah, Azriah ruled for a long time and did many things well. But, like his father and grandfather, he did not destroy the pagan shrines in Judah.
Azariah's son, Jotham, followed in his father's footsteps. And, in the northern kingdom of Israel, the kings kept encouraging the people to worship idols, just as their forefathers had done.
We
all grow up with habits we have picked up from our parents. We have a
legacy, some of which is good and some that is bad. If we continue to
make the mistakes of the past, however, we will reap the negative
results. When habits go against God's Word, they must be broken.
🔎 THINK
Azariah (also known as Uzziah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, so he was blessed.
In 2 Chronicles 26 we can see how this king was a success story--a reclaimer of land, rebuilder of towns, leader of a big army, inventor of military machines. God made Azariah into an awesome king.
But when he became powerful, his heart became proud. One day Azariah strutted into the temple, broke God's rules about burning incense, and resisted the priests who confronted him. But then "leprosy broke out on his forehead"--a punishment from God. So, as all lepers had to do in those days, he was forced to live in seclusion, "in a separate house." How broken he must have been, and how lonely. He was king of a million subjects, but he couldn't be with anyone.
It's
hard, isn't it, to know that God cares less about success than we do.
God is the One and Only King who lives within us, and in that inner
place he is the Reclaimer of Satan's spiritual territory, the
Rebuilder of ruined hearts, and the Inventor of the weapons of
fellowship and peace. God would rather get all that inner work done
than have us accomplish what is "successful" or "great"
in the eyes of this world.
🔎 SIMILAR
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Proverbs 1:31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.
Job 4:8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.
Proverbs 22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
Isaiah 3:10-11 Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Romans 6:21-23 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
James 3:18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Week
7 - Just in Time – 2 Kings 18:1-12
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 18:1-12 (NLT)
1 Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.
5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 6 He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. 8 He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city.
9 During the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the
seventh year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel, King Shalmaneser of
Assyria attacked the city of Samaria and began a siege against
it. 10 Three years later, during the sixth year of King
Hezekiah’s reign and the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign in
Israel, Samaria fell. 11 At that time the king of Assyria
exiled the Israelites to Assyria and placed them in colonies in
Halah, along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities
of the Medes. 12 For they refused to listen to
the Lord their God and obey him. Instead, they violated his
covenant—all the laws that Moses the Lord’s servant had
commanded them to obey.
🔎 CONSIDER
Hezekiah may have done more to bring the people of Judah back to God than any other king in the Old Testament, except possibly Josiah. No doubt, when Hezekiah saw what had happened to Israel, he took it as a warning from God. The king realized that God was under no obligation to save his people if they refused to obey him.
As
such, Hezekiah began destroying Judah's false gods. Later, he not
only led the people away from the idols, but he also led them to
worship the true God. When we see people's lives destroyed because
they have worshiped the "gods" of this world - money, fame,
power, and so on - we should take their sad fate as a warning. We
should make sure we are not worshiping any false gods as we set our
focus on worshiping the Lord.
🔎 THINK
Describing the shoot that would come from the stump of Jesse, Isaiah portrayed a good and true king: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. . . . Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (Isaiah 11:2, 5). If any king of Israel matched that description, perhaps it was Hezekiah. In the long line of the kings of Israel and Judah, no one else—not even David—was a more righteous king.
Why? Because Hezekiah trusted God and, like a shield clutched to his chest, he held fast to the Lord. Even in perilous situations, like when powerful Assyrian enemy seemed invincible, Hezekiah never doubted God’s ability to protect his people and save them.
From the Assyrians in Hezekiah’s time, to the Romans in Jesus’ time, to the superpowers of our world today, no one is as powerful as the Lord our God. All of the victories God has provided point to one sure and certain victory, the victory we long for in this Advent season, the final victory of our King Jesus over the powers and principalities of this world. That is the victory we long to celebrate with cries of “Hallelujah! Our God reigns!”
Come,
Lord Jesus, and show the nations and powers of this world that you
are God alone.
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Chronicles 29:1-11 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. ...
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
2 Kings 20:1-11 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, ...
2 Chronicles 32:20-23 Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.
Isaiah 38:1-5 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
2 Kings 19:14-19 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. ...
2 Chronicles 32:1-8 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. ...
2 Kings 18:28-30 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
2 Chronicles 30:1-5 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed.
Week
8 - Living on Borrowed Time – 2 Kings 20:1-11
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 20:1-11 (NLT)
Hezekiah’s Sickness and Recovery
1 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”
2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
4 But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: 5 “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered!
8 Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What sign will the Lord give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the Lord three days from now?”
9 Isaiah replied, “This is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?”
10 “The shadow always moves forward,” Hezekiah replied, “so
that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.” 11 So
Isaiah the prophet asked the Lord to do this, and he caused
the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!
🔎 CONSIDER
God healed Hezekiah and granted fifteen more years to his life. What would you do if God told you that you only had fifteen more years to live? Would you continue to do the same things you're doing now and have the same attitudes? Or would you feel the need to change some things about your life?
The
truth is, we are all living on borrowed time. We are all going to
die. We don't know when our time will be up, but we should live each
day with a sense of purpose.
🔎 THINK
Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his [ancestor] David had done”. Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had been a king who did evil in God’s sight. Hezekiah tore down the altars and sacred stones his father had used to worship other gods, and the Lord blessed Hezekiah by giving him victories over enemy oppressors who tried to ruin God’s people.
But then Hezekiah became ill, and the Lord said that he would soon die. So Hezekiah pleaded with God for healing, reminding the Lord in prayer that he had walked before him “faithfully and with wholehearted devotion.” And he wept bitterly.
God answered Hezekiah’s prayer by adding fifteen years to his life. Hezekiah was thankful, but he did not always use his extra time wisely. He had a weakness in that he was proud of all the treasures of his kingdom. And when visitors came from Babylon, he proudly showed them all his treasures. Later the prophet Isaiah said that one day those treasures would be carried off to Babylon. God’s cure of Hezekiah’s illness did not cure him of his pride.
A
mountain-top spiritual experience doesn’t protect us against a fall
into the valley of sin. If you have been to the mountaintop, pray for
sustaining grace. And if you have fallen, know that God’s forgiving
grace is great.
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Chronicles 32:24-26 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
Isaiah 38:1-8 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. ...
2 Kings 20:12-19 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ...
2 Chronicles 32:31 And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
Isaiah 39:1-8 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ...
Week
9 - A Sudden Departure – 2 Kings 21:1-18
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 21:1-18 (NLT)
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.
4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. 6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.
7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8 If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws my servant Moses gave them—I will not send them into exile from this land that I gave their ancestors.” 9 But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.
10 Then the Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “King Manasseh of Judah has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who lived in this land before Israel. He has caused the people of Judah to sin with his idols. 12 So this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. 13 I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. 14 Then I will reject even the remnant of my own people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies. 15 For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since their ancestors came out of Egypt.”
16 Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight.
17 The rest of the events in Manasseh’s reign and everything
he did, including the sins he committed, are recorded in The
Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 18 When Manasseh
died, he was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza. Then
his son Amon became the next king.
🔎 CONSIDER
Manasseh was the king in Judah longer than any other king. In many ways, he did more evil in Judah than any king before or after him. His father, Hezekiah, had helped turned the people's hearts back to God and away from idols. But Manasseh turned around and opened the door to all sorts of occult practices.
Because
of the nations' disgusting deeds under the rule of Manasseh, God
revealed that he would destroy Judah, just as Israel had been
destroyed. Manasseh's quick departure from his father's good ways
reminds us that it takes only one generation to lose a nation. We
cannot survive by living on the good done by our ancestors. We must
stand against evil and for what is right.
🔎 THINK
As a Christian, you can resist the enemy and overcome evil by having an aggressive, power-packed attitude. You can release positive spiritual power that will always conquer negative power. But it doesn’t happen automatically. You must take a spiritually aggressive position and stand your ground.
Dealing with people requires a different approach, however. You are to treat people with dignity, respect, and love. For myself, I had to learn how to be a “lion-hearted lamb”—spiritually strong in dealing with the enemy and meek and gentle in dealing with people.
Being
good to people will require that you walk in love, which is an effort
that always costs you something. But people who are spiritually
powerful always walk in love. It is God’s way of overcoming evil
with good. And it is well worth the effort.
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Chronicles 33:1-20 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. ...
2 Kings 21:10-15 And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, ...
2 Chronicles 33:10-13 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
2 Kings 21:16-17 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Chronicles 33:14-19 Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ...
2 Kings 21:6 And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
2 Chronicles 33:4-5 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
Week
10 - Look What I Found! – 2 Kings 22
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 22 (NLT)
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.
3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, 4 “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. 5 Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. 6 They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. 7 But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.”
8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” 10 Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.
11 When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 12 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: 13 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.
15 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the king of Judah has read will come true. 17 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will burn against this place, and it will not be quenched.’
18 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 19 You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 20 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city.’”
So
they took her message back to the king.
🔎 CONSIDER
Look what I found - a Bible, in church of all places!" Where has The book of God's Law been for so long? Perhaps it had been right there, covered with dust and clutter. While God's people had been busy worshiping false gods, they had totally neglected the powerful Word of God.
We
often fall into a similar trap. Most of us have ready access to a
Bible, but many of us fail to explore the great riches in its pages.
When we read the Bible with a desire to know God better, he will
speak to our hearts and minds. The Bible will come alive for us, and
we will discover that the god of the Bible is the one true God.
🔎 THINK
A friend of mine is a banker. One day a woman came into the bank with $40,000 in plastic grocery bags. She had been hiding it in her house, and now she wanted to store it in the bank. The next week, she came in with another $20,000. A week later, her house burned down; she figured she lost about $10,000 more in cash, because there was money tucked away that she hadn't been able to find.
Josiah learned that there was hidden treasure in the house of the Lord. Someone had packed away the Book of the Law and had hid it so well that it wasn't found for many years. Josiah was a good king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but when the Book of the Law was found, he soon learned that he and the people were living in the poverty of sin. There was a wealth of God's will that still needed to be obeyed.
Perhaps you are a good person who believes in God and does what your conscience tells you is right. But in the Bible you have the full treasure of the will of God-- and the soul-saving truth of Jesus is tucked away in every corner of it.
Like Josiah, we all need to read, repent, and take action to build our life as fully as we can in the grace of Jesus and in the will of God.
The
wealth of God is for you! Store it up in your soul!
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Chronicles 34:14-21 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king. ...
2 Chronicles 34:29-33 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.
Deuteronomy 31:24-26 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
Nehemiah 8:1-3 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:8-9 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
Week
11 - Judgment Will Come – 2 Kings 24:1-17
🔎 TEXT – 2 Kings 24:1-17 (NLT)
1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land of Judah. Jehoiakim surrendered and paid him tribute for three years but then rebelled. 2 Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets. 3 These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord’s command. He had decided to banish Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh, 4 who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would not forgive this.
5 The rest of the events in Jehoiakim’s reign and all his deeds are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 6 When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the next king.
7 The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country after that, for the king of Babylon captured the entire area formerly claimed by Egypt—from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 9 Jehoiachin did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father had done.
10 During Jehoiachin’s reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and besieged it. 11 Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city during the siege. 12 Then King Jehoiachin, along with the queen mother, his advisers, his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the Babylonians.
In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar carried away all the treasures from the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace. He stripped away all the gold objects that King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple. 14 King Nebuchadnezzar took all of Jerusalem captive, including all the commanders and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and artisans—10,000 in all. Only the poorest people were left in the land.
15 Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiachin away as a captive to
Babylon, along with the queen mother, his wives and officials, and
all Jerusalem’s elite. 16 He also exiled 7,000 of the
best troops and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, all of whom were strong
and fit for war. 17 Then the king of Babylon installed
Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, as the next king, and he
changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
🔎 CONSIDER
The Lord had been patient with his people for many years. He was often merciful and kind to any group that truly turned from their evil ways. Yet he was not going to go back on his word.
God
had said that the nation of Israel would one day be destroyed because
of their sins. Now, the judgment of God was coming to pass. Although
a historian who does not understand the Bible may offer other reasons
for the fall of Israel and Judah, God's Word clearly shows that the
reason for their destruction was disobedience to God. This is a
warning for us. If we choose to disobey God, we seal our own tombs;
but if we obey God, we will be blessed.
🔎 THINK
Whether we are talking about stealing cookies from a cookie jar, shoving all the mess in your room under the bed, cheating on a college final, or padding an expense account, there are consequences when we get caught doing something wrong. We might be reprimanded, lose privileges, receive a zero, or get fired. The result of disobedience can be an inconvenience, or it can be life altering.
God gave the remnant of Judah another century to prove its loyalty and devotion to Him. Yet sadly, despite witnessing Israel’s captivity and experiencing its own bitter taste of it, Judah lapsed into idolatrous rebellion again (see Jeremiah 3:10-11). So God sent the rest of the nation of Judah into captivity as well—this time by the hands of the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 586 B.C.).
The line of David had continued all the way to this point, with Zedekiah now reigning over Judah. But according to Jeremiah, the Babylonian forces took the Jewish king to Nebuchadnezzar, who—after killing Zedekiah’s sons in front of his face and slaying "all the nobles of Judah" to ensure that no heir to the throne remained—put out Zedekiah’s eyes and threw him in a dungeon in Babylon, where he eventually died (Jeremiah 39:1-7; Jeremiah 52:1-11).
Disobedience in not following God’s instructions has severe consequences.
1. Obedience brings God’s presence and favor; disobedience leave us on our own to suffer the consequences of our actions.
2. Even one bad choice can bring long lasting consequences. Successive bad choices can bring catastrophic results.
3. Our disobedience doesn’t just affect us. There are consequences for everyone around us.
4. Sometimes, we can’t fix disobedience without a lot of pain. Sometimes we just can’t fix it at all.
We
as Christians are so blessed because God has revealed his plan for
forgiveness and grace. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ.
🔎 SIMILAR
2 Chronicles 36:9-10 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 22:24-30 “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.” Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? ...
Jeremiah 52:31-34 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.
Ezekiel 17:12 “Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon.
2 Kings 25:27-30 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.
Daniel 1:1-2 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
1 Chronicles 3:16-17 The descendants of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son; and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son,
Matthew 1:11-12 And Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
For Consideration
What were the causes of the crises Israel and Judah faced in 2 Kings?
How should Israel and Judah have responded to their crises?
How can you express confidence in God even in the face of a terrible situation?
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