1 Chronicles 2:1-55 - The Lineage of Eternal Life

1 Chronicles 2:1-55

The Family of Israel (Genesis 35:23–26; 46:8–25)

1 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

From Judah to David (Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:2–6; Luke 3:31–33)

3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so He killed him. 4 And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five of them in all.

7 The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing.

8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.

9 Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah; 11 Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz; 12 Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; 13 Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh.

16 Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel—three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

The Family of Hezron

18 Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur. 20 And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel.

21 Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. 22 Segub begot Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 (Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns—sixty towns.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24 After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

The Family of Jerahmeel

25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

29 And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children. 31 The son of Appaim was Ishi, the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and Sheshan’s son was Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children. 33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.

34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. 36 Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad; 37 Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed; 38 Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah; 39 Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Eleasah; 40 Eleasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum; 41 Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.

The Family of Caleb

42 The descendants of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema begot Raham the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. 45 And the son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

46 Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. 47 And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

48 Maachah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

50 These were the descendants of Caleb: The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

52 And Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, and half of the families of Manuhoth. 53 The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.

54 The sons of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites.

55 And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

The genealogical record continues in chapter 2 with the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob) and then follows the son Judah through Ruth to David the king through whom the Seed who is the Messiah (Romans 1:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:8, Galatians 3:16) would come as the Lion (Revelation 5:5) of the tribe of Judah.  Other notable branches are covered as well that validate the historical accuracy of scripture and explain the lines that endured for a while while others died out due to sin as before Noah and his kin survived to bring these into existence.  The most important it the line of David (Matthew 1:17, Luke 3:31, 38) of course, as through him came the divine Jesus Christ in the flesh like our own, prepared (Hebrews 9:5) from before time (Psalm 90:2, John 1:1, 14, 17:24, 1 Peter 1:20, 2 Timothy 1:9) as God planned our redemption through His Son for we who also have a lineage according to the flesh but more importantly, through the spiritual rebirth into Christ the Son of Man and Son of God.  We therefore can understand the plan of God from before creation and Adam’s fall that brought sin to us all (Romans 5:12, 18-19) through the channel of redemption for all He will call to Himself through His Son, the Seed of David, by the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6-7, 8-9) called to inherit the promised land which is but a whiff of our own heavenly kingdom inheritance to come.  This is the lineage of eternal life though the channel of redemption in the people of Israel to the Christ destined to come for us.

1 Chronicles 1:1-54 - Beginning of the Thread of Redemption

1 Chronicles 1:1-54

The Family of Adam—Seth to Abraham (Gen. 5:1–32; 10:1–32; 11:10–26; Luke 3:34–38)

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim, and Rodanim.

8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 11 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 13 Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 20 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, who is Abraham. 28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.

The Family of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12–16)

29 These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

The Family of Keturah (Genesis 25:1–4)

32 Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

The Family of Isaac (Genesis 36:10–14)

34 And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. 36 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek. 37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

The Family of Seir (Genesis 36:20–28)

38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna. 40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

The Kings of Edom (Genesis 36:31–43)

43 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44 And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. 49 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 50 And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai. His wife’s name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51 Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth, 52 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

The record of the lineage of man from the first Adam until Jacob called Israel is in this first chapter chronicling the plan for man from the Fall to eventual redemption in the Messiah through the seed of David later (Matthew 1:17, Galatians 4:4, 3:16) in history’s fullness.  This detailed account is necessary to show and know the reality of man’s creation, fall, and redemption according to God’s sovereign plan.  We may not know or remember each and every name outlined here, yet the LORD knows each one intimately and has worked through their choices for good or evil as taking the knowledge of that tree (Genesis 2:9, 17, 3:6, 17) instead of listening and learning from God (Hebrews 5:14) has corrupted each and grace has delivered a remnant out of them all to accomplish His purposes.  We see here the account of the first man Adam who did not trust and obey God to Abraham the man who took God at His word and accepted it by faith as intended, who then is the example for our faith in Christ (Galatians 3:6, 9, James 2:23) now who hear and believe the word of the gospel and obey it with that same willing trust.  We take God at His word like Abraham because we have this lineage of failings and trust in God’s word to consider that points to our deliverance from sin’s penalty in His work for us as our own imperfect (Romans 3:23, 6:23) works always fail to achieve.  The foundation is of Abraham’s sons Isaac of promise and Ishmael of worldly gain alone, to their son Jacob later called Israel (Genesis 32:28, “God prevails”) as the bedrock of the chosen people for our channel of redemption culminating in the Messiah-Christ Jesus.  This account then is critical to und the story of the gospel and our hope by faith in God’s work (John 5:24, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:1, 8) to bring us to Himself.  This genealogy then is the beginning of the scarlet thread of redemption woven through the scriptures to convict and convince us of the truth of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

2 Kings 25:22-28 - Captivity in Hope

2 Kings 25:22-28

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah (Jeremiah 40:5—41:18)

22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison (Jeremiah 52:31–34)

27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

The end of the kings in this book is seen in captivity to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had set Gedaliah as governor over the remnant of Judah.  This governor told the people to submit to Babylonian rule to have peace in the land (Jeremiah 21:9, 10, 40:9), but a conspiracy formed contrary to God’s word and will and he was assassinated.  The rebellion led to the perpetrators running away to Egypt in fear and then the captive Judean king Jehoiachin was released from prison to dine with the new king of Babylon and was treated well, a foretaste of a future restoration of Jerusalem in Judah to come.  We find that sometimes sin leads to a judgment and exile of captivity as a consequence, yet there is still hope of a remnant being restored to grace.  The end of some evil kings may yet lead to a chance to be redeemed as ultimately seen in the coming of the King of kings to redeem we the remnant out of all nations to serve and worship Him.  This is captivity in hope. 

2 Kings 25:1-21 - Will you be Carried Away into Captivity?

2 Kings 25:1-21

The Fall and Captivity of Judah (2 Chronicles 36:15–21; Jer. 52:4–30)

1 Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. 7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Judah was finally taken and carried away into captivity to Babylon for their continued unrepentant sins of idolatry and immorality of worship given to dead works of their hands over the living LORD who delivered them from the bondage of Egypt where such sins had held them captive long ago.  After a year and a half of the siege from Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon against Jerusalem, with starvation rampant among God’s people, the wall of the great city was broken down and many fled the city as the king was taken and watched his sons killed before his eyes that were then taken their sight away to see the light of God’s mercy come to and end for him.  A few years later, they came and burned the remaining buildings of Jerusalem to the ground and broke the city walls down all around.  They stole away all the bronze pieces remaining of the temple of worship erected by Solomon and took the remaining people into captivity to Babylon.  This is the finale of Judah who was carried away into captivity as the promised consequence of their rejection of their LORD and substitution of lifeless gods of their own imagination enthroned on their hearts also broken down and carried away by sin.  They had not taken advantage of the grace and mercy in God’s forgiveness of sin by repentance and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7) as a result, a warning to all the world to turn from sin to Him (Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19) and reject worship of any before Him as the first commandment tells us all, Jew and Gentile, to pursue.  May all who hear the gospel of for and grace turn from sin to worship Him alone who can deliver from the destruction to come when God’s judgment falls on us all and only those not carried away into eternal captivity of suffering will be united with Him in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) that will never be under siege or destroyed because God Himself will be there (Revelation 21:3) to rule over us in the goodness of unending joy and peace without fears or tears (Revelation 21:4) as we worship in spirit and truth forever without judgment to end our lives ever again.  

Kings 24:1-20 - Taken into Captivity

2 Kings 24:1-20

Judah Overrun by Enemies

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin (2 Chronicles 36:9, 10)

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:11–14; Jer. 52:1–3)

17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

At the command of the LORD, the people of God were taken into captivity out of their nation into a foreign land due to their heinous sins.  The inward (Romans 7:23) journey into captivity is the bondage of sin within that turns away from God to pursue idolatry and immorality as Israel and Judah had done long before we who now face the same captivity from birth as slaves of sin.  Judah followed the evil examples of their leaders such as Manasseh mentioned prominently here (2 Kings 21:2, 4-5, 6) who had erected idols in God’s house (a warning of present day statues in some assemblies), killed innocent people (as in the early days of the modern reformation under corrupt Roman church rule), and seduced the citizens to worship other gods (2 Kings 21:9) in direct rejection and disobedience to the very first foundational commandment.  He had brought (2 Kings 21:14) the wrath of God down on the people who followed this and other evil leaders who brought accountability to them all in the attacks of their enemies that culminated in this removal of the remnant of His inheritance from the promised land to be carried away into Babylon.  The lack of repentance and continual rejection of the LORD will also exclude those who reject the gospel at the last day in the same way, except the bondage of sin that carries them there will be permanent and eternal in their captivity.  There can be no return (Hebrews 9:27-28, ) in that final judgment for those who follow evil of their own account under evil leaders or good if they imitate the wrong ones and turn their backs on the Lord and (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) His gospel of reconciling forgiveness and grace.  He who leads others into captivity will himself be led into captivity as it is written (Revelation 13:10) for all who lead and deceitfully teach (James 3:1, 2 Peter 2:1, 4, 18, 19) others to rebellion and disobedience to the gospel.  Judah was taken physically captive and their temple was dismantled and taken away in pagan hands to Babylon for evil without regard for the Lord through repentance; how many people throughout history have since turned true worship into idolatry and murdered innocents who proclaimed reconciliation and holiness to the Lord in the name of the Holy Church while ignoring the scriptures and will of God by substituting another Mediator and praying to the dead instead of the Living God alone?  We who know Him approach the throne of grace and not any man to forgive our sins that we may worship in spirit and truth to enter into eternity out of the captivity (2 Timothy 2:25-26) and bondage of sin we have been freed from. 

2 Kings 23:28-37 - Regression of Sin Against the Lord

2 Kings 23:28-37

Josiah Dies in Battle (2 Chronicles 35:20—36:1)

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 36:1–4)

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:5–8)

35 So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

Here the old pattern of sin comes creeping back in among the rulers of God’s people in Judah.  After many who did evil and led the nation astray and away from following the LORD, there was a bright spot of hope in Josiah who reformed and restored true worship during his reign.  Though he did well in his reforms, the people still had a history of being led into idolatry and its accompanying immorality, and the fate of the nation had already been marked out by the LORD for accountability in judgment by His wrath on their continuing sin, just as the whole world even now faces judgment day (Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:27-28, 2 Peter 2:9, 1 John 4:17-18) for their inherited and ongoing sins.  Only the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ can deliver the few on that narrow road to Him through repentance and faith from the wrath (Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 11:18) to come.  After Josiah the reformer died, Jehoahaz his son took the reins and led the people once again into sin and kindled the burning wrath of God against him and them all.  He only lasted three months until imprisoned and was replaced by another son of Josiah named Jehoiakim, who also pursued evil instead of the word and will of the LORD as his father Josiah had done so well like a bright break in the clouds of an approaching storm of judgment.  This Jehoiakim repeated the same evil of the majority of his forefathers on this downward spiral trending towards the time of accountability for rejecting God and His words.  On top of that, he also heavily taxed the people to appease the Pharaoh of Egypt who had put him on the throne after his brother’s death.  This repeated pattern of corruption of the soul in the leaders of Judah followed that of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, a pattern that would ultimately bring destruction on them all except a faithful remnant as we see today in the remnant of all nations in Christ (Romans 11:5, 25, 30-31, 32, 9:6-7, 8, 25, 26) to be delivered from the wrath to come on all our sin since Adam.  The whole world around us is following this same pattern of regression into sin against the Lord as they reject Him and His gospel of hope and grace.  We who are now in the remnant of the nations in Christ are His heralds of that message (Romans 10:14, 16-17) that calls all who have been given ears to hear to turn from the sin reigning over them (Galatians 4:4, Romans 5:20-21) to Him who reigns over the just and unjust for deliverance from the consequences of sin to come.  Who reigns over you and who do you follow?  May we not regress into following sin against Him as the rules of Judah and Israel did, but progress into willing obedience to the gospel containing the (John 6:68, Acts 5:20) words of life. 

2 Kings 23:1-27 - Reformation of True Worship

2 Kings 23:1-27

Josiah Restores True Worship (2 Chronicles 34:29—35:19)

1 Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD.

3 Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow 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 this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. 6 And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 7 Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. 9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. 11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. 13 Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. 14 And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17 Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?”

So the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

18 And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

19 Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. 20 He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

Impending Judgment on Judah

26 Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.’”

Josiah was used to bring about this great reformation, a reform of true worship that pleases the LORD God, just as the reformers would do again around 1500 AD when truth was placed in view over muddied teachings and idolatrous rituals.  In Josiah’s time, he had first gathered everyone together in the house of God.  This included the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people, both small and great in all positions of life.  Then he did what we all need to keep on track, he read the scriptures out loud to them all and then first made a covenant promise himself to keep God’s word as written over any errors they previously followed or had ignored.  He committed himself to keep and follow the whole counsel of God with all his heart and all his soul and reject spurious and erroneous rituals.  He removed idols and immorality from the assembly building that nobody could look to satisfy their own desires or be devoted to any other objects of worship but God and His instructions for life and godliness alone.  He corrupted the corruptions and destroyed the objects of worship like present day statues in some churches even now that detract from true worship to God alone through the Mediator of His only Son (Hebrews 9:15, 1 Timothy 2:5) and no other substituted or inserted in between.  Preaching and teaching the whole unadulterated counsel of God reformed worship back on track as we must continue to do today, for our corrupt hearts drift towards idols of our own reason and ritual if we are not constantly attentive to hearing and following the scriptures as written and not reinterpreted by any religious authority placed over the Lord (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13) and His word.  We are likewise to follow the instructions of His word to include the sacraments/ordinance of baptism and communion as foundational ways to worship in spirit and truth together, not adding superfluous ones from man’s own words and traditions, as those can quickly become traditions not intended by God according to the scriptures.  The challenge to us is to imitate Josiah in turning constantly to the LORD with all our heart, soul, and might, according to all the scriptures summarized in the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-38, 39-40) that sum up the Ten Commandments (Matthew 4:17, 5:19) that form the foundation of our true worship, being mindful not to add to the teachings (Matthew 15:9, Colossians 2:18, 20, 21-22) of God in His word as it has been written.  Like Josiah, we should remember that we need to read and hear God’s word to avoid error of added requirements of man that we may continue to worship in spirit and truth as well-pleasing children (Jeremiah 42:6, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Hebrews 13:21) fulfilling the summation of the foundational commandments (1 John 3:22, 23) given in the scriptures for our edification and correction (Hebrews 10:24-25) as we meet together and remind one another of these things for ongoing reformation of our true worship.

2 Kings 22:1-20 - Repentance from our Inheritance

2 Kings 22:1-20 

Josiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 34:1, 2)

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law (2 Chronicles 34:8–28)

3 Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— 6 to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”

8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD.” 10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. 15 Then she said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— 17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’“‘ 18 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— 19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD. 20 “Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

After a string of evil kings, we find Josiah on the scene doing what is right in the sight of God in Judah.  He is described as one who imitated his forefather king David who also walked a straight line with God, not turning away to the left or right from adherence to the words and will of the LORD.  When the king sent Hilkiah to count the money in the treasury to restore the house of the LORD, they found the old dusty and unused book of the Law, the scriptures of God’s word and will for worship and pleasing God.  When they found the Book of the Law and read how they had strayed from Him under bad leadership over the years, repentance quickly followed because “our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book.”  Hearing of the impending judgment on the people for forsaking the living God and replacing Him with lifeless idols, he repented in the face of the wrath of God and was promised forgiveness by God’s word prophetically delivered to him with the assurance he would die in peace before the judgment fell on the nation for their rebellion of idolatry and immorality.  We find how repentance and faith played out in the life of a heart softened to sin and found deliverance from God’s wrath on his sin of unintended disobedience inherited from his forefathers.  We likewise inherited our sin nature from Adam (Romans 5:12, 14, 15, 18) and are born under the wrath of God on our inherited and ongoing sin against Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23) and find forgiveness in Christ when we confess this and accept His mercy when His word convicts us and He gives us hope of safety from the judgment due us all from Adam to now in Christ.  Repentance from our inheritance brings God’s forgiveness of Grace to deliverance from our wages of sin due to be paid as we have earned it.