2 Kings 17:24-41 - Safe and Secure only in the Lord

2 Kings 17:24-41

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.” 28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the LORD, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel, 35 with whom the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying: “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; 36 but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. 41 So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.

After Assyria conquered Samaria of the northern kingdom of Israel, the king invited in other godless nations to settle the cites there.  They brought their own lifeless idols with them which had been displaced when Israel first arrived in the promised land and began replacing the living God there with idols and temples of evil all over again.  Because they had no fear of God, the LORD sent lions to devour them until they attributed the attacks to a ritualistic fear of the LORD of the people of Israel who they had taken over from.  Their solution was to keep their idols and add a bit of the form of true rituals to appease God and find security and safety in the land.  This pattern of compromise existed then and continues even today, as some will keep worldly practices while giving lip service to the Lord Jesus Christ as a talisman of protection on a chain, with beads, or in a statue to give some level of appeasement to Him as they continue to bow to their idols of other devotion and worship within the framework of added religious practices.  These have an appearance of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5, Acts 15:29, 17:29, 30, Romans 1:21, 22-23) as they serve these others, but still make appearances of acknowledgment to the Lord.  We are called to singleness of devotion in our worship (1 Corinthians 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10) as we hold no other on the level with God and are to serve Him only.  The example here of Israel walking away from God and others of the godless world who were attempting to integrate the only true and living Lord into their religious activities to appease and find protection from His wrath of judgment only brings further judgment of His condemning wrath on them.  We are not to integrate with such who practice such things or even begin to allow them to influence us to do likewise in mixing idols of the world with the worship in spirit and truth of the only Lord God in whose Son we stand safe and secure and in no other in any measure.  We are called out of this idolatrous world to a promised land in the kingdom of heaven that we may set our face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7) to not give in and bow to their idols but serve the Lord in devotion and worship of Him alone!

2 Kings 17:1-23 - Results of Continually Rejecting God

2 Kings 17:1-23

Hoshea Reigns in Israel

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

Israel Carried Captive to Assyria (2 Kings 18:9–12)

5 Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, 8 and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger, 12 for they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” 14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them. 16 So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.

19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. 21 For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them commit a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

The northern kingdom of Israel continued to reject the LORD and His word until the the idolatry done in secret came into the open for all to see the consequences of continuing to reject Him in unrepentant sin.  Assyria was used to carry them into captivity just as sin had them in bondage to the captivity of spiritual bondage.  They recalled how the people were released from bondage in Egypt and its lifeless gods into a land promised beforehand yet still seemed to forget their deliverance and returned to join the ungodly around them in that new land.  Their wicked worship of dead idols in place of their God that they had been warned not to engage in led to the consequences which was the wages of sin (Romans 6:23) left unrepented.  He sent prophets to warn them to turn from their evil ways, yet they persisted in with stiff-necked disobedience to the commandments and disbelief in Him as their Lord and God.  Because they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger, He removed them from His sight of protection and provision and only Judah in the southern kingdom remained in His grace.  But even Judah followed their estranged tribe’s bad example and ran after the ways of their fallen brothers, leading to their own rejection along with all the descendants of Israel, cast out of His sight for these sins of disobedience in disbelief.  The prophecies came to pass in judgment out of His sight.  This is a warning to not reject the Lord Jesus Christ, but while it is today (2 Corinthians 6:2, Hebrews 3:15, 18-19), to run from sin to Him and continue to follow to avoid His wrath and judgment. 

2 Kings 16:1-20 - Evil Company Corrupted Good Habits

2 Kings 16:1-20

Ahaz Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1–27)

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.

10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13 So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He also brought the bronze altar which was before the LORD, from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the house of the LORD—and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

17 And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18 Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer entrance from the house of the LORD, on account of the king of Assyria.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

After the kings of Judah had been following God so well in comparison to those of Israel, we see Ahaz come and follow after the bad examples of the northern kingdom based in Samaria.  He did not do what was right in God’s sight in the manner set by king David, but instead imitated those doing what was abominable to the LORD as Israel did by imitating the godless nations they did not drive out when taking possession of the promised land of milk and honey which was Canaan.  He followed evil examples by offering human sacrifices to imaginary gods and worshiped idols on high places with incense that should have been reserved for the Living God alone.  The imaginations of their hearts and desire for self produced a people indistinguishable from the pagans God had been driving out to make room for pure worship of Him alone, but like the southern kingdom of Israel, Judah was led astray by Ahaz into the idolatry and godless immorality of the unbelievers and their civilizations with offense to God.  They had wars because their hearts were not loyal (2 Chronicles 16:9) to the LORD God; they failed to grasp the need to have no other gods (Exodus 20:3-4) and to be holy, set apart (Leviticus 11:44, 20:26, 1 Peter 1:15) to worship and serve (Exodus 19:6) Him alone.  Ahaz went further to set up a new altar in the temple and offered profane sacrifices there to please the pagan king of Assyria, further leading himself and the people away from the LORD and true worship and in the ways of the world around them.  They were led astray by bad company (1 Corinthians 15:33) in attempts to please men and find safety from wars, and the evil company they kept corrupted their good and godly habits and led to the very conflicts and wars they sought to avoid.  This is a lesson for us not to compromise the Lord to fit in to the world as its friends (Galatians 1:4, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-16, 17) instead of God or to provide our own sense of protection that only the Lord can give us in lives of holiness and singleminded worship with loyal hearts of devotion to Him alone. 

2 Kings 15:23-38 - Committed Devotion Against Corruption

2 Kings 15:23-38

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; so he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

Jotham Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 27:1–9)

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.

36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 37 In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

The unfortunate pattern of reigning in evil and in good continued with the kings of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, having more leaders our of Samaria pursuing evil against the LORD and their fellow followers while the leaders of Judah pursued doing what was good in the eyes of God out of Jerusalem where the house of the LORD had established the place for worship.  The northern kings faced raids from Assyria and conspiracy from within the corrupt government, while in Judah we read of lurking compromise left unchecked (the high places of pagan worship in defiance of the first commandment) yet with a general pursuit of doing good in other areas in God’s eyes.  The people were still not being led into holiness as they sacrificed and burned incense to idols in these remote high places as if God did not see them compromising pure worship in this double standard of devotion to Him and them.  The result was similar to the northern kingdom in that the LORD began to send adversaries against Judah as well for their refusal to turn completely to God and away from their not quite hidden idolatry.  The lesson for us is not to compromise the Lord in our walk of worship (Romans 12:1, 2, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 13, Corinthians 6:16, 19-20) in living for Him, as those leading and those following corrupt each body-temple from within (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Peter 2:1, 2) the body of Christ, the universal church.  We need to meet together specifically to encourage doing as it is written in scripture (Philippians 4:8, 9) and to warn each other (Hebrews 10:24-25, Ephesians 5:6, Matthew 16:6, Romans 13:13-14) when that mindset begins to be corrupted by evil influences of the world, the flesh, and the adversary.  May Colossians 1:28-29 drive our life in devoted motivation to keep the truth in view that we may avoid and correct corruption of mind, body, and soul from within and without the body of Christ in these individual bodies designed for worship as the house of God in Jerusalem was and where He now resides (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Timothy 1:14), not allowing a worldly Samaria to enthrone our hearts and keep us from being God-pleasers.  Let us be committed to the rule of good and not evil on the high places outside God’s will and word.  This is committed devotion of true worship of our lives (Romans 12:1) to avoid sin’s corruption of outside rule over us.  Amen!

Kings 15:1-22 - Reigning in Evil and Good

2 Kings 15:1-22

Azariah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 26:3–23)

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, 4 except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5 Then the LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.

6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 7 So Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Zechariah Reigns in Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.

11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

12 This was the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it was.

Shallum Reigns in Israel

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria. 14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and he reigned in his place.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the conspiracy which he led, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 16 Then from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attacked it. All the women there who were with child he ripped open.

Menahem Reigns in Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 19 Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his control. 20 And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land.

21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22 So Menahem rested with his fathers. Then Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

These three kings of Israel reigned in doing evil in God’s eyes, while this one king in Judah still rei in doing good to please the LORD.  More would follow as history unfolded, with a tendency to do more evil than good over the generations of kings and citizens to follow.  Here we see that Judah still held on to doing more good than the southern tribes of Israel who had split long before from the people once united in serving and worshiping their God before the people meant to be driven out of the promised land helped drag them away from the loving God with their false imaginary gods of carved idolatry and blatant immorality of defiance to their Creator and true King.  Such evil companions corrupted (Psalm 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, 2 Corinthians 6:14) good habits of righteous living over time.  In Judah, however, Azariah ruled by aiming the direction of his life and example for the people to follow God in doing good, but it was not enough to stop the people from sacrificing and burning incense to idols in the hills.  His heart was corrupted enough that he was not a man fully after God’s own heart as king David’s (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) was.  His son Jotham judged Judah in his place when he was isolated with leprosy for allowing the people to follow dead idols and violate the first commandment.  If only Azariah had done more to reign in evil by doing good in the direction of his rule and not just his personal life!  We see then that our example is critical to influence others to do good and keep them from evil as the apostle Paul wore in places like 1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1 to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1) in the process as God-pleasers (Romans 12:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:4) instead of fitting in with the world as (Galatians 1:10) man-pleasers.  Do we aim to fully please Gods and not fit in as we please men and offend our Lord?  May we choose to learn from these examples (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11) to let the peace of God rule our hearts according to His word by the enabling power of His indwelling Spirit, running the race to be well-pleasing to Him until we join Him together before His face forever.  We should choose to reign in evil to avoid or stop it completely, not being ruled under it, and let God’s good ways rule us. 

2 Kings 14:23-29 - Our Names Remain in His Book

2 Kings 14:23-29

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher. 26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. 27 And the LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belonged to Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29 So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Jeroboam followed in the unfortunate footsteps of Jeroboam who led Israel into sin by idolatry and the accompanying ritualistic immortality that inevitably followed turning their backs on God to worship works of their own hands.  Even so, the LORD restored territory to the northern kingdom nation of Israel as promised through the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 13:5, 23) because He saw the suffering of His sinful people who were still chosen as a nation by Him.  He did not blot them out of His sight and inheritance as their sins earned them (Romans 6:23), but He showed grace and mercy instead because of their calling, a mere shadowy portent of the fullness of grace shown to us now in Christ.  Jeroboam did not stop the sins of his fathers, yet was still used by God to help the nation and its people in a nationalistic sense of prosperity.  Such is how grace is shown like the sun on the ungodly as well as the righteous (Matthew 5:45, Acts 14:16-17) by our great and gracious Lord God Almighty.  He will not blot out our names (Exodus 32:32, Isaiah 43:25, Acts 3:19, Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 20:12, 15) from the Lamb’s Book of Life because of His promise of grace sealed in the covenant of His Son’s lifeblood sacrificed for our sin for all time!  Our names remain in His Book of Life once written there by Him because His new covenant promise is impossible to be broken, even by our sin.  We are not removed once written by Him due to our sin, for He holds us in His hands (John 10:28) of grace.

2 Kings 14:1-22 - Everyone Answers for his own Sin

2 Kings 14:1-22

Amaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 25:1—26:2)

1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”

7 He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. 14 And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16 So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19 And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

When Amaziah ascended to the throne of Judah, he himself did what was right in God’s eyes but did not stop others from worshiping dead nonexistent gods on the high places.  He then held the murderers of his father to account by putting them to death, yet he did not do so to their children because they did not have guilt in the matter and were not held accountable for their parents sins.  Everyone answers for his or her own sin and not for another’s as it is written in Deuteronomy 24:16, except in the larger picture of all humanity as guilt bearers of Adam’s original sin nature passed to us all (Romans 3:23, 5:12, 14, 18) in our corrupted spiritual DNA as it were.  We all will face the judgment seat (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Acts 17:31, Revelation 20:12, 15) of Christ and only those who are found not accountable by reason of grace in the atoning death and life of Jesus will be spared eternal judgment (1 John 4:18) as the accountability through the first Adam is negated (Romans 5:15, 17) in the second.  As to our accountability for our earthly ancestors apart from Adam, we are not held to account for their sins, just our own, and in Christ they can be forgiven forever through repentance and faith to be reconciled to God our Father forever through His Son in the reassuring power of the Spirit who makes us holy as He is.  Earthly kings may be killed for their sins as Amaziah was, but our eternal King of all kings lives and reigns forever with we who are in Christ and His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) in the kingdom extending beyond this world into the next.  We have each therefore answered for our own sin in personal faith in Christ who takes away the sin of this world (John 1:29, 1 John 2:2) and not collectively or by physical inheritance.  This is our certain hope of life in Christ.

2 Kings 13:1-25 - Disobedience and Repentance to Life

2 Kings 13:1-25

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.

3 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. 6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria. 7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them.

12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13 So Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”

20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Israel Recaptures Cities from Syria

22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

24 Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

The rule of Jehoahaz and Jehoash, kings of Judah and Israel, both ended up in reigns of evil against all that the nation of the LORD stood for.  Israel was called to serve and worship God alone as the commandment told them, but sin split the nation into two parts.  For a while Judah in the south held onto obedience to the word of God longer than the northern Israel, but in the end their sin natures overwhelmed their leaders who led them into idolatry and immorality, both direct violations of disobedience (Exodus 20:3-5, 14, 17) to the Laws of God.  They both as leaders should have been examples (1 Peter 5:4-5) to the people of the LORD, but led them into idolatry their own worship of lifeless statues and imaginary gods as if to spite God who in turn would smite them for their blatant disbelief of the truth in their disobedience to it and to Him.  Israel in the north was handed over for discipline to Syria and was given temporary deliverance until their refusal to repent from that evil haunted their existence as a nation which was intended to be under God, not lifeless idols of man’s imagination.  When Jehoash died, Jeroboam took over the throne.  Judah likewise continued in the old ways of sinful disobedience until Jehoash died and Jeroboam took over.  Then the obedient prophet Elisha who set the example of obedience to the leaders died.  A hint of the resurrection to life is hidden in the narrative of a dead man who was buried with Elisha and came to life as a promise of obedience to the word of God which is now spiritually the gospel (John 5:24) of obedience through faith in repentance from sin in turning from it to hearing and obeying Him.  This is a lesson of correction from disobedience through repentance to life for us all in Christ until the resurrection to life. 

2 Kings 11:1-21 - Renewed Covenant of Commitment

2 Kings 11:1-21

Athaliah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 22:10–12)

1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah (2 Chronicles 23:1–11)

4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the escorts—and brought them into the house of the LORD to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king’s son. 5 Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do: One-third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house, 6 one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. 7 The two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD for the king. 8 But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.”

9 So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of the LORD. 11 Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. 12 And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah (2 Chronicles 23:12—24:1)

13 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. 14 When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD.” 16 So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses’ entrance into the king’s house, and there she was killed.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD’s people, and also between the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. 19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house. 21 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

Jehu had killed the brothers of Ahaziah (2 Kings 10:13-14) who was the king of Judah after eliminating the family of Ahab.  But then Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead and destroyed all the royal heirs except for Joash who was saved and hidden by her sister Jehosheba for six years while Athaliah reigned after eliminating the competition.  Finally, on the seventh year, Jehoiada the priest had Joash crowned instead as the only surviving heir to the throne of Judah while Athaliah had the audacity to call it treason out loud after her murderous ascension to power.  Jehoiada had her taken outside the house of the LORD, away from the holy meeting place of God to be summarily executed outside of His house for her crimes.  This sparked a return to holiness among God’s people there in Judah as the priest called for a renewed covenant of commitment to follow the LORD and worship Him only, destroying the blasphemous temple of Baal (lifeless god of the Canaanites) and its priest that had been leading the people of God astray into violating the first commandment with such spiritual adultery and the resulting immortality and destruction that accompanied that false worship which brought God’s wrath down on the leaders who propagated it.  The people responded with “long live the king” when Joash (meaning “given by the Lord”), or Jehoash as he was also named, was crowned as the seven year old child king and the idolatry was destroyed as the godless had tried to end the king of righteousness in the line of David to whom the promise of the Seed was given through the tribe of Judah, the Messiah-Christ to come as the true King of all Righteousness, the Lion (Isaiah 11:1-2, Micah 5:2, Hebrews 7:14, Revelation 5:5) of the tribe of Judah.  This renewed covenant of commitment to the Lord did not last for long among the earthly Judah, but the new covenant in the sacrificial lifeblood of the Seed lasts forever as we are found in His righteousness and not that of sinful men and women.  Long live the King of kings and Lord of all lords! 

2 Kings 10:18-36 - Doing Right from the Heart

2 Kings 10:18-36

Worshipers of Baal Killed

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.”

25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. 30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

Death of Jehu

32 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Jehu had successfully accomplished the word of the LORD in ending evil Ahab and his descendants as God’s promise against their blasphemous evil demanded for the justice of righteousness and holiness as leaders of His people.  But he did not care to obey God’s word in his own life, keeping the golden calf idols to lead the people astray in misdirected worship in violation of the words of the first commandment.  He did not walk in the word of the LORD with all his heart in stark contrast to king David before him who was remembered for being a sincere follower of the LORD by being a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Psalm 89:20, 27-28, 29, Acts 13:22, 23), and whose lineage was the Seed of promise In the Messiah to come who would keep every word (Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:3-4) of God perfectly as we cannot (Romans 3:23, 6:23) as sinful fallen creatures.  Jehu did some things right in God’s sight and earned the right for his descendants to lead from the throne after him, but he did not live from his heart in obedience to the word of the LORD; he loved by the letter and not spirit in true worship (John 4:23, Romans 8:4, 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 John 3:24) as we are all called to do, then and now.  To lead His people we must aim to be men after God’s own heart in true and willing obedience, not just to check compliance boxes in word alone, nor allow sin to continue in our hearts in shared worship, but to worship in spirit and truth with devoted lives in hearts and minds.  We are to remember the contrast between Ahab and David and aim the direction of our lives in the heartfelt upward call (Philippians 3:12-13, 14) in Christ in doing what is right from the heart as we did from the start of our salvation’s journey of sanctification.  Doing Right should be from the Heart instead of by the letter of outward compliance alone.