Bible Food Day 28 - Second Kings

Good morning and welcome once again to the daily bible food where we're reading the bible in 90 days.

I hope you've stretched and are ready to read.

Today we will begin in 

2nd Kings 16

¹In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

 ²Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.

However, he picked up some of the ways of the kings of Israel like sacrificing his son in fire and burning incense on high places.  He had wars with the kings of Syria and Samaria; but they didn't over come him.

²⁰And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 17

 ¹In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

 ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

I just like to put the scripture in that introduces the new king; this will make sense in a few chapters down.  Hoshea takes over from Pekah; and it wasn't handed down to him; he did some over throwing to get the kingdom.  Hoshea would be the last king to reign over Samaria because the Lord had had enough of their sinning; and no king would come in and straighten the people out.

Because Hoshea did send gifts to the king of Assyria; he came in and sieged it for three years before finally taking it completely.  In Hoshea's ninth year, Samaria was taken as slaves into Assyria.  He also placed them in cities in the Medes or what is Russia today.  From this we can hint that Assyria was a power in the world at this time.

They were taken captive, if you remember, because of what was written in Deuteronomy 28.  The blessings and the curses they did not fear their God, nor deal with His statutes, so God cast them out the land.  They did all the abominations that the nations Joshua was sent in to sack, and expected different results.

Those nations became a thorn in their side.  Thus they were carried off.

¹⁸Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

Now the king of Assyria brought in other nations to keep the land of Samaria; but those people were under the control of Assyria.  Those people did not know the God of Israel, neither did they fear Him and the Lord sent in a lions to kill many of them.  So they commanded a priest to come in and teach them the manner of the God of the land.

 ²⁸Then 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.

Still these nations made their own gods and served them; but they feared the God of Israel.  Somewhat like what is done today, many are Christians; but in their mind they have another god they are serving.

³³They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

 ³⁴Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

So now we have Judah there who are real authentic Israelites of the seed of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham; and we have other nations inhabiting the land of Israel in Samaria.

2 Kings 18

 ¹Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

 ²Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

 ³And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

Hezekiah was a good king that made small mistakes; but over all he did very well and pleased the Lord like his daddy David did.  He restored and re-instituted a lot of things Israel had fell off from doing.  Plus he witness how Assyria came in and took his brothers out; and he knew it was from the Lord or he would have helped.

He really trusted in the Lord like no king of Judah before him (that does not count Solomon and David because they were kings over the whole Israel, not just Judah); and kept all the commandments that Moses commanded the people to keep from the Lord.

¹³Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.  Hezekiah had to cut gold off the doors of the Temple and off his house to keep the Assyrians from taking them.  So Hezekiah paid the tribute money to keep them from invading Jerusalem.

However, Sennacherib wanted to sack Jerusalem as part of his quest to take over the world.  So paying the tribute was a gimmick to get you to be late or decide not to pay it; then he was have valid reason to come in and sack the nation.  But when Hezekiah kept paying him; he just came in just fullfill his own desire.

³⁰Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

But he did too much big talking against the God of Israel; and God listens in all the time.  And this saved Jerusalem; Hezekiah went to the Lord to the Lord delivered.  This is why it is good to have faith in God because a statement Sennacherib made would have shaken the average faithless king; but not Hezekiah.

³³Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

 ³⁴Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

Samaria supposedly had the same God as Judah; but if you don't serve God; do you really have the same God?  Plus the Lord sent Assyria into Samaria, Sennacherib went into Jerusalem on his own free will.

2 Kings 19

Here Hezekiah prays to the Lord and humbles himself.  He knows that the Assyrians meant business and one thing the Assyrians were known for was skinning the leaders of the nations alive.  So Hezekiah certainly did not want that.

Isaiah the prophet was sent in to tell their fate.  ²²Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

The Lord was not happy with Sennacherib and spoke against him destruction.  ³²Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

The same way he came into the city is the same way Sennacherib will leave out of the city.  ³⁵And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

 ³⁶So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

And when Sennacherib got home and went into his the church of his god to inquire about what happened; his own sons came in and killed him.  So much for talking blasphemous against the Lord God of Israel.  The truthful part of this historical event in the bible is that historians share this same stories account in history books, encyclopedias and more and they tell it a bit different.

A plague killed Sennacherib's army according to historians; but we just read that an angel did it from the Lord.

2 Kings 20

After Jerusalem was delivered, time later Hezekiah got very ill; near death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and told him the LORD, said to get your house in order; because this illness will kill you.

 ²Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,

Hezekiah prayed and he put his resume on the table how he walked before God with his whole heart, how he took down evil in Judah, just listed his good qualities of following the Lord. 

And before Isaiah could leave the kings court way; the Lord sent a message to him to tell Hezekiah that he heard his prayer and would add to him 15 more years.

That let's us know the Lord answers prayers and answers them quick.  If you have a good heart and are trying to do well before God; you can petition Him with that, but if you have no resume you may as well pack up like the prophet said.  15 years is better than 30 days or less.

⁶And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.  

The Lord will defend the city of David's sake.  David was a great king.  How good he was to Israel saved Israel from being dumped on in many generations.

Babylon's king sent letters to the king as he recovered (Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon) and the sent his son to visit Hezekiah.  Hezekiah showed Babylon all that was in his house, the Temple of the Lord and Isaiah rebuked him for it telling him all that they've seen they will carry out to Babylon in future generations.

Hezekiah was okay with it because in his days there would be peace and truth.

2 Kings 21

 ¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.

 ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

He was a one son wrecking crew.  He was the exact opposite of this father Hezekiah and he destroyed much.  I'm surprised he reigned so long in Jerusalem.  We'll find out why in a moment. With all his evil acts the Lord is preparing to bring evil so bad that people's ears will tingle.

¹²Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

The Lord will "wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down."  This does not sound good (for the people).  

¹⁶Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

¹⁸And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

 ¹⁹Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

 ²⁰And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.

Amon was wicked and his own workers conspired against him and killed him in his own home.  Then the people killed those of his workers who conspired against him and reestablished his son Josiah king over Judah.

2 Kings 22

 ¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

 ²And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

Josiah was a good king doing right in the eyes of the Lord; walking in the way of David; not veering to the right nor left of the commandments but keeping straight. 

During his reign he wanted to reestablish the real Levite priesthood.  And Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law in the house of the LORD and he gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.  All these years; the people were going off of tradition, word of mouth from Moses; and not the actual words in the book.

If it was lost then what were the people doing all those years?  And they read it to the king and he tore his cloths and humbled himself.  They were all going crazy because of what is written in Deuteronomy 28.

So they began to attempt to get their house in order so they are not carried away captive as it says in the writings of Moses.

Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, she was wife to Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they talked with her regarding the wrath the Lord was going to bring on Jerusalem.

 ¹⁶Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:

Destruction was coming for sure to Jerusalem according to the woman prophet; but because the heart of the king was humbled before the LORD, when he read the book; Josiah will die in peace and his generation will not see the evil that the Lord is going to bring on Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23

Josiah gathered all the people and read the book of the law to them; probably explained to them why Samaria was taken out of the land and made a covenant with God to keep the Lord's commandments.

He also did some cleaning up in the land; ⁷And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

And the king, Josiah, commanded all the people, to keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.  He did some big time cleaning up to make sure he wasn't taken out of Jerusalem.

In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt, he went up to war against Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against Egypt; and he was killed at Megiddo, by the king of Egypt.

And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.   ³¹Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

 ³²And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 

And Pharaohnechoh, Pharaoh of Egypt, made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.  Because of the evil in Jerusalem from wicked leaders, all of the sudden Jerusalem is being taken on every side.

³⁶Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
 ³⁷And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

2 Kings 24

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took over and came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. Jehoiakim died: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

 Now Egypt stop their tax tribute regime over Judah because Babylon had rose in power and taken over from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.  So a new bully was in town.

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

Nebuchadnezzar carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest of the people of the land.

The king then made Mattaniah king of the remaining people and changed his name to Zedekiah.  Zedekiah was only 21 and ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem and he did nothing but evil in the site of the Lord.

2 Kings 25

Nine years into Zedekiah's reign, he rebelled and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came pitched in Jerusalem and in the 11th year he tore it down.  Nebuchadnezzar was not pleased with Zedekiah at all.

 ⁶So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
 ⁷And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
²¹And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

Uprising and revolts, jealousy, abuse of power is the best way to describe Judah and Israel and it is ultimately what got each nation thrown out of the land.  

This started because they did not destroy all the inhabitants of the land in Joshua's day; and when they asked for a king to be like the other nations, removing Jesus the God of Israel from being their king, this brought in jealous revolts instead of peace, knowledge and wisdom of the Lord.

Now the land is vacant.  We are going to read another account of the kings of Israel in Chronicles tomorrow.  Thank you for joining today; have a great day.

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Peace and Grace

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