May
7th 2
Kings 15 Uzziah King of Judah
1: In the twenty
and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of
Amaziah king of Judah to reign. 2: Sixteen years old was he when he
began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And
his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 3: And he did that
which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his
father Amaziah had done; 4: Save that the high places were not
removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high
places. 5: And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto
the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the
king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land. 6: And
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 slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers
in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
Zechariah
King of Israel
8: In the thirty
and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of
Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. 9: And he did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he
departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made
Israel to sin. 10: And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against
him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in
his stead. 11: And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they
are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 12:
This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy
sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation.
And so it came to pass.
Shallum
King of Israel
13: Shallum the son
of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth 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, and came to Samaria, and
smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned
in his stead. 15: And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his
conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel. 16: Then Menahem smote Tiphsah,
and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah:
because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the
women therein that were with child he ripped up.
Menahem
King of Israel
17: In the nine and
thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi
to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18: And he
did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all
his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel
to sin. 19: And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and
Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be
with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 20: And Menahem exacted
the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each
man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the
king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. 21:
And 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:
And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in
his stead.
Pekahiah
King of Israel
23: In the fiftieth
year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to
reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24: And he did
that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from
the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 25:
But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against
him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house,
with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and
he killed him, and reigned in his room. 26: And the rest of the acts
of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the
book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
Pekah
King of Israel
27: In the two and
fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah
began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28:
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed
not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to
sin. 29: In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser
king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Jonoah,
and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of
Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. 30: And Hoshea the son
of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and
smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth
year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
Jotham
King of Judah
31: And the rest of
the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in
the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 32: In the second
year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son
of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. 33: Five and twenty years old was
he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. 34: And he
did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according
to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35: Howbeit the high places
were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in
the high places. He built the higher 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 against Judah Rezin the king of
Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. 38: And Jotham slept with his
fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his
father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
2
Kings 16 Ahaz King of Judah
1: In the
seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham
king of Judah began to reign. 2: Twenty 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. 3: But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and
made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations
of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of
Israel. 4: And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places,
and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5: Then Rezin king of
Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem
to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6: At
that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the
Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto
this day. 7: So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of
Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me
out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king
of Israel, which rise up against me. 8: And Ahaz took the silver and
gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of
the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
9: And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of
Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people
of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 10: And 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
fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the
workmanship thereof. 11: And Urijah the priest built an altar
according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the
priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. 12: And when the
king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king
approached to the altar, and offered thereon. 13: and he burnt his
burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering,
and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar. 14:
And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from
the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of
the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar. 15: And king
Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn
the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the
king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt
offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and
their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the
burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen
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 borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and
took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and
put it upon a pavement of stones. 18: And the covert for the sabbath
that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without,
turned he from the house of the LORD for 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: And 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 D. The Captivity of Israel Hosea King of Israel
1: In the twelfth
year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in
Samaria over Israel nine years. 2: And he did that which was evil in
the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were
before him. 3: Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and
Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. 4: And the king of
Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So
king of Egypt, and brought no present 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. 5: Then the king of Assyria came up throughout
all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 6:
In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and
carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in
Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
The
reasons for Samaria’s fall
7: For so it was,
that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God,
which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the
hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8: And
walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from
before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they
had made. 9: And the children of Israel did secretly those things
that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them
high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to
the fenced city. 10: And they set them up images and groves in every
high hill, and under every green tree: 11: And there they burnt
incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD
carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the
LORD to anger: 12: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said
unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13: Yet the LORD testified
against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all
the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my
ommandments 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: Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their
necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the
LORD their God. 15: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant
that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he
testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain,
and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning
whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16: And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and
made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and
worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17: And they
caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and
used divination and enchantments, 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 out of his sight:
there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19: Also Judah kept
not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the
statutes of Israel which they made. 20: And the LORD rejected all the
seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand
of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. 21: For he rent
Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of
Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and
made them sin a great sin. 22: For the children of Israel walked in
all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23: Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by
all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of
their own land to Assyria unto this day.
Assyria
settles foreigners in Israel
24: And the king of
Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and
from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of
Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed
Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. 25: And so it was at the
beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD:
therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26: Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations
which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know
not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions
among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the
manner of the God of the land. 27: Then the king of Assyria
commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought
from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them
the manner 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: Howbeit every nation
made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places
which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein
they dwelt. 30: And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the
men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31: And
the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their
children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of
Sepharvaim. 32: So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of
the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for
them in the houses of the high places. 33: They feared the LORD, and
served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they
carried away from thence. 34: Unto 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;
35: With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them saying,
Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve
them, nor sacrifice to them: 36: But the LORD, who brought you up out
of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him
shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do
sacrifice. 37: And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and
the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for
evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. 38: And the covenant that
I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other
gods. 39: But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver
you out of the hand of all your enemies. 40: Howbeit they did not
hearken, but they did after their former manner. 41: So these nations
feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children,
and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto
this day.
In today’s Bible
study we have what appears to be to me like a procession at a
carnival. In great pomp and ceremony kings come into view and passing
by pass on one after another. So let’s look at these kings and see
what is interesting about them. The first king is the King Uzziah,
king of Judah. He began to reign when he was only 16 yrs of age and
he reigned for 52 yrs in Jerusalem. He was a good king he lived in
constant fear of the Lord doing right in Gods eyes. But he didn’t
remove the secret places of idol worship. The Lord judged him and he
was a leper till he died. He lived separately from ordinary men
because of his disease. When he died the Lord began speaking to
Isaiah the Prophet. Next we have Zechariah the king of the northern
kingdom. He only reigned for 6 months because he did evil in Gods
sight. A long life was a sign of righteousness under the Mosaic Law.
The northern kingdom went from bad to worse and became so bad that
the judgment of God came on them and removed them from the land
altogether. The next king of Israel was Shallum and he reigned for a
full 30 days. He hardly got time to begin before the Lord judged him.
Then we have Menahem king of Israel. He reigned for 10 yrs. He was
another bad one. He did evil in Gods sight. The Lord sent the
Assyrian king against him. Menahem pacified the Assyrian king by
taxing his people and handing over a king’s ransom. The next king
was the son of Menahem Penahiah – king of Israel. He managed only 2
yrs, because he caused Israel to sin against their Lord. He faced the
assassin too. Next we have Pekah – king of Israel. He reigned for
20 years. But he was also a bad King. The Lord sent Tiglath-pileser
(great name) who captured a lot of cities and enslaved a lot of
people. The next king is Jotham – king of Judah. The southern
kingdom had altogether a better set of kings which goes to show that
righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. He
was only 25 when he was crowned and he held the kingdom together for
16 yrs. He was another good king. But the people were not completely
dedicated to the Lord. Then Ahaz became King of Judah. He was 2o yrs
old when he began and he reigned for 16 yrs. And he was not a good
king. He led Judah into child sacrifice and other abominations. The
Lord sent the Syrians against him so he appealed to Tiglath-pileser
for help. He ordered the desecration of the holy vessels of the
temple using them for idol worship. Then we come to the sad time when
the northern kingdom is so weak militarily and so perverted in
religion that the Lord brings the Assyrians in to take them all away
into captivity from which they never recovered. Even today the ten
northern tribes are lost in the nations of the world. Hosea took the
throne of Israel but although he sent money and goods it never
pacified the freedom of Israel. Hoshea was an evil king. Shalmaneser
king of Assyria came against him. He was imprisoned and in the end
the Assyrians came and took all the people of the northern kingdom
Israel away into captivity and Samaria was destroyed. Then the scribe
writes a piece explaining why this disaster had happened. They never
fully followed the Lord and in secret they practised the arts of
witchcraft and idolatry. The LORD sent prophets commanding that
Israel should turn from their evil ways but they took no notice of
these messengers. They would not hear and they would not believe the
Lord when he testified against them. They murdered their own children
to the cults of Satan and this caused the LORD to be very angry with
them so that he removed them out of his sight but he left Judah. The
next thing that the Assyrians did was to settle their own people in
the northern territories. But they did not fear the Lord so the LORD
sent lions among them. The Assyrians asked that priest might be found
that would teach these heathens how to fear the Lord in the northern
territories. So a priest came and taught them in Bethel. They feared
the Lord but they worshipped their own gods. When the priest tried to
explain how they were to fear the Lord they took no notice of him.
This was the political and religious situation that continued till
the time of Christ and onward. When Christ came he came preaching to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And it was said of his
ministry that –
Isaiah, 9v 1: Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
- Make a list of the Kings mentioned in this passage and notes against each one.
- What sort of man was Uzziah?
- What happened to the northern kingdom and why did the disaster come?
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