Lasso of Truth

II Kings 15-16

Chapter 15

**JUDAH**

v1 King Azariah of Judah

v5 He was a leper.

v7 Jotham, who had also ruled while his father was sick, becomes king of Judah. (16 yrs)

**ISRAEL**

v8 Zechariah, king of Israel. (6 mos)

v9 evil

v10 Overthrown by Shallum's conspiracy.

v13 Shallum, king of Israel (1 mo)

v14 overthrown by Menahem

v17 Menahem, king of Israel (10 yrs)

v23 Pekahiah, king of Israel (2 yrs)

v25 Pekah overthrows him.

v27 Pekah, king of Israel (20 yrs)

v30 overthrown by Hoshea

When you see the history of Israel laid out like this, one king after another, what is the feeling you get about the stability of this nation? What do you think it was like to be a subject in this kingdom?  Never knowing who to trust, who to follow, when you might get a new king and be called a traitor for loyalty to the former one.  Israel has abandoned God's plan for the kingdom, and their way is not working out.

v33 King Jotham, of Judah.  He was a good king.

Chapter 16

v1 Ahaz, king of Judah (16 yrs)

v3 He did evil in the sight of the Lord.

v7-9 Ahaz makes alliance with the king of Assyria, paying him with treasure from the house of the Lord.

v10-18 Ahaz worships on his own terms.  He builds new style alters, rearranges the house of the Lord, and disassembles the rest.

Ahaz seemed to be less interested in pleasing God than he was with following the trends of religion. Do we do that? Of course we do! I love having the latest worship songs in the service, the best video presentations, and sermon analogies that grab my attention and tug at my heart strings.  While I do believe that these things are honoring to the Lord in that they reflect excellence and a job-well-done, I know that there is a delicate balance here between honoring the Lord with great communication and crossing the line into gratuitous entertainment value.  Ahaz didn't just cross that line--he pole-vaulted over it until God was no longer even part of the worship experience.

v20 the end of Ahaz's reign.

Next time: II KINGS 17-18

II Kings 13-14

Chapter 13

v4-5 God loves to give His people a chance to repent and turn their lives around.  Be sure to take it!  The kingdom of Israel can't seem to get there.

v10 Do you feel a little thrown off by the continual back and forth between the histories of Israel and Judah?  Me too. Some of the kings even have the same names--at the same time!  For instance, this ungodly Joash, king of Israel, is entirely different from the good king Joash, king of Judah.  Try not to get bogged down by names and time lines, and focus more on their actions and consequences.  That is what transcends time and speaks to our own lives. And if you really want a little clarity with the kings and kingdoms, find a good chart or time line to help.

v14 Elisha gets sick.

v15-19 Elisha's last prophesy over Israel.  They will strike at Aram three times, but not destroy it.

v21 Elisha's last miracle--even after his death!!

Chapter 14

v1 Amaziah, king of Judah

v3 This king wasn't perfect; he wasn't even as godly as David.  But his effort are still recorded as doing right in the sight of the Lord.  His desire was to please the Lord, and history reflects that.  What will the story of your life reflect, regarding your desire for the Lord?

v8 After a victory, Amaziah wants to face the king of Israel.

v13 But he is not strong enough for this and is captured by Jehoash.

v14 Pillages the house of the Lord.

v29 Zechariah becomes king over Israel.

Next time: II Kings 15-16

II Kings 11-12

Chapter 11

v1 Ick.  Grandma from Hell.

v2 Joash is saved by his aunt Jehosheba.  Hidden from his murderous grandmother.  (He was only about a year old at this time.)

v12 The true king is revealed.

v16 The evil queen is destroyed.  Moral--if you have to kill babies in order to gain power, things will end badly for you.

v17 The priest Jehoida starts a revival. (Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a priest at this time in history?  To know the Truth, but having to watch your people in a tailspin falling from the Truth!  Actually, even as I write that I realize that each one of us is in his exact situation.) This was the kind of moment a good priest hopes for his entire life.

v21 Seven years old.

Chapter 12

v2 He had never been under the influence of the evil in his family.

v3 Only the high places remained.  Some if us live godly lives for the most part, but there are still those bits of culture or "small sin" that have taken up residence in our lives.  What are your "high places"?  What are your habits, actions, or attitudes that don't glorify God, but that you just never got around to quitting?

What steps can we take to tear those alters down?  I'm writing this at the beginning of the year, but resolutions can be made any time.

v4-12 Money is raised to repair the Lord's house.

v18 King Joash bribes the king of Aram to keep peace.

v21 Amasiah replaces Joash as king.

Next time: II Kings 13-14

 

II Kings 9-10

Chapter 9

v1 Elisha assigns one of the sons of prophets to anoint the new king.

v3 He is to give the message and run away immediately.

v10 He makes the announcement for the Lord, then opens the door and flees.  I bet Jehu and his men were like, What just happened!?

v13 This scene is similar to the procession of Jesus on Palm Sunday.

v18-20 The kings send out messengers to find out what this guy was after, but they don't return.  But then the watchman recognizes Jehu's driving style. (He drives furiously.)

Let's pause and think about what just happened from a ministry perspective.  God used a signature mannerism of Jehu to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies.  He used Jehu's furious driving to His Glory.

Never forget that God loves you. Not just a churchy religious version of you, but YOU--the way you are now.  He loves the strange way you eat corn on the cob, the way you laugh at your own jokes, and even your bad dance moves.  He loves you, and He might even be planning to use those things to His purpose.  So, be yourself for His Kingdom.

v24 Jehu assassinates the king of Israel. (Ahab's family.)

v27 Ahaziah is assassinated.

v30 Now it is Jezebel's turn.  Seduction is not going to help her this time.

v32 These guys were in the palace with her.  It seems they were just waiting for the moment when they could work against her.

v33 This is violent and horrible.  Like a scene from the darkest crime scene drama on television.

v35-37 Regarding her remains, the word on the Lord is carried out by the city dogs.  There would be no grave for her followers to visit.

Chapter 10

v1-3 Jehu's style is terrifying.  He wants Joram's sons to try to defend their father's throne.

v6-7 God's judgement on this evil family is thorough and final.

v8-10 Jehu's demonstration is gross and scary, but the message is clear.  God is not messing around. He is to be respected and feared.  Sooner or later, He will deal with His enemies, and it will not be pretty.  When you choose sides, you'd be smart to choose God's side in this epic battle.  He wins.

v13-14 Jehu kills Ahaziah's relatives.

v15 Jehu makes a friend--Jehonadab.

v18-27 Jehu and his men put an end to the Baal worship.

v19 An example of why not to follow the crowd.  It's so important to be on the right team, not just the winning team.  Any half-hearted, middle-of-the-road follower would be caught up and punished with these men.

v25 The followers become their own sacrifice to a worthless god.

v29-33 Even this mighty, anointed man of God was not immune to evil practice.  We can't coast on past success.  We have to continually scrutinize ourselves, our motives, and our hearts.

Next time: II Kings 11-12