Lasso of Truth

II Kings - A Look Back

I just took a few minutes to read over the notes from the past couple of weeks.  You can find them here if you want to do the same.  I think it's helpful when you are trying to pull out a theme for a large section of scripture.

When looked at as a whole, the book of II Kings is depressing!  At the beginning, we had Elijah and Elisha, and it looked like the nation of Israel had a fighting chance--if they would only take it!  But they didn't.  And somehow, through the chapters (and years) that followed, the entire nation and its land was picked apart and divvied out among its enemies.  Heartbreaking.

So, what is the lesson that I'll be taking from II Kings in 2012? It's the burden of leadership.  Only a few of us in this lifetime will lead a nation as its king or queen.  That's pretty rare.  But all of us--in one capacity or another--will have the opportunity to lead others.  Just like these kings did.  It may be a classroom, or a group of employees, your own children, or just a group of friends.  But the burden is the same.  Your actions as a leader will change the lives of the people you lead.  What are you going to do with your authority?  On what will you build your foundation?  How will you decide your goals for the group you lead?  How will you resolve conflict or react when things go wrong?

As we read through the book of II Kings, it sometimes got difficult to keep all the kings and kingdoms straight in our minds.  But one advantage to seeing them laid out that way is that we see a direct connection between their actions and the success of the people they led.  Some of the kings were driven by greed and culture.  To them, it might have seemed that they were bringing great progress and prosperity to their people.  But we know from looking at them in retrospect, that they were only serving to get their people closer to enslavement.

On the other hand, there were a few (and only a few) godly kings in this book.  They followed God's guidelines, and I'm sure they seemed old-fashioned and confined by God's law.  But who wants to have freedom from God, only to become enslaved to sin?  If I'm going to chose a Master, I want it to be Him.

So, think about the leadership roles you have in your own life.  This is a burden that you should not try to bear alone.  Rely on the Lord to carry out your responsibility as a leader, and try not to let the culture dictate any decision.  There are people's lives at stake, and only He can bear that burden for you.  Let Him.

What was the theme that you gleaned from II Kings?  Take a few minutes to look back over your own notes and let me know in the comments.

Next time: I Chronicles 1-3

II Kings 23-25

Chapter 23

v1-3 King Josiah leads his men in a covenant with the Lord.

v4-20 Josiah cleans house.

v21 Josiah brings back passover.

v23 This all happened in the same year.

v29 The end of Josiah's life--killed by the Egyptian Pharaoh. Josiah's life was marked by service and obedience to the Lord.  It might have seemed like all the good he did was in vain. We know that in the next couple of chapters his kingdom will be occupied and taken captive. What was the point, right? But think of the lives Josiah changed while he reigned.  Think of the hearts that he helped turn to the Lord.  Those things are never in vain.

v30 Jehoahaz, king of Judah (3 mos)

v33 The new king is imprisoned by Pharaoh and replaced with his brother, Eliakim. (But his name is changed to Jehoiakim.) Reigns 11 yrs.

Chapter 24 Babylon takes over

It hasn't even been 12 years since the death of King Josiah, but the city of Jerusalem has been turned on its head.

v14 Nebuchadnezzar takes all the best from the land and leaves the poorest to themselves.

v17 He makes Zedekiah the puppet king over Judah.

Chapter 25

v7 Zedekiah is tortured and humiliated for rebelling against the king of Babylon.

v9 The Lord's Holy City is destroyed.

v13 And plundered.

v22 With the end of the kingdom, and thus the end of the kings, all that is needed to rule the land is a governor--appointed by Nebuchadnezzar.

Next Time: A look back at the book of II Kings.

II Kings 21-22

Chapter 21

v1 Manasseh, king of Judah (55 years)

v2-9 This young king made it his life's work to undo all the good his father had done.

v12-15 Prophesy of doom.

v19 King Amon (2yrs) evil.

v23-24 A conspiracy to murder the king.  Then, all of the conspirators were killed.

Chapter 22

v1 After all of the evil, conspiracy, and murder, Judah is left with an 8-year-old as king.

v2 Did not turn to the right or to the left.

v8 During repairs to the house of the Lord, the book of the law is found.

v11 Josiah (he's 26 now) hears the words of God's Law, and his reaction is to go into mourning.  He must realize the damage his father and grandfather had done to his kingdom.

v13 The word of the Lord should inspire immediate reaction like this in all of us.  What do you think the scribe read from the law that caused Josiah such angst?  It might have been this: Deuteronomy 28:15-68.  This warning from the Lord is so horrible and graphic, that I usually have to close my eyes to the images it conjures up. But Josiah's people were living out these consequences.  And he knew it would only get worse.

v14 (the keeper of the wardrobe?)

v19 Don't you long to hear these words from the Lord!

"I truly have heard you."

v20 Josiah will not see the destruction in his lifetime.  This is how the Lord rewards a leader whose heart is tender and humble before Him.

Next time: II Kings 23-25 This will be the end of the book!  Keep reading on.  It feels great to finish and get to start fresh again.

 

II Kings 19-20

Chapter 19

v2-4 Isaiah

v7 God will handle this man, Rabshaken.

v10 Tries again to psych out God's people.

v14-19 Hezekiah won't let this letter worry him.  He spreads it out before the Lord and prays.

What an example this is to us!  Do you ever have a hard time sleeping?  I do.  I would not call myself a worrier, but when I can't sleep, it's because I'm thinking of all that needs to be done tomorrow, or this week, or this month, and oops I forgot so-and-so's birthday and it's tomorrow...that sort of thing.  I wonder how that would change if I would literally write these things down and lay them before the Lord.  God has a way of stretching time for us--whether literally or figuratively I'm never quite sure.  But when we let Him, He often works things out in a way that we never could--especially if we've been awake all night thinking about stuff.

v20  God answers! (v22 is awesome!)

v25 All of the Assyrian's success was orchestrated by God.  They are not mighty and powerful. They are mere pawns to the will of the Almighty.

v28 All of their perceived power is about to be lost.

v34 The Lord says, "For I will defend this city..." And He does.

v35 That very night, the angel of the Lord strikes 185,000 dead in the camp.

The Assyrians thought the God of Judah would be just as easy to defeat as all the other they'd come up against. They had no idea who it was they were taunting.  There are so many false gods and empty religions in our cultures today, that it would be easy for the world to lump Our Holy God in with them.  I think part of the problem is us.  We get wrapped up in the tolerance and acceptance of other religions, because it is something our country stands for.  But in the process of acceptance, sometimes we put God in the same class as all of the things we are tolerating.  And this is a disservice to those who do not know Him.  Could we change the way the world sees God, just by showing Him more reverence in our daily lives?

Chapter 20

v1 King Hezekiah becomes ill and Isaiah prophesies that this will be the end of him.

v3 The King prays--but not for a longer life.

v5-6 God will heal him and give him 15 more years.

I don't want to get into a debate here about whether we can change the mind of an unchanging God through prayer.  I just won't do it.  All I know is, the lesson of this story is to never stop praying.  God loves to interact with His people.

v12-14 The king of Babylon comes for a visit, and Hezekiah shows him every corner of his wealth and treasure stash.

v16-18 This might not have been the best idea...

Next time: II Kings 21-22

 

II Kings 17-18

Chapter 17

**ISRAEL**

v1 Hoshea, king of Israel (9 yrs)

v4 Hoshea taken captive by the king of Assyria.

v6 Israel in exile to Assyria.

v7-8 Not only had Israel been guilty of pagan practices; the kings of Israel had invented their own rituals and customs--anything to drive the nation farther from the purity of the Lord's way.

v13 God had sent prophet after prophet to warn them about their behavior.

v14 But they "stiffened their neck." A vivid picture of obstinacy.  Sometimes when facing the consequence of sin, we cry out to God for a second chance.  I bet if we looked honestly at the past, we'd notice He already gave it. Again and again.

v18 So the Lord removed them from His sight.

Obviously we can't be removed literally from God's sight, but sometimes we remove ourselves willingly from His protection.  Just like Israel, we pull away from His statutes and let the culture of idolatry (and our own vanity) come between us and our Lord.  And sometimes, just like He did with Israel, He lets us fall victim to the consequences of our actions.  He removes His protective covering from our lives.

Lord, I pray that we would turn from our own vanity and back to Your will before you "remove us from Your sight."

v24-25 Strangers move into the cities of Israel.  They don't fear the Lord, so He sends lions among them.  (Lots of lions in the Old Testament!)

v32,33 "They feared the Lord AND..."

The God of creation was just added to all of their other religious acts.  Are we guilty of this too?

v41 And they taught this style of living to their children and their grandchildren.

Chapter 18

v1-3 Hezekiah, king of Judah (29 yrs)

Gets equal billing with David!

v4-5 Unlike the kings before him, he tore down the high places.  How does someone live a life like this?  He maintained his focus and purpose to serve the Lord and didn't waver from it.  How do we live lives like this, with all the cultural distractions that work to numb our hearts to evil?  The answer is in verse 6:

    II KINGS 18:6

        "For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments..."

He was a fundamentalist Israelite.  He went back to the beginning--simplifying his life to the point that it was him and the Lord.  The rest of the clutter was torn down and tossed away.

Do I have the courage to live this way?  Do you?

Rewrite that verse as a charge in your own life.  "Cling to the Lord.  Do not depart from following Him, but keep His commandments.

v7-12 Hezekiah sees victory, while Israel lives in defeat.

v28 Rabshakeh the Assyrian makes a speech intended to strike fear in the Judeans--to cause them to doubt King Hezekiah and their God.

v36 The people were silent, just as their king had commanded them to be.  Silence can be a powerful argument.  King Hezekiah had the obedience of his people, because they trusted him.  He had proved himself to have integrity and wisdom in times of peace, so his people were quick to follow him when trouble arose.  This could translate to parenting, too.  If my children trust me and follow my direction on an average day, they'll be more likely to listen and obey when it really matters.

HUGE lessons and goals from King Hezekia today:

1. Cling to the Lord.  What does that look like in my life?

2. Practice being a trustworthy leader.

3. Train my children to follow my direction in times of peace, so that they will not hesitate in a dangerous situation.

So much wisdom from and ancient hero.

Next time: II Kings 19-20

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

II Kings 7-8

Chapter 7

v1 Remember the kinds of prices people were getting for junk like donkey heads and bird poop in the chapter 6?  Elisha says here that tomorrow the good stuff--real food like flour and barley--will sell for cheap.

v2 The king's officer can't believe it.

v6 Another example of the existence of spiritual warfare.  We need to keep in mind that yes, there are dark forces at work in this world, but there are "chariots of fire" surrounding us too.

v9 Immediate action.  When you are convicted that what you've been doing is wrong, act on that immediately.  Repentance requires immediate action.

v12 The king doesn't believe they are gone.  Again he is helpless as a leader, and can't understand a God who isn't.

v13 His servant suggests sending a scout.  What can it hurt?  They are all going to starve or die in conflict if they don't try something.

v16 The promise of plentiful, affordable food is fulfilled.

v20 The doubting king's man is trampled to death.

Chapter 8

v1-6 Elijah continues to look after the woman whose son he brought back to life.

v7-15 King of Aram is murdered by his successor, Hazael.

v11 A stare-down.  Elisha looks straight into his dark soul and is disturbed by what he sees.

v18 Jehoram reigns in Judah, while Ahab's son Joram is king is Israel.  Jehoram marries one of Ahab's daughters, so that the evil lifestyle permeates both sides of the kingdom.

v29 When Ahaziah becomes king, he continues this unholy alliance with Ahab's son.

Next time: II Kings 9-10