Bible

In the Bible room today, we complete the reading of the summary of the book of 2 Kings.  Here is Part 3, chapters 16 through 25.

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2 Kings – Part 3

Chapter 16. Failure

Ahaz becomes king in Judah, his reign is marked by failure:

• Son of Jotham, twenty years old, reigns sixteen years;
• He does not keep the ways of the Lord; he is a failure;
• He mimics the detestable ways of the Northern Kingdom:
• Succumbs to the influence of the Canaanites;
• He even sacrifices his own son in the fire;
• Jerusalem is attacked by Aram, also by Pekah in Israel;
• Assyria takes Damascus, kills the king of Aram;
• Ahaz goes to Damascus, sees a pagan altar of sacrifice;
• Makes drawings of the altar, has one made for the temple;
• Assumes the role of priest, offers sacrifices on the new altar;
• Remodels the temple to please the Assyrians;
• Ahaz dies a failure; his son, Hezekiah, becomes king.

Chapter 17. Judgement

The anger of the Lord settles on his chosen people in judgement:

• Hoshea is the last king to reign in Israel at Samaria;
• His reign lasts nine years, marked by pagan evil;
• Shalmaneser attacks Samaria, takes Hoshea prisoner;
• Assyria widens their attack to cover the entire nation;
• All of Israel is deported to exile in Assyrian cities;
• Sinful behavior finally brings judgement to Israel;
• Taken from home, they are now in exile in a foreign land;
• Depopulated, Samaria is repopulated by aliens from afar.

Chapter 18. Revival

Twenty-five-year-old Hezekiah becomes king in Judah:

• Quickly, he begins the spiritual revival of that nation;
• He tears down every pagan idol, high place, false god;
• In his fourteenth year, Assyria attacks Judah;
• Hezekiah pays Assyria large sums to leave Jerusalem alone;
• In time, the king of Assyria decides to challenge Hezekiah;
• The Assyrians, under Sennacherib, surround Jerusalem;
• The army commander delivers a long, threatening speech;
• He demands the immediate surrender of the capital city;
• Or else.

Chapter 19. Prophet

Enter the prophet, Isaiah:

• Hezekiah sends a group to see Isaiah;
• The prophet says to tell Hezekiah not to worry;
• The Lord God of Israel will defend Jerusalem from evil;
• Sennacherib will be sent home by the same way he came;
• He will be punished with death for insulting the Lord God;
• That night, one hundred eighty-five thousand enemy soldiers camped outside Jerusalem die by the angel of the Lord;
• Sennacherib gives up, goes home by the way he came;
• Back in Nineveh, his sons assassinate him with a sword;
• His son, Esarhaddon, succeeds him as king of Assyria.

Chapter 20. Prayer

Hezekiah has learned the power of prayer:

• The Assyrian army has surrounded, threatens, Jerusalem;
• At this time, King Hezekiah contracts an incurable illness;
• Hezekiah prays for healing, for the Lord to extend his life;
• Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will recover in three days;
• Healed, another fifteen years is added to his life;
• Also, the Lord will deliver him from the Assyrians;
• The Assyrians have left; visitors from Babylon come calling;
• Feeling hospitable, Hezekiah gives the visitors a full tour;
• He shows them everything in the palace and the temple;
• They look at all the gold, silver, spices, fine oils;
• Hearing about the visitors, Isaiah inquires what they did;
• Hezekiah tells him they were allowed to inspect everything;
• Big mistake:  Isaiah says Babylon will come, take it all;
• He says Hezekiah’s people will be taken into captivity;
• A Godly leader, Hezekiah makes many improvements;     
• At his death, Manasseh, his son, becomes king in Judah.

Chapter 21. Astray

Manasseh leads Judah away from the Lord:

• The twelve-year-old prince ascends to the throne, turns his back on his father, leads Judah into a downward spiral;
• His mother’s name is Hephzibah; he starts evil, gets worse;
• He rebuilds all the pagan symbols his father had torn down;
• Promotes idol worship, builds altars to the stars;
• He sacrifices his own son in fire on the altar;
• His sins are detestable, he leads Judah astray in every way;
• Bloodshed in Jerusalem is unthinkable, gruesome;
• After fifty-five years leading Judah astray, Manasseh dies;
• Amon, his son, becomes king at age twenty-two;
• Walking in his father’s footsteps, Amon is equally evil;
• Two years as king, Amon is assassinated by his officials;
• The people of Judah seize, kill the assassins;
• Josiah, eight-year-old son of Amon, is made king.

Chapter 22. Revival

Under Josiah, the land of Judah is called back to God:

• The next thirty-one years bring revival, repairs;
• Josiah determines to restore Judah’s place with God;
• He orders the repair, rebuilding of the temple, the altar;
• Finding a book of the Law in the temple, he orders it read;
• Hearing the words of the Lord, Josiah is heartbroken;
• He sees what Judah should have, could have been;
• In Jerusalem, there is a prophetess named Huldah;
• She is consulted for the word of the Lord;
• The Lord says Judah is headed for destruction;
• But, she says, Josiah’s heart is right, he will die in peace.

Chapter 23. Renewal

The Book of the Covenant found in the temple is read aloud:

• Under Josiah, Judah reacts, responds to his call for renewal;
• As Hezekiah, Josiah tears down all items of pagan worship;
• He tears down the houses used by the male prostitutes;
• He leads Judah in renewal with all his heart, soul and might;
• There is never a king like Josiah, neither before nor after;
• However, the Lord will punish Judah for the sins of Manasseh;
• King Neco of Egypt is marching north to help the Assyrians;
• At Megiddo, Josiah is killed leading his army against Neco;
• His son, Jehoahaz, is anointed king in Judah;
• At twenty-three years old, he reigns just three months;
• In his short tenure, he reverts to Judah’s prior evil ways;
• He is captured by King Neco who demands a ransom;
• Another son of Josiah, Eliakim, is named king by Neco;
• He changes Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim;
• He pays the ransom for Jehoahaz, but he is never returned;
• Evil in all his ways, Jehoiakim reigns for eleven years.

Chapter 24. Invasion

Jehoiachin’s reign is marked by the appearance in Judah of a ruler from the east, King Nebuchadnezzar, of Babylon:

• As promised, Judah begins to pay for the sins of Manasseh;
• The Lord will not forgive his sins—so many, so wicked;
• Jehoiakim’s son, Jehoiachin, succeeds him as king;
• Eighteen years old, Jehoiachin’s reign is just three months;
• Nebuchadnezzar invades Judah, moves up to Jerusalem;
• He takes Jehoiachin, his entire family, many others captive;
• They are moved to Babylon, imprisoned;
• He also takes all the valuable items from the temple;
• Just as Isaiah had told Hezekiah what was coming;
• Nebuchadnezzar takes to Babylon all the skilled workers;
• He takes all the artisans, officials, and the fighting men;
• In all, 10,000 people are taken into exile to Babylon;
• Only the poorest people are left to tend the vineyards, fields;
• Nebuchadnezzar makes Mattaniah king of Judah;
• He changes his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah;
• The twenty-one-year-old rules for eleven years in Jerusalem;
• Controlled by Babylon, Zedekiah rebels against them.

Chapter 25. Exile

Nebuchadnezzar will not tolerate Judah’s rebellion:

• For nine years Zedekiah pays extortion money to Babylon;
• His decision to rebel leads to a serious reaction;
• Nebuchadnezzar brings his entire army to Jerusalem;
• He surrounds, lays siege to the city, King Zedekiah;
• Zedekiah leads his army to break through the city wall;
• They escape, then are caught by enemy troops;
• The sons of Zedekiah are killed, then his eyes are put out;
• He is placed in shackles, taken to Babylon;  
• Babylon’s army tears down the city walls, burns everything;
• All the valuables from the temple and palace are taken;
• Everyone is exiled to Babylon, except the poorest people.
• (The year is 586 B.C.)

END OF PART 3 OF 2 KINGS