2 Kings 23 Josiah’s Covenant”

 “And the king (Josiah) stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.” (v.3)

Here Josiah makes a covenant in the presence of the LORD. Pledging himself to be the servant of God and to live in complete obedience to every requirement the LORD had given Israel. Once he did, the people followed, pledging themselves as well. This gave them one last great revival before God’s judgment upon the nation. 

What a great example of how one man recognized his sin, turned from it, pledged to serve God completely and became an example for others to follow. You too can be an example for others to follow by your stand for Christ. Seek Him while He can be found, recommit your life to Him, follow His Word and be that Godly example to others to spare them from His judgment. 

The Truth: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

2 Kings 22 "The Word Was Found"

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. (v.8)

Because of the long line of evil kings, the record of God’s laws had been lost. So when Hilkiah found God’s law and Shaphan read it to King Josiah who tore his clothes in grief and immediately began making religious reforms in his own life and throughout the nation (v.11). King Josiah recognized the book's value and ordered it to be read aloud to all the people of Judah (23:1-2). With just one reading of God’s Word, he created a revival that changed the course of the nation (23:3-25).

Today, many people own Bibles. They are displayed on bookshelves, coffee tables and nightstands – literally collecting dust in our homes (just as “the lost book” found in the house of the Lord). However, we can only be changed by the truths found inside. Therefore, we must read it, hear it and practice it. Then, like Josiah, it will change our direction immediately and bring our lives into harmony with God’s desires - even changing the course of a nation, if national leaders will do the same.

The Truth: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

2 Kings 21 "Manasseh Did Evil"

 “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” (vv.1-2)

Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, was the worst of all the kings. Scripture tells us that, “he led his people astray so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites”(v.9). He literally undid everything his father had done. Therefore the Lord said:

‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’” (vv.12-15)

Leadership, especially that of God’s people, carries a great responsibility with grave consequences for any who misrepresents Him. Nations can be blessed of God through its leaders or held in reproach, depending upon their obedience to God’s Word. Legislatures, judges, senators, politicians, they all determine the course a nation will take. The key for any nation to become great on the earth and blessed by the Creator is, that its leaders lead by obeying the word of God and not taking the path, which leads to destruction.

The Truth: “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

2 Kings 20 “He Is The God of All the Earth”

“The Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys.” (v.28)

The king of Syria, Ben-hadad, together with his great army, had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Israel and king Ahab. Since Palestine is rather mountainous, king Ben-hadad mistakenly concluded that they Israelites had been successful because their god was a god of the hills. If he could but engage them again in the valley, he was sure that he could easily overcome them.

A prophet of the Lord then spoke to King Ahab saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys, ”I will therefore give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” (v.28) When the battle came, God's people won an even more impressive victory.

Thus, both Israel and the Syrians were shown that God is not limited by time or space, He is the LORD of all the earth - even in the valley of deepest testing!

 The Truth: “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

2 Kings 19 "Hezekiah's Prayer"

"O Lord our God, I pray, save us … that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God.” (v.19)

Here in chapter 19 we pick up the story in which we were left hanging from our previous reading. The unresolved question from chapter 18 was, “In whom will you trust?” Now trouble lay ahead for King Hezekiah of Judah. He had just received a menacing letter from Assyria's King Sennacherib who had conquered many cities, and Jerusalem was next on his list. In his letter, Sennacherib mocked the God of Israel, threatened to destroy the holy city, and bragged that none could stop him.

We now get our answer as to what king Hezekiah would do. He went immediately up to the temple and spread the letter before the Lord and prayed. In his prayer he acknowledged God as the One who created all things (v.15), he told Him that Sennacherib had reproached the living God (v.16), and finally, he pleaded with God to deliver Judah so that all the nations of the world would know that He alone is God (v.19). In answer to Hezekiah’s prayer, God sent the angel of the Lord who struck down 185,000 of the enemy, and Sennacherib withdrew (vv.20-36).

Wow! What an example of faith. Hezekiah resting in the One who made heaven and earth to work out this problem for him. Waiting on the LORD and not jumping in all emotional and on his own. So, when you find yourself in a situation where you need God’s help, lay it out before Him in prayer. He has promised His comfort and help (Hebrews 4:16). Then be patient, as God’s dawn of deliverance often comes when the hour of trial is darkest.

The Truth: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)

2 Kings 18 "The Voice Of Truth"

“Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (v.35)

Here in chapter 18 scripture introduces the new king of Judah, Hezekiah and tells us in verse three, “he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done” (v.3). Moreover, Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD,” “held fast to the LORD,” and “did not cease to follow him” (vv. 5-6). In turn, “the LORD was with him” (v. 7) and gave him success in everything he did.

However this faithful servant is about to be severely tested. Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and raising the question, “In whom do you trust? Can you really depend on your God?”  

With this echo of the wicked serpent himself (cf. Genesis 3), the messengers cast doubt on God’s promises, contradicted God’s word, lied about God’s purposes, promised a better life under their terms, and reminded them that no other gods have yet stopped the Assyrians. It is here that the chapter ends with the questions hanging in the air: will Hezekiah and the nation continue to trust God or buy into the lies?

This is exactly how satan works, through lies, twisted logic, half truths. Through multiple voices he pulls at your mental state from every angle. If he can get you to give up your faith, your hope, your soul, and give in to his desires, he wins. However, it is during these times of satanic testing that we need to listen to the voice of truth.

The band “Casting Crowns” put it best in their song, The Voice of Truth:

         “Out of all the voices calling out to me,  I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth."

Do not be deceived by the lies of satan. Listen to the still, small voice of truth.

 The Truth: Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37) 

2 Kings 17 "Repent From Where You Have Fallen"

“So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.” (v.18)

The first six verses of our reading today record the final end for northern Israel, including its destruction and deportation. However, the more important lesson comes in the next fourteen verses, explaining the reasons for Israel’s demise.

First, Israel did not remember its past. There’s an old saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This forgotten past included not only God’s grace in bringing them out of Egypt (v. 7), but also the fate suffered by their forefathers who refused God’s word and remained stiff-necked (v. 14).

Second, Israel repeatedly and thoroughly fell into pervasive idolatry. Their idolatry was a full-blown disobedience: worshiping Asherah, Baal, and the starry host; offering child sacrifice; and setting up altars throughout the land. Scripture summarizes their fate in verse 15 saying, “They followed worthless idols and they themselves became worthless.”

Finally, Israel ignored God’s repeated pleas for repentance. Twice God mentioned His grace in sending prophets to call the people back to Himself (vv. 13, 23). Yet Israel did not heed those calls. All of Israel’s forgetting, rejecting, and ignoring did one thing, it provoked God to anger and brought the most serious judgment of all, mentioned three different times: the loss of God’s presence (vv. 18, 20, 23).

Don’t let this history lesson go unheeded. Repent and renew your commitment to Christ today. Accept His grace and avoid His judgment.

The Truth: “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

2 Kings 16 "A Dark Cloud On The Horizon"

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” (v.7)

In our last chapter, two kings ruled Judah in relative stability for sixty-eight years. Now, with the rise of Ahaz, things take a turn for the worse, and the impending danger for Judah can be seen on the horizon.

Scripture tells us that the kings of Aram and Israel marched against Judah. Aram had already captured the important town of Elath, and now Jerusalem was under siege. What did Ahaz do? Instead of turning to God for help, Ahaz looked to the Assyrian king. Then he emptied the temple’s treasuries in order to secure his “salvation” from “Father” Assyria. The ploy worked (for the moment), but Ahaz’s actions clearly indicated a rejection of the true God who saves.

When the chips are down, in whom will you trust? The sin of Ahaz (and later repeated by his son Hezekia), was to place his trust in an alliance with an alien power over the living God. May our trust always be in the name of the Lord our God.

The Truth: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)