Category Archives: Judah

still options

2 Kings 25:22-30 Gedaliah’s assassination leads the Babylonians to release Jehoiachin from prison, and he stays in Babylon for the rest of his life.  He is a thin thread of hope that one day there will be a monarchy again … Continue reading

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God does not need me

2 Kings 24:18-25:21    “For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.”    (2 Kings 24:20 ESV) Judah had presumed upon the LORD’s favor … Continue reading

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whatever happens

2 Kings 23:31-24:17 The end of Judah came not with an explosive battle, but with a series of failures.  There were attacks on all sides, and nothing that anyone could do.  The great city that was Jerusalem became a collection … Continue reading

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cleaning up

2 Kings 23:1-30 Of all the reforms of the kings, none was more comprehensive than that of Josiah.  Reading through the list, one gets an idea how syncretistic Judah had become.  Every aspect of their society had been permeated by … Continue reading

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a right relationship with God

2 Kings 22 Josiah’s deep repentance for what his ancestors had done was not enough to reverse the curse the nation had put upon itself.  But it was enough to ensure that he would be gathered to his fathers (buried) … Continue reading

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business as usual

2 Kings 21 Two evil kings came after Hezekiah, and proceeded to undo all his good work, and send Judah closer to judgment.  The pressure to conform to the idolatry of the nations around them must have been great.  There … Continue reading

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thinking about the future

2 Kings 20 If good king Hezekiah can be faulted with anything, it is this: He did not think about the future enough.  He wanted healing, prayed for it, and got it.  But when the Babylonian envoys came, he was … Continue reading

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death while worshipping

2 Kings 19 The prophet Isaiah sends word to Hezekiah that his prayers had been answered. Assyriah would not take Jerusalem.  The angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. and Sennacherib went home.  His own sons would put … Continue reading

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religious plurality

2 Kings 17:24-41 The story of how the northern kingdom became the land of Samaria is told here.  A syncretistic Israel was taken away and replaced by another syncretistic people.  The LORD sent lions because the people did not fear … Continue reading

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Joseph: a test for his brothers

Genesis 44.  Joseph’s cruel test of his brothers reveals their heart.  They feel the guilt over what they had done to him, and they feel concern for their father – whom they have also wronged.  Time had not erased the … Continue reading

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