Imagine being king Hezekiah. You have done what is right all your life, but now it seems like that is not going to be enough. Israel has fallen to Assyria, and now the Assyrians have come to Judah. There seems to me no way out.
Hezekiah’s words to his people were simply “the LORD will deliver us.” He called on his people to stay faithful. He knew the story was not over yet.
LORD, when things go from bad to worse, we commit ourselves to being faithful to you, and trusting in your deliverance.
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 him at all. When they added the LORD to their pantheon, not much else changed. Much like many countries today, it is a mixture of religious allegiances. Many today even applaud that arrangement. Religious plurality to them is the ideal. But some day, Jesus will return. There will only be room for one God and one king.
LORD, restore our loyalty to you – the only God.
Finally, the LORD had enough. Israel had plunged so deeply into the idolatry that God had forbidden that there was no rescue. God removed them from his sight. He used Assyria to do so. In so doing, he revealed how he works to bring about judgment during this era. The paganism that the Israelites sought after was their undoing. So, today, multitudes are drinking, doping, smoking, and illicit sexing themselves to death. God need not visit us with a plague. We are killing ourselves. The protective hand of God keeps us alive, until even he says “enough.”
LORD, open our eyes to what we are doing to ourselves, before it is too late to repent.
Ahaz found a new way to sin against the God of his ancestors. He admired an altar that he had seen in a pagan land, and had one built for the temple in Jerusalem. He made a few more renovations. The reader is not surprised to read this. After all, Ahaz had so succumbed to syncretism that he had sacrificed his own son on the fiery altar of Molech. While Israel is beginning to decline in physical power, Judah is leaping into spiritual sacrilege. Ahaz wanted to change things just because he had the power to – not because it was right. Change is not a good thing when the change leads people away from God, life and truth.
LORD, give us wisdom to keep going in the right direction, not to change just because we can.
What was happening during much of this period is that Israel’s land was being restored, but that did not mean that worship of the LORD was being truly revived. This is a dangerous thing, because it gave the people and leaders a false confidence. Even partial control over Judah was not a sign that God had forgotten what the people were doing in their pagan high places. Judgment was coming.
LORD, help us to see our true shape, not just what we want to see.
Jehoash did not want to do battle with Amaziah, not because he thought he might lose, but because he knew that Judah could not afford the damage he would do. Nevertheless, Amaziah insisted on picking a fight. His defeat was humiliation for Judah, and a setback for hopes of reunification. Sometimes a small victory can embolden us too much.
LORD, give us wisdom not to bite off more than we can chew.
Israel was to have victory over Syria, but not total victory. God had provided a savior (probably Assyria) which would distract Syria. Israel was not loyal enough to the LORD, so that generation would not see peace from its enemies. Peace with God must come first. Unless our disappointments turn us toward him, we miss the point.
LORD, help us to see our real problem, and seek you, for you are the real answer.
It was a time of decline in Judah. Tribute was flowing from Judah to Syria, not the other way around. Even the temple repairs were being neglected. The priests probably felt it would be a waste of money to repair the temple, because it would never be as glorious as it had been in the past. So, the state stepped in and managed the repairs. Even good king Joash could not escape the depression that was eating away at the people. It led two of his servants to assassinate him. The people were letting the depression of the present seal away their hope for the future.
LORD, our hope is in you. It can never be lost, for you are immortal.
The Southern kingdom had its Jezebels as well – and Athalia was one of them. She attempted to wipe out the entire royal line of Judah so that she would reign. Thwarting that plan was another woman: Jehosheba, who hides young Joash. God is at work behind the scenes preventing the elimination of David’s line, because Christ will come from that family. When Joash is seven years old he is proclaimed king, and Athaliah is put to death, and Baalism is dealt another crushing blow. The high priest and the palace guards cooperated with God’s plan.
LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to cooperate with your plan.
Sometimes I weary of all the talk of God I hear today. There seems to be something left out. We hear a lot of God’s love, but little of his wrath. Passages like today’s text remind us that the God who loves the world also hates sin. Jehu was commended for doing what was in God’s heart. He destroyed the family of Ahab and the prophets and temple of Baal. We read in the New Testament that when Christ returns, God’s wrath will be unleashed, and his enemies destroyed (Col. 3:6; Rev. 16:19; 19:15). Jesus warns us to fear God because he is able to destroy body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). This is consistent with who God is. His love for the repentant does not diminish his hatred for sin and evil.
LORD, give us wisdom to stay on the side of right, because you will have justice.
2 Kings 18
2 Kings 17:24-41
2 Kings 17:1-23
2 Kings 16
2 Kings 14:23-15:38
2 Kings 13
2 Kings 12
2 Kings 11
2 Kings 10
