(The previous post covered Jehoash's three victories against Syria and the rest of the kings before Israel was first taken into captivity by Tiglath-pileser, the King of Assyria. As for Judah, the following kings were covered: Joash, Amaziah, and Ahaziah/Uzziah.)
2 Kings 16
(This chapter introduced Ahaz.)
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father.
3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel.
(Ahaz, the king of Judah, began to rule near the end of Pekah's reign in Israel. Ahaz did not that which was right. He lived as the kings of Israel did. He took part in pagan rituals.)
4 And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
(Together, Syria and Israel warred against Ahaz. Syria and Israel were winning. This was part of Pekah's plan to ultimately defeat Assyria. If Judah was defeated, Syria and Israel would better be able to resist the Assyrian empire.)
6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.
(Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria. Before he did this, Isaiah offered Ahaz a sign for assurance of God's help in the struggle coming towards him (Isaiah 7:1-12). Ahaz refused putting his trust in the king of Assyria instead of God.
His messengers asked for help with Syria and Israel. The implication here was that Ahaz made Judah a "subject kingdom" to Assyria. Ahaz would not answer to Tiglath-pileser. Since Tiglath-pileser started taking Israel captive, Ahaz may have thought they had a common enemy.)
8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
9 And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.
(Ahaz took the gold and silver in the house of God and gave it to Tiglath-pileser who listened to Ahaz and took more of Israel captive.)
10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
11 And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus.
(Although Urijah was taking orders from his king, it was still a serious offence to replace the Lord's altar with one of a pagan design.)
12 And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon.
13 And he burnt his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar.
14 And the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of his altar.
15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by.
16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
(The pagan altar was being used. Urijah obeyed Ahaz.)
17 And king Ahaz cut off the panels of the bases, and removed the laver from off them, and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone.
18 And the covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he unto the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Assyria.
(Ahaz took parts of the house of God and gave it to Tiglath-pileser.)
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
(Ahaz was the ninth from David in Matthew's genealogy of the lineage of Christ. Hezekiah was tenth.)
2 Kings 17
(This chapter covered the fall of Israel.)
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
(Hoshea, the nineteenth king to reign over the ten tribes of Israel, did evil. Remember, there was an eleven year period of anarchy between Jeroboam and Zechariah. So, Hoshea's reign was the twentieth regime to preside over Israel.)
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
(Tiglath-pileser (Assyria) besieged Samaria (Israel) for three years.)
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
(Tiglath-pileser took Israel away captive to Assyria. All of Israel went into captivity during the nineteenth king and twentieth regime in its history. None of these regimes did right in God's Eyes. Remember, God loved Israel, however, continuing to extend mercy to Israel would have become enabling.)
(Verses 7-17: the cause for Israel’s captivity.)
7 And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Jehovah their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;
10 and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every green tree;
11 and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Jehovah carried away before them; and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger;
12 and they served idols, whereof Jehovah had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet Jehovah testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
(Notice, God warned Israel and Judah by sending prophets and seers to proclaim God’s Words. The circumstances for many of these prophets and seers were covered in books that followed the historical section of the Old Testament. We know from David's example (and even Ahab's) that God continued to extend mercy when people responded positively to His warnings through the prophets.)
14 Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in Jehovah their God.
(This was the deeper cause of God holding back His lovingkindness and mercy. They would not hear His warnings. We saw in Deuteronomy 28, that Israel was warned that curses would come if they did not respond to God's warnings.)
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.
16 And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
(Because Israel did not respond to God's warnings through His prophets, God was angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. Notice, none were left except for Judah.)
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
(However, Judah was also not keeping God’s commandments. However, they had some kings that did do what was right in God's Eyes. Now, not only did they have their own history as proof they could continue to receive God's mercy, they also had Israel as an example of what would happen to them if they did not respond to God's warnings.)
20 And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin.
22 And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23 until Jehovah removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
(God rejected all the seed of Israel. This was not an example of mercy and lovingkindness. However, this was an example of Right and Just. Jeroboam was the first king of Israel and he did evil. These verses pronounced the sentence on Israel: they were evil from their first king until their last. In fact, Israel was in Assyria even until this book was written.)
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
(The king of Assyria brought people back, instead of the Israelites, to dwell in Israel.)
25 And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah: therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
(God sent lions to kill some of the strangers who lived in Israel.)
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land.
(Verses 27-41: which God/god will the people in Samaria serve?)
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.
28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah.
(The king of Assyria had one priest sent back to teach the people about the God of the land. The priest taught the strangers how to fear God.)
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
(The strangers from other nations did not take heed to the teaching of the priest. Actually, they used the high places that were already set up in Samaria (Israel).)
30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared Jehovah, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
(Even though the people feared the Lord, they served other gods. Did the priest teach them to only serve Jehovah? Even today, "Christians" fear God, yet serve other "gods": money, fame, etc.)
34 Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not Jehovah, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Jehovah commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 with whom Jehovah had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 but Jehovah, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to him shall ye sacrifice:
37 and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods:
38 and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods:
39 but Jehovah your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
(The people did not obey the commands of God to serve no other gods but Him.)
41 So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
(The history of Israel was complete.)
2 Kings 18
(The focus of this chapter shifted back to Judah, specifically Hezekiah.)
1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
3 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.
(Hezekiah reigned over Judah and did right before God, as David did. Israel would have gone into captivity early in Hezekiah's reign. Perhaps Israel's bad example motivated Hezekiah.)
4 He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
(Hezekiah actually removed the high places. He even broke the serpent that Moses made (Numbers 21:5-10) because the Israelites were worshipping it. Nehushtan meant "a thing of brass.")
5 He trusted in Jehovah, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among them that were before him.
6 For he clave to Jehovah; he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses.
(Hezekiah was the greatest King of Judah, to date. Hezekiah clave to God. Hezekiah recognized God as more excellent than himself.)
7 And Jehovah was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
(Hezekiah prospered wherever he went because God was with him, and he rebelled against the king of Assyria.)
8 He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.
9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.
10 And at the end of three years they took it: in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
11 And the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,
12 because they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it.
(Hezekiah appeared to follow God even before Israel was besieged by Assyria. Again, the majority of Hezekiah's reign took place when Israel was being cursed. Did this motivate Hezekiah to continue to follow God's commands and, up to this point, become the greatest King of Judah?)
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.
(Now Assyria was set to take Judah.)
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
(Hezekiah gave gifts to the king of Assyria, including gold from the doors of the temple. He was trying to attain peace with the Assyrians.)
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.
18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), There is counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
(Rabshakeh wanted to know where Hezekiah’s trust laid. He was sent by the king of Assyria to try to convince Judah to surrender. The word Rabshakeh is actually not a name but a title. It described the "field commander" for the Assyrian army. He would have been a highly trusted man to king Sennacherib of Assyria.)
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
24 How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
(Rabshakeh stated that God told him to go against Judah to destroy it. He continued to attempt to demoralize Hezekiah and Judah.)
26 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water with you?
(Eliakim wanted the Syrians to speak in their native tongue because he knew the language and the men of Judah did not. Eliakim did not want the men of Judah to lose their courage. That caused Rabshakeh to increase the taunting.)
(Verses 28-35: Rabshakeh spoke directly to the people.)
28 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
(Rabshakeh spoke against Hezekiah and told the people to not let Hezekiah lead them to trusting in God.)
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive-trees and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us.
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35 Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
(Rabshakeh compared heathen gods to Jehovah.)
36 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
(The people did not answer. They obeyed Hezekiah's command.)
37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
(Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told Hezekiah about the situation.)
(This post covered Israel being taken completely into captivity and the kings of Judah up through Hezekiah, as well as Hezekiah's confrontation with the Syrians.)
Day 109
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