2 Kings 13-15
Today we get:
Kings
More Kings
Elisha dies
Still More Kings
How many Kings can they write about in 3 chapters???
2 Kings 13
1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
This is the first verse today, are you confused yet? If not, hold on.
So in Joash's 23rd year of rule (of Judah) Jehoahaz became the king of Israel.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
Remember Baal worship had been driven out of both Israel and Judah. However, the groves and the high places remained... Surely one of these kings will take them down... prepare to hold your breath.
3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
God was angry because of the high places, so he let Syria run rampant and kill lots of hebe's. Remember punishment for the joos consists of being killed by enemies, and scattered about.
4 And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
When all else fails, why not ask God for help?
5 (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.
6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we were told who this saviour was? Normally when someone leads Israel out of bondage, we are told who that person was. However this time... not so much.
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.
Let's get this straight. Most Scholars have the reign of Joash (of Israel) from about 801-786 BC. From 837-800 BC, in Judah, Joash was the king. Israel and Judah BOTH had a king Joash.
Additionally, both kingdoms had a guy named Ahaziah. You don't want to be a king named Ahaziah, because both of them had a reign that lasted a year.
10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
There's the overlap. Jehoash was also called Joash.
11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.
Who did evil? Joash or Joash. Well, neither one was perfect... like
DAVID (the adulterer).
14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
Elisha didn't go out with all the fanfare of Elijah. Heck, here we aren't even told if he gave away Elijah's mantle. It seems the old bald guy died clutching that thing to his breast.
15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
Wait, didn't we just read that Joash (of Israel) died?
13 And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Why does the book of kings jump around so much? Wouldn't it have been easier to just write the timeline straight?
16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.
His sickly near death hands.
17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
Shouldn't he have opened the eastward window, instead of opening the window eastward? A marvel of science, building a window that can open any direction.
18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
Uh, oh. Remember Moses was supposed to smite the rock once, and he got in trouble for smiting it two times. I'll be Joash gets in trouble for not hitting the ground only one time.
19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, ...
see, I told you so. When you are told to smite, only do it once, otherwise you get in trouble
... Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
Wait, did he get in trouble for not hitting it enough? Moses gets in trouble for hitting too much; and now Joash gets in trouble for hitting it not enough. Those wacky joos.
Then Elisha died. Later the Moabites invaded.
21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
So in his time, Elisha resurrected two people. Elijah only 1. Jesus had several. Apparently as time goes forward, the men of God can bring more and more people back from the dead. Additionally, the men of God (moving forward) have less and less people killed in the Bible (KJV1611) (although, granted, Jesus will kill everyone eventually). But Elijah had all those Baal prophets killed. Elisha had the 42 kids killed. Jesus never really killed anyone. So as the people get... um...
HEALIER they also get less... um...
KILLIER.
Hazael, and later his son Benhadad, continued to try to destroy the Israelites. They didn't fully succeed (but came close).
2 Kings 14
1 In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
Amaziah then took over Judah.
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.
Amaziah was a descendant of David. He was good, but not as good as David. How would you like to be king and the entire time you are ruling you are compared to your great great great great great grandpa (there's probably some more greats in there)?
5 And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father.
Ok, remember from yesterday's reading, that Joash of Judah was killed by treason. So his son Amaziah went out and killed the people who committed the treason.
6 But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Wow, a guy actually followed that law and didn't kill everyone who ever knew the previous king, and all their family, and the neighbours, and kin and livestock and everything else.
Amaziah calls Joash (of Israel) and wants to meet him. Joash declines.
Except, it seems the meeting that Amaziah wanted was a kind of "winner take all; one on one competition" for Israel and Judah.
So Amaziah goes to him anyway.
11 But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
He got his butt kicked.
12 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.
Made them all run away and hide.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
So Joash then raided the temple; and took servants as slaves.
16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
Next up for Israel, Jeroboam. This is the Second Jeroboam to be king of Israel. If you are gonna be king of Israel; be named Jeroboam. The first reigned for 22 years, the second reigned for 41. Both died of natural causes.
21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
Azariah did some good things.
Back to Jeroboam.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
A long reign, but he was compared to his namesake Jeroboam the entire time.
2 Kings 15
Back to Azariah.
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;
Finally, someone did right in the sight of the LORD. I'll bet he even took down the groves and high places.
4 Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.
I guess not.
5 And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.
Leave the high places; become a leper.
7 So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
Next king of Judah; Jotham. (Where are you batman? Jotham city needs you)
8 In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
Next king of Israel; Zachariah.
He (of course) did the same stuff as Jeroboam.
10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
Next king of Israel; Shallum.
12 This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.
The Jehu kingly family tree was Jehu, (then his 4 kids/grandkids) Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam, Zachariah.
13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.
Then where did he move to?
14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
Oh... Next king of Israel, Menahem.
Menahem did the Jeroboam stuff too, just like all the other kings.
19 And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
So Menahem gives Pul a bribe to leave them alone. A bribe of 1000 talents of silver (roughly 150,000 pounds of silver). To pay this bribe, he (Menahem) takes a tax of 50 shekels from each man in Israel.
22 And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
Next king of Israel, Pekahiah.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
Man, why does everyone follow the Jeroboam of Nebat example?
25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.
So Pekah killed king Pekahiah (peka-hiney-ho).
28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
People, please, can't you just stop with the Jeroboaming?
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
Tiglathpileser kicked some Israeli ass!
30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
What Tiglathpilsner didn't do; Hoshea did.
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
Oh, are we back to the kings of Judah now? Uzziah? Who's Uzziah? Oh, it's another name for Azariah.
34 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
Great, did he take down the high places?
35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
Nope, high places... still there.
38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
Next king of Judah; Ahaz.
So what have we learned today?
1. Trying to follow this story is really confusing. There are timelines that are crossed over. People's names are changed. People have the same name... I hope this has helped you sort some of today's reading out.
2. If you are going to be king of Israel, be named Jeroboam, you will live a long time, but most likely you will also lead the people to sin.
3. If your name is Joash, get used to having it spelled Jehoash.
YIC
V