Holding on for the ride.

II Kings 21:19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. 21 He walked in all the way in which his father walked and served the idols that his father served and worshiped them. 22 He abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his house. 24 But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

After some rays of hope during the reign of Hezekiah, things in Judah again began to spiral downward like a scary roller coaster.  By the time we get to Amon, we find it sounds a lot like the northern kingdom: short reign, pagan mother, "did evil", "walked in all the ways of his father , served and worshipped idols, abandoned the Lord and did not walk in His way, faced a violent death.  His reign also left his people divided.  Was there any hope for Judah? Not because of them, but because of God's faithfulness. 

Creating Mistrust

 II Kings 18:26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?” 28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 

Israel had fallen, and now the southern kingdom of Judah was going down the same bumpy road. Assyria was now laying siege to Jerusalem and demanding terms of "peace."  The envoys sent from the king of Assyria wanted to instill fear into the hearts of the people and create mistrust of both Hezekiah and God. They promised the people peace and prosperity. But they misunderstood how things worked in Judah. Isaiah spoke for God, giving instructions to not trust the Assyrians and continue to trust in God.  Hezekiah and the people repented, and God protected and provided.  Beware envoys of fear and mistrust. Seek God.

Lions in the Land

II Kings 17:24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva,
Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and 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 lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. 29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.

We have seen the continual downward spiral of the northern kingdom of Israel away from God. Ultimately, as promised, God took them away into exile. The emperor shuffled people around, and though the sins of Israel were great, their acts were nothing in comparison to the pagan idolatry of other lands. The land was not intended by God to be used that way. Even though they were "taught" the right things, they did not live to worship the Most High God.

Same Old Story

II Kings 15:23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 25 And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place. 26 Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

As we read through the accounts of the Kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, we begin to expect to read what we do hear.  He didn't reign very long; he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He never learned his lesson; he never repented of his sin; he kept his people in spiritual darkness; he died some horrible death. That are the highlights (or lower darkness) and if you want to find out more, go look it up for yourself.  May we leave behind better reports in our chronicles.  May our lives have a much better story to tell. 

Helpless

II Kings 14:23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. 26 For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

The reign of Jehu had brought some stability to the northern kingdom of Israel, but it wasn't wrong until things were heading downhill again.  Like his namesake before him, idolatry flourished and apathy ruled during his reign. They were hopeless and helpless. No one really cared about Israel's dire condition - except God. He looked down in mercy and kept them free from oppression. He gave them some wiggle room on their borders.  Thankfully, God is often that way with us, showing mercy and grace, even when we don't deserve it or call out for it.

Bathroom Renovations

 II Kings 10: 24 Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.” 25 So as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, “Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape.” So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal, 26 and they brought out the pillar that was in the house of Baal and burned it. 27 And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.

God had appointed Jehu to be king over Israel, and to completely cleanse Israel of all the Baal worship and idolatry of the land, as well as the wicked line of King Ahab.  God has a way of making things memorable. Places used for the worst of idolatry became dumps and other locations known for their stench and filth.  God wants us to remember that is what idolatry is: trash, filthy rags, and a place to go potty.  Yet we still fall back into it so easily and quickly.  May we see it for what it is and seek His purity and holiness instead.

Double-Barrell Jehu

 II Kings 9:25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.” 27 When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.

We saw yesterday the infectious effect the house of Ahab had not only on Israel, but Judah as well.  When this happened, God had Elisha anoint Jehu as king over Israel.  He then used Jehu to take out the kings of both nations - Jotham of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, on the same day. By clinging together in their evil, they made it easy for him to do so. What evil company is bringing you down?