Maranatha Grace Church
Book of 2 Kings Challenge
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 6 2 Kings 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went. (2 Kings 1:1-4)
Ou pa alle ou voye? You did not go, but you sent out for you? Once we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, by our baptism we testified that we were done with the works of darkness. Nou pap alle, nou pap voye. We are not going, we are not sending out for us. Ahaziah had forgotten that God, Jehovah-Rapha, the healer is the God of Israel. Ahaziah sought out Baal-Zebud, the god of Ekron, instead of inquiring of the Lord, which was a grave mistake (v. 4).
God wanted to bring king Ahaziah to repentance, first by the message from the prophet Elijah, second by demonstration of God’s power by the fire from heaven, lastly by sending the prophet to speak to the king in person, but his heart was hardened. When we are sick we are at our most vulnerable state, but we must remember that God is our healer. There is power in the name of Jesus, there is healing in the name of Jesus.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 7 2 Kings 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. (2 Kings 2:7-12)
Our success is bounded to the measure of our desires. Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied (v. 9). That is a bold request, an outrageous request! No one can give to anyone the double of what he possesses. So the answer to Elisha’s request must come from God.
It is hard for us to believe that God is willing to fulfill our human desires, but we find that very thought in the word of God. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, and got it. What about us, what are we asking for if we ask at all. The Lord is inviting us to ask. We must ask big, so that we may know, and everyone else may know that what we receive is from the Lord and the Lord alone.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 8 2 Kings 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. (2 Kings 3:10-12)
King Jehoshaphat, a faithful servant of the Lord, made the mistake of joining himself to the bad king of Israel before consulting the Lord. When he found himself in the very difficult situation of dying from thirst, he sought the Lord. God gave us a mind, and we must use it. But it is also good to remember that we should defer our big decision to the Lord.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). When should we seek the Lord? “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). It is never too late to call on the Lord. We have an open invitation from the Lord to seek him, and to find him.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 9 2 Kings 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (2 Kings 4:1-7)
Never underestimate what you have if you yield it in faith to the power of God. “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil (v. 2).” In the widow’s eyes, the small jar of olive oil was nothing, not so for God. Even if she had a teaspoon of oil that would have been sufficient for God to perform a great miracle on her behalf.
The second lesson from the story is that faith demands obedience, action and team work. The woman had to make preparation for her blessing. She had to go around and ask all her neighbors for lots of empty jars. She had to work in harmony with her children and the man of God to bring the miracle to fruition. This year is a year of expansion. Do you have a team?
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 10 2 Kings 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. (2 Kings 5:8-14)
The biggest obstacle to receiving the blessings of the Lord is pride which creates spiritual blindness. Naaman could not see past the natural and the superficial. He wanted to deal with the man of God on his terms, but God’s hand cannot be forced. God will bless us on his own terms. Everything we receive from God is because of Jesus. Not because of our good works, not because of our good deeds, but because of what Jesus did for us. Don’t go for the difficult, accept the easy way, accept Jesus the way (John 14:6).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 11 2 Kings 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
3 Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?” “I will,” Elisha replied. 4 And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”
6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. (2 Kings 6:3-7)
God wants to be part of every facet of our lives. Nothing is too trivial for the Creator of the whole universe to intervene on our behalf. Elisha made the iron float. Isn’t God busy running his universe to care about things such an axhead? God is never too busy to ignore his children. If the problem is important for the child, the problem is important for the Father.
Sometimes what we thing are unimportant are very important. Do we eat without blessing our foods? Do we get in our car without praying for our protection and the protection of those on the roads with us? Do we refuse prayer for healing when we get the flu? When we invite God, and see him at work on our little things, it builds our faith up to tackle the seemingly big problems when they come our way.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 12 2 Kings 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!” (2 Kings 7:1-2)
It is a big mistake to doubt and to contradict the word of the Lord. “The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen? (v. 2)” He challenged the word of the Lord to the peril of his life. “You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it! (v.2)”
Even when what the Lord says seems impossible, the proper attitude is to say Amen. “For the word of God will never fail” (Luke 1:37). “Let the Church say amen. Let the church say amen. God has spoken. Let the church say amen.” We often sing in our church that choir part of the song - Let the church say Amen - to remind ourselves that the word of the Lord is true. Whatever the Lord says he will do. In our distress, all we need is a word from the Lord and say amen to it.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 13 2 Kings 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
3 At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. 4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.” (2 Kings 8:3-6)
For us who believe this story shows the sovereignty of God in controlling even mundane events for the good of those who put their trust in him. “Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land (v.5). Coincidence? Not at all. God is continuously working on our behalf whether we know it or not.
Are we able to recognize a miracle when we see one? It was a miracle that the woman went to see the king at the exact moment when Gehazi was telling the king about her. What people call “to be at right place at the right moment,” is often God working miracles in people’s lives, God's perfect timing of our breakthroughs so to give us a tangible proof of his love, his care and concern for us.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 14 2 Kings 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”[e]
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. (2 Kings 9:30-35)
The story of the judgment of Jezebel is difficult to read. Nevertheless, we need to remember that God never desires the destruction of the wicked, instead he wants them to repent. Sinners need to repent, to choose life instead of death. This is the constant message of the Bible. We see a very painful judgment on another Jezebel in the New Testament because of her obstinacy in her sin. God is always be just in his judgement.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:20-23)
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 15 2 Kings 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. 29 However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit. (2 Kings 10:28-31)
“However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (v. 28) . Jehu knew that only God should be worshipped, but because of the fear that the kingdom return to the house of David, as Jeroboam had feared, he promoted the worship of the golden calves.
Fear is an indication of a lack of trust on God. Once people start doubting the Lord they are vulnerable to the deception of the adversary. Fear of losing their citizens pushed the northern kings to block pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to institute false worship. In the end, fear caused the demise of the kingdom of Israel. We don’t have to be afraid of losing anything, since what God gives us nothing can take it away from us.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 16 2 Kings 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram[a] and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. 3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son. (2 Kings 11:1-4)
The murderous rampage of Athaliah against the royal family was nothing but Satan trying to undermine God’s covenant with David. Athaliah was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezabel, two wicked people in the eye of the Lord. Her parents had tried vigorously to eradicate the worship of the Lord in the Israel kingdom, but failed. In destroying the descendants of David with whom God had made a covenant, Athaliah also hoped to break the link between the people of Judah and the Lord, but failed.
Athaliah opposed the Lord, and was severely punished. God is faithful, the life of Joash was miraculously spared so there could be a descendant of David to rule over Judah. No matter what the circumstances around us, we can stay confident that God’s promises to us will never fail.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 17 2 Kings 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
4 Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple. (2 Kings 12:1-5)
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him (v.2). The company that we take determines the kind of life that we live. According to Psalms 1, we must remove ourselves from the friendship of some people in order to receive God’s blessings.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalms 1:1-2)
A Christian friend who can challenge us to live the correct way is one of the greatest gifts that we receive from the Lord. Rebuke is better than flattery. “After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them” (2 Chronicles 24:17). Their flattery caused Joash to abandon the Lord, and to die prematurely (v. 20).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 18 2 Kings 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 16 “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”
18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” (2 Kings 13:15-19)
The Lord Jesus told his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). But, how long should one keep on asking, seeking and knocking? No one knows, the answer is as long as it takes to see God’s promises being fulfilled in our lives.
“Elisha told the king, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped (v. 18)”. The king did not know that he needed to persist. Because he stopped, he only got a partial victory instead of total victory over his enemies. When we don’t understand God’s directives, we need to let faith and obedience take over our own preferences.
Apostle Peter knew that place of faith and obedience even when the situation seems impossible. In Luke 11:5 we read, “Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Peter did not argue with Jesus, do you? You may have been praying for a few weeks, or even for a few months, don't stop. You are closer to total victory than you think you are.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 19 2 Kings 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the second year of Jehoash[a] son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5 After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 6 Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”[b] (2 Kings 14:1-6)
Verses 6 is a great development in the ethical life of the people of Israel. ““Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin” (v. 6). This is a fresh air in the stories that we have been reading. The people were transitioning from a society of revenge to a society of justice.
Verse 3 is an explanation of why King Amaziah did not kill the children of the murderers of his father. “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (v.3)”. The king acted wisely because he respected the Law. Israel was called to be a model for all the surrounding nations. But the Israelites let themselves influenced by the false religions of the other nations, and failed miserably.
We should never forget that we are called to make a difference. “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). We are to bring light into the darkness of the world.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 20 2 Kings 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5 The Lord afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king’s son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land. (2 Kings 15:1-5)
King Azariah (also known as Uzziah) was one of the good kings of Judah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah has done (v. 3). So far so god. But we read next, “The Lord afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died (v.4).” What is going on? To know the rest of the story we turn to 2 Chronicles 26. “He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear[b] of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success” (2 Chronicles 26:5).
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on incense on the altar of incense. The priests confronted him about his unlawful actions (2 Chronicles 26:16). “Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead" (2 Chronicles 26:19).
This is a very sad end for a man who loved God. We need to remember that it is in the time of prosperity that we need to be the most vigilant, lest we fall into the gravest sin there is, the sin of pride.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 20 2 Kings 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. (2 Kings 16:1-4)
King Ahaz was the son of King Jotham.
King Jotham’s mother “was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done” (2 Kings 15:33-34).
King Uzziah’s mother “was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done” (2 Kings 15:2-3).
King Amziah’s mother “was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash” (2 Chronicles 14:2-3).
King Joash’s mother “was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kings 12:1-2).
We know nothing about King Ahaz’ mother. Is the Bible trying to tell us something by omitting the name of the mother of that king? Most likely the mention of the names of the good kings’ mothers was a compliment on the positive influence that those women had in raising kings who honored the Lord.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 22 2 Kings 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. (2 Kings 17:5-8)
Are the big events of our lives mere coincidence, pure randomness? The historians with their scientific approach to world events would say that the destruction of the kingdom of Israel was made possible because the army of Assyria was more powerful than the army of Israel. But the word of God makes it plain that “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt (v. 7).”
Is the Lord telling us something by the events that he allows to happen in our lives? The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God (v. 13-14).
The Israelites biggest problem was their lack of trust in the Lord. Since they did not believe God, they could not please him, for “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). It is not enough to believe that God exists, we must also believe that God rewards those who seek him.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 22 2 Kings 18 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. (2 Kings 18:36-37)
La parole est d’argent, le silence est d’or. As people of the Lord, we must learn when to stay on Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” We can either fight our own battle or let the Lord fight for us. But, the smart thing to do is to let do the fighting for us, since he never loses one. In the next chapter we will see the great victory that the Lord gave to his people in order to silence his enemy.
Je m’écrie: Loué soit l’Eternel!
Et je suis délivré de mes ennemis. (2 Samuel 22:4)
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 24 2 Kings 19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.” (2 Kings 19:14-19)
Hezekiah was an intelligent king who prayed a very intelligent prayer. He prayed the type of prayers that the Lord always answers. He prayed for God’s glory to be manifested among the nations, he prayed for the name of the Lord to be honored. That the ABC of prayer. This is the way that Jesus taught us to pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name… (Matthew 6:9-13)” God’s interest must be put first.
King Hezekiah was very afraid for his life and for the lives of his subjects, but there was no mention of his needs. The whole prayer was all about God. Even the deliverance he asked for was for God’s reputation, “so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God (v.19).” The prayer moved God who declared “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant (v. 34).”
It is still the same principle. Our prayers are answered for God’s sake and for Jesus’ sake, he who died on the cross to cleanse us of our sins and to give us eternal life.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 25 2 Kings 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’” (2 Kings 20:1-6)
The best success that a Christian can have is success in prayer. Success in prayer makes life easier. King Hezekiah was very successful in prayer. Except for King David, we have never seen a king whose prayers were answered by the Lord so quickly (v. 4). What was his secret? It turns out that his secret was just the fact that he prayed. The Lord healed and delivered the king simply “for his sake and for the sake of his servant David (v. 6).”
Romans 8:26 says “we do not know what we ought to pray for.” Yet, we must pray since “the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). Why are we successful in prayer? Because the Holy Spirit transforms our prayers in the form that they need to be, and then God answers them “for his sake and for the sake of his son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 26 2 Kings 21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” 5 In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. (2 Kings 21:1-6)
The rest of the story of Manasseh is found in 2 Chronicles 33. The story of his conversion is shown below for your appreciation. “He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger (v. 6).” However, in his distress he called on the name of the Lord, the Lord forgave him and reestablished him as king. Since God forgave Manasseh and shown him much grace, we are confident that God will forgive the worst of sinners who repent. Every child can go back to the Father.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. (2 Chronicles 33:10-14).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 27 2 Kings 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 13 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”(2 Kings 22:11-13)
The word of God, the Bible, will always have a big impact on the lives of those who come in contact with it. The Bible is a life transforming book, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Reading of the Bible, the preaching of the word of God will certainly produce spiritual revival in the individual, in the church and in the community.
When King Josiah heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes (v. 11). Because he recognized the magnitude of the sins of the people against the Lord. When we read the Bible, we recognize the depravity of sin, while at the same time we discover the depth of the love and the mercies of God toward us. We thank the Lord whose love endures forever.
We must read the word of God if we want to increase our faith, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105). To show importance of the word of God, Jesus answered the tempter, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 28 2 Kings 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. (2 Kings 23:1-3)
This present generation is very fortunate to have so many different means of access to the word of God. The Bible is in print, radio, television, the Internet, MP3, and all kinds of mediums. We should be people of great faith since “faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). We can listen to the word of God everywhere, in our cars, in our houses, in the church, and at any time if we so choose. And yet, Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)”
Why is that so? Because mankind neglects to pay attention to the most important knowledge in the world. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). King Josiah read in the hearing of the people all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord (v. 2). A great revival took place in the land. Similar revivals will happen in our land when we turn back to the Bible.
“Read your Bible, Pray every day, And You will grow, grow, grow”.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 29 2 Kings 24 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. 2 The Lord sent Babylonian,[a] Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive. (2 Kings 21:1-6)
Jeremiah 27 gives us the background of the multiple forces in play during the reign of King Jehoiakim. There were the false prophets, prophesying resistance to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and there was Jeremiah prophesying surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. Which advice will the Jehoiakim listen would determine the fate of the country! Unfortunately the king preferred to listen to the false prophets.
The king listened to the false prophets mostly out of pride. They were saying to the king, “You will not serve the king of Babylon” but it was a lie, the Lord had not sent them (Jeremiah 27:9-11). The false prophets gave Jehoiakim a false sense of security in God, they flattered his ego, while the true message of the Lord was, ““Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live? (Jeremiah 27:12)”
No one wants to hear difficult messages, we all have our preferred teachers of the word. But when it comes to spiritual matters it is not what makes us feel good that is important. What is important is to accept humbly the word of the Lord whether we like it or not. “Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live,” was not a pleasant message but it is was the necessary one for that specific situation. Has the Lord telling you something difficult to do? Do not resist, “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 30 2 Kings 25 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.
8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. (2 Kings 25:1-12)
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Tomorrow we start the Book of Ezra Challenge.
Book of 2 Kings Challenge – Day 31 2 Chronicles 36 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Jerusalem Captured and Burned: 17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans [Nebuchadnezzar], who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
The Proclamation of Cyrus: 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’” (2 Chronicles 36:17-23)
The prophecies about Cyrus by the prophet Isaiah are among the most outstanding prophecies in the Bible. Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus would decide to let the Jewish exiles in his territory go free “not for price or reward” (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13). Isaiah made that prophecy 150 years before Cyrus was born. Extraordinary!
May the Lord richly bless you!