Category: 2 Kings

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

2 Kings ends with Jehoiachin released from prison, living out his life as a political captive. As the last anointed King, he was regarded as God’s Christ and heir of David. He it is who is listed in Matthew’s genealogy, not his uncles nor his father. 2 Kings ends with this slight ray of hope – that God has not finished with David’s line!

SJA Notes

“So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.”

Here is a sadness, a very very low point for God’s people.

Taken out of the promised land. The glory of the Lord departed, all the treasures taken, the earthly habitat of our Lord God burned down to the ground!

And yet.

God’s word to the prophets at that time was clear, we read in Jeremiah 29,

“For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.”

And more!

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

How blessed we are, that our God has plans for us, for our good – That He has given to us a future and a hope.

But what is that future, what is that hope?

It is the holy city of Jerusalem that John points us to in Revelation, the heavens and the earth made new, where God will dwell with us and we will be His people. No more crying, no more pain, sorrow and loss gone away! No more night, and no need for a torch or the even the sun in the sky, because our Lord God will be our light (Revelation 21-22).

Hallelujah, what a future we have, what a hope in Jesus!

* Gracious God,

Thank You for this passage telling us of the exile, Judah taken out of the promised land on earth.

Lord please remind us of how seriously You take our worship, our religion – Oh Lord, may we be people who worship in truth, who practice true heart religion.

Please forgive us today Lord God for our sin. Please wash us clean.

Amen.

Reading

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SAA Notes

Jehoiachin is the King mentioned in Matthew 1:11 as Jeconiah or Coniah. Jeremiah gives the prophecy “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” Solomon’s biological line peters out here. Jehoiachin’s heir is a distant cousin descended from Nathan, Solomon’s full brother.

SJA Notes

“And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”

We just don’t seem to learn sometimes.

The LORD had specifically sent Nebuchadnezzer (2 Kings 19, Habakkuk 1) – The Lord had done this because of His great wrath toward His people for their continual sin. The Babylonians were a sword in the hands of the Lord, a winnowing fork, an instrument.

And yet this was done with a strong and faithful intent for the good of His people, because of His love.

The remnant would return.

We read in 2 Kings 19,

“For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.”

As well, from Ezra 1 we read the words of Cyrus, king of Persia,

“Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel …”

The remnant did return to the city of the Lord.

What about us?

Sometimes, we just don’t seem to learn.

We can be like Israel, like Zedekiah – Rebelling against the sovereign will of the Almighty God.

So we can come with great thanks before Him – That both His great love for His people AND His great wrath at our sin, that they both meet together in God the Son, our King, Jesus.

He bore the wrath from His own Father for our sin. He bore it so that we could be set free from dead hearts and stubborn wills, from the just punishment deserved for each of us rebelling against our creator God. He bore it so that we could have His righteousness as ours, given an inheritance of eternal life, life to the full!

* Father God in heaven,

We praise You for saving us Lord God, what love and mercy we see in this, what abundant grace and steadfast faithfulness is clear and present!

Thank You Lord God for saving us through Your grace.

Thank You Lord God for saving us through Your righteousness, death, blood and life.

Thank You Lord God for saving us through Your illumination, Your renovation and Your preservation.

Thank You Lord!

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Josiah did everything humanly possible to revive Israel spiritually, but the bones were still dry! (As in Ezekiel 37) All our efforts in evangelism, in building our congregation, in training our children, can be in vain. We need Jesus Christ to come and make our efforts live. 1 Cor. 15:58.

SJA Notes

“It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.”

Back in 1 Kings 13, after Jeroboam gets the false worship moving forward with altars in Bethel and Dan – A man of God came out of Judah and truth-told what that God was going to bring a son to the house of David whose name was Josiah!

In verse 25 of today’s passage we read,

“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD will all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might,”

What is the best thing about Josiah?

He points us to Jesus.

As strong and faithful a king as Josiah was, he couldn’t defeat death. He couldn’t be the ever-living Messiah, the true Lord’s Christ whose reign would never end.

We need Jesus! His righteousness, His victory, His kingship over our lives.

* Gracious God,

Thank You for the faith of believers such as Josiah. The witness that is given, pointing people to You.

Please help us today to exercise our faith in You, to care for the weak and lonely, to uphold justice and righteousness, to promote Your word to those around us, to point people to You.

Amen.