Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15

When Azariah began to reign, Jeroboam, who was king of Israel, had been reigning for 27 years already. Azariah followed God, but like his forefather, he didn't take down the high places where some of the people of Judah still worshipped. So, God struck him with leprosy. Because Azariah had to remain separated from the people, Jotham, his son, judged Israel for him. After 52 years reigning Judah, Azariah died and Jotham became king.

During Azariah's 38th year as king, Jeroboam of Israel died and his son Zachariah became king. But Zachariah only reigned for six months. He was evil in his reign. So Shallum conspired against him, killed him, and took the throne. Zachariah was fourth generation, So God had lived up to his promise of letting Jehu's sons rule until the 4th generation. Now there was new blood on the throne.

Shallum reigned only a month before he was killed by Menahem, who then became king. When the people of Tiphsah refused to acknowledge him in business, Menahem killed all of them and ripped open the women who were withchild, killing their posterity as well. He was evil in God's eyes, but he ruled for ten years.

When Pul, the king of Assyria came against Israel, Menahem collected taxes from the wealthy in Israel and gave Pul one thousand talents of silver (or $10,760,000) so that Pul would be his ally. Pul then left Israel alone.

When Menahem died, his son, Pekahiah, ruled. He, also, was evil. After two years, Pekah killed him and took the throne. He also was evil.

While Pekah was king, Assyria took eight of Israel's cities and made the people captives. Then Hoshea conspired and killed Pekah.

When Pekah had been king over Israel for two years, Jotham became king of Judah. He followed God, except that he, too, failed to take down the high places. So, God began subjecting Judah to attacks from both Syria and Israel.

============
My Comments...
============

In Leviticus Chapter 26 God sets before the Israelites the consequences He has planned for their actions if they obey, and if they disobey. Israel and Judah's disobedience was reaping the consequences of those promises in 2 Kings 14.

America, today is also reaping consequences. We still have a chance. We still have a choice as to who we wish to follow, God or the secular world. Jesus did not come to take away the consequences. He came to provide a graceful sacrifice so that we could afford to turn away from our sin. He became the last payment. But, in Leviticus, it says that when we make our sin sacrifice and repent, we still will have to live with what we've done. We still have to pay for our past mistakes, but our way becomes easier and more blessed over time. Paul, in the New Testament, says that God can take our failures and use them for His good and His purpose, and turn them into blessings.

If it was easy, it wouldn't be life. The difference is that we have to pay for what we do while we are here, and then when we are in God's kingdom after we leave this earthly life, we will have all the blessings without any more consequences.

===========

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 11

When Athaliah heard that her son, Ahaziah, was dead, she killed all of his sons. Joram's (late king of Israel) daughter was Ahaziah's (late king of Judah) sister, Jehosheba. She took Joash, Ahaziah's baby son, and hid him from Athaliah in a bedroom with his nurse. She hid him for six years. Jehoiada the priest knew of this.

So, when the child was seven years old, Jehoiada called all of the military leaders together for a meeting. He made them swear an oath of allegience and then he introduced Joash to them. Then, he assigned all of them a station to protect, as Joash's bodyguards, charging them that if anyone comes within those perimeters without permission, they should be killed.

Then, they all went to the temple and made him King. Jehoiada put the crown on him, gave him the testimony of the Lord to keep, and they all shouted, "God save the king!"

Athaliah heard all the commotion and went to see what it was about. She was not happy at all when she found out what was happening. She rent her clothes in mourning and cried, "TREASON!" to them all.

Jehoiada commanded the men to take her outside, and slay her outside the House of the Lord. He did not want to desecrate the temple with her blood. They took her to the king's house and killed her there.

Jehoiada then made a covenant with the King, between the Lord and Joash the king and the people, that he would lead them according to the Lord, and that they would be God's people. Then, all the people went and tore down the house of Baal, and then they praised the king, and lived in peace.

Joash, the new king of Israel was only seven years old.

===================
What we have learned...
===================

Joash was the answer to the predicament that Judah had found herself in by following other Gods. He represented innocence, and newness. He was God's way of "starting over". Being so young, he was easily influenced by the priest of God to do what was right in God's eyes, and having no other man around to be his role-model, Joash depended on Jehoiada for instruction and advice.

When God doesn't like the direction something is going, He initiates a cleansing. With this cleansing, He raises up a shepherd to guide the people in His ways. He never leaves His people without a leader.

===================

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 16

God told Jehu to tell Baasha that his house would meet the same fate as Jeroboam’s, for the same reason.

When Baasha died, his son, Elah reigned in his place. Asa had been king over Judah for 26 years when Elah began to reign in Israel.

Zimri, and half of Elah’s chariot drivers began to conspire against him. He killed Elah, and began reigning over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah. Zimri left none of Elah’s house alive. He killed them all.

Zimri reigned for one week when word got out that he had killed the king and his household. So Israel made Omri king, and Omri went after Zimri. So Zimri burned down the king’s house with himself inside, committing suicide.

Then there was a civil war. Some of Israel liked Tibni as king, and some wanted to keep Omri. So they fought, and Tibni died and Omri reigned.

Omri bought a hill for two talents of gold and named it Samaria. Omri did worse in the eyes of the Lord than any of his predecessors. Then he died, and Ahab, his son, ruled in his place.

Ahab was even more evil than Omri. He married a woman named Jezebel, and he went and worshipped Baal. He did more to provoke God's anger than anyone.

In his days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho.

==========================

A wise man once said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. You can tell a non-believer what God is going to do, and when He does it, the non-believer will still not believe it. In Matthew 13:15 it says:


For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

It is simply out of spite that most people refuse to come to God, humble themselves before Him, and repent and ask for forgiveness. Only spite could turn away such blessings, such love.