Jeremiah Study – History on the Kings – Part 1 Lesson 2

Jeremiah Study – History of the Kings – Part 1 Lesson 2
2Kings 14 & 2Chronicles 25

Presented by Jaco van der Merwe
The Tabernacle of David Restored in Edom
Produced by Kimberly Rogers Brown – The Messianic Message

Downloads:

Jeremiah Study Table 1 – History of the Kings
Jeremiah Study Part-1 Lesson-2 – History of the Kings of Israel.pdf

DISCLAIMER! WHEN WE SAY THE WORD “JEWS” or “THE JEWS”, WE MEAN THE RELIGIOUS JEWS, THE CHABAD CABAL AND OTHER JEWISH LEADERSHIP AND THOSE FROM THE HOUSE OF JUDAH WHO SUBSCRIBE TO CHABAD’S EVIL DOCTRINES. I DO NOT MEAN CULTURAL JEWS OR ALL JEWISH PEOPLE!

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Tuesday Midrash – Edited because of Quality reasons

Jeremiah Study – History on the Kings – Part 1 Lesson 2
2Kings 14 – 21 & 2Chronicles 25 – 33

Mat 23:8-10 MJKV But you must not be called Rabbi, for One is your teacher, Christ, and you are all brothers. And call no one your father on the earth, for One is your Father in Heaven. Nor be called teachers, for One is your Teacher, even Christ. 

2Ti 3:13-17 MKJV But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.

Col 2:8-12 MKJV Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power, in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead.

I want to quote Isaiah 28:9-13 before we begin

Isa 28:9 MKJV Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Those weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts.
Isa 28:10 MKJV For precept must be on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little;
Isa 28:11 MKJV for with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people.
Isa 28:12 MKJV To whom He said, This is the rest; cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing. Yet they were not willing to hear.
Isa 28:13 MKJV But the Word of Jehovah was to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken and snared and taken.

Opening

In the introduction last week I briefly mentioned the Kings of the House of Judah and the House of Israel and we looked at King Amaziah and king Jeroboam the 2^nd. I explained the interaction between King Amaziah and King Jehoash, the father of Jeroboam.

King Amaziah started out righteous and did that which was right, but not like King David did. There was a peace treaty between the two Houses of Israel, and Amaziah asked King Jehoash to assist him with a uprising from the Edomites who lived down in the valley of Salt, today known as Petra. Yahweh send a prophet to King Amaziah and told him that he should not go to war with the House of Israel, because they did not walk righteously with Him, but that He would strengthen the armies of the House of Judah and that they would have victor. This caused a lot of tension between the two Houses and the armies of the northern house raided some cities of Judah on their way back home.

King Amaziah brought the riches of the Edomites to Jerusalem, and with it also their Idols and he started to worship the gods of the Edomites. Yahweh was angry at this and He sent a prophet to speak to king Amaziah, but he would not listen. Yahweh then hardened King Amaziah’s hart so that he reacted against the raids of the House of Israel and the 2 Houses went to war. The House of Judah lost that war and Jerusalem got sacked and all the riches gained from the Edomite invasion was taken away.

After the death of King Jehoash, his son Jeroboam took the throne in Samaria. We call him Jeroboam the 2^nd, because he has the same name than the 1^st king of the House of Israel who was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. King Jeroboam the 2^nd ruled for 41 years and walked in the sins of the 1^st King Jeroboam. Yahweh felt sorry for the people of the House of Israel, so he sent Jonah, the prophet to give council to King Jeroboam on how to defend the boarders.

I brought the prophet Amos into the context of King Jeroboam. Amos prophesied to the northern tribes of Israel. He brought a message of destruction of all Israel, both the House of Israel and the House of Judah. The response of the elders in the House of Israel was that Amos should go to the House of Judah and go tell them to repent.

Our 1^st King for discussion is King Azariah from Judah. He is also called King Uzziah, and unless the text name him as Azariah, I will be using his name as King Uzziah. I will start reading in 2Chronicles Chapter 26 verse 1:

King Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah

2Chronicles – Chapter 26
Uzziah Reigns in Judah
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him King in the place of his father Amaziah.
2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after the King slept with his fathers.
3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
4 And he did that which was right in the sight of YHVH, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
5 And he sought Elohim in the days of Zachariah, who had understanding in the visions of Elohim: and as long as he sought YHVH, Elohim made him to prosper.
6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gat, and the wall of Jebneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities around Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
7 And Elohim helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-Ba’al, and the Meunites.
8 And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.
9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, and at the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
10 Also he built towers in the desert, and dug many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: farmers also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved the soil.
11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by divisions, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the Scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the King’s captains.
12 The whole number of the head of the fathers of the mighty men of bravery was two thousand six hundred.
13 And under their hand there was an army, three hundred seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the King against the enemy.
14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the army shields, and spears, and helmets, and body armour, and bows, and slings to cast stones.
15 And he made in Jerusalem machines, invented by skilled men, to be on the towers and upon the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones with. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, until he became strong.

Uzziah Reigns in Judah

King Uzziah was prosperous for as long as he sought after Yahweh. And he was prosperous indeed for Yahweh blessed him and he managed to build up a might army by which he could push back the enemies of Israel. He also fortified and strengthened the walls of Jerusalem and many of the cities of Judah. Looking at verse 14, we can see that King Uzziah invested in descent equipment for his troops.

I’m going to continue reading from 2 Chronicles Chapter 26, from verse 16:

2Chronicles – Chapter 26
Uzziah’s Pride and Punishment
16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his own destruction: for he transgressed against YHVH his Elohim, and went into the Holies of the Temple of YHVH to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 And Azaria the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of YHVH, that were brave men:
18 And they withstood Uzziah the King, and said to him, This has nothing to do with you Uzziah, to burn incense to YHVH, but only for the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are set-apart to burn incense: go out of the set-apart place; for you have trespassed; neither shall it be for your honour before YHVH Elohim.
19 Then Uzziah was angry, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the House of YHVH, from beside the incense altar.
20 And Azaria the head priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, see, he was leprous in his forehead, and they threw him out from there; he himself hurried to get out, because YHVH had struck him.
21 And Uzziah the King was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the House of YHVH: and Jotham his son was over the King’s House, giving judgments and right rulings to the people of the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first and last, was recorded by Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial that belonged to the Kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Uzziah’s Pride and Punishment

Let us read some wisdom given by King Solomon in Proverbs. Proverb 11:2 and 13:10:

Pro 11:2 MKJV Pride comes, then shame comes; but with the lowly is wisdom. 

Pro 13:10 MKJV Only by pride comes argument, but with those who take advice is wisdom. 

We serve a God of Humbleness. Yahweh is our God and our King, and we are His servants. Lets go to Jeremiah chapter 7 verse 22-24 and read wat Yahweh said about sacrifices:

Jer 7:22-24 MKJV For I did not speak to your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But I commanded them this thing, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people; and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, so that it may be well with you. But they did not listen, nor bow their ear, but walked in their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.

Yahweh gave specific instruction about who do the sacrifices and who burn the incense. And he gave these instructions, not because he delights in mortal man to kill animals and burn incense. Also not because of importance of the Priests above Kings. So who knows what King Uzziah was thinking? Did he covet the position of the priest, being able to burn incense? Pride cost him is health. He should have died, but the mercy of Yahweh spared him. He was humbled for life. Everything regarding the Temple and the functions of the priests had a purpose. We read in Hebrews Chapter 8:5 and 10:1 that the High Priest and the sacrifices was a shadow of things to come.

Maybe there was another reason for King Uzziah to want to go and burn incense in the Temple: Let’s have a look at Psalm 110.

Sit at My Right Hand
Psa 110:1 MKJV A Psalm of David. Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool.
Psa 110:2 MKJV Jehovah shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion; rule in the midst of Your enemies.
Psa 110:3 MKJV Your people shall be willing in the day of Your power, in holy adornment from the womb of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth.
Psa 110:4 MKJV Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psa 110:5 MKJV The Lord at Your right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.
Psa 110:6 MKJV He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill them with dead bodies; He shall shatter heads over much of the earth.
Psa 110:7 MKJV He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore He shall lift up the head.

Uzziah grew up in the time when a priest named Zachariah understood the visions of Yahweh. This was a Psalm and a prophecy from King David. Could it be that the prophecies of a King Messiah, who will judge this world went to Uzziah’s head and he thought himself to be this saviour of his people? In the King part of his office, he excelled well, but being a priest also, this was not his calling. The Messiah, the one that would save Israel was to come from the descendants of David, and Uzziah found out the hard way that it was not him, even with all his success as a King.

The prophet Isaiah started to give prophecy regarding Israel in the time of King Uzziah.

Let’s go have a look at some of the verses of the opening Chapters of Isaiah. These would have been written in the time when Jerusalem and Judah were still devastated by what happened in the last days and before the death of King Amaziah, after he adopted the Edomite religion and Yahweh came up against him.

Isaiah Chapter 1:1-4:

Isa 1:1 MKJV The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The Wickedness of Judah

Isa 1:3 MKJV The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.
Isa 1:4 MKJV Woe, sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, sons who corrupt! They have forsaken Jehovah; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger; they have gone away backward.

“The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib” In the following writings of Isaiah, Yahweh will elaborate on this.

Isaiah Chapter 1 verse 21 to 27:

The Unfaithful City

Isa 1:21 MKJV How has the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
Isa 1:22 MKJV Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water;
Isa 1:23 MKJV your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves a bribe, and is pursuing rewards; they do not judge the orphan, nor does the cause of the widow come to them.
Isa 1:24 MKJV And the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, the mighty One of Israel, says, Alas! I will ease Myself of My foes, and avenge Myself of My enemies.
Isa 1:25 MKJV And I will turn back My hand on you, and purge away your dross as with lye, and take away all your alloy.
Isa 1:26 MKJV And I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27 MKJV Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her returning ones with righteousness.

Yahweh have already started to give hints on how He will clean up and redeem Jerusalem, Israel and the land. I am not going to elaborate on this, since this is a history on the kings and introduction to Jeremiah, but we will look into this in Part 3 of our study when we discuss the Book of Jeremiah.

The context of Kings Amaziah and Uzziah tell us what the reason was that Yahweh spoke these words to Isaiah. In verse 26 Isaiah refers to “the beginning”. How far back is this beginning that Isaiah is referring to? This answer goes beyond the scope of this study, but I feel that this is important to mention that Isaiah writes about this concept in Chapters 40 to 48. Remember that we must get Biblical understanding from Biblical writings and I don’t think it is a consequence that Isaiah elaborated on the concept of the end being declared from the beginning. Kimberly Rogers-Brown have a teaching on the order of Melchitzadek. You can find her teaching on our websites, tabernacleofdavidrestored.com or on themessianicmessage.com

Let us continue reading in Isaiah Chapter 2:1-5:

The Mountain of the Lord

Isa 2:1 MKJV The Word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 MKJV And it shall be, in the last days the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.
Isa 2:3 MKJV And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 MKJV And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isa 2:5 MKJV O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.

Isa Chapter 3 verse 8-9 and 24-26.

Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

Isa 3:8-9 MKJV For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah has fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of His glory. The look of their faces witnesses against them; and they declare their sin like Sodom. They do not hide it! Woe to their soul! For they have rewarded evil to themselves.

Isa 3:24 MKJV And it shall be, instead of sweet smell, there shall be an odor of decay; and instead of a sash, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a wrapping of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty.
Isa 3:25 MKJV Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26 MKJV And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall sit deserted on the ground.

The Branch of the Lord Glorified

Isa 4:2 MKJV In that day shall the Branch of Jehovah be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth excellent and comely for those who have escaped from Israel.
Isa 4:3 MKJV And it shall be, he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem;
Isa 4:4 MKJV when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
Isa 4:5 MKJV And Jehovah will create over all the site of Mount Zion, and on her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for on all the glory shall be a defence.
Isa 4:6 MKJV And there shall be a booth for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and for a hiding place from storm and rain.

Amos already declared the destruction of the whole of Israel. Hosea also prophesied about the coming destruction. (We will have a look at it in a little while.) Isaiah mentioned destruction on Jerusalem. But we also have Isaiah declaring that Israel and Jerusalem would be restored again and that there will be a coming redeemer. Here is the thing: The whole house of Israel, especially Judah went through a devastating time just with their last King, king Amaziah, not to mention in previous times when they had Kings walking away from Yahweh. They had no idea what this coming of Messiah and the restoration of the Kingdom would look like. Every righteous King walking with Yahweh hoped himself to be the King Messiah. But rather than asking, king Uzziah assumed him to be this redeemer and he lost his health, by trying to be a priest as well. Just because Jerusalem was restored from ruin in his day, does not mean it is prophecy fulfilled.

Let’s bring the prophet Isaiah into our story of King Uzziah and read from Isaiah chapter 6, starting at verse 1:

Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord
Isa 6:1 MKJV In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 MKJV Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 MKJV And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory.
Isa 6:4 MKJV And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5 MKJV Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts.
Isa 6:6 MKJV Then one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar.
Isa 6:7 MKJV And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.
Isa 6:8 MKJV And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me!
Isa 6:9 MKJV And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know.
Isa 6:10 MKJV Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed.
Isa 6:11 MKJV Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation,
Isa 6:12 MKJV and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Isa 6:13 MKJV But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and be consumed like the terebinth and like the oak being felled, yet has its stump; the holy seed is its stump.

“You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know.” King Uzziah heard, but he did not understand, he saw, but He did not know what we have seen. This prophecy is with us even until today. This is the blindness that Paul was referencing to in Romans 11 verse 25. How many different views are there about end-time prophecy today?

Let us read Romans 11:25 and 26:

Rom 11:25-26 MKJV For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has come in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, “There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

“All of Israel have blindness in part”, meaning both Houses, house of Judah and House of Ephraim, all 12 Tribes are blinded in part about the redemption plan of Yahweh, which will only be fulfilled once all prophecy is completed and Messiah gathers His people as we read in Mathew 24:29-31.

The Coming of the Son of Man

Mat 24:29-31 MKJV And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

During the time of King Uzziah, Israel, the Northern house of Ephraim, had 6 Kings. Some of them did not live long. Lets quickly go through 5 of these kings:

King Zechariah of Israel

I’m going to read from 2Kings Chapter 15:

2Kings – Chapter 15
Zechariah Reigns in Israel
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah King of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of YHVH, as his father had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and killed him before the people, and reigned in his place.

12 This was the word of YHVH which he spoke to Jehu, saying, Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.

Zechariah Reigns in Israel

In verse 12 we read that the sons of Jehu will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. For a sense of completeness, let’s have a quick look at King Jehu of Israel.

There was a King in Israel with the name of Ahab. Ahab, the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Yahweh above all kings that was before him. And if it was not bad enough that he walked in the sins of Jeroboam, the first King of Israel, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-Ba’al, King of the Sidonians. He went and served Ba’al. He also set up an Asherah and did more than any other King to provoke Yahweh. This happened in the time that Elijah and Elisha were prophets in Israel. You can read about their stories from 1Kings chapter 16 to 2Kings chapter 8. Ahab and Jezebel was responsible for much in Israel, and Yahweh declared that He would bring an end to the family of Ahab.

Athaliah married Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat. The wickedness of Ahab and Israel came down with their daughter to all of Judah. Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel, the Sidonian priestess of Ba’al. Sidon is in the modern day of Lebanon today. After Jehoram, Ahaziah, the son of Athaliah became the King of Judah. In this time there was a military alliance between Ephraim and Judah. When we read in our text that Yahweh blame Israel for the sins of Judah, it is in reference to what happened in the time of Jezebel and her daughter Athaliah.

The military leader of this coalition of the two armies of the King of Judah and Israel was Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Pleased take note that this is not the same Jehoshaphat that was a King of Judah a couple of generations earlier. The prophet Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets who went and anointed Jehu as the King of Israel, but under a condition. He was to bring an end to the house of Ahab. So Jehu killed both Jehoram, the King of Israel and King Ahaziah, of Judah. He executed Jezebel and then went after Ahab’s family and brought an end to them. Because of his deeds, Yahweh blessed him to be King over Israel. Jehu killed the Ba’al priests and removed Ba’al worship out of Israel, but he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the 1^st. Yahweh blessed Jehu to have a descendant on the throne up until the 4^th generation.

The descendants of Jehu who became kings of Israel after him was, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam the 2^nd and then Zachariah. King Zachariah was the last of the sons of Jehu to be crowned King. He was also the last authorized King of Israel from Yahweh (Hos 8:3-5) and with his death, the prophecy to Jehu and his sons becoming kings, was fulfilled.

Let’s read Hosea 8:3-5:

Hos 8:3-5 MKJV Israel has thrown off good; the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by Me; they have made rulers, and I knew it not. They have made themselves idols with their silver and their gold, so that they may be cut off. Your calf, O Samaria, has cast you off. My anger is kindled against them. Until when will they not attain purity?

Next we have King Shallum. I’ll be reading 2Kings Chapter 15 from verse 13:

King Shallum of Israel

2Kings – Chapter 15
Shallum Reigns in Israel
13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty ninth year of Uzziah King of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.
14 For Menachem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and killed Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and reigned in his place.
16 Then Menachem destroyed Tiphsah, and all that were in it, and the borders from Tirzah: because they did not open it to him, therefore he killed them; and all the women in it that were with child he ripped open.

2Kings – Chapter 15
Menahem Reigns in Israel
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah King of Judah began Menachem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.
18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of YHVH: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
19 And Pul the King of Assyria came against the land: and Menachem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
20 And Menachem exacted the silver of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the King of Assyria. So the King of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.

22 And Menachem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

Let’s repeat verse 19:
19 And Pul the King of Assyria came against the land: and Menachem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

The Assyrian attacked the northern tribes of Israel, and Menachem had to pay a tribute to stay on the throne. I believe it is safe to say that the Northern Tribes became a vassal of Assyria. King Menachem of Israel became a subject of the king of Assyria and technically the land of Israel now belonged to the Assyrian kingdom. King Menachem would stay on the throne of Israel to manage these lands instead of Assyria appointing one of their own as a governor. A treaty like this would mean that Israel had to pay Tribute on a regular basis else be threatened with war.

2Kings – Chapter 15
Pekahiah Reigns in Israel
23 In the fiftieth year of Uzziah King of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menachem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of YHVH: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and killed him in Samaria, in the palace of the King’s House, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Giladites: and he killed him, and reigned in his place.

2Kings – Chapter 15
Pekah Reigns in Israel
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah King of Judah, Pekach the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.
28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of YHVH: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
29 In the days of Pekach King of Israel came Tiglath-Pilenser King of Assyria, and took Iyon, and Abel-Beth-Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, smote him, and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

King Pikahiah, son of Menachem would still be a vassal king for the King of Assyria. When Pekah killed Pekahiah, it could be considered a rebellion against the Assyrian rule of Israel and had the result of war. Tiglath-Pilenser is a title for an Assyrian king, much like Pharaoh is a title to an Egyptian one. The Assyrians captured a lot of the territory of Israel for themselves and took many captives to the land of the Assyrians. The capital of the Assyrians was Nineveh. Our text here is very limited and it is possible that King Pekah had war with the Assyrian for most of his rule over Israel. Also keep in mind that the prophet Jonah was alive during these times and that many of the captive Israelites could have ended up in Nineveh.

The Kings of Isarel

So far, all the kings of Israel mentioned in this study, walked in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. I am going to briefly discuss this:

King Solomon loved many women and took wives from the daughters of the nations of which Yahweh forbid, and in his old age, they made him turn away from Yahweh to worship other gods. He went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of Yahweh and did not go fully after Yahweh like his father David did. So Yahweh told Solomon that He will tear away ten tribes from the house of Judah after his death because of this, and that it will be given to his servant.

Because of the sins of Solomon, Yahweh raised up enemies against Israel. Solomon, strengthened his defences and found Jeroboam, the son of Nebat and made him ruler over all the charges of the house of Joseph. The house of Josef is the Tribes North of Jerusalem, and in this time of the chronology, it included the house of Benjamin. So Jeroboam became the “in between man” between the King and the people of the Northern Tribes. Because of Solomon’s sins, Yahweh sent a prophet to Jeroboam and gave him 10 of the 12 Tribes, to be King over them after the death of Solomon. Jeroboam had to flee and stayed in Egypt until Solomon’s death.

After the death of Solomon, Rehoboam his son, became the King of all Israel. King Solomon, because of the war, taxed the tribes heavily and made them work very hard to fortify the cities. Rehoboam was to be crowned in Shechem, so the people of Israel called Jeroboam from Egypt, to be a spokesperson for them to the King.

The people asked that Rehoboam lighten the burden that Solomon placed on them. The text in scripture elutes to that Solomon was driving them like slaves. Rehoboams reply to the people was that he would drive them even harder and make their burdens heavier. So the Northern tribes of Israel rebelled, and they made Jeroboam their King. None of the tribes except Judah followed King Rehoboam. Rehoboam wanted to raise an army with those still loyal to him, but Yahweh sent him a message that he should not, and he didn’t. So he build cities to strengthened Judah instead.

In other words, the Tribe of Judah was removed from Israel, but they was still part of Israel, being Yahweh’s people. So, this is where the 2-house concept comes from. We have Ephraim, the northern Tribes of Israel, called Israel. And we have Judah, the Southern tribe of Israel, called Judah. Both was still Yahweh’s people, descendants of Jacob, called Israel.

The principle of the office to be King of Israel is conditional.  It is to keep the ordinances and statues of Yahweh. Jeroboam did not. Instead, this is what he did. He built himself the city of Shechem. God’s chosen place of worship was still Jerusalem, but Jeroboam was afraid that if the people go down to Jerusalem for the feasts, their hearts will be turn and they will rather walk after the house of David and follow Rehoboam. Jeroboam felt insecure with his given position as King. So he took council and build two golden calves and told the people that they don’t have to go down to Jerusalem, but can worship the golden calves and do sacrifices in their own land. He also built temples on the high places for worship. Then he made a new feast in the 8^th month for the people of Israel to celebrate.

The Priests and Levites did not take part in this and they left their cities and lands in the house of Israel and joined with the tribe of Judah. So Jeroboam created his own priesthood and later declared himself to be a priest and did sacrifices. This was an abomination to Yahweh, and God’s final decree to Jeroboam was to not just take the throne away from him, but that Israel will be scattered. Let’s have a look at 1Ki Chapter 14:14-16:

1Ki 14:14 MKJV And Jehovah shall raise up a King over Israel for Himself, a King who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. And what? Even now!
1Ki 14:15 MKJV For Jehovah shall strike Israel as the reed waves in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherahs, provoking Jehovah to anger.
1Ki 14:16 MKJV And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned, and that he made Israel to sin.

All the Kings of the Northern tribes walked in this sin of Jeroboam. They used their own priesthood, did not go to the feasts in Jerusalem and did sacrifices to the golden calves, as it was set up by Jeroboam.

King Zechariah, son of Jeroboam II, son of Jehu was the last authorized King over Israel in our story. The rest of the kings of the Northern house was all murderers who seized the throne through violence and murder.

After King David, there was only one King that was raised up over the whole house of Israel. This is King Messiah, Yeshua, who took a temporary leave of absence after His resurrection, but He is coming back soon.

King Jotham of Judah

Jotham judged the House of Judah in the time that his father had leprosy. He became King of Judah after the death of his father, king Uzziah. I am going to read from 2Chronicles Chapter 27 verse 1 to 6 and verse 9:

2Chronicles – Chapter 27
Jotham Reigns in Judah
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Yerushah, the daughter of Tzadok.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of YHVH, according to all that his father Uzziah did: however, he entered not into the Holies of the Temple of YHVH. And the people did still act corruptly.
3 He built the High Gate of the House of YHVH, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
5 He fought also with the King of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him in that same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay to him, both the second year, and the third.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before YHVH his Elohim.

9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

King Ahaz of Judah

2Kings – Chapter 16
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham King of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of YHVH his Elohim, unlike David his father.
3 But he walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom YHVH cast out from before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense in the temple of idols, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin King of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah King of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
6 At that time Retzin King of Aram recovered Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the King of Aram, and out of the hand of the King of Israel, who rise up against me.
8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the House of YHVH, and in the treasures of the King’s House, and sent it for a present to the King of Assyria.
9 And the King of Assyria listened to him: for the King of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and killed Rezin, the King of Syria.
10 And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest a sketch of the altar, and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.
11 And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came from Damascus.
12 And when the King had come from Damascus, the King saw the altar: and the King approached the altar, and offered on it.
13 And he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.
14 And he brought also the bronze altar, which was before YHVH, from the forefront of the House, from between the altar and the House of YHVH, and put it on the north side of the altar.
15 And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening grain offering, and the King’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.
16 This did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17 And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the huge laver from off the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.
18 And the shelter for the Shabbat that they had built in the House, and the King’s entry outside, he took from the House of YHVH for the King of Assyria.

20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

King Ahaz was a wicked King in the eyes of Yahweh. He sacrificed at the temples of the Idols, the Temples that his father did not get rid of in the kingdom. As explained earlier about King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, is that he set up his own priesthood, created golden calves and spoke against going to Jerusalem for the feasts. With King Ahaz, walking in the ways of the kings of Israel, would imply that he walked in the ways of Jeroboam as well. All the kings of Israel walked like King Jeroboam did. If this was not bad enough, he made his children pass through the fire.

Just to be clear on the understanding of this, Let us read 2Chronicles 28:3 and compare it with what Yahweh accused Judah off before their destruction:

2Ch 28:1 MKJV Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign…..

2Ch 28:3 MKJV And he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the sons of Israel.

In Jeremiah, when Yahweh tells the house of Judah what their sins are, we find the following verses:

Jer 19:2 MKJV And go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom by the entry of Potsherd Gate. And there declare the words that I shall tell you.
Jer 19:3 MKJV And say, Hear the Word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah, and people of Jerusalem. So says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which shall cause the ears of him who hears it to tingle.
Jer 19:4 MKJV Because they have forsaken Me, and have made this place famous and have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents.
Jer 19:5 MKJV They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded nor spoke, nor did it come into My mind.

Ahaz, after the Israel/Syria invasion was repelled, went to Damascus to meet the King of Assyria. Now to add to all the abominations which Judah was already guilty of, Ahaz took the blueprint of the altar in Damascus and build a copy of it in the Temple of Yahweh. King Ahaz himself made offerings on this altar. He also had the priest do the daily offerings of Yahweh on this new abomination of an altar.

In the book of Kings we only read that Syria and Israel could not overcome Ahaz, the King of Judah. In Chronicles it gives us a bit more detail of what happened during the incursion between Judah and the Israel and Syrian alliance. Next week we will read about the destruction of Judah in 2^nd Chronicles.

Lead Out

This will conclude our study on the Kings of Israel this week. Next week we will look into the result of the sins of King Ahaz and how this caused the destruction of the House of Judah. Let us do a quick over view of what we discussed in today’s teaching.

We started with King Azariah, who is also called King Uzziah. King Uzziah reigned from the 27^th year of King Jeroboam the 2^nd, and reigned for 52 years. He did that which was right in the sight of Yahweh, but the temples of the Idols were not removed. He became a strong military king, but he did not understand the plan of Yahweh and he wanted to burn incense in the Temple. Yahweh structed him with leprosy and his son Jotham judges Judah his stead.

The Kings of Israel that reigned during the time of Uzziah was King Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah. All of them walked in the sins of Jeroboam of Nebat. King Zechariah was the last of the descendants of King Jehu on the throne of the House of Ephraim. It was Jehu who became king after he killed King Ahab and Jezebel. King Zechariah took the throne on the 38^th year of King Uzziah, but only ruled for 6 months and was killed by Shallum, who took his place as king.

Shallum took the throne in the 39^th year of King Uzziah, but only ruled for a month, after which Menahem killed him and took his place on the throne. Menahem was attacked by Assyria, and had to pay a hefty tribute to stay on the throne of Israel. He ruled for 10 years after which his son, Pekahiah ruled.

King Pekahiah ruled from the 50^th year of King Uzziah of the House of Judah and ruled for 2 years before he was killed by Pekah, who took his place on the throne.

King Pekah Reigned from the 52^nd year of King Uzziah. He reigned for 20 years and walked in the sins of Jeroboam the 1^st. He made war against the House of Judah during the time of King Ahaz and took many captives.

King Jotham was the judge during the time that his father, King Uzziah had leprosy and became king after Uzziah’s death. He, King Jotham walked right with Yahweh, but the people of Judah still acted corruptly. He fortified Judah and defeated the Ammonites. His son, Ahaz became king after his death.

The Last king we discussed was King Ahaz of Judah. He was the son of Jotham, but he did not walk righteous like his father did. Ahaz reigned from the 17^th year of king Pekah of Israel and reigned for 16 years. Yahweh raised up an Alliance between King Pekah of Israel and Rezin, King of Syria who attacked the House of Judah. But Ahaz got help from Assyria and after they assisted, he started to worship the gods of Assyria. He even replaced the Altar of Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem. Ahaz also made himself guilty of child sacrifice which is an abomination in the sight of Yahweh.

Join us next week as we continue in our study into the chronology of the kings of Israel.

Thank you and God bless. Shalom.