2 Kings 11:1-3, 13-14, 17-18 (NIV) 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 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.
… 13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord. 14 She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, "Treason! Treason!"
… 17 Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
- What is unusual about's Athaliah's response?
- Two things stand out. The first is how sin deceives. How in the world does Athaliah call out "treason" in light of what she did, and almost did to the line of David? Yet there she is calling out "treason." It is typical of us, that over time, we begin to forget our actions as sin, and justify to such a point in our own mind, that we even see them as right or righteous. And then when our sin is called later on for what it really was, we can not identify with truth. Our heart becomes hardened by our own actions and by time.
- The second thing to note is that while Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel (the Northern Kingdom), apparently Jehoram or Ahaziah (related to Ahab) or Athaliah had introduced or at least promoted it also in Judah (the Southern Kingdom). Such that a temple of Ball stood in Judah (probably Jerusalem).
- APPLICATION: Sin is very deceptive. We need to ask God to open our eyes to our own sin
2 Kings 12:6-8, 13-16 (NIV) But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple." 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
… 13 The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; 14 it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. 15 They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.
- Who failed the first time?
- The religious leaders, priests and Levites
- The spiritual heads
- How did they fail?
- Note that this probably moved the temple expenses from the royal treasury to the freewill offering in the private sector
- Unclear. No accounting. Probably spent money on themselves and put a half-hearted effort into upkeep
- Obviously they did not hire any workers
- Who acted nobly?
- The quote -- unspiritual, non-religious workers -- unquote, acted with integrity, and complete the ministry
- APPLICATIONS: Pastors and Elders and Deacons are not immune to sin because of their position. Nor do non full-time workers have to be any less spiritual in their actions
2 Kings 13:1-6 (NIV) In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them. 3 So the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son.
4 Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord's favor, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. 5 The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before. 6 But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued in them. Also, the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria.
- Why is the sin of the two golden calves (the sin of Jeroboam) so hard to let go of?
- I think ultimately it is the importance of power and privilege over obedience. In a King's mind, to get rid of the two worship centers and return to thrice/yearly worship in Jerusalem would mean the eventual dissolution of his kingdom. Therefore, because he is not willing to give up that power (or trust God), he is willing to do everything short of it.
- APPLICATION: What sin is it that we don't want to get rid of because it might change our status or life? Where am I holding back from obedience to God?
2 Kings 17:1-6 (NIV) In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. 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.
- Hoshea was not faithful to God and he was not faithful to Shalmaneser
- Israel
- 209 years
- 20 Kings
- 9 different ruling families
- 7 Kings are assassinated
2 Kings 17:7-24, 33 (NIV) 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. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger. 12 They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, "You shall not do this." 13 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 fathers 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 fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the Lord had forbidden them to do.
16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
…
…
33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
- There are 24 things listed against Israel. What is the primary reason, and what are some of the other 24? [Adopted from Constable, 2010]
(1) They feared other gods (v. 7; cf. Exod. 20:3; Judg. 6:10).
(2) They adopted Canaanite customs (v. 8; cf. Lev. 18:3; Deut. 18:9).
(3) They adopted customs condemned by the Mosaic Law (v. 8; cf. 16:3; 17:19).
(4) They practiced secret sins (v. 9).
(5) They built pagan high places (v. 9; cf. Deut. 12:2-7, 13-14).
(6) They made many sacred pillars and Asherim (v. 10; cf. Exod. 34:12-14).
(7) They burned incense to other gods (v. 11).
(8) They did evil things that provoked Yahweh (v. 11).
(9) They served idols (v. 12; cf. Exod. 20:4).
(10) They refused to heed God's warnings (vv. 13-14).
(11) They became obstinate (v. 14; cf. Exod. 32:9; 33:3).
(12) They rejected God's statutes (v. 15).
(13) They rejected God's covenant (v. 15; cf. Exod. 24:6-8; Deut. 29:25).
(14) They pursued vanity (v. 15; cf. Deut. 32:21).
(15) They became vain (v. 15).
(16) They followed foreign nations (v. 15; cf. Deut. 12:30-31).
(17) They forsook Yahweh's commandments (v. 16).
125See The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 446.
2010 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on 2 Kings 39
(18) They made molten calves (v. 16; cf. Exod. 20:4).
(19) They made an Asherah (v. 16; cf. Exod. 20:4).
(20) They worshipped the stars (v. 16; cf. Deut. 4:15, 19; Amos 5:26).
(21) They served Baal (v. 16).
(22) They practiced child sacrifice (v. 17; cf. Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31).
(23) They practiced witchcraft (v. 17; cf. Lev. 19:26; Deut. 18:10-12).
(24) They sold themselves to do evil (v. 17; cf. 21:20).
- Primary sin was the sin of Jeroboam, son of Nebat
- Samaria arises out of this mess
- APPLICATION: God is very patient. God gave Israel many chances. God fulfilled his word.
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