The northern kingdom of Israel is taken into captivity by Assyria and the southern tribe of Judah remains in the land and hangs onto true worship…just.
2 Kings 15: Azariah Reigns in Judah
1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
4 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
5 And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land.
6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
7 And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.
Zechariah Reigns in Israel
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.
9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
10 Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place.
11 Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
12 (This was the promise of the LORD that he gave to Jehu, "Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." And so it came to pass.)
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 one month in Samaria.
14 Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and he struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and put him to death and reigned in his place.
15 Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, and the conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
16 At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on, because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, and he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant.
Menahem Reigns in Israel
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.
18 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
19 Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he might help him to confirm his hold on the royal power.
20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.
21 Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.
Pekahiah Reigns in Israel
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.
24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
25 And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place.
26 Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Pekah Reigns in Israel
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.
28 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Jotham Reigns in Judah
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
34 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
35 Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.
36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
37 In those days the LORD began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.
38 Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 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 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done,
3 but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.
6 At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell 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 rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me."
8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king's house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.
9 And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.
10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.
11 And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.
12 And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it
13 and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.
14 And the bronze altar that was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar.
15 And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, "On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."
16 Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.
17 And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal.
18 And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
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.
Things to think about…
1. This is the final decline for the northern kingdom of Israel, 2Kings15. The quick succession of kings with the betrayal and murder of each one shows the moral bankruptcy of the kingdom at the time. Israel goes through 4 kings all the while Azariah (Uzziah), meaning ‘Yahweh is my strength’, reigns in Judah for 52 years, 2Kings 15:2. Assyria, the world superpower, was about to take over the northern kingdom of Israel for their rebellion against the Lord. In 2 Kings 15:29, it is the year 722BC, that’s exactly what happened. Where there is no godly counsel or accountability corruption and self will ultimately reign. Who is holding you accountable with your walk in the Lord? None of us are above spiritual and moral rebellion.
2. In Judah, Jotham does what is right, with the exception of the high places, but clearly does not raise his son Ahaz in the ways of the Lord and he sets up a generation of rebellion for Judah. Is your influence rubbing off on your children and grand-children? The spiritual high places still have an influence in the lives of the next generation. Remove worldly influence from your mouth, living room and heart. Can others see faith in Christ being displayed in your family? If not, go and teach, encourage and challenge, it’s never too late. Win them into the kingdom while there is still life.
3. Ahaz in the southern kingdom of Judah starts to destroy the worship and the instruments of worship at the temple in Jerusalem. He sets up an idol’s altar right outside the temple. The Lord starts to raise up enemies for Judah. The only way he can keep them away is if he pays the Assyrian king to help him out. This is very costly and the temple loses most of its gold. Satan is a cruel and a costly keeper. The Lord however gives without charge. What areas are you still paying for from a previous life of bondage with Satan? Take it to the One who makes your barns burst and your cup overflow!
4. Ahaz the king of Judah pays the Assyrian king to deal with the threat of Israel. After receiving wealth from the temple treasures in Jerusalem, 2 Kings 16:8, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria takes the city of Samaria and takes the Israelites captive. The year is 722BC. The folly of Ahaz is displayed by him making a copy of the idol he saw in Samaria and placing it in Jerusalem, vs 10. It was waiting for him when he returned from Damascus, vs 11. The idol didn’t help save the northern kingdom of Israel, one wonders why Ahaz would embrace the folly of setting up the same altar in Jerusalem. The bronze altar that Solomon had made is removed to the north of the new idol altar which is placed in front of the temple. The daily sacrifices are now made on this false altar. May the Lord have mercy when we replace true worship with the false. The action may be the same, but the heart is not true to Christ.
5. Our Lord is a God of mercy and grace. After Ahaz’s reign, Judah is left broken and bankrupt morally, physically and financially. The next king needs to stand in the gap and face up to the spiritual giants in the land. Ahaz’s son Hezekiah was that man, 2Kings 16:20. Sometimes salvation is raised up from a house of disgrace. This is rare, but a wonderful thing when it happens. Pray it happens in many families in our day.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Trusting in the unseen” - from 2 Kings 6:8-23
1. The Syrian army had surrounded Dothan, the town where Elisha was staying. When Elisha’s servant saw the Syrian army he was afraid. Elisha’s response to the servant was “those who are with us are more than those who are with them”, 2 Kings 6:16. This is claimed by faith by all believers in an unseen God. What keeps your faith alive as you are held in God’s unseen hand in your life?
2. Elisha prays that the servant’s eyes are opened. He then sees the mountain full of chariots and horses of the Lord all around Elisha, vs 17. Elisha prays for blindness over the Syrian army. They become blind. Spiritual blindness in our day is a judgement of sorts. Elisha then leads this army to Samaria then their eyes are opened. In what ways can we lead the spiritually blind to see their true condition.
3. Often we want judgement on our enemies like the king of Israel wanted towards the Syrian army. But God shows mercy. Why was it appropriate to show the Syrian army mercy by giving them food and water and letting them go and when is it appropriate to show mercy to those who want to harm us?
Prayer Points
1. Growth in our kids and youth ministries
2. Pray for testimonies that people will be giving every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. The little girl 4yo Cloe Smith from WA who has been missing for more than two weeks has been found alive and safe. Well done to the police and all who never gave up on the search. Pray for healing for her relieved parents and for churches to share the hope we have in Christ. Praise the Lord for this merciful outcome.
2. A man who has joined CBC recently, Nathan is wanting to be a child of God.
3. Graham’s faithful message on Sunday.
4. Worship team and technical team. Thankyou Rod, Zac, Molly, Riley, iMan, Melissa, Dan.
5. More visitors and spirit of joy on Sunday.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 28th Nov after the service.
2. Kids@church back. Please check your rosters
3. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all high schoolers.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
