2 Kings 15:32

2 Kings 15:32 says, In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. In the second year of the reign of Pekah in Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, or Azariah as he is also referred to as, began to reign in Judah.  Uzziah had reigned for fifty-two years and was a good king for the most part, but he was still only sixty-eight when he died.  Matthew Henry points out that none of the kings of Judah lived as long as David did, with the possible exception of Asa.  Neither were any of them referred to as men after God's on heart as David was.  I don't believe that our relationship with Jesus Christ determines how long we will live in this old sinful world, but I do believe that it will determine how much joy we have in life.  Verse thirty-three adds, Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.  Jotham was twenty-five when he began to reign.  That was fairly young, but not as young as some, and he should have been mature by then.  As I have stated before, the age that we are when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is not what is important.  It only matters that we do accept Him, and then we need to be totally obedient to Him for the rest of our life, but we will usually fail to do so.  Jotham ruled for sixteen years, which meant he was still fairly young when his reign ended.  Verse thirty-four continues, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.  Jotham continued to do what was right in God's sight as his father had.  As Christians, we need to set a good example for our children to follow and pray that they will do right in God's sight, which begins by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-five continues, Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the Lord.  The people of Israel were still offering sacrifices and burning incense in the high places though, which God had not ordained for them to do.  Jotham built a gate higher in the temple to make it easier for the people to come into the temple from the high places.  Matthew Henry says that since he could or would not stop the people from worshipping in the high places that Jotham was attempting to make it easier and more inviting for them to come into the temple instead.  We cannot modify the gospel to make it easier for people to accept, but at the same time we should present it in as appealing a way as possible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse thirty-six states, 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?  Once more, we are told that the rest of the acts of Jotham, like all the others, were written in the chronicles of the kings.  I believe that God is going to make note of what we do as Christians and even though it will not affect our salvation, we will one day have to answer for our failures to be obedient to God.  Verse thirty-seven adds, In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.  During the time of the reign of Jotham, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah began to be at war with Judah.  Though we are told that God sent them, I still believe that it was more that He removed His protection from Judah.  After we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, though we will still face temptations, I don't believe that they will be sent from God.  Verse thirty-eight continues, And 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 stead.  After Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors, his son Ahaz became king.  As stated before, as Christians, our King, Jesus Christ will never change.

2 Kings 15:23

2 Kings 15:23 says, In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.  Azariah was now in his fiftieth year of ruling Judah, and Pekahiah became king of Israel.  He only ruled for two years.  Matthew Henry points out that Jeroboam had ruled for forty-one years, the longest of any king of Israel, and yet he had done evil in God's sight.  We may never know why God allows some evil rulers to rule for a long time.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  Pekahiah also did evil in God's sight like Jeroboam had done.  Sometimes, people tend to follow the ways of those who preceded them in power, even if they have done evil in God's sight.  Verse twenty-five continues, But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.  Pekah took fifty men of Gilead with him and killed Pekahiah and took over as king.  Unlike Jeroboam, Pekahiah did not rule long, even though he was following his ways.  Verse twenty-six concludes, And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  We are told that the rest of the acts of Pekahiah were recorded in the chronicles of the kings, though all that we are really told so far was that he did evil in God's sight. Also, we are not told where he was buried.  The fact that they are doing evil in God's sight may not determine the length that someone rules in the world today.  Verse twenty-seven states, In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.  Azariah was still reigning in Judah when Pekah began to rule in Israel, and Pekah ruled for twenty years.  Neither Pekahiah nor he was actually referred to as king, but were only said to have ruled.  It may be that the people did not anoint them king, but that they assumed power by their own might.  Many leaders today we know are not really chosen by the people but assume power through their own might.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  Pekah also followed the sinful ways of Jeroboam.  This means that the people of Israel had been doing evil in God's sight for sixty plus years following the ways of Jeroboam.  Some countries have been doing evil in God's sight for many, many years and may continue to do so until Jesus Christ returns, but we need to pray that we do not become one of them, though in many ways we are already there.  Verse twenty-nine continues, In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.  During the reign of Pekah, the king of Assyria captured some cites of Gilead and the land of Nephtali and took its people captive.  Pekah was evidently not effective in protecting Israel from other countries, but maybe we shouldn't be surprised because it was always God Who protected them.  If we want to be successful as a nation today, I believe that we must obey God.  Verse thirty says, And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.  Like he had done with Pekahiah, Pekah was killed by another, Hoshea, who then ruled in his place.  We are not told that he was ordained by the people either nor was he chosen by God that we know of.  Verse thirty-one adds, And 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.  As usual, we are told that the rest of the acts of Pekah were recorded in the chronicle of the kings.  

2 Kings 15:17

2 Kings 15:17 says, In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.  In Azariah's thirty-nineth year of ruling Judah, Menahem began to rule in Israel, and at least he ruled for several years.  Ten to be exact.  He was not immediately or soon killed by someone else wanting to take the throne.  When we have a change in leadership in the church, we need to pray that God is behind it and support the person in charge instead of trying to get rid of them if we don't like them or want the position ourselves.  Verse eighteen adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  Menahem followed the ways of Jeroboam and did evil in the sight of God and led the people of Israel to do so as well.  As I have stated before, as Christians, it is bad enough if we allow sin back in our life, but it is even worse if we lead others to sin as well.  Verse nineteen continues, And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.  Pul, the king of Assyria was going to go to war with Israel, but Menahem paid him not to.  He put his faith in material things saving him more than he put his faith in God.  Of course, since he wasn't following God's will, he might have figured God wouldn't help him.  Even if we have been out of God's will, we need to turn to Him in repentance and ask for His help in times of trouble instead of attempting to buy our way out.  Verse twenty states, And Menahem exacted the money 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.  Menahem basically taxed the rich men of Israel to raise money to give to Pul, and Pul turned back from invading Israel.  At least Menahem got the money from the richer men instead of attempting to get it from the poorer people.  It seems that we often want to have poor people pay for things so that the rich will not have to.  As Christians, we should always have compassion on the poor.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  Though we are not told of much that Menahem did other than to do evil and pay Pul to not invade Israel, we are told as usual when a king's rule ends that the rest of his acts were recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  Verse twenty-two continues, And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.  Menachem ruled for ten years, but like all the other kings, he died and like most was buried.  Our King, Jesus Christ, died and was buried not in the burial place of kings but in a borrowed tomb.  Unlike the others, though, He rose again the third day.  One day, when we depart this world physically, if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will rise again spiritually to be with Him forever.  On the other hand, if we haven't put our faith in Him, we will rise again spiritually to everlasting punishment and separation from God. 

2 Kings 15:8

2 Kings 15:8 says, In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.  Zachariah, Jeroboam's son, began to reign over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Azariah's rule in Judah.  He only reigned for six months.  This was indeed a short reign.  Still, some people today are in power for only a very short time.  Verse nine adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  Zachariah also did evil in God's sight and followed after the ways of Jeroboam in leading the people to sin.  This really wasn't the reason that he reigned such a short time though, since many of those who led the people of Israel to sin ruled for many years.  it would be nice if God always quickly removed evil rulers, but this is seldom the case.  If we look around the world today, we will see how true this is.  Verse ten continues, And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.  Shallum conspired against Zachariah and killed him and ruled in his stead.  It was not God Who removed him, but one of his own people.  Evil rulers are often fearful that someone is going to kill them and seize power, so they often kill those they fear will do so because of this, often even family members. As Christians, we can be certain that no one will ever seize power from our King, Jesus Christ.  Verse eleven concludes, And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  We are told that the rest of the acts of Zachariah are written in the chronicles of the kings, but there couldn't have been much to write.  If a person dies shortly after accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, there may be little that they did for Him to write about, but fortunately this is not what saves us.  Once we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and this is all that matters.  Verse twelve states, This was the word of the Lord which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.  God had told Jehu that his sons would sit on the throne of Israel for four generations, and this is what came to pass.  It doesn't matter how long it takes for God's word to be fulfilled.  It always will be.  Verse thirteen adds, Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.  Shallum only reigned for one month, which we can state was a very short reign, during the thirty-ninth year of the reign of Azariah, who is here referred to as Uzziah.  Verse fourteen continues, For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.  Shallum was killed by Menahem, who became king.  We are not told that God had anointed any of these as king, and those who are in power outside of God's will today, no matter how long they rule, will always rule for only a short time from the perspective of eternity.  Jesus Christ is the only ruler anointed by God, and He has and will rule forever.  Verse fifteen says, And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  As with the other kings when they died, we are told that the rest of Shallum's acts are recorded in the chronicles of the kings, but there had to be even less than there was about Zachariah.  Verse sixteen adds, Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.  Menahem killed the people of Tiphsah because they wouldn't allow him in, including killing all the pregnant women.  He was really a cruel ruler.  We have too often been willing to sacrifice our unborn children because we believe that they will be in the way, but God will never ordain nor approve of this.   

2 Kings 15:1

2 Kings 15:1 says, In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.  Azariah, Amaziah's son, began to reign in Judah in the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel.  Though some lasted longer than others, kings in both Judah and Israel came and went.  Their reign would always come to an end, just as the rule of earthly leaders does today.  Only Jesus Christ will rule forever, and we must put our faith in Him in order to be a part of God's family.  Verse two adds. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.  Azariah was another king who began to rule when he was young, though he wasn't the youngest ruler we have read about.  As I have stated before, people put their faith in Jesus Christ and begin to serve Him at different ages, but it is always best to do so as soon as we understand Who we are, sinners in need of salvation, and Who He is, the only way to salvation.  Verse three continues, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;  Like Amaziah his father, Azariah did what was right in God's eyes.  Often children will learn from their parents, whether that is good or bad, and they may learn more by the actions of their parents than by their words.  Verse four concludes, Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.  Still, Azariah allowed some things that weren't in accordance with God's will to continue, just as Amaziah his father had.  We must never allow things into our worship of God that are not in accordance with His word.  Verse five states, And the Lord smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.  Even though we are told that Azariah did what was tight in God's sight, except for allowing the high places to be used for worship, he was afflicted with leprosy for much of his life.  The reason for this will be discussed further later on.  He was forced to live away from others because of this.  If we allow sin back into our lives as Christians, it may cause us to live apart from other Christians.  His son Jotham actually functioned as king during the years that Azariah had leprosy.  Verse six adds, And 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?  We then have the statement as usual at the end of a king's reign that the rest of his acts were written in the chronicles of the kings.  Verse seven continues, So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.  Azariah died, after officially reigning fifty-two years, and then his son Jotham officially became king.  Though He is already in charge of salvation, we need to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord to officially make Him King of our life.  He will never force anyone to accept Him, even though He could.  

2 Kings 14:23

2 Kings 14:23 says, In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.  In Amaziah's fifteenth year as king of Judah, Jeroboam, Joash's son began to reign in Israel, and he reigned for forty-one years, which was the longest of the reigns of any of the kings of Israel according to Matthew Henry.  Sometimes, the names can be confusing, because they are the same or the same as some king before.  We may at times have rulers in the world by the same name or something very similar, and this might be confusing at times. but there is only One name that we need to acknowledge as our ruler as Christians, and that is Jesus Christ.  There can be no other.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  This Jeroboam did evil in God's sight as did his ancestor Jeroboam.  We should never be guilty of following those who have sinned against God and led others to do so, even if they were people in positions of power.  Verse twenty-five continues, He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.  Even though Jeroboam did evil in God's sight, God still used him to restore the coasts of Israel in accordance with His prophesy through Jonah.  Matthew Henry says this was later in Johah's life, after he gone to Ninevah.  If so, he was still being used by God.  God's word is going to be fulfilled, no matter who is in charge in the world, but it is better for us if we as His people follow His will and allow Him to work through us.  Verse twenty-six states, For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.  Even though they were not following God's leadership, God had mercy on them because of their affliction in the world.  Even when we are not following God's leadership, He has shown us His mercy by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us that we might be restored to Him spiritually.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.  We are told that instead of blotting out the people of Israel that God saved them through Jeroboam, even though he did evil in God's sight.  We can be saved only through faith in one Person and that Jesus Christ.  If we do not put our faith in Him, our name will be blotted out of the Lamb's book of life.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  We are told of a couple of things that Jeroboam did, or more accurately that God did through him, and then are told as usual that the rest of his actions were recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  God will make note of all that we do, whether good or bad, and what will matter is our relationship to Jesus Christ.  We cannot do enough good to earn salvation nor enough bad to keep us from being saved if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.  As with every king except the one true King, Jesus Christ, even though Jeroboam reigned for a long time, he died.  No matter how long we live nor how powerful we might be in the eyes of the world, we will all one day die.  Jeroboam was replaced by Zachariah his son, but there will never be any other ruler who will replace Jesus Christ as the King of God's people, because He will never die.

2 Kings 14:17

2 Kings 14:17 says, And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.  Amaziah the king of Judah lived for fifteen years after Jehoash died.  Still, if God's people had not become divided, there would have been only one king over all of them.  Amaziah out of pride challenged Joash to battle and lost.  Today, as followers of Christ, we cannot afford to become divided and ruled by pride, because we can only have one King, and that is Jesus Christ, and we must serve Him humbly.  Verse eighteen adds, And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  As usual at the end of king's life, we are told that the rest of his acts were written in the chronicles of the kings.  The things that we do in life are written in God's book, and the only way to have our sins removed from the book is by having them washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ and our putting our faith in Him.  Verse nineteen continues, Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.  He died. fleeing from his own people.  Jesus Christ died, not from other people wanting Him dead, but because of the desire of His own people to kill Him.  For each person, Jesus Christ did not die because of the actions of someone else, but because of our sin personally.  We cannot excuse ourselves from responsibility for His death.  Verse twenty states, And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.  Though Amaziah had fled and was killed in Lachish, his body was returned and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors.  Though they had killed him, he was shown honor in death.  Of course, it really doesn't matter what happens to the body after we die, but only what happens to our soul.  Verse twenty-one adds, And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.  Azariah, who was only sixteen at the time, was made king in the place of Amaziah his father.  Maybe the people thought he would be more easily controlled being so young and having seen his father killed.  No matter how old or young we may be as Christians, we should never be controlled by anyone but the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-two continues, He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.  We are told very little about Azariah, except that he built Elath, in the land formerly belonging to the Edomites according to Matthew Henry.  The things we do for Jesus Christ in the world may not be noted by the world, or even the church as a whole, but God will make note of it, and that is all that really matters.