2 Kings 16:10

2 Kings 16:10 says, And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. Ahaz went to Damascus to congratulate the king on his victory, which Matthew Henry says he shouldn't have been doing to start with but should have been putting his faith in and giving glory to God.  While there, he saw an altar that he really liked.  It was evidently fancier than the one Solomon had built, and Ahaz was impressed with its looks instead of its function, because it was an altar to false gods.  He sent for Urijah the priest to fashion him an altar like this one.  We can sometimes be caught up in the beauty of things, even within a church building itself, more than the function of them.  Verse eleven adds, And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.  Urijah, the priest, followed Ahaz's instructions instead of looking to God for guidance.  As a part of the priesthood of believers, we should never follow the dictates and desires of the world instead of following God's will in our life.  It is too easy to get caught up in desiring the ornate things in life instead of the simple things.  Verse twelve continues, And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.  When Ahaz returned from Damascus, he saw the altar and offered a sacrifice on it.  It doesn't matter how much we go through the motions of worship if we are not following God's will when we do so, and Ahaz was not at this time.  Verse thirteen states, And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.  Again, Ahaz was going through all the motions of worship, but he wasn't doing it on the altar of God, but on the altar of Ahaz.  We cannot worship God when we are following our own desires instead of His.  Verse fourteen adds, And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the Lord, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the altar.  Ahaz moved the altar of God out of its place of importance and put it off to the side.  We should never allow the things of God to be pushed off to the side in our lives as we worship things built from our own desires.  Verse fifteen continues, And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat 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 brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.  Ahaz told Urijah to make all the sacrifices on this new altar and he would keep the simpler one just for him to make inquiries of God from.  Matthew Henry points out that he pretended to elevate the original altar to a purpose it was never meant to fill.  It was not there to reveal God's will but to sacrifice on in gratitude for God's blessings.  We need to be careful that we don't begin to replace God's will with expensive things and at the same time misuse the things He has blessed us with.  Verse sixteen says, Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.  Instead of seeking God's guidance, Urijah simply did what Ahaz told him to do, though he had to know this was wrong.  We cannot put any ruler in the world above our obedience to God.  Verse seventeen adds, And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones.  Ahaz then began to destroy or at least modify those things in the temple that God had directed the building of.  Mtthew Henry says he seemed to have a particular dislike for the things used in purification of the priests.  As Christians, our first concern should be the purification of ourselves through faith in Jesus Christ.  If we begin to allow other things to take priority in our life, we cannot effectively serve God.  Verse eighteen continues, And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria.  Matthew Henry says this was likely a door that the priests entered through on the sabbath, and that whatever it might have been, Ahaz was showing contempt for the sabbath and elevating his family and himself to a position of honor.   We should be wary of those who put themselves in a position of honor, especially if they using a supposed dedication to God to do so.  Verse nineteen states, Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  We may not have a record here of all the things that Ahaz did in opposition to God, but we have enough to know that he was an evil king in his relationship to God, and that is really all that matters.  What we do good or bad as followers of Christ is not what is really important.  Only what we do under the leadership of and in obedience to the Holy Spirit is.  Verse twenty says, And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.  Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors and his son Hezekiah became king.  As I have stated many times, earthly rulers come and go, but as Christians we have but one Lord, and that is Jesus Christ.

2 Kings 16:1

2 Kings 16:1 says, In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.  Ahaz, Jotham's son, began to reign in Judah in the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah in Israel.  Kings in both countries continued to come and go, just as rulers in the world and the church do today.  Some are good and some are bad.  This doesn't determine how long they will rule, though.  Verse two adds, 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 the Lord his God, like David his father.  Ahaz was twenty when he began to reign and was only thirty-six when his reign ended.  The sixteen years he did rule, he didn't do what was right in God's sight as David had done.  Though David is referred to as his father, Ahaz was just a descendant of David.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, God is our Heavenly Father, and not just some ancestor from long ago.  As Christians, no matter where in history we lived when we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are all brothers and sisters spiritually.  Verse three continues, But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.  Ahaz followed the practices if the people of Israel, worshipping idols and following the ways of people that God had cast out Israel.  He even made his son pass through fire to show his dedication to these idols.  We cannot allow things that are forbidden by God to come back into our lives as Christians, and we certainly should never lead our children into idolatry.  Verse four states, And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.  Ahaz made sacrifices and burnt incense not only in the high places, but on the hills and under every green tree.  There was a ritualistic devotion to worship, but there was no real worship of God.  People may devotedly worship everywhere they are today, but if they are not worshipping God, it is of no value.  Verse five adds, 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.  Rezin, the king of Syria and Pekah the king of Israel went to war against Ahaz, but they could not defeat him.  None of these kings was acting under God's guidance, even though two of them professed to be king of His people.  As Christians, we are God's people, and we must always act under His guidance through the leadership of the Holy Spirit if we are to be successful spiritually.  Verse six adds,  At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.  Rezin did retake Elath, which Amaziah had taken from the Syrians.  If we follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, no one will ever take anything from us spiritually that God has given us by faith.  Verse seven says, So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.  Ahaz then appealed to the king of Assyria to come and save him from the kings of Syria and Israel.  He should have repented and looked to God for help, just as we as Christians must do today if we are going to be able to overcome the sins of this world.  Verse eight adds, And Ahaz 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 it for a present to the king of Assyria.  Ahaz attempted to buy the help of the king of Assyria with the silver and gold from the temple, or things belonging to God, as well as from his own treasure.  We should never attempt to buy protection from the world as Christians, but we should always just look to God by faith.  We certainly should never use things belonging to God in an attempt to buy protection from the evil in the world.  Verse nine continues, And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.  The king of Assyria listened to Ahaz, and went to war with Israel and Syria, and he took Damascus, carried the people away captive, and killed Rezin.  Whenever we look to anything or anyone besides God to save us, we are going to be taken away captive by sin.  It is really bad if we as Christians align ourselves with the world and go to battle against other Christians.

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.