II KINGS 22-25 OBSERVATIONS

CHAPTER 22

Josiah Reigns in Judah (640-609BC)

· Josiah king in Judah

o 8 years old

o Reigned 31 years

o Did RIGHT

§ Did not turn aside to the right or left

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

· In 18^th year of Josiah (623BC)

· King sent a scribe (Shapan) to temple to count the money brought in from the people.

· Take the money and deliver it to those repairing the temple.

o Note: there was no need to account for the money given to the craftsmen, because they dealt faithfully with the money.

· Hilkiah the priest told Shapan he had found the Book of the Law.

· Hilkiah gave the Book of the Law to Shapan to give to Josiah.

o OBSERVE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD”S WORD GETS INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE…OBSERVE IT”S POWER WHEN READ, AND OBEYED!!

· Shapan read the Book of the Law to king Josiah

· Josiah’s response:

o GREAT IS THE WRATH OF GOD

o BECAUSE OUR FATHERS HAVE NOT OBEYED WHAT WAS WRITTEN.

Huldah Predicts What’s Coming

· The prophecy of Huldah:

o 2 Kings 22:15 - 20 (NASB) ¹⁵She said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶thus says the LORD, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷“Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ ¹⁸“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, ¹⁹because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD. ²⁰“Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

o Essentially she predicts evil is coming, but God won’t do it in Joshiah’s lifetime because he listened to the Word and humbled himself and obeyed God.

CHAPTER 23

Josiah Restores True Worship

· King gathered all the elders

· He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found

· Then king made a covenant “before the Lord” to obey what was written in it.

· All the people took a stand with the king.

· What did obedience look like?

1) Then they cleaned out the articles used for worship to Baal, Asherah and all the other gods they had been worshiping.

2) Then they removed the idolatrous priests

3) They then took all this “anti-God junk” out to the Brook Kidron and burned it.

4) Then tore down the ritual booths of perverted persons

5) Broke down the high places

a. BUT

i. The priests of the ‘high places’ did not follow

6) They got rid of the things that allowed their sons and daughters to pass through the fire to Molech.

7) They removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun.

8) Broke down the altars on the roof that that kings had made to other gods

9) King defiled the high places east of Jerusalem…even the ones that went all the way back to the time of Solomon!!

10) He broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images

11) Burned the high places in Bethel

12) Burned the wooden images

13) Took away all the shrines

14) Executed all the priests of the high places

15) THEN THE KING COMMANDED ALL THE PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE THE PASSOVER

a. There had never been a celebration of the Passover like this one

b. There had never been a king like Josiah who turned to the Lord with ALL HIS HEART, WITH ALL HIS MIGHT, and with ALL HIS SOUL.

Impending Judgment on Judah

· But in spite of all these reforms of Josiah, God did not turn from His wrath that had been provoked by Manasseh’s rebellion and actions.

· So God declared, I will remove Israel and will cast off Jerusalem

Josiah Dies in Battle

· Josiah went to battle against Pharaoh Neco (Egypt) who had joined with king of Assyria to fight Josiah.

· Josiah was killed in battle

· His body was taken to Jerusalem

· People took Jehoahaz (son of Josiah) and made him king

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz

· 23 years old

· Reigned 3 months in Jerusalem

· Did evil

· Pharaoh Neco captured him and put him in prison

· Then Pharaoh Neco took Eliakim, son of Josiah, king

· Pharaoh changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

· Jehoiakim gives tribute to Pharaoh

· 25 years old (609BC)

· Reigned 11 years (609-597BC)

· He did EVIL

CHAPTER 24

Judah Overrun by Enemies

· In days of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (626-605BC)

· Jehoiakim became vassal for 3 years.

· Then rebelled.

· God then sent bands of raiders to harass him

· WHY? Because he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood WHICH THE LORD WOULD NOT PARDON

o COMMENT: There are things so egregious to God that He will not pardon.

o COMMENT: What does this say about America and the abortions we have allowed to continually take place?

o QUESTION: Does this have any relation to the “unpardonable sin” of the New Testament?

Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin

· Jehoiachin became king

o 18 years old

o Reigned 3 months

o Did EVIL

· Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up and besieged Jerusalem

· He took Jehoiachin prisoner

Captivity of Jerusalem

· King of Babylon carried away all the treasures of Jerusalem to Babylon

o Included: and the military men, craftsmen, smiths.

o None remained except the poorest people of the land.

o Carried Jehoiachin captive

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

· King of Babylon made Mattaniah king

· Mattaniah was

o Jehoiachin’s uncle

· King of Babylon changed his name to Zedekiah

· Zedekiah was

o 21 years old

o Reigned 11 years in Jerusalem

o Did Evil … just like Jehoiakim.

· WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

o BECAUSE: Anger of the Lord He finally CAST THEM OUT from His presence.

· Then Zedekiah rebelled against king of Babylon.

CHAPTER 25

Fall and Captivity of Judah

· Nebuchadnezzar

o 9^th year of his reign

o 10^th month of 9^th year

o 10^th day of the month

o Came against Jerusalem

o Beseiged the city of Jerusalem until the 11^th year of Zedekiah

o Famine became severe

o City wall was broken through

o Men of war fled

o King Zedekiah was captured

o Killed the sons of Zedekiah

o Put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him and took him to Babylon

· 5^th month, 7^th day (= 19^th year of king Nebuchadnezzar) he came to Jerusalem and burned the city and broke down all the walls.

· Nebuzaradan (captain of the guard) carried away all the rest of the multitude

o BUT he left some of the poor as vinedressers and farmers

· He took all the precious items in the house of the Lord

· Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

· King of Babylon made Gedaliah governor over all the people who remained in Judah.

· Gedaliah took an oath and said, don’t be afraid, dwell in the land, serve the king of Babylon and it will be well with you.

· Then Ishmael, of the royal family, came and killed Gedaliah.

· The rest of the people went to Egypt because they were afraid of the Chaldeans

Jehoiachin released from Prison

· Jehoiachin released from captivity by Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon

o In 37^th year of captivity, 12^th month, 27^th day of captivity of Jehoiachin

o He was released from prison

o He was raised up and given a more prominent place.