(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 16:1-20) The bronze altar described in today’s Scripture, established for the worship of the Lord at His temple in Jerusalem, was replaced by Ahaz with a copy of an altar he saw in Damascus. The bronze altar, the altar of the Lord, being replaced speaks to the spiritual corruption in Judah. However, […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 15:1-38) In today’s Scripture, we see a total of five kings of Israel sandwiched between the reigns of two kings of Judah. The chapter begins with Azariah (Uzziah) king of Judah and ends with Jotham king of Judah. Both did what was right in the sight of the Lord, although not taking […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 14:1-29) Amaziah, king of Judah, did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet he compromised and did not walk as David had. Like his father Joash, he allowed the people to continue sacrificing and burning incense on the high places rather than worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem. Amaziah, […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 13:1-25) As we continue our journey through the Book of Kings, it is easy to become confused about who is king of Israel and who is king of Judah. Many of the kings have similar names, and in today’s Scripture, there are even two kings named Joash, one in Israel and one […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 12:1-21) In today’s Scripture, Jehoash (also known as Joash) king of Judah wanted to make repairs to the house of the Lord. He instructed the priests, that collected the offerings dedicated for the temple, to encourage people they knew to contribute toward the temple repairs. However, are good intentions enough? In Jehoash’s […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 11:1-21) Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, the former king of Israel, and married Jehoram (also called Joram), the former king of Judah. Through this marriage, the spiritual corruption of the northern kingdom found its way into the southern kingdom of Judah. In today’s Scripture, when Athaliah saw that her son, Ahaziah, […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 10:1-17) In today’s Scripture, we see Jehu, captain of Israel’s army and then king of Israel after conspiring against the house of Ahab, fulfill the words of the Lord in destroying the descendants of Ahab (Israel) and Ahaziah (Judah) because the two houses had become intertwined through marriage. We then see an […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 9:1-37) In today’s Scripture, Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to deliver a message to Jehu, captain and military leader for Joram king of Israel. The young man was to deliver the message and then to anoint Jehu as the next king of Israel. These were Elisha’s instructions, 3 […]

(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 8:16-29) The kingship of Ahab and Jezebel in the northern kingdom of Israel is generally remembered as one of great evil, as Ahab and Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord and even pursued the prophet Elijah in fear and hostility. Yet that was the northern kingdom of Israel, what about the […]