(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 20:1-21) Previously we read that Hezekiah, king of Judah, trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. When Assyria threatened Judah, Hezekiah did not focus on the enemy’s words but turned […]
(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 19:1-37) In today’s Scripture, Isaiah the prophet enters the narrative. As the prophet through whom God had spoken to Judah for many years, his appearance reminds us that in Judah’s greatest crisis, God was not silent. The Lord answered His king through His prophet. After hearing the threat from the messenger of […]
(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 18:1-37) Hezekiah king of Judah did right in the sight of the Lord, doing what the other kings in Judah were unwilling to do. In today’s Scripture, we read, 4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the […]
(REFLECTIONS ON 2 Kings 17:1-41) In the New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of John 4 where Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman asking her for water to drink, we read, 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan […]
(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, […]