Wednesday Bible Study: All the KIngs, men part 14

 

  1 Cor 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

 

This week I want to look at a handful of good kings, that followed the Lord for the most part- and the things that brought them down.  They couldn't seem to run the race to the finish, and their failures CAN become ours.   First up is Asa, grandson of Rehoboam of Judah- for perspective, I'm going to give their probable reign dates, and Asa reigned 913-873 BC.  Asa is the first king to get a glowing report from the Chronicler...

2Ch 14:2  And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
2Ch 14:3  He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim
2Ch 14:4  and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.
2Ch 14:5  He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.

They make mention of the lack of war in Asa's days- but it wasn't all that easy...

2Ch 14:9  Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 

This Zerah was most likely Osorkon II, ruler of a divided Egypt at the time.  Asa knew this battle was way beyond him, so he did the smart thing...

2Ch 14:11  And Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you."
2Ch 14:12  So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

Part of the Lord's defeat of Osorkon may have been because of the Assyrians that he had marched up to attack.  Nevertheless, it brought peace to Judah- until his 35th year.  In the meantime, a prophet named Azariah, who told him he'd be blessed in all he did- so long as he followed the Lord with his whole heart.  So he did, even kicking his mother Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom, out of the palace and tearing down her pagan idol.  But time goes on, and one day Baasha of Israel, the "Stinker" from last week, decided to hire the king of Syria to help him conquer Judah.  I believe we hit on the outcome last week- Asa outbid him, and Baasha turned tail.  But all was NOT well with how Asa did it...

2Ch 16:7  At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
2Ch 16:8  Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand.
2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."

Which made Asa mad, and he threw the prophet in prison for daring to tell him what went right was wrong.  His turning against the God he served so well before did him little good.  First he practically had to enslave his own people to tear down Baasha's fortifications and rebuild them elsewhere; then he was stricken with what was believed to be gout in his feet.  So mad at God still, he suffered the rest of his days with it, relying on doctors who couldn't relieve him rather than humbling himself before God.  He turned from the God that was blessing him because he didn't get his own way on one thing.   The pride of doing one thing without God consumed him.

This brings us to Jehoshaphat, Asa's son and successor (873-849 BC).  Again, Jehoshaphat was fully involved with the Lord...

2Ch 17:3  The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals,
2Ch 17:4  but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel.
2Ch 17:5  Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.
2Ch 17:6  His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 

 

Jehoshaphat's problem before God was the company he kept. He made alliance with Ahab of Israel to fight the Syrians- in a battle which God had already determined Ahab would die in, and when Jehoshaphat insisted on a prophet of God to bless the mission, Micaiah the son of Imlah told him what would happen.  But at Ahab's urging, he ignored the prophet; he escaped with his life through God's will, while for the same reason, Ahab did not.  And he got chewed for it:

2Ch 19:1  Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem.
2Ch 19:2  But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.
2Ch 19:3  Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asherahs out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."

And he also had a miraculous save from God.  The Ammonites, Moabites, and Edom had rebelled against Judah, and briefly joined forces to overwhelm them.  Knowing he was in it deep, he turned to the Lord...

2Ch 20:3  Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
2Ch 20:4  And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

And after long heartfelt prayer, the prophet Jehaziel told them good news...

2Ch 20:15  And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
2Ch 20:16  Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.
2Ch 20:17  You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

And God caused the allies to fight each other, and when they were done cutting each other up, Judah finished them off. Now, just like with Asa, you would think this would be enough to get anyone to fully depend upon the Lord, especially after the lecture he got from Jehu the prophet.  But no, once again he let himself be talked into an alliance- a shipbuilding enterprise- with Ahaziah, son of Ahab.  And after another prophetic warning, God destroyed this venture as well.  Jehoshaphat would have done well to have known Paul's warning about being yoked unequally with unbelievers.

 

After Jehoshaphat, Judah would go to the trio we discussed last week- Jehoram, Ahaziah, and the woman usurper Athaliah.  In that time, Israel had Jehu the warrior (843-815 BC) take over by fulfilling Elijah's curse on Ahab's house.  But he did even more than that- he rooted out Jezebel's Baal worship once and for all...

2Ki 10:17  And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to Elijah.
2Ki 10:18  Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much.
2Ki 10:19  Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal. 

 
Jehu finished off all the worshipers of Baal, and all the children of Ahab, and was blessed for his zeal... but he wasn't quite in the clear...

2Ki 10:29  But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin--that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.
2Ki 10:30  And the LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."
2Ki 10:31  But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin. 

He left up the golden calves for the same reason Rehoboam had put them up- to make sure he didn't lose the people to Judah when they worshiped in Jerusalem. But it was a snare to him and his people- and would result, someday, in the removal of the tribe of Dan from the family of the Hebrews (as seen in Revelation 7), as Dan was the main center of Calf-worship.  Jehoshaphat had compromised in his choice of friends; Jehu had compromised in his choice of motive.  And the four generations? Well, Jehoahaz made it 13 years, Jehoash 16, and Jeroboam II 40; but his kid, Zechariah, was murdered after 6 months, and his killer Shallum got 1 month before he also was assassinated.

By this time, we've passed through evil Judah and Jehoiada the priest has put the son that Athaliah missed killing, Joash (800-783 BC), on the throne.  And the caveat with Joash becomes apparent right from the start:

2Ch 24:1  Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2Ch 24:2  And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

This is not to say, as soon as the priest died, I'm doing what I please; Joash was motivated by God in the beginning...

2Ch 24:4  After this Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD.
2Ch 24:5  And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly.
2Ch 24:6  So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?" 

And he rode heard on the priests and Levites, until everything was restored and re-dedicated.  And all was well... in the same way all was well while Saul listened to Samuel.  But...

2Ch 24:15  But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death.
2Ch 24:16  And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
2Ch 24:17  Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.

Despite this, God sent prophets to Joash, to try to bring him back- and he ignored them.  Finally he brought Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, to warn him- and they had him killed.  But Zechariah had the last word...

2Ch 24:22  Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!" 

And so he did- once again, the Syrians came, sacked Jerusalem, killed the princes, and left Joash dying.  And then, in a final insult...

2Ch 24:25  When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

His own servants, more loyal to God than man, killed him, and he didn't even rate the burial that Jehoiada got.  So let's look at this.

One let pride get between him and God.

One let friends get between him and God.

One let expediency get between him and God.

And one let another man have his faith for him.