Second Kings 15:32

The Bible says in Second Kings 15:32-38, “In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.[33] 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.[34] And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.[35] 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.[36] 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?[37] In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.[38] 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.” In verse thirty-four we are told what Jotham did that was right, and in verse thirty-five we are told what he did that was wrong. The judgment of believers will be like that. Works do not get us into heaven. Faith in Christ alone gets us into heaven. But works will decide our rewards in heaven. God knows where we fail and where we succeed. It says in First Corinthians 3:11-15, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;[13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.[14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

The Bible says in Second Kings 16:1-4, “In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.” We are shown very clearly one of the reasons that the Lord wanted the Israelites to get rid of the false religion. False religion leads to the wrong actions, and sometimes in a very devastating way. They burned their children in fire. Ahaz joined in with the false religion, and burned his own son. Horrendous. When you follow the world instead of God, you can end up in a terrible place.

The Bible says in Second Kings 16:5-20, “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.[6] 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.[7] So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser 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.[11] 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.[12] And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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 inquire by.[16] Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.[17] 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 a pavement of stones.[18] 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.[19] 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?[20] 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.” Every false religion that Ahaz saw he liked. He even made an altar that he saw in Damascus and brought it to the temple. He even started tearing down things that were in the temple. If he did not get converted at the end of his life, his hell must be very hot.

The Bible says in Second Kings 17:1-12, “In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.[2] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.[3] Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.[4] And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.[5] Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.[6] In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.[7] For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharoah king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,[8] And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.[9] And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.[10] And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:[11] And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:[12] For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.” The sins finally caught up to the northern kingdom of Israel. God is very patient and He gives many chances, but the chances finally run out, and God must do what He must do as the just Judge of the world and as the Judge of everyone who is in this world. This time the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel is conquered and overrun by the Assyrians. Verse seven states it very clearly, “For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharoah king of Egypt, and had feared other gods.” They forgot what God had done for them when they were saved from Egypt. Are there Christians who forget what Jesus has done for them? Sadly, yes there are. It says in Second Peter 1:8-9, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.[9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” What will happen to the Christians who forget? Not to speak of the consequences in this life, they will lose rewards when they stand before the Savior. The Israelites did many sins, but only one is mentioned: the fact that they turned away from God and served false gods. False religion led them astray. No wonder that Jesus said to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Many shall depart from the faith, believing lies. Do not be one of them. Stay grounded in the Word. Stay close to the Savior. Confess your sins daily to stay in fellowship with Christ. Seek Him first of all. Rely upon Him with everything that comes your way. Live for Jesus.

The Bible says in Second Kings 17:13-18, “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.[14] Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.[15] And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.[16] And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.[17] And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.[18] Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.” As it says in verse thirteen, God gave them many chances and many warnings through all the prophets that He sent to them to warn them and to remind them of the importance of serving the Lord God. What happened to them? Why did they not continue serving the Lord? There were a lot of terrible things that they did, and those things are listed in verses fourteen through seventeen: they would not hear, they hardened their necks, they rejected His statutes, they followed vanity, they went after the heathen, they left all the commandments of the Lord, they made molten images, they served Baal, and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire. No one can turn away from the Lord like this and get away with it. What a terrible downward path they were on, and without turning back to the Lord, it could only end in one place: destruction. That is exactly what happened. Do not let it happen to you. It says to Christians in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

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