2 Kings 21:1-22:20

Memory Verse: 22:8

Questions

Outline

I. Manasseh King of Judah (21:1-18)

* See a picture of a terracotta relief from early 2nd millennium B.C. to the right. The relief is of the idol Ishtar holding her symbol was found in Eshnunna, an ancient Sumerian city and is now housed in the Louve in France.

>1. How is King Manasseh's life described in verses 1-3?

* 2 Kings 21:1-3 "Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them."

* Manasseh's reign is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:1-20.

* Manasseh and his son Amon did evil in the sight of the Lord. Hezekiah must have know what kind of people his son and grandson were. What does a parent who loves the Lord do when he sees his children and grandchildren turn away from Jesus?

Manasseh and Amon must have saw all that the Lord had done for their father and grandfather, especially the Assyrian soldiers dieing at the hand of the Lord this saving Judah.

Yet they chose to turn their back on the Lord and serve idols, even sacrificing their children and filling the streets with human blood.

Everyone decides who they will serve. We all serve someone or something. I chose to serve the Lord. I will pray for my children to do the same.

>How did he desecrate the temple of the Lord? (4-5)

* 2 Kings 21:4-5 "He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my Name." 5 In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts.

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* The engraving to the right was in a book by Martin, David (1639-1721). The book's title is "Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments" This engraving by Otto Elliger depicts the idolatry of the reign of King Manasseh of Judah. Sacrifices and offerings are being made at the altars of foreign gods surrounding the Temple. Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.

>How far from love did his religious practices bring him? (6)

* 2 Kings 21:6 "He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger."

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>What does this say about people who refuse to worship the Lord?

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>2. What is a Asherah pole and where did he put it? (7-8)

* 2 Kings 21:7-8 "He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them."

* "Asherah pole" -An Asherah (Ashraroth) pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother-goddess Asherah, consort of El. Asherah was probably also known as the Queen of Heaven. The relation of the literary references to an Asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has produced debate.

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>What had the Lord promised do if they kept his law?

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* The painting to the right showing Manasseh's repenance was in Bibles and is now in public domain.

>Did they listen to the Lord? (9)

* 2 Kings 21:9 "But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites."

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>3. What was going to happen to Jerusalem because of Manasseh's sins? (10-15)

* 2 Kings 21:10-15 "The LORD said through his servants the prophets: 11 "Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. 12 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes, 15 because they have done evil in my eyes and have provoked me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt until this day."

* 2 Chronicles 32 and 33, Isaiah 36-37, and 2 Kings 18-19 & 21 record Judah's battles with the Assyrians.

* Verses 10 thru 18 are not in 2 Chronicles 33.

* 2 Chronicles 33 records that Manasseh was captured by the Assyrians, put him in shackles, and took him to Babylon. It also records tha Manasseh repented and was returned to Judah.

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>4. What must have life been like under such oppressive religious practices? (16-18)

* 2 Kings 21:16-18 "Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end--besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 17 As for the other events of Manasseh's reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king."

* 2 Chronicles does not record the shedding of innocent blood.

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>How does this explain the rise of violence in our time?

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II. Amon King of Judah (21:19-26)

* See artifacts of Ashraroth (left) and Baal (right) to the right. Clay figures such as these, depicting Ashraroth (Astarte) the naked goddesses of fertility are frequently referred to in the Bible, have been found by archaeologists all over Palestine. The fact that they occur in such numbers in the layers dating from Israelite times confirms all that the Bible has to say about the danger of idolatry spreading through the whole people. The noticeable accentuation of sexual characteristics not only makes it clear what was the nature of these Canaanite cults, but also explains why the prophets thundered against them with all the power at their command and denounced them as a menace to society. The discovery of such statuettes also helps us to see the point of many frequently misunderstood passages in the Old Testament. Baal was also one of the gods whose worship was forbidden. (The Bible as History in Pictures, Werner Keller)

>5. How is Amon's life described in verses 19-22?

* 2 Kings 21:19-22 "Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. 22 He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

* Amon king of Judah is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:21-25.

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>How had the people of Judah followed the sins of their king? (23-26)

* 2 Kings 21:23-26 "Amon's officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place. 25 As for the other events of Amon's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king."

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III. Great is the Lord's Anger (22:1-20)

* The engraving to the right was in a book by Klauber, Joseph Sebastian (1700-1768). The book's title is "Historiae Biblicae Veteris et Novi Testamenti" This image depicts King Zedekiah of Judah being blinded before King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon after Zedekiah's sons are killed. At the top King Jehoiachin of Judah is released from prison by King Evil-merodach of Babylon. In the top left corner Shaphan reads the found book of the law to King Josiah. In the top-right corner Josiah's corpse is brought back to Jerusalem from Megiddo. In the bottom-left corner King Manasseh of Judah causes his son to pass through the fire, and participates in other abominations before God. To the bottom-right is Manasseh's captivity in Babylon. To the left and right Manasseh attempts to atone for his past sins. Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.

>6. How is Josiah's life described in verses 1-2?

* 2 Kings 22:1-2 "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."

* Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and perhaps Nahum were prophets during Josiah's reign. There was also an unnamed prophetess in the previous chapter and the prophetess Huldah in 22:13.

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>What did he set his mind on? (3-7)

* 2 Kings 22:3-7 "In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said: 4 "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD-- 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."

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>What is the temple of the Lord now and how can we build it up? (1 Cor. 3:16-17; and 2 Cor. 6:16)

* 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."

* 2 Corinthians 6:16 "What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

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>7. What did the high priest find as they were working on the temple? (8-10)

* 2 Kings 22:8-10 "Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: "Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple." 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king."

* 2 Chronicles 34:14-18 also record the finding of the book of the Law.

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>What does this say about Judah in the preceding years?

* Josiah's reign is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 34 to 35.

* Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He loved God. He removed all the idols and false priests from the land. He wanted to purify the land and temple. So he ordered the temple repaired. While doing this they found the Book of the Law, the first five books of the Bible which the Lord God had Moses write. That is the covenant the Lord had with his people Israel.

So what did they have to read from the Lord before they found it? How did they know what the Lord required them to do without the covenant? They did not except what was passed down to them orally. Since their ancestors did not worship the Lord, this generation recieved skewed false information. That is why king Josiah tore his rode in great anquish. He said, "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."

The Holy Spirit lives in me reminds me of the word of God that I read and study. Daily Bible study is important because it is human nature to forget and confuse.

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>What did King Josiah do and say when he heard the Book of the Law was found? (11-13)

* 2 Kings 22:11-13 "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 13 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."

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>Who did the priest go to when inquiring of the Lord? (14)

* 2 Kings 22:14 "Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District."

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>8. What was the Lord's word to Josiah? (15-16)

* 2 Kings 22:15-16 "She said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 'This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read."

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>Why?

* 2 Kings 22:17 "Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.'"

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>9. Even though Judah has sinned what did the Lord tell Josiah? (18-19)

* 2 Kings 22:18-19 "Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD."

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>How is that hope in our time?

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>10. What is the Lord's word to Josiah?

* 2 Kings 22:20 "Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.'" So they took her answer back to the king."

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>How does this show the kindness of the Lord and the importance of leaders who love the Lord?

* 2 Kings 23:1-28 is like 2 Chronicles 34:29 thru 35:19 with a few things added. 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 is not in 2 Kings.

* King Josiah and the people of Judah and the remnant of Israel confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors and pledged themselves to the Lord's covenant as they read the lost Book of the Law, the first five books of the Bible that had been found while restoring the broken temple. (2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

Then they removed all the idols, mediums, and spiritist in Judah and Israel including the two idols and altars that Jereboam set up when Israel split from Judah.

While Josiah was destroying the altar Jeroboam had made he came to the tomb of a prophet of the Lord. He was told that the prophet had predicted all that Josiah was doing. The tomb had been a source of ridicule. Now it was a testimony to the Lord.

Often we ridicule and scoff the truth till it is almost to late and sometimes is to late.

Then all Judah and the remnant of Israel not taken into captivity celebrated Passover like had not been done in a very very long time.

When Josiah did all these things the Lord said, "Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to arouse his anger. So the Lord said, "I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, 'My Name shall be there.'" This was also said earlier when King Hezekiah, Josiah's great grandfather repented and served the Lord.

Consequences exist for every decision and action I do. I am saved by grace and often I do not get all that my sins deserve. Yet when bad things happen I must accept that it is a result of sin, and not because of anything God did or does. Yes, the Lord in mercy does not let me bear the full brunt of my sin. Still my sin has consequences. Example: Physical death, the result of sin comes to all. Yet even in death can be mercy, for those who put their hope in Jesus through God's mercy, will rise from the dead.