II Kings 18-25

The reading for today takes place during and after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE to the Assyrians. The same king threatened Hezekiah, king in the South in our reading. It would be 136 more years before the southern kingdom of Israel would fall to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. The early portions of Isaiah would have been written in this time period, with parallel material to II Kings in Isaiah 36-37.Hezekiah is described as a king "who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord." No king in the Northern Kingdom did what was right, while about 1/2 of the kings in the South did. During the 136 years, there are many ups and downs, with the reign of Hezekiah as one of those up times.

In II Kings 20, we have the story of Hezekiah's illness and the miracle of the sundial (when time goes backwards). Isaiah prophesies that Babylon will be the one to invade Jerusalem (which happened more than 100 years later).

After two corrupt kings (Manasseh and Amon), Josiah becomes king and during his time there is a revival prompted by the rediscovery of the law (in 621 BCE), what many scholars think was the book of Deuteronomy. This is also when many scholars believes that the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) came into the form we know today. Can you believe the people had become so forgetful about the law of God that they had lost it? I am reminded of the adage that says, "The gospel is always a generation from extinction."

Notice that the good kings always destroyed the idols that the people created in "the high places." These were the gods of the surrounding nations that often were worshipped by the children of Israel in their sin. An Old Testament professor asked our class once, "How do you read Psalm 121?" We said, "It says, 'I look to the hills, from whence cometh my help?' He said, "Some people think that's why they feel close to God in the mountains." But what if David was really saying, "I look to the hills from whence cometh my help?" The answer: "Not in those hills (the high places), my help comes from the Lord." I must admit I still like walking and talking to God in the mountains.

II Kings 25 tells the story of the fall of Jerusalem. A lot has happened in just eight chapters of reading. You can read more about Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel. This is the low point in the Old Testament story of Israel. Tomorrow's reading will tell of a better day.