2 Kings - Chapters 8-10

This is a summary of the transcription: The host discusses the difficulty in keeping the kings and kingdoms straight in chapters 8-10 of 2 Kings. She explains the confusion caused by similar names and marriages between the kings of Israel and Judah. She recommends using a chart to keep track of the kings and their dates. The host also provides background information on the division of the northern ten tribes, the story of Zimri, and the prophetic anointing of Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. She mentions the story of Naboth's vineyard and the consequences for Ahab and Jezebel. The host then summarizes the events in chapter 8, including Elisha's prophecy of a famine in the land, the restoration of the Shunammite woman's land, and the rise of Hazael and Jehoram as kings. She concludes by discussing Jehu's anointing as king and his confrontation with Jehoram, Ahaziah, and I'm Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering chapters 8 through 10 of 2 Kings, which is a hard section to keep straight, because it goes back and forth to Israel and Judah and then Aram, which is also called Syria. Another problem is the names of the kings of Israel and Judah are similar. For instance, in Israel there was an Ahaziah who reigned for a short time after Ahab from 853 to 852, and in Judah there was an Ahaziah who reigned in 841 after Jehoram. Then Jehoram of Judah can also be called Joram who reigned in 853 to 841, and at the same time in Israel the king Joram could also be called Jehoram. Then following Joram's reign in Israel came Jehu, who was the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, but that Jehoshaphat is not the same Jehoshaphat that was king of Judah in 873 to 848. One of the reasons for similar names is that in 2 Kings chapter 8 verse 18 we learned that Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, married Athalia, a daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel. As is the case, this brought down the nation of Judah instead of raising up the nation of Israel. I highly recommend looking at a chart that separates the nations with the kings listed and their dates, and I have one that has the prophets placed in between them from Rose to Abraham. I use it all the time to keep these kingdoms and kings straight. Now a little more back story with regards to Israel will help us understand these chapters. We studied when the northern ten tribes broke off to make their own nation, King Jeroboam placed two golden calves in Israel for his people to worship so they would not go to Jerusalem to the temple to worship. The nations started in the sin of idolatry and continued until they were destroyed. After Jeroboam died, the kingship of Israel was not tied to a promise from God like with King David in Judah, so it seemed that whoever was strongest was the next king, even though there was no relation to the previous king. One of those men was Zimri who commanded half of King Elah's chariots. He plotted against the king and killed him, this is found in 1 Kings chapter 16. The problem was half of the people wanted Omri the commander of the army to be king and Omri was stronger. Zimri locked himself up in the royal palace and Omri had it surrounded, so Zimri set fire around himself in the palace and died. Omri was the father of King Ahab. We find in today's lesson that Jezebel used the name Zimri as a byword in 2 Kings chapter 9 verse 31 describing Jehu who was also taking over the kingdom of Israel. Two other back stories are important before we look at chapters 8 through 10. The first is found in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah runs to the mountain of God after the victory on Mount Carmel where fire came down from heaven because Jezebel had promised to kill him. The Lord told Elijah to go to Damascus and when he gets there he is to anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also he was to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat to succeed him as prophet. Then verse 17 says Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Up to this point in the story of 1 and 2 Kings we only know that Elijah called Elisha in that same chapter verses 19 through 21. We don't know if Elijah was unfaithful in those duties before he died or if he did it and we don't know about it or the Lord changed his mind because it wasn't the right time or if that was said just to comfort Elijah to say that the Lord has the world's situations in his hands. What we do know is that in today's lesson Elisha fulfills the rest of the Lord's commands to Elijah. The other bit of background is found in 1 Kings chapter 21 with the story of Naboth's vineyard. King Ahab wanted his vineyard and was willing to either give Naboth a better one somewhere else or pay him for what it was worth but Naboth said no because it was part of his inheritance. With Queen Jezebel's help they plotted a way to have fellow Israelites kill him so the king could have the land. The Lord called Elijah to go to Ahab and said this is what the Lord said have you not murdered a man and seized his property in the place where dogs licked up Naboth's blood dogs will lick up your blood yes yours. This was fulfilled in 1 Kings chapter 22. Then the Lord added I'm going to bring disaster on you I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel slave or free. Then he added concerning Jezebel the dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. This will be fulfilled in today's lesson. Now chapter 8 begins with another back story found in 2 Kings chapter 4 verses 8-37 which is a story of a generous and godly Shunammite woman who tended to Elisha. He wanted to give her something in exchange for her kindness but she did not need anything for she said I have a home among my people. Elisha's servant Gehazi commented that she did not have a child and her husband was old so Elisha told her she would have a son. She did and then after a while he became sick and died. She ran and got Elisha and the Lord brought him back to life through Elisha. Verse 38 says Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was famine in that region. So chapter 8 begins now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land of the Philistines seven years. Verses 1-6 tell us that she had gone to the land of the Philistines by the Mediterranean Sea and after seven years she came back. It seems her elderly husband must have died because he is not mentioned here. She came back and begged the king to give her back her house and land. At the same time the king was talking to Gehazi the servant of Elisha about the great things that Elisha had done and just when he told the story of her son she came into the king's presence. Gehazi said this is the woman my lord the king and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life. The woman then told the king her story and he declared that everything should be given back to the woman including all the income from her land from the day she left until now. Again the Lord provided for this woman and son. Now comes the story of the national stage and this time I'm going to try and simplify it so we can keep it straight. Chapter 8 verses 7-14 Elisha went to Damascus which is in Aram also called Syria. Then Hadad the king was ill so he sent a gift to Elisha and asked him if he would live and he sent Hazael to inquire of the Lord. Elisha said he will certainly recover yet the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die. Verse 11 says he stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed then the man of God began to weep. Hazael asked why he was weeping and he responded because he knew the harm that Hazael would do as king of Aram. Hazael left went to the king and told him he would certainly recover but the next day he killed the king by suffocating him. Hazael succeeded him as king. In one of the Assyrian texts Hazael is referred to as a son of nobody. This was one of those people that Elijah was to anoint as king of Aram but Elisha fulfilled it instead. Then we have in chapter 8 verses 16-24 that Jehoram became king of Judah but this is the king that married into Ahab's family with Israel. Verses 18-19 say he walked in the ways of the king of Israel as the house of Ahab had done for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord nevertheless for the sake of his servant David the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever. At the end of first Kings we learn that Judah was still over the nation of Edom the southern border of Israel but now that they have followed the sins of Israel Edom has revolted against Judah and now they have their own king. Also a city named Libna also revolted and they were on the border with the Philistines on the west. The next king of Judah was Ahaziah in verses 25-29 the son of Jehoram and his mother was Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. He also walked in the ways of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord because of his relationship with Ahab. It was due to this relationship that they went out to war together Ahaziah king of Judah and Jehoram Ahab's son king of Israel. They fought Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel Jehoram was wounded and went back to Israel the city of Jezreel and the king of Judah Ahaziah went there to check on him. Elijah was also called to anoint Jehu the king of Israel but here it technically was not even Elisha but instead he sent a different prophet to the front line of Israel in Aram's war. He met with the future king and they went into a different room. Here is some of what the prophet said in verses 6-10. This is what the Lord the God of Israel says I anoint you king over the Lord's people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. As for Jezebel dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel and no one will bury her. The prophet anointed him king and ran out of there just like Elisha told him to. His men asked him commander what did that madman want with you? He said he anointed me king over Israel. They immediately treated him as king and blew the trumpets declaring that now Jehu is king. Jehu leaves the front line of the war and went to Jezreel where both the king of Judah and the king of Israel and Jezebel were. They saw him coming and asked do you come in peace? Verse 18b and 19b he responds what do you have with peace? The kings came out to meet him and Jehu said how can there be peace as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound. Even though the kings tried to escape Jehu got the king of Israel with an arrow and killed him. His men were ordered to throw his body on the ground that used to be owned by Naboth before the king and Jezebel had him killed. The king of Judah was also killed even though he tried to get away. They caught him in the city of Megiddo. He was buried in Jerusalem. Chapter 9 ends with the death of Jezebel. She knew Jehu was coming and she painted her eyes and did her hair ready for the occasion. Jehu went to her home and she looked out the window and asked have you come in peace Zimri you murderer of your master. Jehu looked up at her and asked her servants standing with her were they for him or her and they threw her out the window to her death. The task was finished so he stopped and ate but then thought about her body to bury it. But once they went back outside they saw that the dogs had eaten her and the only thing left was her skull feet and hands. The words of the prophet Elijah were fulfilled. Now there was still more to do. In chapter 10 Jehu made sure that all of Ahab's family was dead and placed their skulls in two piles at the entrance of the city gate. When Jehu addressed the people at the city gate he said in verse 10 know then that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail the Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah. He then set out to kill anyone close to King Ahab and then he killed all the prophets of Baal. And verses 27 and 29 say they demolished the sacred stone of Baal and torn down the temple of Baal and the people have used it for a latrine to this day. But he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat which he had caused Israel to commit the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. For all he did in verse 30 the Lord promised he would have four generations of kings from his line. Verses 32 and 33 tell us in those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. From Aror by the Arnon gorge through Gilead to Bashan. Chapter 10 ends with the death of Jehu who reigned 28 years and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king. There are two things that struck me in this lesson. The first is that the Lord is in the midst of the world political scene and even when it seems crazy we can trust the Lord that he knows what he is doing. Second the Lord took care of the woman and her son in the midst of it and the Lord will take care of us as we look to him and then we will have a wonderful testimony like she did of how the Lord provided. If you have heard his voice today please don't harden your heart instead let's be women of faith who seek the Lord listen to his voice and obey. Until next time and thanks so very much for listening.