Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Sunday Service, Episode seventy two.
Speaker 1: I am your host, Josh My Day. If you're um me,
Speaker 1: I'm a Christian rapper, devoter, husband, father, and Army veteran.
Speaker 1: And this is brought to you by Code of Conspiracy podcast.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me. Last week we
Speaker 1: went over a Second Kings thirteen through fifteen. This week
Speaker 1: we're gonna be covering Second King sixteen probably through nineteen,
Speaker 1: maybe twenty depending, but uh yeah, thank you. And like
Speaker 1: I always do, like to give shout outs to those
Speaker 1: that commented last week on Sunday Service on Spotify, So
Speaker 1: we have MDNP twenty two, Angela Kelly, thank you, Catalyst Jones,
Speaker 1: what's up? Brother? Thank you so much, Bro, appreciate you.
Speaker 1: And we also had seven people last week on Sunday Service,
Speaker 1: So if you haven't listened yet, please go and listen to.
Speaker 1: When you listen to this, please listen to Wednesday Service
Speaker 1: where I was going over first Thessalonians one through four. Okay,
Speaker 1: please go check that out, and if you could comment
Speaker 1: below on there, I'd really appreciate it, because on Sunday
Speaker 1: Service we killed it. We got seven comments. We had
Speaker 1: MDMP twenty two Whiskers White Mike, kay, I always listen
Speaker 1: to this after church. Now, oh awesome after church. Wow,
Speaker 1: that's amazing, Bro. Thank you, Mike. I appreciate you, Brother,
Speaker 1: Angela Kelly, thank you, Brad Gillis as always, Thank you,
Speaker 1: b Thank you so much. Really appreciate you. So I
Speaker 1: gotta make an announcement first. I don't know this is
Speaker 1: you guys might not care about this, or you do
Speaker 1: care about this, but I am going to go to Edmonton, Canada,
Speaker 1: which is fifty three degrees north. I just bought my
Speaker 1: tickets for June nineteenth through the twenty second, so I'll
Speaker 1: be there from June nineteen to the twenty second and
Speaker 1: I'm going to be filming the sunrise sunset at fifty
Speaker 1: three degrees north right, so we're at fifty three degrees
Speaker 1: latitude north. And then so I'm going to complete that
Speaker 1: and then six months later, I'm gonna go to Puta
Speaker 1: Arenas Chili and I'm gonna we're gonna film the sunset
Speaker 1: sunrise from fifty three degrees south and we're gonna see
Speaker 1: if it mirrors but reversed. You know, that's what's supposed
Speaker 1: to happen on the globe, it's supposed to be reversed.
Speaker 1: So let's say the sun did this on you know,
Speaker 1: basically went like this on fifty three years north. Well,
Speaker 1: it's supposed to do this exact thing on fifty three
Speaker 1: degrees south, but reversed, right, So that is something that
Speaker 1: the globe claims, and I would like to go check
Speaker 1: it out and make sure that it does it. Also,
Speaker 1: putter Arenas, if you're looking south, you know, and you
Speaker 1: see the sun, it's supposed to December twenty first, which
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be there is a time when it does
Speaker 1: a twenty four hour sun in Antarctica, and that's what
Speaker 1: they filmed for the final experiment. So I want to
Speaker 1: go there to putter Arenas, to go and look south
Speaker 1: and see if the sun is actually south like they said,
Speaker 1: and make sure it's gonna be something that I want
Speaker 1: to do because obviously I do biblical cosmology and I
Speaker 1: want to make sure that I'm teaching correctly, right, So
Speaker 1: I'm want to go and check it for myself. So
Speaker 1: me and this guy Jared are gonna go. H He's
Speaker 1: gonna go, He's gonna be the globe side me. I'm
Speaker 1: obviously the biblical cosmology side, and we're gonna kind of
Speaker 1: do some experiments there. You know, We're gonna do a
Speaker 1: few different things besides just filming the sun. Right. So,
Speaker 1: I just want to let you guys know that. And
Speaker 1: if you're interested in being a part of that, like
Speaker 1: you know, donating some money just to help out and
Speaker 1: assist just to make the wife happy, that'd be cool.
Speaker 1: You can you could go to my Yeah, you could
Speaker 1: go to let me tell you what it is. I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: I wasn't prepared to even announce this, but I'm just
Speaker 1: announcing it right now. If you want to. If you
Speaker 1: guys have to do cash app or something, then you
Speaker 1: could do. You can go to money Sign Josh Monday Music.
Speaker 1: That's my cash app. If you guys are interested in
Speaker 1: donating to the ministry for that, that'd be cool. If
Speaker 1: you're not interested, it's all good. I totally get it.
Speaker 1: And then yeah, so if you want to do that,
Speaker 1: and if you don't have cash up, then you can
Speaker 1: email me at Josh Monday Music Josh Monday. Sorry, you
Speaker 1: can email me at Josh Monday at rockamel dot com
Speaker 1: and I'll show you how you can donate. If you
Speaker 1: want to donate to it, and if you don't, obviously
Speaker 1: I understand some people don't really care about that too much.
Speaker 1: Some people do. So if you want to see a
Speaker 1: good observation, it'll be posted on my YouTube and I'll
Speaker 1: do a live from Edmonton, Canada and also do a
Speaker 1: live from Putina's Chili. And I just want to see
Speaker 1: what's going on, you know, I think you know, I
Speaker 1: want to make sure that I'm teaching correctly and I
Speaker 1: want to find out what's happening with the world. So anyways,
Speaker 1: much loved everybody, and you know, I don't ever ask
Speaker 1: you guys to donate to anything, but if you were interested,
Speaker 1: then you know, like I said, you can email me
Speaker 1: or DM me at Josh Monday Underscore podcast and say, hey,
Speaker 1: I'm interested in donating. How do I do so? And
Speaker 1: I could send you a link so let me know.
Speaker 1: But anyways, thank you guys so much for joining me.
Speaker 1: I am wanting to get into this second Kings, which
Speaker 1: is the most important part. That part that I just
Speaker 1: announced right now is just something that's extracurricular that I'm
Speaker 1: looking to do. So yes, and I already bought the
Speaker 1: tickets for Edmonton, so like I said, if you guys
Speaker 1: do donate, it's going to be going towards the Putin
Speaker 1: Renas one, which is the expensive one. That's the one
Speaker 1: that's gonna cost me about fifteen hundred dollars give or take,
Speaker 1: you know, with hotel and everything. So that's kind of
Speaker 1: a pretty penny to spend on my own. So, you know,
Speaker 1: it's not a pretty penny to spend when I'm going
Speaker 1: somewhere with my family, you know, like I'm going with
Speaker 1: my wife, my kids. But this is like extracurricular and
Speaker 1: I have to try to put you know, make my
Speaker 1: wife happy in all ways, right, happy wife, happy life.
Speaker 1: So if you're interested, let me know. But anyways, thank
Speaker 1: you guys so much for joining me again this week.
Speaker 1: Let me just go ahead and share screen. There we go. Perfect.
Speaker 1: So we're in Second Kings, chapter sixteen, and before we start,
Speaker 1: I always like to do a little intro. But let's
Speaker 1: see if there's anything besides that going on. Besides that,
Speaker 1: I think everything is good. Besides that, the show's been
Speaker 1: doing phenomenal. A lot of people are commenting, which is amazing.
Speaker 1: My YouTube's kind of been a little slow lately, but
Speaker 1: it is what it is. You know when you do
Speaker 1: Bible studies. Obviously YouTube is not going to be like, Hey,
Speaker 1: I can't wait to push this guy up the list.
Speaker 1: This guy's doing great Bible studies. Now, yeah, let's put
Speaker 1: him in front of everybody. But no, don't see that happening.
Speaker 1: So at least Spotify and Apple are doing amazing. So
Speaker 1: let's go ahead and jump into Second King's Chapter sixteen,
Speaker 1: and this is going to be the introduction for chapter sixteen.
Speaker 1: Second King's Chapter sixteen introduces us to one of the
Speaker 1: darkest periods in the history of Judah, the reign of
Speaker 1: King the reign of King a Has, a ruler more
Speaker 1: drawn towards idolatry than faithfulness. A has leads his people
Speaker 1: away from God, bringing disastrous consequences upon his kingdom. That
Speaker 1: chapter explores the depths of AHAs apostasy, the political political ambitions,
Speaker 1: and the troubling alterations of the Jerusalem Temple. Troubling alterations
Speaker 1: of the Jerusalem Temple. That's been pretty interesting, right, wonder
Speaker 1: what he tried to pull off. So let me just
Speaker 1: go ahead and pull that up. Pull up both notes here, perfect,
Speaker 1: and let's go ahead and start without further ado. Second
Speaker 1: Kings chapter sixteen, verse one, it says a Has reigns
Speaker 1: in Judah. In the seventeenth year of Pakah, the son
Speaker 1: of Remilah, a Has, the son of Jotham, king of Judah,
Speaker 1: began to reign. AHAs was twenty years old when he
Speaker 1: became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And
Speaker 1: he did not do what was right in the side
Speaker 1: of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.
Speaker 1: But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. Indeed,
Speaker 1: he made his son pass through the fire according to
Speaker 1: the abomination of the nations, whom the Lord had cast
Speaker 1: out from before the children of Israel. Okay, let's stop
Speaker 1: there real quick. So what does that mean that he
Speaker 1: had his son pass through the fire. Well, Moloch was
Speaker 1: one of the gods that they were worshiping, and Moloch
Speaker 1: had his hands out like this, and they put fire.
Speaker 1: They basically lit fire there, and then they would sacrifice
Speaker 1: their children to Moloch. Now are they specifically talking about
Speaker 1: that right now? I could kind of see real quick,
Speaker 1: let me just take a a look. I didn't didn't
Speaker 1: really check that out. Putt oh, oh, you know what
Speaker 1: it might be. Actually, it might be in my notes.
Speaker 1: I might not even have to pull that up. Let
Speaker 1: me just see. It might be in there, it might not.
Speaker 1: We'll go through this first and i'll look, you know,
Speaker 1: but that's one of the main ones when they were
Speaker 1: sacrificing the children to Moloch. That was the main one
Speaker 1: where they were passing their children through the fire. So
Speaker 1: it looks like he did that, which is which is terrible. Right,
Speaker 1: It's kind of similar to what people are doing now,
Speaker 1: you know, when they do abortions, right, I would compare
Speaker 1: that to abortions where they're sacrificing children to Moloch, you know,
Speaker 1: or a bale however you want to look at that.
Speaker 1: You know, basically it's satanic, right, it's killing children. So
Speaker 1: Moloch is to me, it would be false god compared
Speaker 1: to you know, all of them are false gods. I
Speaker 1: think represented by fallen angels. That's what I believe is happening.
Speaker 1: But that's just my interpretation of that. But anyways, let's
Speaker 1: go out and continue reading, and then we'll go over
Speaker 1: some notes. It says and he sacrificed and burn incense
Speaker 1: on the high places, on the hills and under every
Speaker 1: green tree. So let's look at my notes real quick
Speaker 1: and see if it goes over that portion. A has
Speaker 1: Rain and idolatry. AHAs was twenty years old when he
Speaker 1: became king. This is in my notes, okay. And he
Speaker 1: reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. I'm like David his father.
Speaker 1: He did not do what was right in the side
Speaker 1: of the lord. That's second king sixteen verse two. A
Speaker 1: has Rerain is characterized by idolatry and a departure from
Speaker 1: the covenanial faithfulness expected by Judas kings. Ah Has the
Speaker 1: son of Jotham, was the king of Judah who reigned
Speaker 1: for approximately seven hundred and thirty two from approximately seven
Speaker 1: hundred and thirty two to seven sixteen BC. His reign
Speaker 1: is notably marked by a departure from religious practices of
Speaker 1: his forefathers and a significant turn towards idolatry, which had
Speaker 1: profound implications for the spiritual and political state of Judah.
Speaker 1: Background and ascension to the throne. A Has ascended to
Speaker 1: the throne at the age of twenty, succeeding his father Jotham.
Speaker 1: Unlike his predecessors, who largely adherd to the worship of Yahweh,
Speaker 1: a Has his reign characterized by a stark deviation from
Speaker 1: these practices. The biblical count of his reign is primarily
Speaker 1: found in Second King sixteen and Second Chronicles twenty eight
Speaker 1: and Isaiah seven. Religious and practices in idolatry A has
Speaker 1: reigned is an infamously noted and idolatious practice. He described
Speaker 1: having walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel
Speaker 1: and Second Kings sixteen three, a reference to Northern Kingdom's
Speaker 1: notorious idolatry. A has adopted the worship of foreign gods,
Speaker 1: including a detestable practice of child sacrifice, as he even
Speaker 1: sacrificed his son to the fire according to the abomination
Speaker 1: of the nations of the Lord, and driven out before
Speaker 1: the Israelites. Second King sixteen, verse three. A has idolatry
Speaker 1: extended to the construction of high places sacred sites often
Speaker 1: been associated with pagan worship on the hills under every
Speaker 1: green tree. Sorry about that, guys. This proliferation of Idolatrist
Speaker 1: sites represented a significant departure from the centralized worship of
Speaker 1: Yahweh and Jerusalem. Political alliances and consequences is going to
Speaker 1: be talked about in Second Kings sixteen verses seven through eight,
Speaker 1: which we're going to go over and then in Ah
Speaker 1: has political and religious decisions dire consequences for Judah. The
Speaker 1: kingdom suffered military defeats and incursions from neighboring nations, including
Speaker 1: Edom and the Philistines, which is in Second Chronicles twenty
Speaker 1: eight seventeen through eighteen. The spiritual decline of AHAs leadership
Speaker 1: set a precedent that would have lasting effects on the nation.
Speaker 1: All right, so King I don't want to go over
Speaker 1: the other part because it's going to be like spoiler alert.
Speaker 1: So we have legacy Ah has. His reign is remembered
Speaker 1: as a period of significant spiritual decline in Judah. His
Speaker 1: idolatrous practices and political alliances weakened the nation and set
Speaker 1: a troubling precedent for future generations. Despite his failures, the
Speaker 1: biblical narrative continues to emphasize God's faithfulness and the hope
Speaker 1: of redemption, themes that resonate throughout the political literature of
Speaker 1: the time and then influence of pagan practices. He has
Speaker 1: adopted the detestable practice of surrounding nations, including child sacrifice.
Speaker 1: He even sacrifices is set on the fire. Let's go
Speaker 1: look a little deeper. Into that the influence of pagan
Speaker 1: practices on people of Israel and the early Christian Church
Speaker 1: is a real Ukrainan theme throughout the Bible. The influence
Speaker 1: often led to idology, moral corruption, and a departure from
Speaker 1: the worship of the One True God. The Bible provides
Speaker 1: numerous accounts and warnings against adopting the customs and religious
Speaker 1: practices of surrounding pagan nations. In the Old Testament, the
Speaker 1: Israelites were repeatedly warned against the influence of pagan nations.
Speaker 1: God commanded them to remain separate and not to adopt
Speaker 1: the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites and the other neighboring peoples.
Speaker 1: In Deuteronomy twelve, verses thirty through thirty one, God warns,
Speaker 1: be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after
Speaker 1: they have been destroyed before you do not inquire about
Speaker 1: their gods, asking how do these nations serve their gods?
Speaker 1: I will do likewise? Will I will do likewise? You
Speaker 1: must not worship the Lord your God in their way.
Speaker 1: Despite these warnings, the Israelites often fell into the trap
Speaker 1: of syncretism, blending the worship of Yahweh with pagan rituals.
Speaker 1: The account of the Golden Calf in Exus thirty two
Speaker 1: is an example of this, were the Israelites, influenced by
Speaker 1: Egyptian and practices, created an idol while Moses was on
Speaker 1: Mount Sinai. Similarly, during the period of Judges, the Israelites
Speaker 1: repeatedly turned to the bales and astros, as noted in
Speaker 1: Judges two eleven through thirteen. The monarchy period also saw
Speaker 1: a significant pagan influence, particularly during the reigns of king
Speaker 1: kings like Solomon, who, despite his wisdom, allowed his foreign
Speaker 1: wives to lead him into idolatry One Kings eleven, verses
Speaker 1: one through eight. The prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and
Speaker 1: Ezekiel frequently condemned the people for their idolatrous practices and
Speaker 1: called them to repentance. In the New Testament, the early
Speaker 1: Christian Church faced the challenge of pagan influence as it
Speaker 1: spread throughout the Roman Empire. The apostle Paul addressed this
Speaker 1: issue in his later letters, urging believers to remain distinct
Speaker 1: from the pagan culture around them. In One Corinthians ten,
Speaker 1: verses twenty through twenty one, Paul writes, no but the
Speaker 1: sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God,
Speaker 1: and I do not want you to participate, to be participants
Speaker 1: with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord
Speaker 1: and the cup of demons too. You cannot partake in
Speaker 1: the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Speaker 1: Their early church struggle with the temptation to incorporate pagan
Speaker 1: practices in the Christian worship, particularly in regions where paganism
Speaker 1: was deeply entrenched. The Jerusalem Council was recorded in Acts fifteen,
Speaker 1: addressed the issue of gentile converts and extent to which
Speaker 1: they could adhere to Jewish law, ultimately emphasizing the need
Speaker 1: to extrain from idolatry and immortality or immorality. I was
Speaker 1: gonna say immortality, immorality. Warnings and exhortations throughout scripture, the
Speaker 1: influence of pagan practices is constantly portrayed as a threat
Speaker 1: to the purity and fullness faithfulness of God's people. The
Speaker 1: Bible exhorts believers to become vigilant and to resist the
Speaker 1: temptation to conform to the world. Romans twelve to two
Speaker 1: admonishes do not be conformed to this world, but be
Speaker 1: transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you will
Speaker 1: be able to test and approve what is good and
Speaker 1: pleasing and perfect will of God. The influence of pagan
Speaker 1: practices serve as a cautionary tale, reminding believers to the
Speaker 1: importance of maintaining a distinct identity rooted in the worship
Speaker 1: of the One True God. The call to holiness and
Speaker 1: separation from worldly influence is a central theme that resonates
Speaker 1: throughout the Biblical narrative, urging God's people to live in
Speaker 1: obedience and faithfulness. So it didn't go over exactly what
Speaker 1: the child sacrifices, but I can kind of check it
Speaker 1: out real quick, Okay, So let's go second Kings sixteen,
Speaker 1: verse three, right, verse three, Let me see if that's
Speaker 1: what it is. So this verse is talking about King
Speaker 1: Haas to continue to spiritual decline among God's people, but
Speaker 1: there's three But verse three here says he took it
Speaker 1: things to a whole new level. He burned his son
Speaker 1: as an offering. He sacrificed son according to his practices. Yes,
Speaker 1: of course that's the way I knew that. I just
Speaker 1: wonder who I wonder who the I guess it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1: You know, it's either gonna be Bail or a Moloch
Speaker 1: or Astroth, one of the three. Okay, he sacrificed his
Speaker 1: son to one of these, you know, fake gods that
Speaker 1: don't that don't have any power and anyway. Right, and
Speaker 1: that's proven by Elijah the prophet and when he was
Speaker 1: going against Bale's prophets. Right. So let's go ahead and
Speaker 1: go back to my notes and will continue. We're gonna
Speaker 1: start at verse five. Start back up at verse five.
Speaker 1: So second King sixteen verse five says, then Resin, king
Speaker 1: of Syria, and Paka, the son of Ramalah, King of Israel,
Speaker 1: came up to Jerusalem to make war, and they beseized
Speaker 1: he has but could not overcome him. At that time, Resin,
Speaker 1: King of Syria, captured Allah Aloth for Syria and drove
Speaker 1: the men of Judah from Alath. Then the Edomites went
Speaker 1: to Alath and went there to this and dwell there
Speaker 1: to this day. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tilgath Pilzer,
Speaker 1: king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son,
Speaker 1: come up and save me from the hand of the
Speaker 1: king of Syria and from the hand of so the
Speaker 1: King of Syria. Not so Pizzler is the king of Syria, right,
Speaker 1: It says, I'm a servant, your son, comes save me
Speaker 1: from the hand of the King of Syria and from
Speaker 1: the hand of the King of Israel, who rise up
Speaker 1: against me. And AHAs took silver and gold that was
Speaker 1: found in the house of the Lord and the treasures
Speaker 1: of the house of the king's house and send it
Speaker 1: as a present to the King of Assyria. So the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria heeded him. For the King of Assyria
Speaker 1: went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people,
Speaker 1: took its people captive to cur and killed resin. Okay,
Speaker 1: so very interesting. So let's go ahead and check out
Speaker 1: what it says here in Second King sixteen verse seven,
Speaker 1: when it's talking about this alliance that was made. I
Speaker 1: got some oops. Let's go ahead and stop there and
Speaker 1: let me make sure I know where I'm at all right,
Speaker 1: So political alliances over divine trust. Facing threats from Israel
Speaker 1: and Aram, A has sought help from Assyria instead of
Speaker 1: relying on God. So A has sent messengers to Tilgath Pazer,
Speaker 1: King of Syria, saying I am your servant, your son,
Speaker 1: come up and save me, which we already read. Let's
Speaker 1: going and go over some notes of that and the
Speaker 1: biblical narrative. The tension between political alliances and divine trust
Speaker 1: is a reoccurring theme, illustrating the challenges faced by leaders
Speaker 1: and nations when choosing between reliance on human power and
Speaker 1: faith in God's sovereignty. This theme is particularly evident in
Speaker 1: the history of Israel and Judah, where kings often grappled
Speaker 1: with the temptation to form alliances with surrounding nations rather
Speaker 1: than relying on God's protection and guidance. Here's some Old
Speaker 1: Testament examples King Solomon's alliances. Solomon, known for his wisdom,
Speaker 1: also engaged in numerous political alliances, often through marriage. These alliances,
Speaker 1: while politically advantageous, led to spiritual compromise and first kings
Speaker 1: eleven one through four states. King Solomon, however, loved many
Speaker 1: foreign women from the nations about which the Lord had
Speaker 1: told the Israelites, you must not intermarry with them, for
Speaker 1: surely they will turn your hearts from their gods after
Speaker 1: their God. Sorry, they will turn your hearts after their gods.
Speaker 1: Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. These alliances
Speaker 1: ultimately led to Solomon's heart led Solomon's heart away from God,
Speaker 1: demonstrating the spiritual dangers of prioritizing political relationships over divine commands.
Speaker 1: And then King A has of Judah in Isaiah seven,
Speaker 1: this is speaking of this King Has. King A has
Speaker 1: faced the third of invasion from Israel and Syria. Instead
Speaker 1: of trusting in God's promise of deliverance, A has sought
Speaker 1: assistance from Assyria, a decision that Isaiah condemned. Isaiah seven
Speaker 1: nine warns if you do not stand firm in your faith,
Speaker 1: then you will not stand at all. A has reliance
Speaker 1: on Assyria brought temporary relief but ultimately led to judah
Speaker 1: sub judication and increased idolatry. And then in a King
Speaker 1: has A caused trust is going to be in Second
Speaker 1: Kings nineteen fourteen through nineteen. I'm not going to read
Speaker 1: about that one because we're probably going to go over
Speaker 1: nineteen tonight, and I don't want to give you any
Speaker 1: spoiler alerts, but that's one that you can look up
Speaker 1: later if you like, or one that we're going to
Speaker 1: go over probably tonight. King Hazekiah, okay. And then prophetic warnings.
Speaker 1: The prophets frequently worn against the dangers of police alliances.
Speaker 1: Hoseah seven to eleven describes Ephrium as a dove, easily
Speaker 1: deceived and senseless, now calling Egypt, now calling to Egypt,
Speaker 1: now turning to Assyria. This imagery underscores the futility and
Speaker 1: instability of relying on foreign powers. Similarly, Jeremiah sec Jeremiah two,
Speaker 1: verse eighteen questions, now what will you gain by traveling
Speaker 1: along the road of Egypt to drink the waters of
Speaker 1: the Nile. These warnings emphasize the true security and prosperity
Speaker 1: come from faithfulness to God, not from political maneuvering. And
Speaker 1: the New Testament. While the New Testament does not focus
Speaker 1: on political alliances in the same way as the Old Testament,
Speaker 1: the principle of divine trust over worldly reliance remains. Jesus
Speaker 1: teachings remains. Jesus teaching often highlight the futility and worldly power,
Speaker 1: and the importance of seeking God's kingdom first. In Matthew
Speaker 1: six thirty three, Jesus instructs, but seek first the Kingdom
Speaker 1: of God and his righteousness, and all these things will
Speaker 1: be added unto you. This teaching reinforces the idea that
Speaker 1: reliance on God to take precedence over any earthly strategy, strategy,
Speaker 1: or alliance. And then, from a theological standpoint, the Bible's
Speaker 1: treatment of political alliances over divine trust serves as a
Speaker 1: reminder of God's sovereignty and faithfulness. It challenges believers to
Speaker 1: evaluate where they place their trust and to prioritize their
Speaker 1: relationships with God above all else. The narratives and prophetic
Speaker 1: warnings serve as a cautionary tale use urging a return
Speaker 1: to faithfulness and dependence on God's provision and protection. See,
Speaker 1: there's lessons for us to be learned there to seek
Speaker 1: first the kingdom of God. Don't place anything over the
Speaker 1: Kingdom of God. Right, That's just something we need to
Speaker 1: know as Christians. Sometimes I need to know too, you know,
Speaker 1: sometimes I obviously would place things over God as well,
Speaker 1: just like any of you guys would. So we all
Speaker 1: need to understand that, and it's so important to know,
Speaker 1: and sometimes we forget that. So it's kind of good to,
Speaker 1: you know, go over these these stories of these kings
Speaker 1: to find out, you know, what, where they went wrong.
Speaker 1: That way we can learn from them and understand, you
Speaker 1: know that we cannot put anything that's worldly over God right,
Speaker 1: and and that's what Solomon was doing, right. He was like,
Speaker 1: any this political alliance instead of what God said, you know,
Speaker 1: So he's basically breaking God's law just to have a
Speaker 1: political alliance. And he feels like he's doing right because
Speaker 1: he's you know, he feels like it's wise because he's
Speaker 1: got this woman, this woman, this woman, and no one's
Speaker 1: going to attack. Is real because I got all these
Speaker 1: wives now, and I'm making all these political you know, alliances,
Speaker 1: and instead of following God's law, right, And that's something
Speaker 1: that is very important that we need to understand. You know,
Speaker 1: we're we also sometimes we do that, you know, we're
Speaker 1: replacing things are our needs of the world over placing
Speaker 1: over God. Right. We shouldn't do that. So all right,
Speaker 1: next up, we're gonna read verses ten through twenty, and
Speaker 1: I have notes on ten through eighteen, so let's go
Speaker 1: ahead and start reading. So we're gonna be in verse ten,
Speaker 1: so it's gonna be second King sixteen, Verse ten. Now,
Speaker 1: Now King A has went to Damascus to meet till
Speaker 1: God Pilzer, king of Assyria, and saw an altar that
Speaker 1: was at Damascus. And King A has sent to Uriah,
Speaker 1: the priest the design of the altar and its pattern,
Speaker 1: according to all its workmanship. Then Uriah the priest built
Speaker 1: an altar according to the king AHAs had sent from Damascus.
Speaker 1: So Uriah the Priest made it before King A has
Speaker 1: came back from Damascus. And then the King came back
Speaker 1: from Damascus. The king saw the altar, and the king
Speaker 1: approached the altar and made offerings to it. So we
Speaker 1: burned his offerings and his grain offering, and he poured
Speaker 1: out his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his
Speaker 1: peace offerings on the altar. He also brought the bronze
Speaker 1: altar which was before the Lord, from the front of
Speaker 1: the temple and from between the new altar and the
Speaker 1: house of the Lord, and put it on the north
Speaker 1: side of the new altar. Then King A has commanded
Speaker 1: you ride, the priest, saying, on the great new altar,
Speaker 1: burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the
Speaker 1: King's sacrifice and his grain offering, with the burnt offering
Speaker 1: of the people of the land, their grain offering and
Speaker 1: their drink offerings, and sprinkle it on the blood of
Speaker 1: the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice,
Speaker 1: and the bronze altars shall be for me to inquire by.
Speaker 1: Thus did you ride the priests according to all that
Speaker 1: the King A has commanded. And King A has cut
Speaker 1: off the panels of the carts and removed the layers
Speaker 1: from them. And he took down the sea from the
Speaker 1: bronze oxen that were under it and put it on
Speaker 1: the pavement of stones. Also he removed the sabbath pavilion
Speaker 1: which they had built in the temple. He removed the
Speaker 1: king's outer entrance from the house of the Lord on
Speaker 1: account of king, on the account of the King of Assyria.
Speaker 1: And the rest of the acts of AHAs which he did,
Speaker 1: are they not written in the book of Chronicles of
Speaker 1: the Kings of Judah. So A has rested with his
Speaker 1: fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city
Speaker 1: of David. Then has Akiah, his son, reigned in his place,
Speaker 1: which we're going to talk about right as Akiah. So
Speaker 1: the desecration of the temple is something that he did
Speaker 1: that I like to talk about.
Speaker 2: Here.
Speaker 1: A has alterations to the temple accommodate Assyrian worship practices
Speaker 1: demonstrate his prioritization the political alliance over spiritual integrity. Obviously,
Speaker 1: King AHAs didn't even care about what Yahweh would even think.
Speaker 1: And he doesn't want to change the whole temple like fully,
Speaker 1: because the people are going to be The people know
Speaker 1: how it's supposed to be right. They know. So what
Speaker 1: does he do. He compromises and change a few things
Speaker 1: here and there. We're going to read about here. The
Speaker 1: destruction of the temple is a significant theme in Biblical history,
Speaker 1: symbolizing the violation of sacred space dedicated to the worship
Speaker 1: of God. This act is often associated with idology, sacrilege,
Speaker 1: and defilment of what is holy. The Temple in Jerusalem,
Speaker 1: originally built by King Solomon, serves as a central place
Speaker 1: of worship for the Israelites and was considered the dwelling
Speaker 1: place of the presence of God on Earth. The dwelling
Speaker 1: place of God presence on Earth. Historical instances Antioch Antiochus Epiphanus.
Speaker 1: One of the most notorious instances of the temple desecration
Speaker 1: occurred during the reign of Antios Epiphanus, a Hellenic Hellenistic
Speaker 1: king of the Seligate Empire, as part of the campaign
Speaker 1: to Hellenize the Jewish people. Antiochs erected an altar to
Speaker 1: Zeus in the temple and sacrifice swine on it an
Speaker 1: act of profound sec sacrilege of the Jewish faith, and
Speaker 1: that was in one sixty seven BC in the Act
Speaker 1: the Profound Saclege of the Jewish Faith. This event is
Speaker 1: detailed in the apocryphal books First and Second Maccabees and
Speaker 1: is referred to as the Abomination of desolation. In the
Speaker 1: Book of Daniel, eleven thirty one states his forces will
Speaker 1: rise up and desecrate the temple. Some people believe, okay,
Speaker 1: I'll just put it this way, this portion. Some people
Speaker 1: believe that that was the abomination of desolation. Some people
Speaker 1: believe that that is just a precursor to the abomination
Speaker 1: deathlations that's going to happen in the future. Obviously, some
Speaker 1: people don't believe that. Are not all futurists where they
Speaker 1: believe that something's gonna happen in the future, they believe
Speaker 1: that was actually the case. But yeah, so just reading
Speaker 1: you the notes here, this is something that's in Bible hubs,
Speaker 1: So I'm not trying to say I believe that. But
Speaker 1: there's also the Roman destruction AD seventy, the Roman destruction
Speaker 1: of the Second Temple and AD seventy is another pivotal
Speaker 1: moment of desecration. Following a Jewish revolt, Roman forces led
Speaker 1: by General Titus besieges Jerusalem, ultimately destroying the temple. This
Speaker 1: event fulfilled Jesus's prophecy and the New Testament where he
Speaker 1: warned of the temple impeding destruction. In Matthew twenty four two,
Speaker 1: Jesus said, do you see all these things? Truly? I
Speaker 1: tell you, not one stone will be left on another
Speaker 1: until one everyone will be thrown down. So let's see
Speaker 1: if I So this little portion is not really talking
Speaker 1: too much about king. So that's just a couple instances
Speaker 1: where the temple was also we're actually was destroyed. This
Speaker 1: is actually what a has did is just some alterations
Speaker 1: of the temple, right, So they just want to give
Speaker 1: a few examples of that. So we are done with
Speaker 1: tewod King sixteen. That was a good little forty minute
Speaker 1: set that we just did. So that's cool. Let me
Speaker 1: go ahead and go over some practical applications for this chapter.
Speaker 1: Guard against Idolatry is one of the main ones. Oh
Speaker 1: you know what, I do have some notes. Let me
Speaker 1: go over a brief description of what we just read
Speaker 1: first before I go over the practical applications. So Second
Speaker 1: King sixteen the sixty details the sixteen year reign of
Speaker 1: a Has, one of Judah's most wicked kings, who abandoned
Speaker 1: God to embrace idolatry, including child sacrifice and re reconstructing
Speaker 1: the temple to match a pagan altar from Damascus. Facing
Speaker 1: military pressure, Aas foolishly allied with Assyria instead of trusting God,
Speaker 1: resulting in spiritual and political degradation. Degradation of Judah key
Speaker 1: themes in Second King sixteen apostcy of a Haas is
Speaker 1: talked about in verses one through four, aged twenty, rejects
Speaker 1: the righteous example of his father Jotham and David, instead
Speaker 1: mimicking the corrupt kings of Israel. He practices detestable pagan rituals,
Speaker 1: including causing his son to pass through the fire, child sacrifice,
Speaker 1: and worshiping in high places, and then the SiO Ephemite
Speaker 1: War in verses five through six, Resin from Syria and
Speaker 1: Picaf from Israel attack Jerusalem but cannot defeat it. Yet
Speaker 1: AHAs still faces immense pressure and then allied with the
Speaker 1: Assyria and verses seven through nine. Rather than relying on God,
Speaker 1: a Has drains the silver and gold from the temple
Speaker 1: and palace to bribe Tilgap Pilsir of Assyria for help.
Speaker 1: This leads to the fall of Damascus, which is in Syria,
Speaker 1: but makes Judah a vassal state of Assyria, and then
Speaker 1: a profanation of the temple is going to be in
Speaker 1: Verses ten through eighteen. After visiting Damascus, a Has copies
Speaker 1: a pagan altar, has it built in Jerusalem by the
Speaker 1: compressed priests Uriah compromised to compress compromise priest Uriah and
Speaker 1: replaces the bronze altar of God. He further breaks down
Speaker 1: the temple furniture to appease the king of Assyria, and
Speaker 1: in conclusion Versus nineteen through twenty eight, Has dies and
Speaker 1: is inburied in Jerusalem and succeeded by his son Hezekiah.
Speaker 1: This chapter acts as a downward path for Judah, marked
Speaker 1: a severe decline in national spiritual leadership and a loss
Speaker 1: of sovereignty due to trust in human power over divine protection.
Speaker 1: Perfect Now, let's go over these practical applications guard against idolatry.
Speaker 1: Evaluate areas in your life where cultural influences may lead
Speaker 1: away from God's commands. Are there modern idols that you
Speaker 1: need to remove? I think we all have modern idols
Speaker 1: that we need to remove from our life right now.
Speaker 1: We just might not understand that there's idols. One of
Speaker 1: the idols that I would say that I have to
Speaker 1: remove from my life, well, first was when I first
Speaker 1: became a Christian rapper. You kind of get this feeling
Speaker 1: of just keep on checking, you know, when people are
Speaker 1: watching your music and you're literally constantly checking and it
Speaker 1: becomes like almost obsessive where people are commenting on your music.
Speaker 1: And it was like my dream since I was sixteen
Speaker 1: to become a professional rapper, right So it was like
Speaker 1: I was so I was like, it became like an
Speaker 1: idol for me. Just put it that way. So when
Speaker 1: I sat when I came out as a Christian rapper
Speaker 1: and I got like, you know, six or seven thousand
Speaker 1: views on my keep Me Away video, I was like,
Speaker 1: oh my goodness. And then I made another song. You know,
Speaker 1: next song I made didn't do as well, maybe got
Speaker 1: nine hundred views. And then I made another song you
Speaker 1: know that that ended up getting fifty four hundred views.
Speaker 1: You know, it was signs of things to come where
Speaker 1: I was talking about COVID and all this other stuff,
Speaker 1: and it's kind of becomes an idol in your life
Speaker 1: where you're like looking for you know, oh, looking for
Speaker 1: gratification through your music. You know, oh, people were like
Speaker 1: like in my music cool, But it does become an idol.
Speaker 1: So that's something that happened to me, you know, and
Speaker 1: then I don't do music anymore because of that. I
Speaker 1: just said, you know what, I got to get rid
Speaker 1: of that. Let me just do podcasting. And you kind
Speaker 1: of get you can kind of think, you know, like
Speaker 1: in the beginning of podcasting, it kind of happens as well,
Speaker 1: you know, where you're just looking at all the comments
Speaker 1: and so do people like me? Do they like my show?
Speaker 1: And then it gets to a point where you're just like,
Speaker 1: who cares, you know, just do your thing for God
Speaker 1: and that's it. And that's where I got to the
Speaker 1: point where I'm like, cool, podcasting I could do. I'm
Speaker 1: just gonna do things for the Lord and give all
Speaker 1: glory to God at all times. And I feel comfortable
Speaker 1: with this. But the music thing I had some type
Speaker 1: of I had some type of it was almost like
Speaker 1: some kind of idol was there. You know. Another thing
Speaker 1: that I had to kind of deal with was the
Speaker 1: flat earth idol. You know, I had flat Earth. I
Speaker 1: kept on study and studying, studying flat out, searching, searching,
Speaker 1: searching all this stuff, you know, and not saying that
Speaker 1: I don't believe in flat earth anymore. Biblical cosmology just
Speaker 1: I had to make sure that I just open up
Speaker 1: my you know, just don't content shit so much on
Speaker 1: just Genesis. I need to do the whole entire Bible,
Speaker 1: which I'm obviously doing with you guys. So thank you
Speaker 1: guys for helping me with that idol. But I was
Speaker 1: really stuck in Genesis and kind of every time someone
Speaker 1: had me on their show, I'm doing nepheline or I'm
Speaker 1: doing biblical cosmology. But now you guys have obviously expanded
Speaker 1: my horizons since I'm doing these Bible studies with you guys,
Speaker 1: which is amazing. So other idols in my life, well,
Speaker 1: I used to have drugs back in the day. I
Speaker 1: had alcohol lust, I had you know, obviously TV can
Speaker 1: be an idol. Netflix can be an idol, cell phones
Speaker 1: can be an idol. There's a lot of things that
Speaker 1: I could admit that I that I had been, you know,
Speaker 1: obviously involved in, you know, so now now there's obviously
Speaker 1: things that I need to place God in front of
Speaker 1: and sometimes I don't. And sometimes there's things that I
Speaker 1: need to place my family in front of some of
Speaker 1: the stuff that I'm doing business wise as well. So
Speaker 1: I'm trying to balance that and do my very best.
Speaker 1: But that's kind of the things that I have going
Speaker 1: on that I try to remove and that I dealt
Speaker 1: with in my life. And it's a blessing now that
Speaker 1: the music thing is not as I don't really have
Speaker 1: that feeling anymore where I have to impress with music
Speaker 1: not so I don't have that anymore. Okay, Next, trust
Speaker 1: in God's sovereignty in times of crisis. Resists that resist, sorry,
Speaker 1: in times of crisis, rely solely on human solutions, seek
Speaker 1: God's guidance and trust in his provisions. Yes, resist the
Speaker 1: temptation and really solely on human solutions. That's definitely true.
Speaker 1: And rely on the Lord for sure. That's that's a
Speaker 1: good one, and it's it's kind of harden. Whenever you
Speaker 1: get into situations, sometimes you want to act fast, you know,
Speaker 1: and sometimes it's hard to wait on God. So you
Speaker 1: gotta wait. Resist the temptation relies solely on God instead
Speaker 1: of human solutions. Value godly leadership. Pray for leaders who
Speaker 1: will uphold biblical values and lead with integrity. Consider how
Speaker 1: you can support and encourage godly leadership in your community.
Speaker 1: What that is probably saying is for you to go
Speaker 1: out and vote and kind of for your local leaders.
Speaker 1: And I think that's what it's talking about there, you know,
Speaker 1: I think that, yeah, the elections that are local don't
Speaker 1: seem to be as corrupt as the elections that are
Speaker 1: on a national level. Right, So the people that get
Speaker 1: put in the position of becoming president. I mean I've
Speaker 1: broke it down on a lot of my shows where
Speaker 1: you know, they've been from secret societies, they've gone to Yale,
Speaker 1: they've been in secret societies in college and high school,
Speaker 1: and it's almost like they're bred to become president. You know.
Speaker 1: It's kind of hard to get some guy that graduated
Speaker 1: from Samardian Valley College, which is a junior college, and
Speaker 1: all of a sudden make that person a president of
Speaker 1: the United States. So yeah, I think on a local level,
Speaker 1: if you're into politics and all that stuff, you know,
Speaker 1: I just think that the you know, the right, left,
Speaker 1: and all that stuff. It's all the same bird, and
Speaker 1: they're all the same, they're all doing the same stuff,
Speaker 1: you know. So anyways, don't want to talk too much
Speaker 1: about that. But if you're in to voting, then it
Speaker 1: says here pray for leaders who are uphold biblical values.
Speaker 1: So we definitely need to pray for them no matter what.
Speaker 1: That's that's a given. And lead with integrity. Right, consider
Speaker 1: how you can support an occurreags goally leadership in our community.
Speaker 1: Of course. Now let's go ahead and check out some
Speaker 1: additional scriptures that connect. We have Deuteronomy eighteen, verses nine
Speaker 1: through twelve. This passage warns against adopting the detestable practices
Speaker 1: of other nations, which has a as ignored. Let's go
Speaker 1: ahead and check out that versal quick, so we know
Speaker 1: what they're talking about here. So it's gonna be Deuteronomy eighteen.
Speaker 1: So Deuteronomy eighteen, verses nine through twelve. Let's see what
Speaker 1: it says. Avoid wicked customs is what it says in
Speaker 1: the title. When you come into the land which the
Speaker 1: Lord your God has given you, you shall not learn
Speaker 1: to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not
Speaker 1: be found among you anyone who makes his son or
Speaker 1: his daughter pass through the fire, or who practices witchcraft,
Speaker 1: or a sooth sayer, or one who interprets omens, or
Speaker 1: a sorcerer, or one who conjure spells, or a medium
Speaker 1: or a spiritust, or one who calls up the dead.
Speaker 1: For all who do these things are abomination to the Lord.
Speaker 1: And because these abominations, because of these abominations, the Lord
Speaker 1: God drives them out from before you. You shall be
Speaker 1: blameless before the Lord of your God. For these nations
Speaker 1: will which you will dispose, you will disposees. Listen to
Speaker 1: soussayers and divineers. Diviners are something I don't know what,
Speaker 1: just devinears, I guess. But as for you, the Lord
Speaker 1: your God has not appointed such for you. Okay, So
Speaker 1: this passage warns against adopting the detestable practices of other nations,
Speaker 1: which A has ignored. Then we have Proverbs three, verses
Speaker 1: five through six. It's a reminder to trust the Lord
Speaker 1: with all your heart and lean out on your own understanding.
Speaker 1: Contrastean A has reliance on Assyria. Next one is going
Speaker 1: to be Psalms twenty verse seven. Some trust in chariots,
Speaker 1: some in horses, but we trust in the name of
Speaker 1: the Lord, our God, highlighting the importance of divine trust
Speaker 1: over military alliances. The psalmist is speaking game right there, right,
Speaker 1: King David perfect. So that is the end of chapter sixteen.
Speaker 1: Let me just go over the introduction for chapter seventeen.
Speaker 1: Let me find it looks like, yeah, this is a
Speaker 1: little bit little longer chapter here, Okay. So Second King
Speaker 1: seventeen is a sobering account of the fail of the
Speaker 1: Kingdom of visual due to their abandonment of God's commands
Speaker 1: and their persistent idolatry. The chapter sheds light on God's
Speaker 1: righteous judgment, the consequences of disobedience, and the dangers of syncretism. Okay,
Speaker 1: so let's go ahead and go to the teaching points.
Speaker 1: We have six Okay, so let's go ahead and read.
Speaker 1: We're going to read Second Kings seventeen one through what
Speaker 1: one through four real quick, and then I should I'll
Speaker 1: have some notes to kind of go over that, and
Speaker 1: then I should have some notes on six, seven through eight,
Speaker 1: ten through twelve, thirteen, and also eighteen through twenty. So
Speaker 1: got some pretty good stuff here, all right. So First
Speaker 1: Kings seventeen, Chapter seventeen, verse one Hosea's reign in Israel,
Speaker 1: oh Hoshia in the twelfth year of Ahaz, King of Judah, Hoshea,
Speaker 1: the King of Allah, became king of Israel in Samaria,
Speaker 1: and he reigned nine years. And he did evil on
Speaker 1: the side of the Lord, but not as the kings
Speaker 1: of Israel who were before him. Shalman Nazir, king of Assyria,
Speaker 1: came up against him, and Hoshia became his vassal, and
Speaker 1: he paid him tribute money. And the King of Assyria
Speaker 1: uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshia, who had sent messengers to
Speaker 1: so King of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria, as he had done year by year.
Speaker 1: Therefore the King of Assyria shut him up and bound
Speaker 1: him in prison. Wow.
Speaker 2: So so basically, and we'll do it. We'll go over
Speaker 2: a brief description of that. So second key, seventeen vers
Speaker 2: is one through four marks the beginning of the.
Speaker 1: End of the Northern Kingdom of Israel approximately seven thirty
Speaker 1: two to seven twenty two BC, detailing Hoshea's reign, his
Speaker 1: vassiligious to or his vassaid vassalage to Assyria and his
Speaker 1: fatal conspiracy with Egypt. It highlights the desperation of Israel's
Speaker 1: last king, who tried to avoid paying tribute to Shalmanazir
Speaker 1: the fifth by seeking Egyptian aid, resulting in his imprisonment.
Speaker 1: Ohshia's reign, Hoseir became king of Israel and Samaria, reigning
Speaker 1: for nine years. While he did evil in the eyes
Speaker 1: of the Lord, the text notes he was not as
Speaker 1: wicked as the kings before him, Assyria's vassilage and Shamanizir
Speaker 1: shall Manir Mensir, the fifth, King of Assyria, invaded, making
Speaker 1: Hosea a vassal subject forced to pay annual tribute. The
Speaker 1: failed conspiracy, Hoshea sent messengers to sow the King of
Speaker 1: Egypt and stopped paying tribute to Assyria. The act of
Speaker 1: rebellion prompted sham Mazir to imprison Hoshia, initiating the final
Speaker 1: downfall of the Northern Kingdom. Spiritual context, this political maneuvering
Speaker 1: represents a reliance on foreign powers rather than on God,
Speaker 1: reflecting a continued lack of faith by the nation that
Speaker 1: led their eventual exile. This section sets the states for
Speaker 1: the fall of Samaria by the Assyrians, highlighting the consequences
Speaker 1: of rebelling against a superior power Assyria, and more importantly,
Speaker 1: disregarding God perfect. Now let's go ahead and check out
Speaker 1: tewod King seventeen verse five, Israel carried captive to Assyria.
Speaker 1: So we'll read five through five and six, and I
Speaker 1: have some notes. Then we'll do seven through twelve, and
Speaker 1: I have some more notes. Okay, Now the King of
Speaker 1: Assyria went through this, says Israel carried captive to Assyria.
Speaker 1: We're going to be in Second King seventeen verse five.
Speaker 1: Now the King of Assyria went throughout the land and
Speaker 1: went to Samaria and besieged it for three years. In
Speaker 1: the ninth year of Hosheia, the King of Assyria took
Speaker 1: Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria and placed them
Speaker 1: in Halla by the harbor the river of Gazan and
Speaker 1: the cities of Medize. Medis Okay, the fall of Israel
Speaker 1: and Second King seventeen six states In the ninth year
Speaker 1: of Ossea, the King of Assyria captured Samaria deported the
Speaker 1: Israelites to Assyria. This marks the end of the Northern
Speaker 1: Kingdom due to their unfaithfulness. The fall of Israel refers
Speaker 1: to the conquest and subsequent exile of the Northern Kingdom
Speaker 1: of Israel by the Assyrian Empire in seven twenty two BC.
Speaker 1: This pivotal event in Biblical history is a significant demonstration
Speaker 1: of divine judgment due to the persistent idolatry and disobedience
Speaker 1: of the Israelites. The narrative of Israel's fall is pibki
Speaker 1: excuse me, primarily chronicled in the Books of Second Kings
Speaker 1: and Second Chronicles, with prophetic insigns provided by Amos, Hoseiah
Speaker 1: and Isaiah historical contexts. Following the reign of Solomon, the
Speaker 1: United Monarchy of Israel split into two kingdoms, the Northern
Speaker 1: Kingdom known as Israel and the Southern Kingdom known as Judah.
Speaker 1: The Northern kingdoms, compromising ten tribes, established as capital in Samaria.
Speaker 1: From its inception, Israel struggled with idolatry, beginning with Jerobohm's
Speaker 1: establishment of the Golden calfs in Bethel and Dan One
Speaker 1: Kings twelve twenty eight through thirty. The idolatrists practices set
Speaker 1: a precedent for future kings, leading the nation further away
Speaker 1: from the covenanial laws given by God prophetic warnings history,
Speaker 1: God sent prophets to warn Israel of impending judgment due
Speaker 1: to their unfaithfulness. The prophet Amos, active during the reign
Speaker 1: of Jeroboehm the second, warned of Israel's social injustices and
Speaker 1: religious hypocrisy, declaring therefore that this is what I will
Speaker 1: do to you, Oh Israel. And since I will do
Speaker 1: this to you, prepare to meet your God, Oh Israel,
Speaker 1: Amos four, verse twelve. Joseiah, another prophet, used his own
Speaker 1: marriage as a metaphor for god relationship with Israel, highlighting
Speaker 1: their spiritual adultery and calling them to repentance. Return O
Speaker 1: Israel to the Lord, Oh God, you have stumbled by
Speaker 1: your iniquity, Hoseiah fourteen, verse one. The Assyrian Conquest, the
Speaker 1: culmination of Israel's disobedience, came during the reign of Oshia,
Speaker 1: the last king of Israel and second King seventeen verse six.
Speaker 1: It is recorded in the ninth year of Oshaeia, the
Speaker 1: king of Assyria, captured Samaria, deporting the Israelites to Assyria.
Speaker 1: He settled them in the halog Gaza on Gazan, on
Speaker 1: the Harbor River, and in the cities of medice. The
Speaker 1: deportation marked the end of the Northern Kingdom as a
Speaker 1: political entity and fulfilled the prophetic warnings of exile. Reasons
Speaker 1: for the fall, The biblical narrative attributes the fall of
Speaker 1: Israel to several key factors. Idolatry, the persistent worship of
Speaker 1: foreign gods, and the establishment of high places provoked the
Speaker 1: Lord to anger. Second King seventeen seven through twelve highlights
Speaker 1: the spiritual infidelity of Israel, stating they worship other gods
Speaker 1: and followed the customs of the nations, and the Lord
Speaker 1: had driven out before the Israelites. Covenant unfaithfulness. Israel's failure
Speaker 1: to adhere to the covenanial laws given through Moses is
Speaker 1: highlighted as a primary cause for their downfall. Second King seventeen,
Speaker 1: verse fifteen notes they rejected his statutes and his covenant
Speaker 1: he had made with their fathers, and the testimonies he
Speaker 1: had decreed for them. Social injustice. The prophets frequently condemned
Speaker 1: the social injustices prevalent in Israel, including the oppression of
Speaker 1: the poor and corruption among the leaders. Amos five eleven
Speaker 1: through twelve speaks against such practices, emphasizing God's displeasure. The
Speaker 1: fall of Visuel serves as a sobering reminder of the
Speaker 1: consequences of turning away from God. It underscores the seriousness
Speaker 1: which God views idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. Despite the judgment,
Speaker 1: the prophetic literature also contains promises of restoration and hope,
Speaker 1: pointing to a future where God would gather as people
Speaker 1: once more. The theme of judgment and hope is woven
Speaker 1: throughout the biblical narrative, illustrating God's justice and mercy. The
Speaker 1: fall of Israel had lasting implications for the Jewish people
Speaker 1: and their understanding of their relationship with God. It served
Speaker 1: as a historical lesson to the Southern Kingdom of Judah,
Speaker 1: which witnessed the consequences of apostacy firsthand. The event also
Speaker 1: set the stage for the later Babylonian exile of Judah,
Speaker 1: reinforcing the need for faithfulness to God's covenant. The account
Speaker 1: of Israel's fall continues to be a poignant reminder for
Speaker 1: believers today to the importance of remaining faithful to God
Speaker 1: and the dangers of allowing idolaty and disobedience to take
Speaker 1: root in one's life. Wow a lot to learn there
Speaker 1: from that. Now, let's go ahead and read verses seven
Speaker 1: through through twelve and see what we can learn from
Speaker 1: this one. In Verse seventeen, sorry, Chapter seventeen, Verse seven says,
Speaker 1: for it was up, for it was that the children
Speaker 1: of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who
Speaker 1: had brought them out of the land of Egypt from
Speaker 1: under the hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. And they
Speaker 1: had feared other gods, and had walked in the statutes
Speaker 1: of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before
Speaker 1: the children of Israel, and the kings of Israel, which
Speaker 1: they had made. Also, the children of Israel secretly did
Speaker 1: against the Lord their God things that were not right,
Speaker 1: and they built for themselves high places in all the cities,
Speaker 1: from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves
Speaker 1: sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill, and
Speaker 1: under every green tree. They had burned incenses all on
Speaker 1: all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord
Speaker 1: had carried away before them. They did wicked things to
Speaker 1: provoke the Lord to anger, for they served idols of
Speaker 1: which the Lord had said to them, you shall not
Speaker 1: do this thing. Okay, So let's go ahead and stop
Speaker 1: there so reasons for exile. Verses seven through eight highlights
Speaker 1: Israel's exile was due to their sin against God, as
Speaker 1: they feared other gods and walked in the customs of
Speaker 1: the nations that God had driven out before them. The
Speaker 1: concept of exile is a significant theme throughout the Bible,
Speaker 1: particularly in the Old Testament. Exile refers to the force
Speaker 1: removal and displacement of individuals or groups from their homeland,
Speaker 1: often as a result of divine judgment. The reasons for
Speaker 1: exile and the Biblical narrative are multifaceted, encompassing spiritual morale
Speaker 1: and covenanial dimensions. Disobedience to God's commandments. One of the
Speaker 1: primary reasons for exile in the Bible is the disobedience
Speaker 1: of God's commandments. The Israelites were given the Law through Moses,
Speaker 1: which outlined their covenantial obligation to God. However, repeated violations
Speaker 1: of these laws led to severe consequences of Leviticus sixteen,
Speaker 1: verse thirty three. God warns, but if you do not
Speaker 1: obey me and do not carry out all these commandments,
Speaker 1: I will scatter you among the nations and will draw
Speaker 1: out his sword after you and your land becomes desolate
Speaker 1: and the cities become waste. Number two. Idolatry, or the
Speaker 1: worship of false gods, is another critical reason for exile.
Speaker 1: The Israelites frequently turned to the gods of the surrounding nations,
Speaker 1: violating the First Commandment. The spiritual. Spiritual adultery provoke God's ink,
Speaker 1: provoke God to anger, and led to their punishment. In
Speaker 1: Second King seventeen seven through eight, it has recorded all
Speaker 1: this thing took place because Israelites had senned against the Lord,
Speaker 1: their God, who had brought them out of the land
Speaker 1: of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, the King
Speaker 1: of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods and walked in
Speaker 1: the customs of the nations the Lord had driven out
Speaker 1: before the Israelites. Next, social injustice. The prophets often highlighted
Speaker 1: social injustice as a reason for God's judgment and the
Speaker 1: subsequent exile. The exploitation of the poor, corruption, and perversion
Speaker 1: of justice were rampant in Israel and Judah. In Isaiah
Speaker 1: one verses twenty three twenty four, the prophet declares, your
Speaker 1: rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes
Speaker 1: and chase their gifts. They do not defend the fatherless,
Speaker 1: and the plea for the widow never comes before them. Therefore,
Speaker 1: the Lord, God of Host and the Mighty One of Israel,
Speaker 1: declares all, I will vent my wrath on my foes
Speaker 1: and avenge myself against my enemies. Failure to observe the Sabbaths.
Speaker 1: The failure to observe the Sabbaths, including the Sabbath year,
Speaker 1: was another reason for exile. The land was very land.
Speaker 1: The land was to rest every seventh year, but that
Speaker 1: Israe realized neglected this command. As a result, the land
Speaker 1: itself was to enjoy at Sabbaths during the period of exile,
Speaker 1: and Second Chronicles thirty six thirty one it has stated
Speaker 1: this fulfillment of the word of the Lord through Jeremiah,
Speaker 1: until the land had enjoyed a Sabbaths, as long as
Speaker 1: they lay desolate, it kept the Sabbath to fulfilled seventy years.
Speaker 1: Prophetic warnings are ignored. God sent prophets to warn the
Speaker 1: people of an independent judgment in exile, they do not repent. However,
Speaker 1: these warnings were often ignored to meet with hostility. Jeremiah,
Speaker 1: known as the Weeping Prophet, repeatedly warned Judah of the
Speaker 1: coming Babylonian exile. And Jeremiah twenty five, verses four through five,
Speaker 1: it is written, and the Lord has sent all his
Speaker 1: servants the prophets to you again and again, but you
Speaker 1: have not listened or inclined your ear to hear. They said,
Speaker 1: Turn now, each of you from your evil ways and
Speaker 1: your evil deeds, and you can dwell in the land
Speaker 1: the Lord has given to you and your father's forever
Speaker 1: and ever. Another is Divine sovereignty and purpose. Ultimately, the
Speaker 1: exile serves as a demonstration of God's sovereignty and his
Speaker 1: purpose in history. While it was a punishment for sin,
Speaker 1: it had a redemptive aspect, purifying the people and preparing
Speaker 1: them for a future restoration. And Deuteronomy thirty verses one
Speaker 1: through three. God promises, when all these blessings and curses
Speaker 1: I have sent before you come upon you, and you
Speaker 1: take them to heart, wherever the Lord your God disperses
Speaker 1: you among the nations, and when you and your children
Speaker 1: return to the Lord your God and obey him with
Speaker 1: all your heart and with all your soul, according to
Speaker 1: everything I command you today, then the Lord your God
Speaker 1: will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and
Speaker 1: gather you again among the nations where He scattered you.
Speaker 1: The reasons for exile in the Bible are deeply intertwined
Speaker 1: with the covenant relationship between God and his people, highlighting
Speaker 1: this seriousness of sin, the necessity of obedience, and the
Speaker 1: hope of restoration. So it's kind of cool that we
Speaker 1: got to kind of discover right here where the point
Speaker 1: where the noise northern Kingdom of Israel was taken out,
Speaker 1: you know, and you still had Judah right. It's interesting
Speaker 1: that we got to, you know, read that together and
Speaker 1: know that portion. Idolatry and disobedience is spoken about in
Speaker 1: verses ten through twelve, describing how the Israelites set up
Speaker 1: sacred pillars and astroth polls and burn incense on all
Speaker 1: high places, directly disobeying God's commandments. Idolatry is something we've
Speaker 1: talked about in the past, but it says idolatry and
Speaker 1: Biblical terms refers to the worship of idols, or the
Speaker 1: elevation of anything or anyone to a status that rivals
Speaker 1: or replaces the worship of the One True God. It
Speaker 1: is often a recurring theme throughout the Bible, often depicted
Speaker 1: as a grave sin that leads to spiritual or moral decay.
Speaker 1: The first commandment given to the Israelites explicitly forbids idolatry.
Speaker 1: You shall have no other gods before me. This command
Speaker 1: underscores the exclusivity and supremacy of God in the lives
Speaker 1: of his people. The Old Testament is replete with instances
Speaker 1: where the Israelites fe and idolatry out and influenced by
Speaker 1: neighboring cultures and their deities. For example, the worship of
Speaker 1: the golden calf in Exos thirty two is a notable incident.
Speaker 1: Or the Israelites, in Moses' absence, demanded Aaron to make
Speaker 1: them gods to lead them. The act of idolatry provoked
Speaker 1: God's wrath and Moses's interceding, interceding on the behalf of
Speaker 1: the people to avert their destruction. Idolatry is not limited
Speaker 1: to the worship of physical idols, but extends to anything
Speaker 1: that takes presidence over God in one's life. The prophet
Speaker 1: Ezekiel speaks of idols in the heart, indicating that idology
Speaker 1: can be an internal disposition as much as an external practice.
Speaker 1: Son of Men these men have set up idols in
Speaker 1: their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
Speaker 1: The New Testament continues to warn against idolatry, emphasizing its
Speaker 1: incompatibility with Christian faith. The apostle Paul admonishes believers to
Speaker 1: flee from my idology in one Corinthians ten, verse fourteen,
Speaker 1: and identifies the work of the flesh in Galatians five,
Speaker 1: verses nineteen through twenty. In this letter to the Colossians,
Speaker 1: Paul equates covesouness with idolatry howl in the broader application
Speaker 1: of the term put to death. Therefore, the components of
Speaker 1: earthly nature sexual morality, impurity, lost, evil, desires, and greed,
Speaker 1: which is idolatry. Okay, So I just want to go
Speaker 1: over that with you, guys. And then we have prophetic
Speaker 1: warnings ignored in verse thirteen, which we're about to read now.
Speaker 1: So we'll continue to read. So Sewod King seventeen, verse thirteen,
Speaker 1: it says, yet the Lord testified against Israel, against Judah
Speaker 1: by all his prophets, every seer, saying, turn from your
Speaker 1: evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, according
Speaker 1: to the law which I commanded your fathers, and which
Speaker 1: I sent to you by my servants and the prophets. Nevertheless,
Speaker 1: they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, let their
Speaker 1: necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the
Speaker 1: Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes and his
Speaker 1: covenant that he had made with their fathers, and his
Speaker 1: testimonies which he had testified against them. They followed idols,
Speaker 1: became idolators, and went after the nations that were all
Speaker 1: around them, concerning whom the Lord had changed them, that
Speaker 1: they should do not like them, that they should not
Speaker 1: do like them. And they left all the commandments of
Speaker 1: the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image,
Speaker 1: and two calves made a woman it would an image,
Speaker 1: and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and served bail.
Speaker 1: And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through
Speaker 1: the fire, practice witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to
Speaker 1: do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke
Speaker 1: him to anger. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with
Speaker 1: is removed them from his sight, and there was none
Speaker 1: left but the tribe of Judah alone. Okay, so this
Speaker 1: is all explaining that whole situation versus thirteen through eighteen.
Speaker 1: All right, so let's go ahead and stop there and
Speaker 1: check out Prophetic warnings ignored in verse thirteen. Verse thirteen
Speaker 1: reveals that God sent prophets to warn Israel, saying, turn
Speaker 1: from your evil ways and keep my commandments, but they
Speaker 1: would not listen. Prophetic warnings ignored throughout the biblical narrative, God,
Speaker 1: in his mercy and justice, has sent prophets to deliver
Speaker 1: warnings to his people. These warnings often called for repentance
Speaker 1: and a return to righteousness. Yet history records numerous instances
Speaker 1: where the divine messages were ignored, leading to dire consequences.
Speaker 1: For example, Noah's generation in Genesis sick, God warned. In
Speaker 1: Genesis six, God warned of impeding judgment due to the
Speaker 1: wickedness of humanity. Noah, described as a righteous man, blames
Speaker 1: among all contemporaries. His contemporaries is instructed to build an arc.
Speaker 1: Despite Noah's obedience and the clear warning of the coming flood,
Speaker 1: the people of his time continued in their ways, ultimately
Speaker 1: perishing in the deluge. Sodom and Gomorra. The cities in
Speaker 1: Salom Gomora were notorious for their sinfulness. In Genesis nineteen,
Speaker 1: God sends angels to warn Lot of impeding destruction. Despite
Speaker 1: the warning, Lot's sun in Law dismissal as a jest,
Speaker 1: and the cities are subsequently destroyed by the fire and
Speaker 1: brimstone and the Israelites in the wilderness. Throughout the Exodus journey,
Speaker 1: the Israelites frequently ignored God's commands and warnings delivered through
Speaker 1: Moses in Numbers fourteen, after the report of the spies
Speaker 1: that people rebelled against entering the Promised Land. Despite God's
Speaker 1: warning of the consequences, they persist in their disobedience, resulting
Speaker 1: in a forty year wilderness wandering Numbers fourteen, verse thirty four.
Speaker 1: The Prophets of Israel and Judah, the books of the
Speaker 1: Prophets are replete with warnings of the Kingdom of Israel
Speaker 1: and Judah. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel called the
Speaker 1: people to repentance, warning of exile and destruction if they
Speaker 1: continued in idolatry and injustice. Jeremiah, known as the Weeping Prophet,
Speaker 1: laminated the people's refusal to heed God's warning and ultimately
Speaker 1: led to the Babylonian exile in Jeremiah twenty five, verses
Speaker 1: four through eleven. New Testament examples John the Baptist as
Speaker 1: the forerunner of Christ. John the Baptist called for repentance,
Speaker 1: warning the coming of Wrath and Matthew three seven through twelve. Many,
Speaker 1: including the religious leaders, ignored his message, failing to recognize
Speaker 1: the significance of the Messiah's arrival, and then Jesus's warnings
Speaker 1: to Jerusalem. Jesus himself issued warnings to the people of
Speaker 1: his time, and Luke nineteen forty one through forty four
Speaker 1: he weeps over Jerusalem for seeing its destruction due to
Speaker 1: the people's failure to recognize the time of the time
Speaker 1: of your visitation Luke nineteen forty four. Despite his miracles
Speaker 1: and teachings, many rejected his rejected his message, leading to
Speaker 1: the city's fall in eighty seventy. The Apostolic warnings the
Speaker 1: Apostle warned continue to warn of spiritual dangers and the
Speaker 1: need for vigilance. Paul and his letters frequently admonish the
Speaker 1: early Church who remain steadfast in faith and avoid false teachings.
Speaker 1: Two Timothy four, verses three through four. The Book of
Speaker 1: Revelation continues contains warnings to the Seven churches, urging them
Speaker 1: to repeat and return to their first love Revelation two
Speaker 1: and three. The theological implications ignorant ignoring prophetic warnings is
Speaker 1: a reoccurring theme that underscores the human tendency towards spiritual
Speaker 1: deafness and rebellion. These biblical accounts serve as a sobering
Speaker 1: reminder of the consequences of disregarding God's word. They highlight
Speaker 1: the importance of heeding divine warnings, embracing repentance, and aligning
Speaker 1: one's life with God's will. The narratives also reflects God's
Speaker 1: patient and desire for his people to turn back to him,
Speaker 1: even in the face of persistent disobedience. Right, and eighteen
Speaker 1: through twenty we haven't read yet, so I'm going to
Speaker 1: leave that. I'm going to leave that until I get
Speaker 1: done with verses nineteen through twenty three. We did read eighteen,
Speaker 1: but we didn't read eighteen through twenty yet, so let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and read starting at nineteen. Also, Judah did
Speaker 1: not keep the commandments of the Lord their God that
Speaker 1: walked in the statues of Israel which they made, and
Speaker 1: the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel afflicting them
Speaker 1: and delivered them in the hand of plunders until he
Speaker 1: had cast them from his sight. For he tore Israel
Speaker 1: from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam, the
Speaker 1: son of the Bat King. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from
Speaker 1: following the Lord and made them commit a great sin.
Speaker 1: From the children of Israel walked in all the ways
Speaker 1: of Jereboam, which he did, and he did not depart
Speaker 1: about them. He did not depart from them until the
Speaker 1: Lord removed Israel out of his sight. And he had
Speaker 1: said by all his servants the prophet. So Israel was
Speaker 1: carried away from their own land in Assyria, as as
Speaker 1: it is to this day, is what it says. So
Speaker 1: Consequences of Rebellion Verses eighteen through twenty explained that God's
Speaker 1: anger led to the removal of Israel from his sight,
Speaker 1: leaving only the tribe of Judah. So rebellion against God
Speaker 1: and his ordained authority is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible,
Speaker 1: and its consequences are depicted with gravity and seriousness the Bible.
Speaker 1: The Bible provides numerous accounts and teachings that illustrate the
Speaker 1: spiritual and moral, physical repercussions of rebellion. Old Testament examples
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve in Genesis three. The first act of
Speaker 1: rebellion in the Bible is disobedience of Adam and Eve
Speaker 1: and the gardener Eden by eating the forbidden fruit. They
Speaker 1: defiled God's command, resulting in the fall of humanity. And
Speaker 1: then the Tower of Babel is an one. Humanities, well,
Speaker 1: I would say Genesis six was a huge rebellion, right,
Speaker 1: It doesn't even mention it here. Genesis six, where the
Speaker 1: sons of God came down and had sex with human
Speaker 1: women and had giants is another one. And then the
Speaker 1: Tower of Babbles another one. Humanity's attempt to build a
Speaker 1: tower to reach the heavens was an act of was
Speaker 1: an act of collective rebellion against God's command to fill
Speaker 1: the earth. As consequences, God confused their languages that scattered
Speaker 1: them across the earth, thwarting their plans and demonstrating his
Speaker 1: sovereignty over human pride and ambition. Then we had Cora's
Speaker 1: rebellion in number sixteen. Cora, along with Dathan and Abriam
Speaker 1: and two hundred and fifty other leaders, rebelled against Moses
Speaker 1: and Aaron's leadership. Their defiance met with severe judgment as
Speaker 1: the Earth opened up and swallowed them, illustrating the dire
Speaker 1: consequences of challenging God. God's records hold on and challenging
Speaker 1: God's appointed leaders. Sorry, not records a number. It says
Speaker 1: number sixteen thirty two through thirty eight records, not records.
Speaker 1: And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and
Speaker 1: their households, all Cora's men, and their possessions. And they
Speaker 1: went down alive into Shield with all they have owned,
Speaker 1: and the earth closed over them, and they vanished from
Speaker 1: there from the assembly. Try explaining that on the current cosmology. Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm not trying to say that that can happen on
Speaker 1: the globe. But what I'm trying to say is biblical cosmology,
Speaker 1: Shield is in the earth. Okay, sheal is in the earth.
Speaker 1: And that's pretty that's a pretty telling tell That's a
Speaker 1: pretty telling thing that if the Earth opens up and
Speaker 1: it swallows these people and they go into Shield, that
Speaker 1: shield is in the earth. Right, So that's what the
Speaker 1: Bible talks about. What scientists try to tell us is
Speaker 1: scientists try to tell us that there's magma in there
Speaker 1: and just that you know, and We've only dug eight
Speaker 1: miles down, so we really couldn't tell you what's actually
Speaker 1: in the earth. But they're going to give you a
Speaker 1: test on you know, you have to answer how hot
Speaker 1: the core of the earth is when they have no idea,
Speaker 1: But the Bible right there in numbers is talking about
Speaker 1: the earth opening up and swallowing these people and them
Speaker 1: going into Shield. And then also in Samuel, first Samuel
Speaker 1: where they go to the witch of Ornd or king
Speaker 1: Saul and he brings up Samuel right or she brings
Speaker 1: up Samuel. Where is he located at that time? Well,
Speaker 1: he's located in Shield inside the earth. So he's going
Speaker 1: to be on Abraham's bosom. He's going to be on
Speaker 1: the side with the paradise, and then the other side
Speaker 1: is going to be like Shield, which is talked about
Speaker 1: in Luke sixteen. So I don't want to get too
Speaker 1: deep into that because it's not part of our study tonight,
Speaker 1: but I'll continue The Bible consists instantly portrays rebellion as
Speaker 1: a grave sin with serious consequences. It caused believers to
Speaker 1: a life of obedience, humility, and submission to God's will,
Speaker 1: emphasizing the blessings of faithfulness and the dangers of defiance. Okay,
Speaker 1: excuse me, perfect not let me go back, And since
Speaker 1: we read all the way to twenty three, let me
Speaker 1: just go over a brief description of what we just read,
Speaker 1: since I went over so many notes. So in Second
Speaker 1: King seventeen, Verses five through twenty three explains that the
Speaker 1: fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria in
Speaker 1: seven twenty two BC was not merely a geopolitical event,
Speaker 1: but divine judgment for covenant disobedience. It highlights centuries of idolatry,
Speaker 1: rejection of prophets, and syncretism, culmating an exile as the
Speaker 1: justified consequences of their spiritual infidelity. Key themes of the
Speaker 1: passages include the cause of exile and seven through twelve.
Speaker 1: The text emphasizes that Israel's captivity was punishment for sinning
Speaker 1: against God, who brought them out of Egypt by worshiping
Speaker 1: other gods and following the customs of nations driven out
Speaker 1: before them. Persistent idolatry in verses thirteen through seventeen, despite
Speaker 1: constant warnings from prophets and seers to turn from evil,
Speaker 1: that Israel actual remained stubborn and worship bail, made idols calves,
Speaker 1: and even caused their children to pass through the fire.
Speaker 1: Rejection of the Covenant in Verses fifteen through eighteen, they
Speaker 1: rejected God's statutes the Covenant made with their ancestors and
Speaker 1: despised his warnings. This led to God's rejection of all
Speaker 1: the descendants of Israel, allowing them to be removed from
Speaker 1: his site. Historical review nineteen through twenty three. The passage
Speaker 1: acts as a theological review, noting that even Judah did
Speaker 1: not keep the commandments, resulting in godds allowing the entire
Speaker 1: nation to be afflicted and eventually removed from the land. Essentially,
Speaker 1: this passage serves as a warning that disregard for divine commands.
Speaker 1: That disregard for divine commands leads to spiritual ruin and
Speaker 1: physical destruction, separating people from God's protection. Okay, all right,
Speaker 1: so let's go ahead and check out Versus twenty three
Speaker 1: through forty one. Yeah, I don't think I have any
Speaker 1: notes there. Let me just that go on. No more
Speaker 1: practical or no more teaching points for this side. But
Speaker 1: I think I have some over here, So all right,
Speaker 1: so let's go ahead and read verses twenty four through
Speaker 1: forty one. Here Assyria resettles Samaria. Then the King of
Speaker 1: Assyria brought people from Babylon, Katal aval Hamath, and from
Speaker 1: Seprevium and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead
Speaker 1: of the children of Israel. And they took possession of
Speaker 1: Samaria and dwelt in its cities. And it was so
Speaker 1: at the beginning of their dwelling there they did not
Speaker 1: fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them,
Speaker 1: which killed some of them. So they spoke to the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria, saying, the nations whom you have removed
Speaker 1: and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know
Speaker 1: the rituals of the God of the land. Therefore he
Speaker 1: has sent the lions among them, And indeed they are
Speaker 1: killing them because they do not know the rituals of
Speaker 1: the God of the land. Then the King of Assyria commanded, saying, sen,
Speaker 1: send they're one of the priests whom you brought from there.
Speaker 1: Let him go and dwell there, and let him teach
Speaker 1: them the rituals of the God of the land. Then
Speaker 1: one of the priests whom they had carried away from
Speaker 1: Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel and taught them how
Speaker 1: they should fear the Lord. However, every name continue to
Speaker 1: make gods of its own and put them in the
Speaker 1: shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made.
Speaker 1: Every nation in the cities there where they dwelt. The
Speaker 1: men of Babylon made Sakoth Banath, the men of Culth
Speaker 1: made Negrel, the men of Hamath made Ashamah, and Avites
Speaker 1: made Nibha's tar Tartak, and the Seprovides burned their children
Speaker 1: in fire, and Admelek and Animelek, the gods of Sifrivium.
Speaker 1: So they feared the Lord, and from every class they
Speaker 1: appointed for themselves priests of the high places who sacrificed.
Speaker 1: See it says they feared the Lord. This is, they
Speaker 1: feared the Lord. From every class. They appointed from themselves
Speaker 1: priests of high places who sacrificed for them, and then
Speaker 1: shrines and high places. They feared the Lord, yet served
Speaker 1: their own gods according to the rituals of their nations,
Speaker 1: among whom they were carried away. To this day they
Speaker 1: continue practicing former rituals. They do not fear the Lord,
Speaker 1: nor do they follow the statutes of their ordinances or
Speaker 1: the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the
Speaker 1: children of Jacob, whom he had named Israel, with whom
Speaker 1: the Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying,
Speaker 1: you shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them,
Speaker 1: nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them. But the Lord,
Speaker 1: who brought you up from the land of Egypt with
Speaker 1: great power and the outstretched arm him, you shall fear him,
Speaker 1: you shall worship, and to him you shall offer sacrifice.
Speaker 1: And the statutes and ordinance, the laws of the Commandment
Speaker 1: which he wrote for you, you shall be careful to
Speaker 1: observe forever. You shall not fear other gods. And the
Speaker 1: covenant that I have made with you shall not forget,
Speaker 1: nor shall you fear other gods. But the Lord, your God,
Speaker 1: you shall fear, and he will deliver you from the
Speaker 1: hand of your enemies. However, they did not obey, and
Speaker 1: they not they but they followed their former rituals. So
Speaker 1: these nations feared the Lord yet serve their carved images.
Speaker 1: Also their children and their children's children have continued doing
Speaker 1: as their fathers did even to this day. So very
Speaker 1: very interesting there, you know, So what do we just
Speaker 1: kind of go over or go over a brief description. Okay,
Speaker 1: I want to make sure on the right portion perfect. Okay.
Speaker 1: So in Second King seventeen twenty four through forty one,
Speaker 1: we'll go over a brief description of what we just read.
Speaker 1: Describes the Assyrian policy of resettling conquered Israel with foreigners
Speaker 1: leading with the synchronistic religion, where these new inhabitants mixed
Speaker 1: worship of their own idols with a grudging superstitious fear
Speaker 1: and service of the God of Israel Yahweh due to
Speaker 1: lions attacking them, creating the foundation of the Samaritans mixed faith,
Speaker 1: he compromised God rejected because true worship requires devotion to
Speaker 1: Him alone, a less than apthical today against lukewarm faith
Speaker 1: and key themes. In Second King seventeen twenty four through
Speaker 1: forty one force repopulation, Assyria moved people from other conquered
Speaker 1: lands in a Samaria, the former northern Kingdom of Israel.
Speaker 1: The lion problem. These newcomers were plagued by lions, which
Speaker 1: they had attributed to not knowing the God of the land.
Speaker 1: A priest's return and Israelite priests was sent back from
Speaker 1: Assyria to teach them the manner of the God of
Speaker 1: the land, mixed worship syncretism. The result was a blend.
Speaker 1: They feared the Lord, but also continued to worship their
Speaker 1: own gods and identity. This mixed religion formed the basis
Speaker 1: of the Samaritan people who later worshiped at Mount Jerseem
Speaker 1: not Jerusalem, and then compromise with God. Commentators highlight the
Speaker 1: spiritual danger of fear and form, where people acknowledge God
Speaker 1: but not but serve idols, showing true devotion to neither
Speaker 1: idolatry's deception. The passage warns that worldly settlements are temporary,
Speaker 1: and trying to reconcile God with lust or the world
Speaker 1: leads to spiritual failure, as seen in Israel's downfall. Warning
Speaker 1: against luke warmness, the passage serves as a timeless reminder
Speaker 1: from prophets like Elijah one Kings eighteen twenty one that
Speaker 1: one must choose to follow God fully and not serve
Speaker 1: two masters, God and Mammon or idols. God's discipline and policy.
Speaker 1: Discipline and policy, God uses the Assyrian policy as part
Speaker 1: of his judgment on his showing that even seemingly neutral
Speaker 1: actions like we settlement can serve his purposes. Authentic worship
Speaker 1: the core message to a worship God alone with a
Speaker 1: sincere heart. The core message is to worship God alone
Speaker 1: with a sincere heart, not just going through religious motions
Speaker 1: or seeking God as a good luck charm. Beware of syncretism.
Speaker 1: Just as the Samaritans mix God's modern believers must avoid
Speaker 1: mixed worldly values idols like money, pleasure, status, and priorities
Speaker 1: with genuine faith in Christ. Okay, so let me just
Speaker 1: go over That's all that I have to go over
Speaker 1: for chapter seventeen. Let me go over some practical applications first,
Speaker 1: and then we'll go over some additional scriptures that connect.
Speaker 1: So practical applications is guard against idolatry, just as Israel
Speaker 1: filling and idolatry. We must be vigilant and identifying and
Speaker 1: moving anything that takes presidents over God in our lives.
Speaker 1: We talked about that earlier. Heed God's warning. God often
Speaker 1: send warnings through his word and his people. We should
Speaker 1: be a tentative and response to his guidance. So sometimes
Speaker 1: when you're reading, sometimes when I'm reading to you guys,
Speaker 1: I get little warnings here and there, you know, Like
Speaker 1: for example, I was, you know, looking to get another
Speaker 1: job for a second there, you know, I feel that application,
Speaker 1: got it, went to an interview, did all that stuff,
Speaker 1: and then as I'm reading some of the Bible, you know,
Speaker 1: to you guys. I don't remember the specific verses that
Speaker 1: I read, but it was kind of like it kind
Speaker 1: of reminded me that the position that you're in right
Speaker 1: now at your job, you prayed for that, you know.
Speaker 1: I prayed for to be in the position I'm at
Speaker 1: in my job right now, my current job, to be
Speaker 1: in production, you know, to know the whole entire treatment
Speaker 1: system and to be able to just know it, you know,
Speaker 1: like the back of my hand. And now I'm in
Speaker 1: that position now. So God kind of humbled me and
Speaker 1: kind of said, hey, you prayed for this position, enjoy it?
Speaker 1: Why you can, you know, And that's kind of where
Speaker 1: where I'm at right now. I just just realize, like, Okay,
Speaker 1: I just need to, you know, just keep things simple,
Speaker 1: you know, continue this Bible study that I'm doing, continue
Speaker 1: what I got going on in work, and then when
Speaker 1: something opens up, you know, I could take it, but
Speaker 1: but you know, just just kind of realize that, you know.
Speaker 1: So it's something in my life that I feel like
Speaker 1: God was kind of warning me to kind of just
Speaker 1: to stay the course, you know, instead of jumping to
Speaker 1: a new job right now. Stay the course. So that's
Speaker 1: what I did. You know. I prayed about it, and
Speaker 1: I think that's what God wants me to do. Next.
Speaker 1: Value obedience. Obedience to God's commandment is crucial. We should
Speaker 1: strive to live according to his word, recognizing his laws
Speaker 1: are for our good. Next, reflect on God's faithfulness. Despite
Speaker 1: Israel's unfaithfulness, God remained faithful to his covenant. We shall
Speaker 1: trust in his steadfast love and mercy. Amen. Some additional
Speaker 1: scriptures that connect would be Deuteronomy six fourteen through fifteen,
Speaker 1: which says, do not follow other gods the gods of
Speaker 1: the peoples around you, For the Lord, your God is
Speaker 1: among you is a jealous god. Okay. For Samuel fifteen
Speaker 1: twenty two. Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and
Speaker 1: sacrifices as much he as in obeying the voice of
Speaker 1: the Lord. Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice. First Samuel fifteen,
Speaker 1: verse twenty two, where Samuel was talking to King Saul.
Speaker 1: Right there, Okay, Jeremiah seven twenty three. But this is
Speaker 1: what I commanded them obey my voice, and I will
Speaker 1: be God and you will be my people. Amen. We
Speaker 1: are done with chapter seventeen. Moving right along to chapter eighteen.
Speaker 1: Let's see how many do we have. We still got
Speaker 1: quite a bit of Second Kings to go over, So
Speaker 1: now we get to learn about Hezekiah. Right, So let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and go over a brief introduction of eighteen.
Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen. Second Kings eighteen portrays a time of religious
Speaker 1: reform and political upheaval in the kingdom of Judah. This
Speaker 1: chapter tells the account of Hezekiah, a king who chooses
Speaker 1: to devout himself, to devote himself and his kingdom to God,
Speaker 1: yet faces an enormous challenge in the form of the
Speaker 1: Assyrian threat. So let's go ahead and check out Hezekiah
Speaker 1: and see what he's got going on here. Let me
Speaker 1: get to my teaching points. Okay, all right, So Hazekiah
Speaker 1: reigns in Judah. Now, it came to pass in the
Speaker 1: third year of O'Shea, the son of a law king
Speaker 1: of Israel, that has Akiah, the son of AHAs king
Speaker 1: of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty five years old,
Speaker 1: and he became king, and he reigned twenty nine years
Speaker 1: in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abby. It's a bye
Speaker 1: maybe a Abi, the daughter of Zechiro. And he did
Speaker 1: what was right in the side of the Lord of
Speaker 1: Coin into all that his father had done. So we'll read, okay,
Speaker 1: so let me just go over that real quick. So
Speaker 1: you know what, We'll go over the destruction of Idolatry first. Okay,
Speaker 1: we'll go over second King's eighteen. Verse four says he
Speaker 1: removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut
Speaker 1: down the wooden image, and broke in pieces the bronze
Speaker 1: serpent that Moses had made for until those days. The
Speaker 1: children of Israel burned incense to it and called it
Speaker 1: now Who's ten. He trusted in the Lord, God of Israel,
Speaker 1: so that after him was none like him among the
Speaker 1: kings of Judah, nor were nor who were before him.
Speaker 1: For he held fast to the Lord. He did not
Speaker 1: depart from following him, but kept his commandments which the
Speaker 1: Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him. He
Speaker 1: prospered wherever he went, and he rebelled against the King
Speaker 1: of Assyria and did not serve him. He subdued the
Speaker 1: Philistines as far as Gaza and his territory from watchtower
Speaker 1: to fortified city. We'll stop there real quick. So destruction
Speaker 1: of idolatry. So Hezekiah removed the high places of the
Speaker 1: sacred pillars and cut down the astrooth polls. His actions
Speaker 1: demonstrate the importance of eliminating idolatry and false worship from
Speaker 1: our lives. The destruction of idolatry as a reoccurring theme
Speaker 1: throughout the Bible, reflecting God's demand for exclusive worship and
Speaker 1: the rejection of false gods. Idolatry, the worship of idols
Speaker 1: or false deities, is constantly condemned in scripture as a
Speaker 1: violation of the First and Second Commandments, which call the
Speaker 1: worship of the One True God and prohibit the making
Speaker 1: of graven images in the Old Testament context. In the
Speaker 1: Old Testament, the Israelites were repeatedly worn against idolatry. The
Speaker 1: law given to Moses explicitly forbids the worship of other
Speaker 1: gods and the creation of idols Deuteronomy twelve, verse three.
Speaker 1: The history of Israel is marked by cycles of idolatry
Speaker 1: and reform. During periods of hypostacy, the Israelites often adopted
Speaker 1: the adopted the gods of surrounding nations, leading to divine judgment.
Speaker 1: The Book of Judges, for example, records several instances where
Speaker 1: Israel turned to idolatry, resulting in oppression by foreign powers
Speaker 1: until they repented and returned to the Lord Judges to
Speaker 1: Verses eleven through nineteen. Prominent reformers such as King Hezekiah
Speaker 1: and King Josiah. King Josiah are noted for their efforts
Speaker 1: to destroy idolatry. In Judah, has Akaia removed all high places,
Speaker 1: shattered the sacred stones, and cut down astroft polls. Josiah's
Speaker 1: reforms were even more extensive, as he smashed the altars
Speaker 1: and the astroft polls and covered their sites with human bones.
Speaker 1: Second Kings twenty three, verse fourteen. It's going to get
Speaker 1: to that. That's going to be something we're gonna read.
Speaker 1: I didn't realize I was in the future. There. The
Speaker 1: prophets of Israel frequently denounced idology, warning of its consequences
Speaker 1: and calling the people back at the covenant faithfulness. Isaiah,
Speaker 1: for instance, ridicules futility of idle work worship, declaring they
Speaker 1: lift it to their shoulders and carry it. They set
Speaker 1: it on its place, and there it stands. It does
Speaker 1: not move from its place Isaiah forty six seven. Jeremiah
Speaker 1: similarly condemns this practice, stating every goldsmith is put to
Speaker 1: shame by his idols for his multen images or a lie.
Speaker 1: There is no breath in them Jeremiah fourteen, verse ten.
Speaker 1: Jeremiah ten, verse fourteen dyslexic. Right there you see that
Speaker 1: Ezekiel vividly portrays the idolatry of Israel as spiritual adultery,
Speaker 1: emphasizing the severity of their unfaithfulness to God and Ezekiel
Speaker 1: sixteen fifteen through nineteen. The prophets consistently link idolatry with
Speaker 1: moral and social decay, illustrating how turning away from God
Speaker 1: leads to injustice and corruption. In the New Testament, which
Speaker 1: we talked about earlier, Paul tells us to flee from
Speaker 1: idolatry in One Corinthians ten, verse fourteen. He further explains
Speaker 1: the idolatry as incompatible with the Christian life, as believers
Speaker 1: are temples of the Holy Spirit in One Corinthians six,
Speaker 1: verses nineteen through twenty. Then, the Book of Acts records
Speaker 1: instances where the apostles confronted idolatry directly in emphasis Paul
Speaker 1: preaching led to a significant number of conversions, resulting in
Speaker 1: the burning of magic books and the decline of idolmaking
Speaker 1: trade and acts nineteen eighteen through twenty. The event highlights
Speaker 1: the transformative power of the Gospel to overcome idolterous practices.
Speaker 1: That's what we're trying to do here. The ultimate destruction
Speaker 1: of idolatry is depicted in eschological terms of the Book
Speaker 1: of Revelation. In the Book of Revelation, the vision given
Speaker 1: by John includes the fall of Babylon, a symbol of
Speaker 1: idolatrous corrupted system opposed to God. Revelation eighteen, verse two
Speaker 1: declares fallen. Fallen is Babylon the Great. The imagery signifies
Speaker 1: the final judgment and eradication of all forms of idolatry
Speaker 1: at the end of the age. Throughout Scripture, the destruction
Speaker 1: of idolatry portrayed as an essential maintaining the purity of
Speaker 1: worship and the holiness of God's people. The consistent Biblical
Speaker 1: message is that idology leads to spiritual ruin, while faithfulness
Speaker 1: to God brings blessings and life. Okay, so and then
Speaker 1: we have trusting in the Lord. He trusted in the Lord,
Speaker 1: the God of Israel, so that after him there was
Speaker 1: none like him among the gods are the kings of Judah,
Speaker 1: nor among those who were before him and second kings.
Speaker 1: Eighteen verse five, hezekiahs trust in God was unparalleled, highlighting
Speaker 1: the power of faith. All right, so trusting in the Lord.
Speaker 1: Let's look a little deeper in that. Trusting in the
Speaker 1: Lord is a central theme in Christian theology, emphasizing reliance
Speaker 1: on God's wisdom, strength, and faithfulness. It is the act
Speaker 1: of placing one's confidence in God's character and promises, acknowledging
Speaker 1: his sovereignty and goodness in all circumstances. Biblical foundation would
Speaker 1: be in Proverbs three, verses five through six, where Solomon says,
Speaker 1: trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean
Speaker 1: not on your own understanding, and all your ways acknowledge him.
Speaker 1: He will make your paths straight. This passes highlights a
Speaker 1: necessity of wholehearted trust and futilely of relying solely not
Speaker 1: on human understanding, the futility of relying solely on human understanding. Sorry,
Speaker 1: and then Old Testament examples. The Old Testament provides numerous
Speaker 1: examples of individuals who exemplify trust in the Lord. Abraham,
Speaker 1: often called the Father of Faith, demonstrated trust by obeying
Speaker 1: God's call to leave his homeland and by believing God's
Speaker 1: promise of a son despite his and Sarah's old age,
Speaker 1: which is in Genesis twelve, verses one through four and
Speaker 1: then Genesis fifteen, verse six. Similarly, David, in the face
Speaker 1: of adversity, consistently express his trusts in God, as seen
Speaker 1: in Psalms fifty six, verses three through four. When I
Speaker 1: am afraid, I put my trust in you, in God
Speaker 1: whose word I praise. In God I trust. I will
Speaker 1: not be afraid. What can a man do to me?
Speaker 1: And then in the New Testament and the New Testament,
Speaker 1: trust in the Lord is further emphasized throughout the teachings
Speaker 1: of Jesus and the Apostles. Jesus himself encourages followers to
Speaker 1: trust in God for their needs, as seen in Matthew six,
Speaker 1: verses twenty five through thirty four, where he instructs them
Speaker 1: not to worry about their lives, but to seek first
Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God. The apostle Paul also underscores the
Speaker 1: importance of trust in passages like Philippians four, verses six
Speaker 1: through seven. Be anxious for nothing, Put everything by prins, petition,
Speaker 1: with thanksgiving, present your request to God in peace and
Speaker 1: the peace of God. What surpasses all understanding will guard
Speaker 1: your hearts and your minds. In Christ Jesus, Trusting in
Speaker 1: the Lord involves recognizing his omnipotence and omnience and omnipresence.
Speaker 1: It requires believers to surrender their own plans and desires,
Speaker 1: acknowledging that God's ways are higher than human ways Isaiah
Speaker 1: fifty five, verses eight through nine. This trust is not
Speaker 1: a passive, but active manifesting in obedience, prayer, and a
Speaker 1: steadfast hope in God's promises. For Christians, trusting in the
Speaker 1: Lord is a daily practice that influences decision making, relationships,
Speaker 1: and response to life's challenges. It calls for a commitment
Speaker 1: to prayer, meditation on scripture, and a community of faith
Speaker 1: that encourages and supports one another and trusting God. Trust
Speaker 1: in the Lord is both a personal and communal journey,
Speaker 1: fostering spiritual growth and resilience challenges to trust. Despite its importance,
Speaker 1: trusting in the Lord can be challenging, especially in times
Speaker 1: of suffering and uncertainty, doubts and fears may arise, but
Speaker 1: Scripture encourages believers to persevere in faith. James One, verses
Speaker 1: two through four reminds Christians that trials test their faith,
Speaker 1: producing perseverance and maturity. Conclusion. While the entry does not
Speaker 1: include a conclusion, it is evident that trust in the
Speaker 1: Lord is a vital aspect of Christian faith, deeply rooted
Speaker 1: in Biblical teachings, and essential for spiritual growth and stability.
Speaker 1: Perfect right, so good stuff. And then we have the
Speaker 1: rebellion against Assyria. Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria
Speaker 1: and did not serve him. His defiance against a formidable
Speaker 1: enemy underscores that courage that comes from trusting in God.
Speaker 1: So the rebellion against a Siia is a significant theme
Speaker 1: in the historical narrative the Old Testament, particularly during the
Speaker 1: period of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The
Speaker 1: Assyrian Empire, known as its military proudness and expansionist policies,
Speaker 1: posed a consistent threat to the Similar to the smaller
Speaker 1: kingdoms of the ancient Near East, including Israel and Judah,
Speaker 1: of the Biblical accounts provide insight into the political, spiritual,
Speaker 1: and moral dimensions of these rebellions. We've kind of gone
Speaker 1: all this already, so I don't really need to get
Speaker 1: too deep into that. Despite the Assyrian king's intimidation, Hezekiah
Speaker 1: remained steadfast, seeking God's guidance and intervention, which will go
Speaker 1: over right now after we're done reading nine through sixteen.
Speaker 1: All right, so let's go back to nine through sixteen.
Speaker 1: We have verse nine says, now it came to pass
Speaker 1: in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the
Speaker 1: seventeenth year of Hosea, the son of Allah e Law,
Speaker 1: not Allah e Law, King of Israel, that Shalmanzir, the
Speaker 1: king of Assyria, came up against Samaria and besieged it.
Speaker 1: And at the end of three years they took it.
Speaker 1: And the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth
Speaker 1: year of Hosea, King of Israel, Samaria was taken. The
Speaker 1: king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and
Speaker 1: they put them in Halla and by the harbor of
Speaker 1: the river of Gauzan, and in the cities of Mediz
Speaker 1: because they did not obey the voice of the Lord
Speaker 1: their God, but transgressed as covenant and all that Moses,
Speaker 1: the servant of the Lord, had commanded, and they would
Speaker 1: neither hear nor do them. So facing threats with faith
Speaker 1: despite the Assyrian king's intimidation, this is in my notes,
Speaker 1: has Akia remained steadfast seeking God's guidance and intervention. So
Speaker 1: facing threats is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible, where individuals,
Speaker 1: communities encountered various forms of danger, opposition, and adversity. The
Speaker 1: Biblical narrative consistently emphasizes the importance of responding to these
Speaker 1: threats with faith in God. This entry explores key Biblical
Speaker 1: examples and teaching that illustrate how faith can be a
Speaker 1: powerful response to threats. Old Testament examples David and Goliath.
Speaker 1: One of the most iconic accounts of facing threats with
Speaker 1: faith is the account of David and Goliath. The young
Speaker 1: shepherd David confronts the philistine giant Goliath, who threatens the
Speaker 1: armies of Israel despite the overwhelming odds. Okay, so which
Speaker 1: we know about the David and Goliath story, Then Daniel
Speaker 1: in the Lions den is another one, and Daniel six.
Speaker 1: Daniel's on wavering faith in God is tested when he
Speaker 1: has thrown into a den of lions for praying to
Speaker 1: God despite a world decree. Daniel's trusting God is evident
Speaker 1: as he faces the life threatening situation. The Bible records
Speaker 1: that God sent an angel to set the lion's mouth,
Speaker 1: and Daniel emerged unharmed. Daniel's faith serves as a testament
Speaker 1: to God's protection and deliverance in the face of mortal danger.
Speaker 1: And then Jehosephad's prayer and Second Chronicles twenty King Jehosephad
Speaker 1: of Judah faces a form rule enemy from a coalition
Speaker 1: of enemies armies. In response, he leads the nation to
Speaker 1: prayer and fasting, seeking God's guidance and intervention. Jehosaphat praise.
Speaker 1: We do not know what to do, but our eyes
Speaker 1: are upon you. God answers by assuring them in victory
Speaker 1: without the need for the battle, demonstrating that faith in
Speaker 1: God can lead to miraculous deliberance. And then in the
Speaker 1: New Testament, Jesus calms the storm mark four verses thirty
Speaker 1: five through forty one. In the New Testament, Jesus exemplifies
Speaker 1: faith in the face of threats when a violent storm
Speaker 1: threatens to capsize the boat carrying Jesus and his disciples.
Speaker 1: Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea, bringing calm. He
Speaker 1: then questions his disciples, why are you so afraid? Do
Speaker 1: you still have no faith? This account highlights the power
Speaker 1: of faith in Jesus to overcome fear and threats, and
Speaker 1: then Paul's courage and persecution enacts sixteen sixteen through forty.
Speaker 1: The Apostle Paul frequently faced threats and executions for his faith,
Speaker 1: and Philippi Paul and Silas are imprisoned. Silas are imprisoned,
Speaker 1: yet they respond by praying and singing hymns to God.
Speaker 1: Their faith leads to a miraculous earthquake that opens the
Speaker 1: prison doors. Paul's steadfast faith in the faith of persecution
Speaker 1: serves as an example for trusting God's sovereignty and purpose.
Speaker 1: The Armor of God Apheesians six, verses ten through eighteen.
Speaker 1: The Apostle Paul instructs believers to put on the full
Speaker 1: armor of God to stand firm against spiritual threats. This
Speaker 1: passes emphasizes faith as a shield, stating, in the addition
Speaker 1: to all this, take up the shield of faith, for
Speaker 1: which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the
Speaker 1: evil one. Faith is depicted as a vital defense against
Speaker 1: spiritual and extens existential threats. The Bible consistently teaches that
Speaker 1: faith is not merely a passive belief, but an active
Speaker 1: trust in God's power, presence, and promises. Facing threats with
Speaker 1: faith involves you lying on God's strength rather than one's
Speaker 1: own ability. It requires a confident expectation that God is
Speaker 1: in control even in the most daunting circumstances. This trust
Speaker 1: is rooted in the character of God, who is faithful, sovereign,
Speaker 1: and loving. Throughout scripture, faith is portrayed as a means
Speaker 1: of accessing God's protection and deliverance. It is a response
Speaker 1: that aligns believers with God's will and purpose, enabling them
Speaker 1: to overcome fear and adversity. The Biblical call to face
Speaker 1: threats with faith is a call to live in the
Speaker 1: assurance of God's unfailing presence and provision. So the reason
Speaker 1: why I read all that is it's very important for us.
Speaker 1: I think facing threats with faith is something that we
Speaker 1: should definitely do in our own lives. You know, it's
Speaker 1: very important. So I think we should definitely understand that
Speaker 1: it's very important to do that right, and we should
Speaker 1: learn from all these little experts that that I go
Speaker 1: through in between these verses. Right, So let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and go to verse thirteen. Now it's going to be
Speaker 1: second Kings eighteen verse thirteen. And in the fourteenth year
Speaker 1: of King Hezekiah, sena Cherub, king of Assyria, came up
Speaker 1: against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
Speaker 1: Then Hezekiah, King of Judah, sent the King of Assyria
Speaker 1: at Lashi, saying, I have done I have done wrong.
Speaker 1: Turn away from me. Whatever you impose on me, I
Speaker 1: will pay. And the King of Assyria assessed Hezekiah, King
Speaker 1: of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents
Speaker 1: of gold. So Hezekiah gave him the silver that was
Speaker 1: found in the house of the Lord and in the
Speaker 1: treasures of the king's house at the time. Hezekiah stripped
Speaker 1: the gold from the doors of the Temple of the
Speaker 1: Lord and from the pillars which Hezekiah, King of Judah
Speaker 1: had overlaid, and gave it to the King of Assyria
Speaker 1: from the pillars which king is overlaid, and gave it
Speaker 1: to the King of Assyria. Okay, so let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and go over a brief description of what we just read,
Speaker 1: so it says. In Second Kings eighteen who one through
Speaker 1: sixteen highlights King Hezekiah of Judah as a remarkably righteous
Speaker 1: leader who restores tru worship by destroying idols, including the
Speaker 1: bronze serpent. His trust in God leads to prosperity, yet
Speaker 1: he faces immense pressure from Assyria, ultimately resulted in a
Speaker 1: compromise where he empties the temple treasures to pay tribute.
Speaker 1: In Second Kings eighteen, verse one through six Hezekiah's Faithfulness
Speaker 1: or one through sixteen Hezekiah's Faithfulness, Hezekiah is praised for
Speaker 1: doing what is right in the side of the Lord.
Speaker 1: Following the example of his ancestor David, he trustingly relied
Speaker 1: on God, refusing to follow the ungodly ways of his
Speaker 1: father AHAs reformation of worship, Hezekiah removed the high places,
Speaker 1: altars and false gods, broke the sacred pillars, and destroyed
Speaker 1: the bronze serpent made by Moses, which the people had
Speaker 1: begun to worship as an idol. Independence from Assyria. Has
Speaker 1: Akiah rebelled against the King of Assyria, refusing to serve
Speaker 1: him and successfully broke free from the yoke of tribute
Speaker 1: that had previously burdened Judah the Assyrian threat and compromised.
Speaker 1: Despite his righteousness, Judah faced invasion by the Assyrian king
Speaker 1: Sheni Cherub. In a moment of fear of pragmatism, has
Speaker 1: Akiah paid a heavy tribute to Assyria, even stripping gold
Speaker 1: from the temple doors to satisfy them. This highlights, this
Speaker 1: passes highlights that even righteous leaders face severe trials, and
Speaker 1: it sets the stage for dramatic showdown between God and
Speaker 1: Assyria in the following chapters. Wow, let's see what happens.
Speaker 1: Let's see what happens. Right, Let's dig deep into this.
Speaker 1: So we're gonna read seventeen through thirty seven now and
Speaker 1: see what happens. Here Sena Cherub boasts against the Lord.
Speaker 1: So it's then verse sevento. We start with verse seventeen. Here,
Speaker 1: King of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabbi Sirius and
Speaker 1: Rabbis Shaka from Lashish with a great army against Jerusalem
Speaker 1: to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem.
Speaker 1: When they had come up, they went and stood at
Speaker 1: the aqueduct from the upper Pool, which was on the
Speaker 1: highway of the Fueller's Field, Fueller's Field on the highway
Speaker 1: to the Fueller's Field. And when they had called to
Speaker 1: the king, Alikam, the son of Hilkiah, who was over
Speaker 1: the household of Shinbah or Shebnah described and Joah, the
Speaker 1: son of a saff the recorder, came out to them.
Speaker 1: Then rab Shaka said to them, say now to Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: thus says the great King, the King of Assyria, what
Speaker 1: confident is it in which you trust? What confidence is
Speaker 1: this in which you trust? You speak of having plans
Speaker 1: and power for war, But there are mere words in
Speaker 1: whom do you trust that you rebel against me. Now look,
Speaker 1: you are trusting in the staff of this broken reed Egypt.
Speaker 1: On which a man leans, it will go into his
Speaker 1: hands and pierce it. So is Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
Speaker 1: to all who trusts in him. But if you say
Speaker 1: to me we trust in the Lord, our God, it
Speaker 1: is not he whose high places and whose altars Hezeki
Speaker 1: has taken away and said to Judah and Jerusalem, you
Speaker 1: shall worship before the altar in Jerusalem. Now, therefore I
Speaker 1: urge you give a pledge to the master of the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria. And I will give you the two
Speaker 1: thousand horses, if you are able to put your part
Speaker 1: to put riders on them. How then will you repel
Speaker 1: one captain at least of my master's servants to put
Speaker 1: your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. Now have
Speaker 1: I now come without the Lord against the place to
Speaker 1: destroy it? Have I now come up without the Lord
Speaker 1: against the place to destroy it? The Lord said to me,
Speaker 1: go up against this land and destroy it. Then, Aleikium,
Speaker 1: the son of Hilkaya Shevnah and Joah, son of rap Chaka,
Speaker 1: please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it,
Speaker 1: and we do not speak to us in Hebrew, and
Speaker 1: do not speak to us in Hebrew. And the hearing
Speaker 1: of the people who are on the wall, and Rep.
Speaker 1: Schakav said to them, has my master sent to me
Speaker 1: your master? And do you to speak these words and
Speaker 1: not to the men who sit on the wall, who
Speaker 1: will eat and drink their own waste with you? Then
Speaker 1: rap Schakas stood and called out with a loud voice
Speaker 1: in Hebrew and spoke saying, hear the word of the
Speaker 1: great King, the King of Assyria. Thus says the king.
Speaker 1: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not
Speaker 1: be able to deliver you from this hand. Nor let
Speaker 1: Isekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying the Lord
Speaker 1: will surely deliver us. This city shall not be given
Speaker 1: into the hand of the King Assyria. Do not listen
Speaker 1: to Hezekiah, For thus says the King of Assyria, make
Speaker 1: peace with me, and present and by a present, and
Speaker 1: come out to me, and every one of you eat
Speaker 1: from his own vine, and every one of you from
Speaker 1: his own fig tree, and every one of you drink
Speaker 1: the waters of his own cistern, until I come and
Speaker 1: take you away to a land like your own land,
Speaker 1: a land of grain and new wine, a land of
Speaker 1: bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves of honey,
Speaker 1: that you may live and not die. But do not
Speaker 1: listen to Hezekiah unless he persuade you, saying the Lord
Speaker 1: will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the
Speaker 1: nations of all delivered its land and the hand of
Speaker 1: the King of Assyria. Where are the gods of the
Speaker 1: Hamath and Arpad. Where are the gods of the Shimaviem
Speaker 1: and Heina and Eva? Indeed they were delivered Samaria from
Speaker 1: my hand, who among all the gods of the lands
Speaker 1: were delivered their countries from their hand. The Lord shall
Speaker 1: deliver Jerusalem from my hand. But the people held their
Speaker 1: peace and answered him not a word, For the king's
Speaker 1: commandment was do not answer him. Then Elikiam, the son
Speaker 1: of Ilika, who was over the household of Shebnah the Scribe,
Speaker 1: and Joah, the son of Assah the recorder, came to
Speaker 1: Azekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words
Speaker 1: of repsh rap shaka. Okay. So that's the end of
Speaker 1: chapter eighteen. O go over a brief description of what
Speaker 1: we just read. It says in Second Kings eighteen seventeen
Speaker 1: through thirty seven details of psychological warfare raised waged by
Speaker 1: the Assyrian official the rap Chakab, against King Hezekiah of
Speaker 1: Judah during the siege of Jerusalem. Using propaganda, he mocks
Speaker 1: Juda's reliance on Egypt and God, urging surrender to avoid starvation,
Speaker 1: while Hezekiah's officials remain silent. It highlights a test of faith,
Speaker 1: contrasting Assyrian pride with Judaean reliance on God. Key aspects
Speaker 1: of the meeting psychological warfare and propaganda. The rap Shakhaw
Speaker 1: speaks Hebrew to the people on the wall, intending to
Speaker 1: break their morale and create distrust in King Hezekiah, warning
Speaker 1: that trusts in either Egypt or Jehovah is futile or
Speaker 1: Yahweh is futile. The accusation of blasphemy. The Assyrians directly
Speaker 1: challenged the power of God, arguing that no other nations
Speaker 1: God saved them from Assyria to why would Yahweh save
Speaker 1: them save Jerusalem? Second Kings, eighteen thirty three through thirty five.
Speaker 1: The call to surrender. Rapt Shakha promises safety and prosperity
Speaker 1: if they surrender, painting a horrific picture of survival in
Speaker 1: a besieged city to tempt them into submission. The response
Speaker 1: of faith silence. Following Hezekiah's orders, the official offer no
Speaker 1: response to the insults, demonstrating a calculated silence that refuses
Speaker 1: to engage with blasphemy, choosing instead to trust in God's intervention.
Speaker 1: Context of crisis. The passage follows Hezekiah's tribute payment from
Speaker 1: eighteenth Chapter eighteen thirteen through sixteen, and serves as a
Speaker 1: moment of absolute extremity where only divine help could save
Speaker 1: Judah from destruction. The passage illustrates that while the world
Speaker 1: represented by Assyria may mock faith, trusting God's portrayed as
Speaker 1: the only true source of deliverance even when faced by
Speaker 1: overwhelming power. So looks like we are doing pretty good
Speaker 1: on time. I'm going to probably not get into nineteen
Speaker 1: because it's a lot, even though I would love to
Speaker 1: get into it. I mean, this is getting interesting, yeah,
Speaker 1: Like I love all this right here. You know, this
Speaker 1: stuff was getting interesting. It's like I would like to
Speaker 1: find out what happens right here, so copy. I'll tell
Speaker 1: you what. Back in the day, when I used to
Speaker 1: read the Bible with my wife, you know, before I
Speaker 1: started my podcast, and we would just read. I think
Speaker 1: I told you guys this before. But I was trying
Speaker 1: to read as much as I could of the Bible,
Speaker 1: you know, and just that was like my focus, like
Speaker 1: it just just read, read, read as much as I can.
Speaker 1: But I wasn't able to absorb all this information. Like
Speaker 1: right now when I'm reading it to you guys, it's
Speaker 1: so much easier to absorb because we're going verse by
Speaker 1: verse and we have all these notes and all this stuff,
Speaker 1: you know, So to help us and assist us. So
Speaker 1: it's a lot better, you know, Like I don't even honestly,
Speaker 1: when I read this before with my wife, where we
Speaker 1: read through the Bible, it was like we're who would read.
Speaker 1: I would read as much as I could. My wife
Speaker 1: would try to tell me, hey, we need to try
Speaker 1: to absorb some of this information, you know, and didn't
Speaker 1: realize how important it was. So it's so awesome to
Speaker 1: be able to study this with you guys. Verse by verse.
Speaker 1: I think it's amazing. So since we're done with chapter eighteen,
Speaker 1: let's go over some practical applications we have evaluate remove idols.
Speaker 1: It's similar to the other chapters, right. It says, identify
Speaker 1: and remove anything in your life that takes presidents over
Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Next, cultivate trust in God. Strengthen
Speaker 1: your faith by recalling God's past faithfulness and promises. Next,
Speaker 1: stand firm and adversity when facing with challenge. When faced
Speaker 1: with challenges, rely on God's strength rather than succumbing to
Speaker 1: fear or pressure. Next, seek godly counsel in times of
Speaker 1: christis seek guidance from scripture and prayer, just as Hezekiah did,
Speaker 1: and then additional scriptures that connect. We have Psalms twenty
Speaker 1: verse seven, which we talked about in past chapters. It
Speaker 1: says some trust in chariots and others and horses, but
Speaker 1: we trust in the name of the Lord, our God.
Speaker 1: And then Isaiah forty verse ten, do not fear, for
Speaker 1: I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I
Speaker 1: am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.
Speaker 1: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And
Speaker 1: then Ephesian six, verses ten through eleven. Finally, be strong
Speaker 1: in the Lord, in his mighty power. Put on the
Speaker 1: full armor of God so that you can make your
Speaker 1: stand against the devil's schemes. Right. That's a great verse
Speaker 1: for this that connects so perfect. So we are done
Speaker 1: with chapter eighteen. We will pick up a chapter nineteen
Speaker 1: next week and we can find out what happens with Hezekiah.
Speaker 1: Like I said, I wish I had time to go
Speaker 1: over that whole chapter nineteen, but we're already two hours in,
Speaker 1: so I don't want to go over that chapter because
Speaker 1: it'll push me over the two hour mark. And I
Speaker 1: usually like to keep these for two hours because it's
Speaker 1: hard enough for people who listen to a sixty minute
Speaker 1: or sixty second TikTok clip much less than two hour podcast.
Speaker 1: So for those of you that have stuck around to
Speaker 1: the end, like sometimes I like to say, please comment
Speaker 1: below and let us let me know that you let
Speaker 1: me know that you stay stuck around to the end.
Speaker 1: But thank you guys so much for tuning in. I
Speaker 1: really appreciate it. If you want to check out my show,
Speaker 1: it's Josh Monday, Christian and conspiracy podcast on all audio platforms.
Speaker 1: I have three hundred and fifty three hundred and forty
Speaker 1: I don't know what it is, three hundred and forty episodes.
Speaker 1: Let me just give you an accurate number. So I
Speaker 1: have exactly three hundred and forty one episodes as of today,
Speaker 1: which is January twenty third, So three hundred and forty
Speaker 1: one episodes. And you'll see that there's a lot of
Speaker 1: Bible studies on the you know on them which are
Speaker 1: these being released slowly, But I also have a ton
Speaker 1: of interviews if you want to check those out, you know,
Speaker 1: a bunch of different interviews, and you know also a
Speaker 1: lot of Bible studies and stuff like that. Other if
Speaker 1: you want to check it out. And then my YouTube
Speaker 1: is Josh Monday music and podcast. If you want to
Speaker 1: subscribe to my YouTube, i'd appreciate it, And if you
Speaker 1: want to check out some of the videos on there,
Speaker 1: if you want to see it in video instead of
Speaker 1: seeing it on Spotify or Apple or any of those
Speaker 1: other podcast platforms. But I do appreciate you guys tuning in.
Speaker 1: Let me just go ahead and end this in prayer
Speaker 1: like I always do. So, Father God, in the name
Speaker 1: of Jesus, thank you so much for this glorious time
Speaker 1: allowing me to go over second Kings, it's getting you know,
Speaker 1: everything in the Bible is interesting. Lord, it's just it's
Speaker 1: getting really interesting here. Just allow us to learn from
Speaker 1: what these kings were doing, you know, and and and
Speaker 1: learn from the what the kings are doing right, you know,
Speaker 1: like Hezekaya, who was doing right in your sight, you know.
Speaker 1: And we understand that we're all humans and sometimes we're
Speaker 1: put in situations where we feel like we want to
Speaker 1: make our own decisions. Lord, So allow us to trust
Speaker 1: in you and allow you to supernaturally assist us in
Speaker 1: our life, you know. So these kings sometimes they're like
Speaker 1: they were put in positions where there's a whole nation
Speaker 1: coming against them, you know, and they feel like they
Speaker 1: want to protect the people. You know, they don't want
Speaker 1: to go through starvation or you know, they don't want
Speaker 1: to go through you know, suffering or people dying. So
Speaker 1: it was like big decisions back then. Lord. So I
Speaker 1: know sometimes in our in our little lives that we have,
Speaker 1: we we have decisions that we have to make. Lord,
Speaker 1: So assist us to trust in you whenever we make
Speaker 1: those decisions, Lord, and wait on you. So thank you
Speaker 1: for everything little we appreciate, and thank you for these
Speaker 1: Bible studies. And anybody that's out there that's struggling with
Speaker 1: any type of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, whatever, Lord, just please
Speaker 1: the system in their life. Lord, Please, thank you. We
Speaker 1: love you in Jesus name. Amen. All right, thank you
Speaker 1: guys so much for tuning in. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 1: We'll talk to you on Wednesday's service coming up. Looking
Speaker 1: forward to it, and much love to you and God
Speaker 1: bless