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Let's go to 2nd Kings Chapter 15
please. 

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In our Bibles Second Kings 
Chapter 15. 

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Throughout the study, it has 
been a recurring pattern that 

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whenever we cover a chapter, 
usually it includes the obituary

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of one or two kings. 
That being said, as we approach 

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chapter 15, a quick glance will 
reveal that there are several 

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kings mentioned in this section.
In fact, there are 7 main kings 

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that are brought to our 
attention and this is between 

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both kingdoms of Israel and 
Judah. 

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Now obviously these are brief 
accounts, but it makes you and I

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wonder, why is it that the Holy 
Spirit mentions these rulers in 

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such rapid succession? 
Why is He wanting to give us a 

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speedy montage of these 
administrations? 

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And I believe the answer is 
because he longs to communicate 

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the growing political and 
spiritual instability of this 

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time. 
It was increasing. 

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It was getting more dire, it was
getting more dramatic. 

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And so the structure of this 
chapter, in essence, is meant to

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convey that the insecurity of 
this time and of these kingdoms,

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it's something that you and I 
will inherit on a personal and 

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societal level if we turn our 
backs on God. 

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So if you read the section and 
you feel overwhelmed by the end 

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of it, that's intentional. 
It's designed for you and I to 

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feel frustrated and disappointed
as we go from one king to 

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another and realize they just 
keep failing and it's headed 

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towards a dangerous direction. 
And so really the main overview 

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of this is that the Spirit longs
to drive in your heart and in 

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mind that there is no better way
to build your life than to set 

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it on the foundation of the 
Lord. 

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And here we're going to get many
insights of what happens when 

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you ignore Him and choose to 
walk independently from Him. 

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But this Bible study is going to
be a little bit more unique than

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our usual studies. 
I'm not sure if you noticed, but

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we didn't complete chapter 14. 
And the reason for that is 

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because the majority of this 
chapter focused on a king by the

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name of Amaziah. 
And we looked at his pride and 

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some of the truths related to 
pride. 

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Whereas the last few verses of 
that chapter introduces to us 

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Jeroboam the second, the king of
Israel at this time. 

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And So what we're going to do is
we're going to include Jeroboam 

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in this section of chapter 15, 
which will bring our total of 

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kings in our study to 8. 
And I'm going to try my best to 

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contain our insights, at least 
the main insights to 8 insights 

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from 8 Kings. 
That's really the title of this 

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Bible study, 8 Truths that We 
can Learn from 8 Kings. 

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And forgive me if I go beyond 
that, but let's begin here at 

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the end of chapter 14 and look 
at our first king and see what 

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the Spirit of God can teach us. 
Second Kings 14, verse 23, In 

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the 15th year of Amaziah, the 
son of Joash, king of Judah, 

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Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king
of Israel, began to reign in 

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Samaria, and he reigned 41 
years. 

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And he did what was evil in the 
sight of the Lord. 

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He did not depart from all the 
sins of Jeroboam the son of 

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Nabad, which He made Israel to 
sin. 

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He restored the border of Israel
from libel habath as far as the 

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sea of the Araba, according to 
the word of the Lord, the God of

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Israel, which he spoke by His 
servant Jonah the son of Amitai 

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the prophet, who was from Gath 
heifer. 

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For the Lord saw that the 
affliction of Israel was very 

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bitter, for there was none left 
bond or free, and there was none

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to help Israel. 
But the Lord had not said that 

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He would blot out the name of 
Israel from under heaven. 

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So we saved them by the hand of 
Jeroboam the son of Joash. 

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Now the rest of the acts of 
Jeroboam, and all that he did, 

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and his might, how he fought, 
and how he restored Damascus and

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Hamas to Judah and Israel, are 
they not written in the book of 

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the Chronicles of the Kings of 
Israel? 

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And Jeroboam slept with his 
father's, the kings of Israel, 

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and Zechariah, his son, reigned 
in his place. 

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You know you're destined for 
trouble when your parents give 

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you the name of the man who 
caused division in the nation of

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Israel, split it into two 
kingdoms, and reintroduce golden

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calf worship to the people of 
God. 

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This is Jeroboam the second and 
strangely he is the longest 

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ruling king in Israel. 
Look again here, 41 years at the

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end of verse 2341 years. 
That seems strange concerning 

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all the trouble that he brought 
to the people of God. 

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In fact, you and I actually can 
know the very details of the 

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atrocities that was committed 
under this rule. 

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Do you know why? 
Because there are many notable 

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prophets who were raised up to 
minister during this time, 

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notably Hosea and Amos. 
And there was another one that 

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we read in here, didn't we? 
But let's look at the beginning 

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of Amos and Hosea. 
Let's turn to Amos 11. 

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Just to confirm what I'm saying 
here. 

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Amos 11, you have to comb 
through the latter portion of 

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the Old Testament. 
There where all the minor 

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prophets are, but you'll find 
it. 

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Amos 11. 
We read the words of Amos, who 

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was among the shepherds of 
Toccoa, which he saw concerning 

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Israel in the days of Uzziah, 
king of Judah, and in the days 

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of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, 
king of Israel, two years before

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the earthquake. 
So Amos was raised up, and he 

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preached prophetically during 
the reign of Jeroboam the 

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second. 
But not just Amos, we have 

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Hosea. 
Look at Hosea 11, not too far 

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from Amos. 
Hosea 11, the word of the Lord 

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that came to Hosea the son of 
Biri, and in the days of 

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Jeroboam the son of Joash, king 
of Israel, there it is again in 

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the days of Jeroboam the son of 
Joash king of Israel. 

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And so if you just read Hosea 
and Amos, you will get a very 

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descriptive understanding, a 
widen understanding of the great

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crimes that were committed 
against God and His law. 

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But if you want to summary what 
was taking place, it's in Hosea 

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chapter 4. 
Look at verse one. 

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Hear the word of the Lord, O 
children of Israel, for the Lord

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has a controversy with the 
inhabitants of the land. 

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There is no faithfulness or 
steadfast love and no knowledge 

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of God in the land. 
That's a summary. 

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No faithfulness, there is no 
steadfast love, and it's all 

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tied to this. 
There is no knowledge of God in 

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the land. 
And what's so interesting is you

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see the outcome of a willful 
ignorance of a people when they 

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choose to turn their eyes away 
from God's Word and turn their 

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backs on His presence. 
Look at verse 2. 

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There is swearing, lying, 
murder, stealing, and committing

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adultery. 
They break all bounds. 

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In other words, there's no limit
to their sin and bloodshed 

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follows bloodshed. 
So again, notice the connection 

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between no knowledge of God and 
the sins that thrive in that 

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kind of cultural climate. 
Limitless evil is possible when 

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there is willful ignorance of 
the Lord, and that was exactly 

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what was taking place under 
Jeroboam. 

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The second, whereas restraint 
and regeneration is made 

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possible when there is an 
acknowledgement of the truth of 

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the truth, that was not the case
here. 

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Now, you would think with such 
evil that was happening, the 

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unbelievable mounting chaos 
because of people's sin, that 

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judgment was around the corner. 
And it's true, Hosanna Amos did 

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preach impending punishment from
heaven. 

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But when you go back to the text
that we read earlier, there's 

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something that is staggering 
that takes place under 

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Jeroboam's rule. 
Again, we have to go back again.

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By the way, there's going to be 
a lot of bouncing between 

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scriptures. 
Just to give you a heads up, go 

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to 2nd Kings 14 and notice what 
the Lord does for Jeroboam the 

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second in verse 25. 
This seems out of place for 

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people who are persisting in 
spiritual adultery. 

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Says here in verse 25 he 
restored the border of Israel 

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from Libo Hamath as far as the 
sea of of the Arabia according 

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to the word of the Lord, the God
of Israel which he spoke by his 

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servant Jonah the son of Amitai 
the prophet who was from Gath 

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Heifer. 
Hold on. 

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You are sinning, you are 
rebelling, you are persisting in

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your stubbornness and God gives 
you more land. 

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The last time Libo Hamath is 
mentioned is back when King 

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Solomon was able to secure a 
very wide dimension for the 

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people of God concerning their 
real estate. 

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That's the last time it 
happened. 

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And over time was we saw 
especially the the borders of 

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Israel being taken over by 
foreign nations. 

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And at this time the Syrians 
were dominating these regions. 

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And so hold on, we read just a 
glimpse of what Hosea was saying

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about this people. 
You would think that they would 

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have to give up more land 
because of the unfaithfulness, 

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but the exact opposite. 
The Lord is encouraging them to 

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actually advance and be blessed.
How do we know that? 

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Because he sent a prophet by the
name of Jonah. 

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This is the same Jonah that fled
from the presence of the Lord 

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when God told him. 
Go and preach the Ninevites, by 

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the way. 
So think about a contemporary to

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Amos and Hosea. 
You had an amazing roster of 

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prophets preaching at the same 
time. 

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And God spoke to Jonah at one 
point and said, go tell the king

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that he should advance to Lebo 
Hamath and I will give it to 

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him. 
Even though there's no 

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faithfulness in that, even 
though there's no steadfast 

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love, even though there is no 
hunger for the knowledge of God.

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How can this be? 
Well, here we have our first 

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lesson from the first king in 
our study, that our God is 

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profoundly encouraging and 
delights and drawing us back to 

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Himself with kindness. 
I don't think any of us would be

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surprised if Israel lost more. 
But to gain more? 

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How can that be one simple 
answer? 

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Because the riches of God's 
grace are unbelievable, and yet 

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he calls us to believe in it. 
And there are times when the 

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Lord allows suffering in order 
to awaken a Sinner. 

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And at the same time, there are 
times when He alleviates 

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suffering with the same purpose 
in mind. 

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Suffering is not the only way 
that God gets the attention of a

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wayward person. 
He also does so by providing 

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gifts and treating them in a way
that they don't deserve and 

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preserving them and providing 
for them and protecting them. 

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So we have to broaden our 
understanding of how the Lord 

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works in people's lives. 
It's not one-dimensional and you

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and I might think 1 strategy 
will work for somebody else, but

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God knows best. 
That being said, there is a 

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danger for those who are in sin 
and are experiencing God's 

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grace. 
And it is this that you would 

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confuse His help for His 
approval. 

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So the Lord giving more land to 
Israel was not him saying, you 

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know it's OK you guys can 
continue sin. 

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I'm just winking at it. 
No, because he raised up Hosea 

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and he raised up Amos to call 
them to repentance, and I'm sure

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Jonah as well. 
But he does want to communicate 

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at the same time. 
Do don't you see my kindness? 

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Doesn't this want you to 
surrender to me? 

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This is exactly what is 
happening here. 

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And that's the first lesson. 
That being said, I think there's

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something worth noting here. 
Jeroboam the second, when he 

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died, it will be a major door 
shut for the people of Israel to

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be able to reclaim the 
opportunity to be restored to 

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the Lord. 
It's going to get worse after he

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dies. 
In fact, there's going to be a 

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powerhouse of a nation that's 
going to approach the people of 

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God, threatening them with 
invasion and exile. 

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So God's patience, though it is 
great, it is not infinite. 

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There is a limit to it, and 
that's what we're going to see 

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in the text to come. 
Now, I said one main lesson 

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already. 
I'm going to fail at that 

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attempt. 
All right. 

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Look back at Jonah's description
here, verse 25. 

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Jonah, the son of Amitai the 
prophet who was from Gath 

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Heifer. 
Be honest. 

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How many of us would just 
overlook that insight? 

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You shouldn't. 
And if you were with us when we 

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studied Joshua, we touched on 
many places that are brought to 

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our attention in that book. 
When the people of Israel were 

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gaining the promised land to 
themselves, Gath Heifer, 

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according to Joshua 1913, you 
don't have to turn there, but 

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just a reference for you. 
Joshua 1913 tells us that Gath 

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Heifer was a place that was 
associated with the territory of

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the tribe of Zebulun, Zebulun, 
the northern part of Israel. 

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And what's interesting to us is 
when we come to the New 

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Testament, we learn that this 
region called Galilee, where 

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00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:04,120
Jesus spent most of his 
ministry, is associated with the

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00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:10,000
area called Zebulun. 
So gath have, we can say, was a 

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part of Galilee. 
Now, why is that important? 

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00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,120
Do you remember when the 
Pharisees were trying to find a 

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00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,840
way to arrest Jesus? 
And at one point they sent 

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00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,680
officers and Jesus was preaching
and when he preached, the 

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00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,120
officers that were sent to 
apprehend them came back empty 

233
00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:28,080
handed. 
Why? 

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00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:29,960
Well, they were asked, where is 
he? 

235
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,320
And they said, you don't 
understand. 

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00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,920
Nobody speaks like this man. 
They were spellbound. 

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00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,640
They were disarmed. 
And so they came back empty 

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00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,760
handed and they began to hurl 
accusations against them. 

239
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:46,160
And, and there was one person 
there who said something to 

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00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,000
defend Christ. 
Nicodemus says, hey, doesn't 

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00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,400
this man deserve a fair trial? 
And then they say this in John 

242
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,520
752. 
Search and see that no prophet 

243
00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:03,440
arises from Galilee. 
Now here's what really makes me 

244
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,640
laugh. 
These are the supposed experts 

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00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,160
of the law. 
They're supposed to know the 

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00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,760
details of the scriptures. 
And in their attempt to 

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00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:17,360
discredit the ministry of Jesus 
and him being a candidate for 

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00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:21,600
the Messiah, they say there is 
no prophet that arises from 

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00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:26,360
Galilee. 
Jonah did so they were wrong. 

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00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:32,120
You know, some people attempt to
sympathize with the Pharisees in

251
00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:33,920
this way. 
Well, you know, they, they try 

252
00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,440
to study the Scriptures and some
things were ambiguous or were in

253
00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,760
code or were kind of veiled. 
And so when Jesus came, it was a

254
00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:42,560
hard, it was a hard thing for 
them to try to reconcile the 

255
00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:45,280
truths that they studied and who
Christ claimed to be. 

256
00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:51,080
I don't agree with that. 
I believe that the Pharisees 1 

257
00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,680
did not really know their Bibles
because they have elevated the 

258
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,320
traditions of men above the word
of God. 

259
00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,600
And two, wherever the scriptures
were clear, if it did not line 

260
00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,240
up with their desires or their 
notions, they were willing to 

261
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:05,840
dismiss it. 
And even Nicodemus was accused 

262
00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:07,760
by the Lord when he was speaking
about being born again. 

263
00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,280
Are you a teacher in Israel and 
you don't know these things? 

264
00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:17,040
So a lot of these pH DS were 
actually ill informed and we see

265
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,600
it even here. 
And it goes to show you just how

266
00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,360
important it is to know our 
Bibles in detail as much as 

267
00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:28,200
possible because you have one 
detail here that only added to 

268
00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,080
the callousness of the hearts of
the Pharisees in rejecting 

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00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:34,240
Christ. 
That's why we're studying the 

270
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,600
Old Testament because we want to
know everything that the 

271
00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,080
Scripture has to say because 
ultimately it all points to the 

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00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,360
Lord Jesus Christ. 
Well, that can be considered as 

273
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,480
a second truth, but we come to 
the second king to learn the 

274
00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,120
second major insight from these 
kings. 

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00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,320
Let's come now to chapter 15 and
2nd kings. 

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00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:59,360
In the 27th year of Jeroboam, 
king of Israel, Azariah, the son

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00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,920
of Amaziah, king of Judah, began
to reign. 

278
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,280
Don't be discouraged if you 
don't memorize all these names. 

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00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:09,599
OK, verse two. 
He was 16 years old when he 

280
00:17:09,599 --> 00:17:14,880
began to reign, and he reigned 
52 years in Jerusalem. 

281
00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,880
His mother's name was Jacoliah 
of Jerusalem. 

282
00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,480
And he did what was right in the
eyes of the Lord, according to 

283
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:22,520
all that his father and Messiah 
had done. 

284
00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:25,599
Nevertheless, the high places 
were not taken away. 

285
00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,800
The people still sacrificed and 
made offerings on the high 

286
00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:33,240
places, and the Lord touched the
king so that he was a leper to 

287
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,760
the day of his death, and he 
lived in a separate house. 

288
00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,880
And Jotham, the King's son, was 
over the household governing the

289
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,320
people of the land. 
Now the rest of the acts of 

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00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,160
Azariah and all that he did, are
they not written in the book of 

291
00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:46,800
the Chronicles of the Kings of 
Judah? 

292
00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,720
And Azariah slept with his 
father's, and they buried him 

293
00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:51,360
with his father's in the city of
David. 

294
00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,160
And Jotham his son reigned in 
his place. 

295
00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:01,480
There's a unique element to 
Azariah's story, isn't there? 

296
00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,440
It's quite obvious. 
It's the staggering common in 

297
00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:09,840
verse 5 that the Lord touched 
Azariah and he received what? 

298
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:16,640
Leprosy? 
This is strange because we read 

299
00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,400
here that he did what was right 
in the eyes of the Lord. 

300
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:25,240
Yet the language of verse 5 
strongly implies that God struck

301
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,480
him with what could be 
considered one of the most 

302
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,200
dreadful diseases to endure at 
this time. 

303
00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:32,400
How does that work? 
How do you have the rare 

304
00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,960
occurrence of a king walking 
rightly before the Lord and him 

305
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:39,240
receiving one of the greatest, 
most painful ailments? 

306
00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,800
Does anybody know who Azariah 
is? 

307
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,240
He has another name and if I 
mention him, I think all of you 

308
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,160
would recognize him. 
Azariah is the same person as 

309
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:58,360
Uziah. 
Uziah from Second Chronicles and

310
00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:01,880
this is where Second Chronicles 
fills in the gaps, helping us 

311
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,920
understand how it was that a man
who was walking right with God 

312
00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:10,440
could receive this punishment. 
So some of you are already ahead

313
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:14,480
of me in Second Chronicles 26. 
I want you to see with your own 

314
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:16,960
eyes. 
This will help explain what 

315
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,840
happened here. 
Again, this king was raised up 

316
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,680
at the age of 16. 
Can you imagine a 16 year old 

317
00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,400
ruling a nation? 
That's when many teenagers are 

318
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,200
just starting to drive. 
This man was given a throne and 

319
00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,560
he was very successful. 
He was one of the most cherished

320
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,200
kings in all of Jerusalem's 
history because he was extremely

321
00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,440
successful. 
And he was successful because he

322
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:42,680
walked in the fear of the Lord. 
But something happened. 

323
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,000
It's here in verse 16. 
It happens to many people, even 

324
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,200
those who initially start 
walking in an awe of God. 

325
00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:57,920
But when he was strong, he grew 
proud to his destruction, for he

326
00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,280
was unfaithful to the Lord his 
God, and enter the temple of the

327
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,000
Lord to burn incense on the 
altar of incense. 

328
00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,360
Why is that wrong? 
If you were a king, you were not

329
00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:11,800
allowed to assume the role of a 
priest. 2 separate lanes, and 

330
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:16,040
for great reasons. 
But here you have this man who 

331
00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:20,880
grew proud, and this pride led 
to him to act presumptuously. 

332
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:24,840
He assumed that as a king he 
could function as a priest. 

333
00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,480
So he enters into the temple, 
which was already a bad thing to

334
00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,720
do, and he begins to now offer a
specific sacrifice that was 

335
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:33,680
reserved just for the line of 
Aaron. 

336
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,160
And what's interesting here is 
that pride convinces us that the

337
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,920
repercussions for certain sins 
do not apply to us, because 

338
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,200
pride tells you that you're 
someone special even in God's 

339
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,240
sight. 
That I can, I can do this 

340
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,400
because the Lord will give me a 
pass because he needs me or he 

341
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,160
understands me. 
So he'll allow me to dabble in 

342
00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:57,680
this for some kind of relief. 
Now, if you think that's a 

343
00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,600
stretch, I can tell you that I 
read with my own eyes accounts 

344
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,120
of ministers who have fallen 
from the position of ministry. 

345
00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,280
And many of them came to a point
where they persuaded their own 

346
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:13,240
heart because of their pride, 
that they could sin and God 

347
00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:17,680
would allow it because they've 
served them for so long, because

348
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:19,080
they've devoted their lives to 
Him. 

349
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,320
And so in order to know some 
kind of reprieve, some kind of 

350
00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:26,680
enjoyment, they have developed 
this false notion that the Lord 

351
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,920
will overlook this and he'll let
me enjoy this without any 

352
00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,000
problems. 
That's what happened to Isaiah. 

353
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:36,560
He thought that he can just 
waltz into the temple. 

354
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,760
He's the king. 
He brought reform to some 

355
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:40,400
degree, some success to the 
Kingdom. 

356
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,040
So surely the Lord will 
understand. 

357
00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:47,880
Pride is powerfully deceptive. 
We learned that last week, but 

358
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:52,840
notice that it wasn't primarily 
Uzziah's pride here that led to 

359
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,880
his destruction. 
It was something else when he 

360
00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,680
was confronted about his pride. 
Let's continue to read in verse 

361
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,560
17. 
But Azariah the priest went in 

362
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:08,040
after him with 80 priests of the
Lord who were men of valor, and 

363
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,400
they withstood King Uzziah and 
said to him, it is not for you, 

364
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,520
Uziah, to burn incense to the 
Lord, but for the priest, the 

365
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,040
sons of Aaron who are 
consecrated to burn incense, go 

366
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,120
out of the sanctuary, for you 
have done wrong, and it will 

367
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:23,120
bring you no honor from the Lord
God. 

368
00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,920
I applaud these priests because 
all it would take is for the 

369
00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,440
king to snap his finger and they
could all be slaughtered right 

370
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,880
there. 
It's happened before in the 

371
00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,880
accounts of the kings. 
But they came collectively and 

372
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,720
they would, they stood against 
them and they resisted him, and 

373
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,440
they confronted him lovingly. 
Notice what happens in verse 19.

374
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:48,000
Then Uziah was angry, now he had
a sensor in his hand to burn 

375
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,320
incense. 
And when he became angry with 

376
00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,600
the priest, leprosy broke out on
his forehead in the presence of 

377
00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,800
the priest in the House of the 
Lord by the altar of incense. 

378
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:06,200
So if you don't see this 
carefully, then you might 

379
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:11,000
understand that Uzziah goes into
the temple, he tries to perform 

380
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,920
the sacrifice, and then the Lord
allowed leprosy to break out on 

381
00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:16,720
his forehead and the priest 
escorted him out. 

382
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:21,960
That's not what happened. 
The leprosy broke out after he 

383
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,360
was confronted about his sin, 
and he responded wrongly. 

384
00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,720
It's observations like this that
remind us the absolute treasure 

385
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:35,160
it is of studying the Scriptures
carefully, especially the Old 

386
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,000
Testament, because it deepens 
our understanding of God's 

387
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,520
character. 
And what we learned. 

388
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:44,520
Here is our second lesson. 
While sin does offend God, what 

389
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,560
deeply matters to Him is how we 
react when we are confronted 

390
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,760
about it. 
This is the second thing that we

391
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,800
are granted by this King. 
You and I listen may say or do 

392
00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,000
something that is not in line 
with Christ likeness, but when 

393
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,760
the Lord gives you an 
opportunity to acknowledge that 

394
00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:11,200
sin, to confess it privately or 
publicly, how you respond 

395
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:16,400
greatly matters to him. 
He watches very carefully to 

396
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,920
see. 
You must always remember that 

397
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,920
because pride will keep you from
confessing. 

398
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,560
I just I'm moved by God's mercy 
here. 

399
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,360
It was pride that led him to the
temple to try to do this. 

400
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,840
But what really crossed the line
for the Lord was when it was 

401
00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:42,360
exposed and He doubled down. 
So you and I have to remember 

402
00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:45,360
this for ourselves. 
When conviction comes, when you 

403
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:49,600
hear a Bible study, when a 
parent or when a friend 

404
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:53,400
approaches you and bring 
something up, what you do with 

405
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,720
that information that's brought 
to your attention will determine

406
00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,760
so much. 
And God, who sees all things, 

407
00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:05,720
who's closer to you than your 
skin will take into account how 

408
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,640
you respond and just give me, 
I'll just give you a word of 

409
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:12,040
advice. 
Even if something is brought to 

410
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,360
your attention that you may not 
see for yourself, humbly receive

411
00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:18,960
it. 
And you can even admit I, I may 

412
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:22,000
not see it for what it is at 
this point, but I will take it 

413
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,520
into consideration. 
Bring it before the Lord. 

414
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,000
Anything. 
Listen, what that person is 

415
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,040
doesn't have the good intentions
that you hope for or they come 

416
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,600
off in a certain way. 
It never is a wrong thing for 

417
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,200
you to say. 
Let me bring this before the 

418
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,880
Lord. 
You'll protect yourself in that 

419
00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,680
way. 
Now, before we move on, did you 

420
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:46,640
notice where the leprosy broke 
out on Isaiah's body? 

421
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:49,400
Where was it? 
His forehead. 

422
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,520
Do you think that's an accident?
No, that's intentional. 

423
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,240
Let me ask you another question 
now. 

424
00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:00,720
Are there any instructions that 
God gave specifically to the 

425
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,800
priest relating to their 
foreheads when it comes to the 

426
00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,960
temple service? 
I'm curious to know if somebody 

427
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,480
actually has an answer. 
People are whispering yes, 

428
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:18,920
brother, yes, very good. 
And what was supposed to be 

429
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:25,680
inscribed on that plate of gold?
There was a phrase, holiness to 

430
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,280
the Lord. 
Because some of you are staring 

431
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:33,160
at me. 
So go to Exodus 28, Exodus 28, 

432
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:38,480
verse 36. 
This is the chapter that defines

433
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:40,480
the garments of the priest and 
the high priest. 

434
00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:46,920
And notice this detail. 
I love the Bible. 

435
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,920
Exodus 2836. 
You shall make a plate of pure 

436
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:57,440
gold and engrave on it like the 
engraving of a signet holy to 

437
00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,120
the Lord, and you shall fasten 
it on the turban by a cord of 

438
00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:02,920
blue. 
It shall be on the front of the 

439
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,400
turban. 
It shall be on errands where 

440
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:11,600
forehead and Aaron shall bear 
any guilt from the holy things 

441
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:13,920
that the people of Israel 
consecrate as their holy gifts. 

442
00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,840
It shall regularly be on his 
forehead. 

443
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:19,320
They may be accepted before the 
Lord. 

444
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,080
So for the Lord to strike Uzziah
in that specific place conveys a

445
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:30,160
deeper meaning. 
Uzziah, this position is not for

446
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,960
you, because you were not 
consecrated unto me. 

447
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,680
You are not set apart unto me 
like the priest are. 

448
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:42,320
So instead of you having the 
seal of my approval, holiness to

449
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:44,360
the Lord, I'm going to give you 
a seal of my disapproval. 

450
00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:48,560
Here's leprosy, but it's more 
practical than that. 

451
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:54,760
Where does pride begin? 
You can say the heart, but you 

452
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:59,880
can also say the mind with lofty
thoughts of self. 

453
00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,720
And you can be assured that 
pride is much more prevalent in 

454
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:09,640
the person who does not have the
preoccupation of holy thoughts 

455
00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,040
unto the Lord, but high thoughts
of self. 

456
00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,880
Is there any wonder that the 
Scriptures command us in a New 

457
00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,200
Testament to set our minds on 
things above where Christ is 

458
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,160
seated? 
For we are dead and now hidden 

459
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:26,920
in Christ? 
That's Colossians chapter 3. 

460
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,880
So even in our own thinking, we 
are to meditate and we are to 

461
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,600
muse over the truths of who He 
is, the glory of who He is, 

462
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,840
where any of our strength or 
goodness come from. 

463
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:42,520
It's Him, it's Him, it's Him, 
Stay there, remain there. 

464
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,080
Yes, this was a specific piece 
for the high priest, but we can 

465
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,640
also apply to ourselves that we 
should think on the things that 

466
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,520
God wants us to think about 
because it provides a shield 

467
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,320
amongst many other rewards. 
And in News I, what we find is 

468
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:02,320
that he did not have the right 
thoughts about God, which led to

469
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,640
the wrong thoughts about him and
brought him to a place where he 

470
00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:09,560
would be exiled from the temple,
and not just the temple, but the

471
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,520
Kingdom, and he'd be treated as 
a leper for the rest of his 

472
00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,560
days. 
And so the forehead here is 

473
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,240
intentional. 
There's a message there, and 

474
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,080
there's still many more to come 
from these kings. 

475
00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:28,240
Let's come to king #3 Second 
Kings 15, beginning in verse 8. 

476
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,720
In the 38th year of Azariah, 
king of Judah, Zechariah, the 

477
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:39,240
son of Jeroboam, reigned over 
Israel and Samaria six months. 

478
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,960
And he did what was evil in the 
side of the Lord, as his 

479
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:45,760
father's had done. 
He did not depart from the sins 

480
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,240
of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, 
which he made Israel to sin. 

481
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,920
Shalom the son of Jabesh, 
conspired against him and struck

482
00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,440
him down at Iblium and put him 
to death, and reigned in his 

483
00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,320
place. 
Now the rest of the deeds of 

484
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,360
Zechariah, behold, they are 
written in the book of the 

485
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:03,000
Chronicles of the Kings of 
Israel. 

486
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,880
This was the promise of the Lord
that he gave to Jehu. 

487
00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,320
Your son shall sit on the throne
of Israel to the 4th generation.

488
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:17,640
And so it came to pass. 
Remember, Jehu was the one 

489
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:23,040
called by God to eliminate the 
House of Ahab and to destroy 

490
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:26,560
Bill worship. 
And because of his faithfulness 

491
00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,680
in that area, God visited Jehu 
and promised him you will have 

492
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:34,840
four sons, 4 descendants who 
will occupy the throne. 

493
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,280
And here we have Zechariah who 
is the fulfillment of that 

494
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,840
promise. 
He is the last of the four. 

495
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,440
This is where we see the 
faithfulness of God. 

496
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,240
And you can imagine how painful 
it must have been to God's heart

497
00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:53,400
to keep His word to Jehu, 
because every single one of 

498
00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,080
Jehu's sons were doing evil in 
the sight of the Lord. 

499
00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:01,120
Every single one of them, not 
one, acknowledged God's love, 

500
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,680
His favor towards their Father. 
They kept walking in 

501
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,720
disobedience, and generation 
after generation, king after 

502
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,760
king, the Lord still kept His 
word. 

503
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:17,320
To Jehu, the third lesson from 
the third king that He is a 

504
00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:25,200
promise keeping God, you and I 
should recognize our rest in His

505
00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:30,280
promise keeping ability. 
If God keeps His word even for 

506
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:34,360
those who are wicked, how much 
more for you and I who have 

507
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,440
lovingly embraced the Lord Jesus
Christ. 

508
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,800
And yet here you and I are more 
willing to believe that He is 

509
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,680
faithful to an evil dynasty, but
when it comes to our lives, we 

510
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,280
question Him. 
How can that be? 

511
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:55,680
That is strange, is it not? 
We cannot doubt His willingness 

512
00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,600
to keep His word. 
And again, if He was willing to 

513
00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:01,200
do it for those who didn't 
deserve it, how much more for us

514
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:06,160
who in Christ are seen and are 
loved by the Father as He does 

515
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:10,320
Christ? 
Do you know where we find 

516
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,800
ourselves in great trouble? 
Do you know why we have anxiety 

517
00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,760
in different areas of our lives?
It stems from one thing, not 

518
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:20,000
believing God, not believe in 
God. 

519
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,120
If you don't believe me, let me 
quote to you John 14. 

520
00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,000
One, let not your hearts be 
troubled. believe in God, 

521
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:31,240
believe also in me. 
What is Jesus saying there? 

522
00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,120
That the reason why your heart 
is troubled is because you don't

523
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,280
believe God about it. 
The reason why you can't sleep, 

524
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:45,480
the reason why you are visited 
with that flush of worry is 

525
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,240
because in that specific area, 
with that specific person, in 

526
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,680
that circumstance, you are not 
ultimately trusting in the Lord.

527
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:57,760
So what's the antidote for us, 
for our hearts not to be shaky? 

528
00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:05,040
Believe God, bring that thing in
His presence, let the promise of

529
00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:10,440
God shine its light upon it, and
trust in Him, no matter how 

530
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,000
frightening or threatening that 
thing may be. 

531
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,120
And so again, you and I are 
supposed to be here confronted 

532
00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,720
and impressed and reminded that 
this God kept His promise to a 

533
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:25,160
house that was wicked. 
And here I am part of the 

534
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,960
household of God. 
Here I am, a child of God. 

535
00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,320
What did Jesus say? 
If those who are evil know how 

536
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,440
to give good gifts, how much 
more your heavenly Father? 

537
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,960
How much more? 
So when I come to this king, 

538
00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:47,960
here's what I take away from it.
Lord, you keep your word. 

539
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,000
You did it for Jehu and his 
sons. 

540
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,480
Surely you'll do it for me. 
He'll do it for you. 

541
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:58,120
This is the third lesson. 
He is a promise keeping God. 

542
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,040
Let's come to the fourth king, 
King Shalom. 

543
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:05,760
In verse 13 to verse 16, Shalom 
the son of Jabesh began to reign

544
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,400
in the 39th year of Uzziah, king
of Judah, and he reigned one 

545
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:14,560
month in Samaria. 
Then Menahem the son of Gadi 

546
00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:19,080
came up from Tirza and came to 
Samaria and he struck down 

547
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,199
Shalom, the son of Jabesh in 
Samaria and put him to death and

548
00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:24,480
reign in his place. 
Now the rest of the deeds of 

549
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,800
Shalom and the conspiracy that 
he made, behold, they are 

550
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,000
written in the book of the 
Chronicles of the Kings of 

551
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,760
Israel at that time. 
And Nahim sacked Tifsha and all 

552
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,280
who were in it and it's 
territory from tears on, because

553
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,880
they did not open it to him. 
Therefore he sacked it and he 

554
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,719
ripped open all the woman in it 
who were pregnant. 

555
00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:46,000
If you're thinking this is 
getting more intense, that's the

556
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,040
point. 
Again, we're faced with the 

557
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,800
sequence, these snapshots of 
these kingdoms, and it's almost 

558
00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,280
like this unfortunate highlight 
reel. 

559
00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:56,120
It's getting worse, it's getting
worse, it's getting worse. 

560
00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,040
What did we learn from this 
though? 

561
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:05,080
What stands out about Shalom is 
the conspiracy that is brought 

562
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,240
forth and verse 15. 
Now the rest of the deeds of 

563
00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:10,920
Shalom and the conspiracy that 
he made. 

564
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:15,920
What's that conspiracy? 
It's what we touched on earlier.

565
00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,280
Look at verse 10, Second Kings 
15. 

566
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,200
Shalom the son of Jabish 
conspired against them and 

567
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,920
struck him down at Iblium and 
put him to death and reigned in 

568
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,600
his place. 
So the same Shalom who conspired

569
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:32,640
against Zechariah was later 
conspired against by a name by a

570
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:37,520
man named Menahem. 
Here lies the 4th truth from the

571
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:41,960
4th king in our study. 
Whatever a man sows, that he 

572
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:48,280
will also what reap And shaloom 
is a sobering reminder that 

573
00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:53,640
sometimes the reversal of events
can take place very quickly. 

574
00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,800
How long was he king? 
A month. 

575
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,680
The Lord did not delay in 
bringing swift judgement to this

576
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,720
man. 
But we have to be careful 

577
00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,240
because he doesn't always act so
speedily. 

578
00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:13,400
Many times there is delay before
the fruit of our sin appears 

579
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,720
with the receipt. 
And so you and I have to 

580
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:23,080
remember that always that 
whatever we invest in will come 

581
00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:27,000
back to us. 
And there is a way that Proverbs

582
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:28,880
presents this that I want to 
bring to your attention. 

583
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:34,240
Let's turn to Proverbs 26 in 
this chapter. 

584
00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:41,800
There is a specific kind of 
warning in verse 27. 

585
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:49,200
Whoever digs a pit will fall 
into it and a stone will come 

586
00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,400
back on him who starts it 
rolling. 

587
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:55,320
So there are two scenarios 
there. 

588
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,640
You have one who digs a pit, 
which speaks of what? 

589
00:36:57,640 --> 00:36:59,680
When you dig a pit for something
to fall into it, what is that 

590
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,120
called? 
So it's with the letter T. 

591
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:06,160
It's a trap right? 
Now, if I go up on a hill and I 

592
00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:07,960
know that there's somebody who's
going to be taking this road at 

593
00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:12,600
a specific time and I push over 
a giant stone, what am I seeking

594
00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,200
to do? 
Hurt somebody to ultimately 

595
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:18,760
destroy them? 
And what we learned there is 

596
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:23,040
that for a person whose schemes 
to try to trap somebody else, 

597
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,120
they will fall victim to their 
own scheme. 

598
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,040
And a person who musters up all 
this energy and planning an 

599
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:34,560
effort to try to crush someone 
else will be crushed by their 

600
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:40,280
own efforts. 
It really is a sobering warning.

601
00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:45,200
And if if you want to stay very 
far away from this being a 

602
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:49,800
possibility, here's the counsel.
Be a man, be a woman of 

603
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,080
integrity and all your actions 
and all your reactions and all 

604
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:59,040
your interactions and with a 
temptation to do wrong visits. 

605
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,760
You trust in the sovereignty of 
God. 

606
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:06,400
Do not place it in your own 
hands because those who set 

607
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:10,080
traps and those who try to cause
harm to others will be 

608
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:13,240
surprised. 
Don't we see it in the book of 

609
00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:15,680
Esther? 
Don't we see it in Daniel? 

610
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,960
The very ones that tried to make
Daniel get in trouble for 

611
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,640
praying? 
We're launching the very same 

612
00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,560
pit with the lions and we're 
devoured by those lions that 

613
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:29,360
were designed for Daniel I, I 
love to be on the other side of 

614
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:33,120
that promise that God protects 
us if we do choose to walk in 

615
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:36,520
holiness and in righteousness. 
But oh, what a warning it is for

616
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:40,280
those who do not take heed. 
So this is what we learn here. 

617
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:43,160
Whatever a man sows, that he 
will also reap. 

618
00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:46,160
Shalom thought that he can get 
away with killing Zechariah, and

619
00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:50,040
he himself was assassinated. 
Now we come to the fifth king, 

620
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:57,240
Menahem in verse 17. 
Hopefully you're not overwhelmed

621
00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:02,360
by this. 
In the 39th year of Azariah, 

622
00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,920
king of Judah, Menahem, the son 
of Gadi, began to reign over 

623
00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:08,080
Israel, and he reigned 10 years 
in Samaria. 

624
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,480
And he did what was evil in the 
sight of the Lord. 

625
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,320
He did not depart all his days 
from all the sins of Jeroboam 

626
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:18,400
the son of Nabad, which he made 
Israel to sin. 

627
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,560
Pull, the king of Assyria, came 
against the land, and Menahem 

628
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:26,240
gave Pull 1000 talents of silver
that he might help him to 

629
00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:29,240
confirm his hold on to the royal
power. 

630
00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,320
Menahem exacted the money from 
Israel, that is, from all the 

631
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,240
wealthy men, 50 shekels of 
silver from every man to give to

632
00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:37,720
the king of Assyria. 
So the king of Assyria turned 

633
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:39,520
back and did not stay there in 
the land. 

634
00:39:39,720 --> 00:39:42,400
Now the rest of the deeds of 
Menahem and all that he did, are

635
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,520
they not written in the books of
the Chronicles of the kings of 

636
00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:46,280
Israel? 
And Menahem slept with his 

637
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:50,160
fathers, and Picaya his son 
reigned in his place. 

638
00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:51,360
Let's take a deep breath, shall 
we? 

639
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:56,920
It's a mouthful. 
So let me give you a little bit 

640
00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:58,800
of insight of how I approach 
this chapter. 

641
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,800
I'm I'm looking here. 
Yes, there there's much 

642
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:03,960
repetition, but is there 
anything that stands out with 

643
00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:07,360
each of these kings? 
And I encourage you to read the 

644
00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,720
Bible in that way, especially 
when you come to repetitive 

645
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,360
text. 
Is there anything that stands 

646
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,240
out? 
And when we come to this king, 

647
00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,600
we realize that there is indeed 
a very unique element to his 

648
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,480
administration. 
It was the fact that the 

649
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:25,440
superpower of a nation 
encroached upon the land and was

650
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:30,080
ready to invade it. 
This is very scary for the 

651
00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:32,120
people of God. 
This is very unique to their 

652
00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:35,720
history and you would think that
Menahem would respond to this by

653
00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:38,640
repenting and crying out to God 
for help. 

654
00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:41,600
Assyria is ready now to take 
over. 

655
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:46,240
They are a threat. 
Instead of doing that, what does

656
00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:48,880
he do? 
He imposes this heavy tax on the

657
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:53,720
wealthy men of his nation in 
order to pay off Assyria. 

658
00:40:55,800 --> 00:41:00,600
So instead of humbling himself 
and receiving God's help because

659
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:05,920
he's now reconciled to the Lord,
he chooses to solve this his own

660
00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:11,040
way. 
So with the 5th king we have our

661
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:15,520
fifth lesson. 
Men are often tempted to manage 

662
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:19,720
the consequences of their sin 
with short term solutions 

663
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:25,320
because what Manahan fails to 
realize is although he will have

664
00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:30,200
temporary relief, Assyria is 
going to come back and take 

665
00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:35,040
over. 
There are many who want 

666
00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:41,560
salvation without surrender. 
They want restoration without 

667
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:46,440
repentance. 
They want counseling without 

668
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:53,240
Christ, and like Manahan, many 
want to fix their lives without 

669
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:57,680
giving up their lives. 
And they even turn to Christians

670
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:01,240
to try to receive some kind of 
advice because from the outside 

671
00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:04,120
it looks like their lives are 
are put together and they have 

672
00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:06,880
order and there's some sort of 
blessing that's obvious. 

673
00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:10,640
So they come into the House of 
God or they approach people's 

674
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,680
homes and they seek counsel with
the hope of gaining some kind of

675
00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:17,360
wisdom without actually living 
for the Lord. 

676
00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:21,600
I've had unbelievers over the 
years come in their desperation 

677
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:24,600
because they are struggling or 
because they are suffering 

678
00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:28,000
because of sin. 
And they they hope to get some 

679
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:32,440
kind of Intel or some kind of 
insight or some kind of 

680
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:38,240
instruction without really 
embracing the Lordship of 

681
00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:41,840
Christ. 
And I have more than once 

682
00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:47,320
lovingly told such people, I 
have nothing to offer you except

683
00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:51,760
for Christ. 
There is nothing that I can give

684
00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:54,320
you because everything that I 
have to say is rooted in the 

685
00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,760
Word of God and it's tied to 
relationship with the Lord Jesus

686
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,840
Christ. 
So if you want help with your 

687
00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:04,160
wayward child, if you want help 
with the patterns of destruction

688
00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:07,040
in your own life, then you have 
to be willing to embrace the 

689
00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:08,920
Word of God and the God of the 
Word. 

690
00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:17,000
And if not, then I'm sorry, I'm,
I'm limited here because my life

691
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:19,560
has been given over to the 
author of life. 

692
00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,440
My soul is kept by the one who 
saved my soul. 

693
00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:25,520
And he's the one who also wants 
to save you. 

694
00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:30,360
He's the one who also made you. 
So why would you attempt 

695
00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:32,720
navigating through this life 
without his guidance? 

696
00:43:32,720 --> 00:43:36,240
And that's what you have here. 
You have men like Manahan who 

697
00:43:36,240 --> 00:43:40,080
who are willing to even pay a 
price as long as it's not total 

698
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,480
devotion, as long as it's not 
total repentance. 

699
00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:49,920
And if they are willing to apply
themselves in such a way, they 

700
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:52,080
are going to be disappointed as 
we're going to discover it by 

701
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:54,680
the end of this study. 
That's what Manaheim teaches us.

702
00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:59,200
But let's come to the 6th king 
in verse 23. 

703
00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:05,600
In the 50th year of Azariah, 
king of Judah, Picaya the son of

704
00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,600
Manaheim, began to reign over 
Israel and Samaria, and he 

705
00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,240
reigned 2 years. 
And he did what was evil in the 

706
00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:13,880
side of the Lord. 
He did not turn away from the 

707
00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:17,040
sins of Jeroboam the son of 
Nabat, which he made Israel to 

708
00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:20,720
sin. 
And Pika the son of Remalia his 

709
00:44:20,720 --> 00:44:24,040
captain, conspired against him 
with 50 men of the people of 

710
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:27,640
Gilead, and struck him down in 
Samaria in the citadel of the 

711
00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:30,120
King's house. 
With our Gob and Ira. 

712
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:33,360
He put them to death and reign 
in his place. 

713
00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,120
Now the rest of the deeds of 
Picaya and all that he did, 

714
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,160
behold, they are written in the 
book of the Chronicles of the 

715
00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:41,560
Kings of Israel. 
If you're thinking to yourself, 

716
00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:44,400
this sounds like a copy paste of
Zechariah and Shalom stories, 

717
00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:48,520
you're absolutely right. 
It is almost a copy paste. 

718
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:52,480
And that would tempt you to say,
OK, I've seen this before, don't

719
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:56,200
do that. 
The Holy Spirit, there's no 

720
00:44:56,200 --> 00:44:58,440
waste space in his word. 
So if there is something that's 

721
00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:01,480
so strikingly similar, 
especially in close context, ask

722
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:04,760
yourself, what does this say? 
What is the Lord trying to say? 

723
00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:08,280
Well, again, these reigns are 
short, are they not? 

724
00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:11,840
So here's my question. 
How is it that Picaya didn't 

725
00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:16,360
learn from his predecessors? 
How is it that you haven't 

726
00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:19,280
figured it out that when you 
walk in the ways of Jeroboam, 

727
00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:21,640
the son of Nabat, it doesn't end
well for you? 

728
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:27,880
It didn't register yet, did it? 
And and we're also seeing here 

729
00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:30,560
that there is a lot of 
assassination taking place. 

730
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:34,800
So you're seeing this and it's 
like, yeah, this is just a 

731
00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:37,880
repetitive cycle. 
Yes, but people still don't 

732
00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:40,880
learn from it. 
People still don't take it at 

733
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:42,400
heart. 
People still don't apply it to 

734
00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:44,320
themselves. 
Which brings us to our 6th 

735
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:46,720
lesson from the 6th king in our 
study. 

736
00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:50,400
People often believe that they 
can sin and expect better 

737
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:54,280
outcomes than others. 
May I say that one more time? 

738
00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:59,880
Many people indulge in sin 
thinking that they can escape 

739
00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:02,800
the consequences that have 
visited other people. 

740
00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:06,960
I believe that was the deception
that haunted Pakaya. 

741
00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:10,840
And one thing that I love about 
the Bible is that it invites us 

742
00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:14,120
to examine the fruit of sin and 
sinners. 

743
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:16,880
It does. 
It calls you to observe it. 

744
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:21,600
It calls you to look at it as a 
catalyst for salvation and 

745
00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:24,240
sanctification. 
Can I show you one of my 

746
00:46:24,240 --> 00:46:25,880
favorite examples of that? 
I brought this up more than 

747
00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:28,080
once. 
This is worth highlighting in 

748
00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:31,400
Romans 621 where Paul tells the 
Romans, what fruit were you 

749
00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:34,760
getting from the things that you
are now ashamed of? 

750
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:39,920
In that context, he's talking 
about living a sanctified life, 

751
00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:43,360
a crucified life, a life that's 
been buried with Christ. 

752
00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:45,280
And then he just gets really 
practical. 

753
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:48,080
He goes, hey Romans, I want you 
to really think about it. 

754
00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:52,360
Think about the outcomes of the 
things that you are now ashamed 

755
00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:54,880
of. 
Why would you even consider 

756
00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:59,720
going back to them? 
Why would you even linger with 

757
00:46:59,720 --> 00:47:03,120
temptation? 
Look at it. 

758
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,840
And this shows me that Lord is 
so confident about His 

759
00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:13,160
description of the misery of 
living in sin that He actually 

760
00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:15,600
calls you to look at the 
outcomes for yourself and be 

761
00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,200
persuaded by them. 
Just look at it. 

762
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:25,000
And for someone like Picaya to 
know the rotten fruit that comes

763
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:29,280
from willfully walking away from
the Lord and still walk in that 

764
00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:32,200
direction, it's the epitome of 
foolishness. 

765
00:47:33,880 --> 00:47:37,760
It's crazy. 
And yet millions are doing it 

766
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,360
today. 
You know, there's a lot of 

767
00:47:40,360 --> 00:47:43,280
people who believe in this 
notion of generational curses. 

768
00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:46,600
I don't adhere to that view, but
I do understand that there are 

769
00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:50,840
generational patterns. 
And that's what we see here in a

770
00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:58,320
sense where this king refuses to
break free from the cycle that 

771
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:01,600
plagued his predecessors. 
And many people are doing the 

772
00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,280
same today, unfortunately. 
So the lesson here is that 

773
00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:07,960
people often believe that they 
can sin and think that they can 

774
00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:12,520
have better outcomes. 
King #7 hold on tight, We're 

775
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:19,600
almost there. 
Verse 27, in the 52nd year of 

776
00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:24,440
Azariah, king of Judah, Pika, 
the son of Remalia, began to 

777
00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:28,160
reign over Israel in Samaria, 
and he reigned 20 years. 

778
00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:30,720
And he did what was evil in the 
side of the Lord. 

779
00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:34,040
He did not depart from the sins 
of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, 

780
00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:37,920
which he made Israel to sin. 
In the days of Pika, king of 

781
00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:42,840
Israel, Tiglath Pilot, Sir king 
of Assyria, came and captured 

782
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:48,440
Egon, Ababeth, Mecca, Genoa, 
Kadesh, Hazar, Gilead, and 

783
00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:50,680
Galilee, all the land of 
Naftali. 

784
00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:53,160
And he carried the people 
captive to Assyria. 

785
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:56,720
Then Hoshea the son of Elah, 
made a conspiracy against Pika 

786
00:48:56,720 --> 00:48:59,280
the son of Remalia, and struck 
him down and put him to death 

787
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:02,160
and reign in his place in the 
20th year of Jonathan the son of

788
00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:04,320
Uzziah. 
Now the rest of the acts of Pika

789
00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:06,360
and all that he did, behold, 
they are written in the book of 

790
00:49:06,360 --> 00:49:08,760
the Chronicles of the Kings of 
Israel. 

791
00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:16,000
Another deep breath. 
If you were to look at a map of 

792
00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:19,680
Israel during this time, you 
would learn that NAFTA Lee 

793
00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:24,320
occupies a northern part of it. 
And the Syria that we just read 

794
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:28,480
about has now come again. 
But this time a check isn't 

795
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:33,200
going to work. 
They take over very important 

796
00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:37,200
strategic cities, and they are 
essentially occupying the 

797
00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:42,160
northern part of this people. 
And this is so staggering 

798
00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:46,120
because who would have thought 
that this would have happened? 

799
00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:52,640
God promised long ago that one 
of the final acts of judgement 

800
00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:55,000
would be exile, because he 
didn't just take over cities. 

801
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:59,760
What he took captive some of the
people of God to Assyria. 

802
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:04,080
This is a very pivotal moment in
our study of the book of Second 

803
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:07,840
Kings. 
People are now being taken from 

804
00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:12,640
the promised land and to live 
under a rule that is foreign, 

805
00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:17,320
that is evil, that essentially 
is God's punishment for those 

806
00:50:17,320 --> 00:50:19,360
who wanted evil. 
OK, live under evil. 

807
00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:24,720
Here's the 7th lesson from our 
study of these kings. 

808
00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:30,960
God is just as serious about His
promises to punish as He is to 

809
00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:34,560
provide, to protect, and to 
prosper. 

810
00:50:36,480 --> 00:50:40,600
Because as I said, the Lord 
warned in Leviticus, in 

811
00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:48,000
Deuteronomy, that exile is your 
future if you persist in 

812
00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:49,840
rebellion. 
And we're seeing it come to 

813
00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:53,000
pass. 
And if you actually read the 

814
00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:56,760
prophets, one of the boast of 
the sinners was there's no way 

815
00:50:56,760 --> 00:50:58,400
that God will allow exile to 
happen. 

816
00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:03,720
You're telling me that he, he 
had all that happen with Abraham

817
00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:06,960
and with our patriarchs and our 
forefathers. 

818
00:51:07,080 --> 00:51:10,600
He did all of that and brought 
us here just to take us out. 

819
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:15,960
And so they were, they were 
willing to believe the grace of 

820
00:51:15,960 --> 00:51:18,880
God, but when it came to the 
judgement of God, they had all 

821
00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,920
these false ideas about it and 
it just solidified them in their

822
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:24,840
sin. 
But here's the 7th lesson. 

823
00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:30,000
He's just as serious and willing
to perform his promises to 

824
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,320
punish than any other good 
promise that we love and enjoy. 

825
00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:39,120
There's a hymn that's found in 
the New Testament. 

826
00:51:39,120 --> 00:51:41,680
Many hymns, actually, people 
debate if they're hymns or if 

827
00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:45,240
they're Christian sayings that 
were popular in the days of the 

828
00:51:45,240 --> 00:51:48,320
early church. 
And sometimes we're prepared to 

829
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:51,080
know one of these sayings or 
these hymns with the statement 

830
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:53,600
this saying is trustworthy. 
Have you read that in the New 

831
00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:55,880
Testament? 
This saying is trustworthy. 

832
00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,920
And there's one that Paul shares
with and reminds Timothy of in 

833
00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:04,080
Second Timothy 2IN verse 11, he 
says this saying is trustworthy.

834
00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:07,680
If we have died with him, we 
will what also live with him. 

835
00:52:08,720 --> 00:52:11,960
And he goes on to say, if we 
endure, we will also what reign 

836
00:52:11,960 --> 00:52:15,840
with Him. 
If we deny him, he will deny us.

837
00:52:17,240 --> 00:52:21,040
If we are faithless, he is what 
He remains faithful. 

838
00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:25,840
Out of those four lines, those 
four conditions, which one do 

839
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:27,560
you think is most quoted by 
people today? 

840
00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:31,000
I hear the last one all the 
time. 

841
00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:32,760
I rarely hear. 
If we have died with Him, we 

842
00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:34,960
will also live with Him. 
That if we endure that we will 

843
00:52:34,960 --> 00:52:37,480
also reign. 
I I usually hear, especially in 

844
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,760
times of counseling or 
conversation, if we are 

845
00:52:40,760 --> 00:52:43,560
faithless, he remains faithful, 
right? 

846
00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:49,160
For good reason, I suppose, 
because this is usually 

847
00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:53,280
interpreted as well. 
Even if we veer off and we 

848
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:57,000
disobey, that does not nullify 
the grace of God and the love of

849
00:52:57,000 --> 00:52:59,560
God and the ability to be 
restored to God. 

850
00:52:59,560 --> 00:53:03,200
And I believe that's true, but I
want you to consider another 

851
00:53:03,240 --> 00:53:06,480
possible interpretation that 
when you look at these 

852
00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:10,800
statements, you have two that 
are positive and two that are 

853
00:53:10,800 --> 00:53:14,000
negative. 
The 1st 2 is if we die with him,

854
00:53:14,040 --> 00:53:16,640
we'll live with him. 
If we endure, we will reign. 

855
00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,720
And then we come to if we deny 
him, he'll deny us. 

856
00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:24,560
And could it be that when he 
says if we are faithless, he 

857
00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:27,800
remains faithful? 
He's connected to the statement 

858
00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:32,720
that just came. 
In other words, we can also 

859
00:53:32,720 --> 00:53:35,480
understand this to me, that for 
those who deny Christ and sever 

860
00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:41,160
their loyalty to Him, IE being 
faithless, God is faithful to 

861
00:53:41,160 --> 00:53:43,800
carry out His warnings. 
He promised to those who do so. 

862
00:53:47,720 --> 00:53:51,000
You may be faithless in your 
vows to the Lord or in your 

863
00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:55,320
empty profession, but God is 
faithful in everything that He 

864
00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:59,880
has said, including to what He 
will do and how He'll respond to

865
00:53:59,880 --> 00:54:06,920
those who have denied him. 
God is serious about all of His 

866
00:54:06,920 --> 00:54:12,040
word, not just some of His word.
And what we have here is that 

867
00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:16,600
the Assyrians in our main text 
have arrived because God said 

868
00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:19,920
something many, many years ago, 
and He hadn't forgotten about 

869
00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:22,960
it. 
Let's come to our final lesson, 

870
00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:28,040
the 8th lesson with the 8th king
in verse 32 of Second Kings 15, 

871
00:54:31,200 --> 00:54:34,800
in the second year of Pika, the 
son of Remalia, king of Israel, 

872
00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:38,000
Jonathan, the son of Uzziah, 
king of Judah, began to reign. 

873
00:54:38,840 --> 00:54:41,320
He was 25 years old when he 
began to reign, and he reigned 

874
00:54:41,320 --> 00:54:44,840
16 years in Jerusalem. 
His mother's name was Jerusha, 

875
00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:47,600
the daughter of Zadok, and he 
did what was right in the eyes 

876
00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:50,440
of the Lord according to all 
that his father Uzziah had done.

877
00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:57,360
Isn't that refreshing? 
Nevertheless, the high places 

878
00:54:57,360 --> 00:55:00,720
were not removed. 
The people still sacrifice and 

879
00:55:00,720 --> 00:55:02,440
made offerings on the high 
places. 

880
00:55:03,040 --> 00:55:05,600
He built the upper gate of the 
House of the Lord. 

881
00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:08,000
Pause. 
When's the last time we heard 

882
00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:10,400
about anything relate to the 
House of the Lord? 

883
00:55:11,680 --> 00:55:14,560
So obviously, this king had 
great respect for the House of 

884
00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:16,920
God, and he invested in its 
restoration. 

885
00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:20,680
But let's read on. 
Now the rest of the acts of 

886
00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:23,040
Jonathan and all that he did, 
are they not written in the book

887
00:55:23,200 --> 00:55:25,280
of the Chronicles of the Kings 
of Judah? 

888
00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:29,600
Now you would think it would end
there and it would make sense. 

889
00:55:29,840 --> 00:55:32,520
Here we have a righteous king 
who did great things for the 

890
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:36,320
Kingdom. 
But verse 37 comes in those 

891
00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:38,760
days. 
The Lord began to send Resin, 

892
00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:44,280
the king of Syria, and Pika, the
son of Ramallah, against Judah. 

893
00:55:46,080 --> 00:55:48,520
Jotham slept with his father's 
and was buried with his father's

894
00:55:48,520 --> 00:55:51,480
in the city of David. 
His father and Ahaz, his son, 

895
00:55:51,960 --> 00:55:57,680
reigned in his place. 
So he did what was right in the 

896
00:55:57,680 --> 00:56:00,160
eyes of the Lord. 
He invested in the House of God.

897
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:04,560
Everything is looking well. 
And then at the end of this 

898
00:56:04,560 --> 00:56:09,040
text, we read that two nations 
now come against Judah. 

899
00:56:12,080 --> 00:56:15,640
You might be thinking, is this 
another case of Azariah or Uziah

900
00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:17,920
where he started out well and 
then he ended wrong? 

901
00:56:18,120 --> 00:56:23,800
No, Jotham actually ended well. 
So how is it that you have these

902
00:56:24,160 --> 00:56:28,720
foreign entities, these enemies 
surrounding the people of God 

903
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:32,320
with a righteous ruler? 
I think there are many ways to 

904
00:56:32,320 --> 00:56:36,640
answer that, and I want to give 
you one that is fairly new in 

905
00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:39,560
our understanding how things 
work in the days of the kings. 

906
00:56:40,760 --> 00:56:43,160
If you still have energy, we'll 
go to one more place in the 

907
00:56:43,160 --> 00:56:45,920
Bible. 
It's in Second Chronicles, and 

908
00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:49,280
here's what will end. 
Second Chronicles 27 is the 

909
00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:56,520
parallel account to this one, 
and I want us to look at the 1st

910
00:56:56,520 --> 00:57:03,720
2 verses please. 
Jotham was 25 years old when he 

911
00:57:03,720 --> 00:57:06,800
began to reign, and he reigned 
16 years in Jerusalem. 

912
00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:09,960
His mother's name was Jerusha, 
the daughter of Zadok, and he 

913
00:57:09,960 --> 00:57:11,960
did what was right in the eyes 
of the Lord according to all 

914
00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:14,920
that his father Uzziah had done,
except he did not enter the 

915
00:57:14,920 --> 00:57:16,440
Temple of the Lord. 
Don't you love that? 

916
00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:20,320
So this man's father was Uziah, 
the one who entered into the 

917
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:22,400
temple and assumed the position 
of a priest. 

918
00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:25,720
Now his son reigns and we're 
told he didn't enter the temple.

919
00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:30,440
So he made a willful choice. 
I'm not going to imitate my 

920
00:57:30,440 --> 00:57:32,920
father in this way. 
You can make the same choice no 

921
00:57:32,920 --> 00:57:36,920
matter how you grew up. 
But it's the last part. 

922
00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:42,480
But the people still followed 
corrupt practices. 

923
00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:49,760
I believe that's one of the 
reasons why the Lord allowed for

924
00:57:49,760 --> 00:57:52,480
Israel and Syria to come against
Judah. 

925
00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:56,480
Here's the final lesson from the
final king. 

926
00:57:57,080 --> 00:58:03,360
Godly influences do not 
guarantee godly imitation. 

927
00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:11,320
I love how this is brought to 
our attention because the Bible 

928
00:58:11,320 --> 00:58:15,160
is very realistic. 
You may have a godly pastor. 

929
00:58:15,520 --> 00:58:18,600
You may have godly pastors. 
You may have godly fathers, 

930
00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:22,160
mothers, older siblings, younger
siblings, friends. 

931
00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:26,560
That doesn't mean that you'll 
walk in the same way they 

932
00:58:26,560 --> 00:58:31,720
walked. 
That should encourage those who 

933
00:58:31,720 --> 00:58:35,320
are hoped that their presence 
and their example would be 

934
00:58:35,320 --> 00:58:38,240
replicated. 
Because you have some people, 

935
00:58:38,240 --> 00:58:41,280
and I have spoken to them with 
tears in their eyes that have 

936
00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:43,720
wondered, was I not godly 
enough? 

937
00:58:45,480 --> 00:58:49,080
Did I not pray hard enough? 
Did I not teach my children the 

938
00:58:49,080 --> 00:58:51,640
Bible enough? 
How is it that they're walking 

939
00:58:51,640 --> 00:58:55,880
in this way while I've served 
the Lord all the days of my life

940
00:58:57,200 --> 00:59:01,160
and I've brought Christ into our
marriage and into our home? 

941
00:59:01,160 --> 00:59:03,840
How is this possible? 
Well, you have one of many 

942
00:59:03,840 --> 00:59:10,000
examples just like this, that 
you can have a godly leader and 

943
00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:12,800
a godless people under that 
leadership. 

944
00:59:14,880 --> 00:59:16,520
That is even true for a local 
church. 

945
00:59:17,120 --> 00:59:22,760
You can have a Bible preaching, 
Bible living teacher week in and

946
00:59:22,760 --> 00:59:28,520
week out and people still leave 
unchanged, moved here and there,

947
00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:32,360
but not truly transformed. 
So what does this really teach 

948
00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:34,320
us? 
We are each responsible for our 

949
00:59:34,320 --> 00:59:39,560
own sanctification, and we will 
each be held accountable by God 

950
00:59:39,600 --> 00:59:42,520
for what we have done with the 
influences in our lives, 

951
00:59:43,080 --> 00:59:47,440
including godly leadership. 
And so we see here that the Lord

952
00:59:47,440 --> 00:59:53,000
is trying to get the attention 
of His people when they chose to

953
00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:58,120
ignore a godly king. 
Things are getting bad for the 

954
00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:01,600
people of God, and as we come to
chapter 16 next week, we're 

955
01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:05,240
going to discover that together.
Let's pray and seek the Lord in 

956
01:00:05,240 --> 01:00:34,440
Thanksgiving. 
Well, we tried our best with 

957
01:00:34,440 --> 01:00:42,040
this chapter to mine it so that 
we can discover gold in it. 

958
01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:49,440
Or we could have easily have 
just scratched the surface, but 

959
01:00:49,440 --> 01:00:54,160
we didn't want to do that. 
But we also know that we are 

960
01:00:54,160 --> 01:00:56,880
finite and we are limited and 
things can be overwhelming. 

961
01:00:56,880 --> 01:01:01,800
So we ask that the things that 
we have clicked on would be 

962
01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:08,000
retained and remembered. 
So Lord, help us chain these 

963
01:01:08,000 --> 01:01:14,520
insights around our hearts. 
Help us remember these truths 

964
01:01:14,520 --> 01:01:20,120
when they matter the most. 
And help us, Lord, if there's 

965
01:01:20,120 --> 01:01:21,920
going to be anything that we 
take away from this, help us 

966
01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:26,160
believe that every part of your 
word is an ocean of truth. 

967
01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:36,120
Lord, we pray that if anything 
has resonated with us, we would 

968
01:01:36,120 --> 01:01:41,080
not ignore it, that we would 
take heed of Uzziah's example 

969
01:01:41,640 --> 01:01:45,240
and not shooing away or becoming
even angry with conviction in 

970
01:01:45,240 --> 01:01:48,160
our hearts. 
Help us never become angry for 

971
01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:52,800
those who speak truths to us. 
Help us see them as a friend, as

972
01:01:52,800 --> 01:01:55,720
a gift always. 
And so, Lord, if there's 

973
01:01:55,720 --> 01:01:59,120
anything that you have touched 
on even now we believe that, you

974
01:01:59,120 --> 01:02:03,000
see how we will respond to this 
conviction, and we will respond 

975
01:02:03,000 --> 01:02:06,760
rightly by the grace of the Holy
Spirit who helps us remain in 

976
01:02:06,760 --> 01:02:09,800
humility. 
Lord, thank you that you keep 

977
01:02:09,800 --> 01:02:12,840
your promises. 
Thank you, Lord, that we may 

978
01:02:12,840 --> 01:02:15,840
forget, but you don't. 
Thank you, Lord, that when we 

979
01:02:15,840 --> 01:02:18,440
are faithless, you are faithful.
And that's a good thing. 

980
01:02:18,440 --> 01:02:19,960
And it can be a terrifying 
thing. 

981
01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:25,480
But Lord, we now as a church 
choose to sing to you in 

982
01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:28,600
Thanksgiving because you have 
brought us yet through another 

983
01:02:28,600 --> 01:02:31,480
text in Your word that will not 
be in vain in our lives. 

984
01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:36,680
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 
Let's stand, let's sing to the 

985
01:02:36,680 --> 01:02:40,280
Lord. 
We have 8 reasons to sing to the

986
01:02:40,280 --> 01:02:42,960
Lord tonight. 
I'm sure many more.