An Insightful Look at Ancient Heathen Culture

Today this chapter spoke more to me about Sennacherib the king of Assyria and the Assyrian people than either Hezekiah or Israel in general.  It is very interesting what we learn about the people of Assyria and their king as they approach Jerusalem to conquer it and add it to their list of trophies as they move through out the region expanding their kingdom and spoiling the land around them. 

Three things jump out right away.

1. These people were very bold and arrogant
2. They wanted to take Judah without a fight
3. They had little or no regard for human life

As to the first point -- I believe it is clear that the Assyrian king wasn't interested in any kind of diplomacy.  There doesn't appear to have been any ax to grind either (i.e. no hint of any previous relationship with Israel).  They simply were there to destroy Jerusalem and had no qualms about making this intent blatantly obvious.  The boldness of this approach strikes me as familiar and common practise . . . not unusual or particularly unique.  The Assyrians appear to have a sort of entitlement to conquest and this produces a sort of ruthlessness in their approach to invading the foreign inhabits they encounter.  The boasting of their accomplishment before engaging their enemy is really so telling to me. 

Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?  -- II Chronicles 32:13-14

The arrogance here is off the charts!  These are the words of a man who truly has no expectation other than to have his way utterly and completely.  Could this also represent the general attitude of the people of Assyria?  I tend to think so.

As to the second point -- I can't see any other reason to send messengers into Jerusalem with the brazen and contemptuous words of Sennacherib except to cause fear and terror to overcome the people of Judah.  Any why cause fear and terror? -- to prevent them from putting up a fight.  It almost appears to bother the king of Assyria that Judah would dare to resist him. 

"Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?" -- II Chronicles 32:10-11

It is interesting that Sennacherib took great measures to put together this lengthy message of doom and gloom to demoralize the people of Judah.  I get the feeling that this is a man who would rather sit and watch while others fight his battles for him.  He would much rather waltz right in and take this or any other city without any resistance from people shaking at the knees and paralyzed with fear than to prevail in battle with a proud enemy that has confidence in their king and their god.  Thay would be too much trouble.

As to the last point -- It is so obvious how little regard for life these people have when we see how they ruthlessly slaughter their own king in cold blood for no other reason I can tell other than the fact that he comes home embarrased and defeated in battle.  And to top it all off, Sennacherib is killed by his own children!

So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.  -- II Chronicles 32:10-11

Yikes!  Talk about brutal and cold!  What savages were these people!

Hezekiah Holds Nothing Back

This chapter really explores the depth of Hezekiah's commitment to follow after the commandments of God with all of his heart. We see the reestablishment of the priesthood with all of it's administrative trappings back to the detailed level first put in place by King David. This was clearly Israel's highest point spiritually since the time of David.

It is also clear that Hezekiah was very knowledgeable of the scriptures and the law of Moses. Notice it is Hezekiah who sets up all of these positions (not the Levites).

"And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service..." -- II Chronicles 31:2

The other thing that strikes me on this reading of chapter 31 is the carefully listing of the proper names of Levites involved in the administration of the priesthood. I've learned over the years that a proper name given in the Bible always has some significance (this would be an interesting study in its self). Great detail is given here of the names of men and their responsibilities along with some information about their genealogies. There is something here to be gleamed if one is diligent enough to explore.

As for Hezekiah, he didn't hold back anything. You get the full sense that he did everything in his power (with all his heart) to bring the kingdom back to the place where he believe God wanted it. For this, God greatly blessed him.

And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered. -- II Chronicles 31:21

How Far Away They Strayed

You never really get a sense of how bad things were spiritually in Judah until you see what it took to get them back on track. Even after the massive cleansing ceremony (which takes place in the previous chapter) here we get a better picture of just how bleak it was throughout the whole land of Judah and the surrounding tribes. They finally have a king who is the most like David (their greatest king ever) who wants to bring the whole land back to the place they should be spiritually. What jumps out at me is the fact that so many of the people of Israel thought what Hezekiah was doing was a complete joke. His messengers were not well received by the people of the land.

but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. -- 2 Chronicles 30:10

This is a clear picture of how deeply ingrained they were into the pagan culture. This was not just a few years of straying away from the true God, but generations of mind-numbing and heart-chilling infestation. They were at the point where this whole one true God thing was absolutely absurd for them. They probably thought of it as backward thinking and closed mindedness. They probably looked down of the few holdouts who still held true to the old faith. They had truly "moved on." Sound familiar? Even the priest and the levites must have turned cold as they were not able to perform their duties at full capacity.

and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves... -- 2 Chronicles 30:15

They had come so far -- almost to the point of no return. Hezekiah has to over a prayer of atonement for all the people as they struggle to do what is right in their weak spiritual state. I see this period in the history of Judah as the final spark of goodness . . . sort of like what happens sometimes before an incandecent light bulb blows out. You get that final surge of bright light and then -- poof! This is true for Judah as well during the time of Hezekiah. They return to that full brightness that was during the time of David and Soloman for just a brief period. We all know what happens next -- poof!

Sudden Atonement

There so much that can be said about Hezekiah . . . what an amazing man he was! Of all the kings before him he strikes me as the most like David in the way he loved and respected the things of God. I have to say the first thing which impresses me as I read the account of his life again in this chapter is the contrast between him and his evil father (Ahaz). It is really stunning. First notice he begins his reign at exactly the same time in his life as his father did -- at the age of 20 years (II Chronicles 28:1, 29:1). It is incredible how different these 2 men were in their youth right from the start. The first recorded acts of Ahaz are of radical idolatry and paganism. Hezehiah by contrast starts right away cleaning up the mess began by his father.

He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. -- II Chronicles 29:3

Both wasted no time acting on the desires of their hearts. This indicates for me a preoccupation during their childhoods and adolescent years with the powerful influences which would go on to shape their early adult lives. How else did Ahaz know about pagan worship and have such disdain for the things of God -- he was obviously drawn to this during his youth. How else did Hezekiah know so much about the Levitical priesthood and proper method of cleaning the temple as he so thoroughly did as soon as he became king -- clearly he was drawn to this as a child.

Aside from the contrast between Ahaz and Hezekiah, 2 other things jump out at me. First the speed with which Judah cleans up its act and second, the extend of the cleansing.

It happened so fast!! Remember Ahaz spent 16 years taking Judah to the gutter. I found it interesting that the priest spent 16 days cleansing the temple. One day of cleansing for each year of filth -- coincident? Imagine what it must have been like for the people of Judah to have this sudden shift from 16 years of paganism to back to worshipping the true God. All of the children 16 and under didn't have a clue what to make of it. I don't think we can fully appreciate what it took for Hezekiah to turn this whole kingdom around to fast. The scripture uses the word "suddenly."

And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. -- II Chronicles 29:36

The other impression I take away from this reading is the extent of the cleansing. We get the sense that this was a massive job!

And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple... -- II Chronicles 29:16

What was this uncleanness they found in the temple? How filthy had Judah been during Ahaz' 16 years as king? It must have been ridiculously bad! Just look at the sheer volume of sacrifices made to atone for their sins (hundreds of oxen, rams, and bullocks . . . thousands of sheep). This was big time cleansing!

A final thought from this chapter . . . notice the shortage of good priest. The sacrifices made during this atonement was so massive that the priest had to employ the services of the non-priest Levites to assist with the offerings. Many more priest could have assisted, but they were not spiritually prepared to do so.

...for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. -- II Chronicles 29:34

This tells us so much about the moral state of Judah at this time.

16 Years of Abysmal Moral Decay

How could the son of a relatively good man (Jotham) and also the father of a really good man (Hezekiah) be so terribly bad! A verse from the previous chapter gives us a clue (regarding Ahaz' father Jotham) . . .

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, . . . And the people did yet corruptly." -- 2 Chronicles 27:2

Although Jotham was a good man he did not really have any influence over the people of Judah and likely none over his son Ahaz. The atmosphere was wipe to produce yet another immoral king -- Ahaz.

It's amazing how low Ahaz sank. He wasn't just an idol worshiper he was fanatical! He went on a massive idol building campaign, sacrificed his own children, and even shut up the doors of the temple after raiding it several time to finance his own evil projects. He seems to me to be regarded as a real loser. Even after the great expansion of Judah and success enjoyed by his father and grandfather (Uzziah) he does nothing of the sort. The only thing we discover he has built are the countless alters to various pagan gods. He is constantly losing land to his enemies, has to pay tribute and bribe money to keep from being attacked by the Assyrians, and loses hundreds of his own citizens to capture and outright slaughter by Israel in the north. What a bleak and pathetic 16 years was this man's reign! How Low judah Sank!

Preparing for God

This is really a short little summary of king Jotham. Did you notice that we are told both
1. how old Jotham was when he became king (25 years) and
2. how long he reigned (16 years)
exactly twice at the beginning and end of this chapter. Why is that? There has to be a reason (this much I have learned over the years), but what that reason is I don't know yet.

What strikes me most as I read it is verse 6:

"So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God."

Yet another reminder of how God blesses those who seek him and make room in their lives to do his will. I interpret "prepared his ways" to mean made room for God. In other words he planned his daily life around God and lived as in the presence of God. When you prepare for God you tend to think clearly and make wise choices. This is good living and a good life always follows.

Strong in Heart, but Weak in Spirit

Two things -- first, 52 years is a long time to rule as king and second, leprosy for the rest of his life . . . yikes! This kings of Judah each bring us important lessons about God. Uzziah teaches us what can happen when we get to comfortable with the things of God and really just forget who He is and how respectful we should be of him and his laws. So Uzziah turns out to be a great king of Judah. Not just good, but great. He really establishes Judah as a powerful presence in the land. His army is expanded and he builds incredible structures throughout the region. He gains serious respect from the surrounding countries and makes a name for himself and for Judah. He seeks after God we read "in the days of Zechariah" and clearly, God blesses him "as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. (2 Chronicles 26:5)"

So what went so terribly wrong that God curses him with Leprosy for the rest of his life. Of course we know the "actions" of Uzziah which are recorded in verses 16-19 and we can only imagine the arrogance and feeling on entitlement Uzziah must have exhibited as he insisted on burning incense in the temple. Perhaps it was the thing to do in his day by foreign rulers. Perhaps the kings of the land had every right to waltz right into their respective places of worship and make whatever ceremonial gesture they felt was appropriate. Perhaps the people considered it an honor to have the king himself show up and perform religious rites. Perhaps this was not only acceptable, but highly desirable.

Not so with God. Here comes the lesson to us -- it is dangerous to forget our place and to take the things of God so lightly. It doesn't matter what we have accomplished we can never even pretend to think we know better than God. It wasn't so much his actions in the temple which displeased God so much, but his "actions" in his heart . . .

"But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense." -- 2 Chronicles 26:16

When he was "strong" Uzziah was weak. Yes, that's the crux of it. We have to be very careful with this sinful nature to keep it in check when we are really strong. The temptation to forget who God is can slip up on us and how quickly we can fall spiritually.

Blinding Ambition

How could Amaziah do it? How in the world could he make such a ridiculously poor choice to bring back the gods of a people he just conquered (in lop-sided fashion) and decide to worship those gods? It just doesn't make sense! As I read it I'm shouting on the inside "don't do it Amaziah! Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?" This shows the power of ambition to blind and deceive even to the point of causing someone to do something counterproductive and self defeating. This is an important lesson in the frailty of the human ego. Left unchecked it can send a person into on-coming traffic for a sudden collision with destruction without warning. There are so many examples of this in the scripture.

This is also a glimpse into the culture of deity worship. How prevalent must this have been? I'm thinking the whole idea of idolatry must have been a lot like Hollywood and the powerful grip of the media today. The popularity of the practise must have been through the roof! So many gods to choose from! So many representations of those gods. So many cool and enticing places of worship which must have included fun, pleasures, and ego-enticing activities. It is really really AMAZING how many examples of this we find in the history of Israel. I think being so far removed from this culture, we tend to not fully understand the draw.

I suspect we have things in our lives and in the world around us which serve the same purpose. They appeal to the ego and enjoy such popular in our modern culture that we fail to question them see or them for what they are with the sober eyes of the Spirit.

The Goodness of Joash Was Only Skin Deep

In this chapter I'm struck by how shallow the character of Joash was. Even though Joash ruled over Judah for 40 years it was really Jehoiada the priest (his adoptive father) who was king by proxy. Jehoiada's influence over Joash was so great that after the death of Jehoiada remarkably Joash takes a 180 degree turn and what started out as a goodly and noble reign turns into more of the same evil which was spawned by his famously wicked mother. It makes you wonder about the power of "bad seed." Could it be that Joash was only being propped up spiritually by Jehoiada?

Several clues are given in this chapter which show the extent of Jehoiada's influence of Judah.

1. First, we see that any good in Joash came from the daily influence of Jehoiada.
   
   

   And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. -- 2 Chronicles 24:2



2. Next we see Joash give a direct command to the priests and the Levites in verse 5 and they basically completely disregard his directive. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not (2 Ch. 24:5). It's not until Jehoiada gets involved that the Levites get moving to gather the offering of goods from the land to repair the temple as Joash had commanded.



3. The people's regard for Joash is clearly low. We see that upon his death Jehoiada is given a king's burial
   

   And they buried him in the city of David among the kings -- 2 Chronicles 24:16

Yet Joash was not treated so royally at his death.

and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings. -- 2 Chronicles 24:25

It turns out that Joash is morally bankrupt at the end of his life and soon after his great mentor Jehoiada is gone the princes of Judah, who were clearly very wicked, had no trouble twisting his will. He readily agrees to unspeakable evil which Jehoiada would have surely condemned had he still been alive and well.

It brings up an intriguing thought. What kind of moral backbones would we have if suddenly our entire spiritual framework was stripped away? What if there were no more godly parents, church elders, christian friends, etc. left to influence our lives? How quickly would we corrode into moral decay? Could we find strength from within to sustain a godly life? It's an important matter to consider because in the end the condition of our spiritual health is really just a matter between us and God.

Six Years of Meticulous Planning

This story of the hiding of the baby Joash and then the eventual coronation of the very young king has always been intriguing for me. On this read of it I can't stop thinking of what the six years must have been like for Jehoiada the priest and his followers as they very carefully planned the day when they would present Judah with their new king and remove the evil Athaliah from power. This was no small feat.

There was so much to consider! When to do it. How to do it. Who to get involved. The logistics and politics of this coup must of been very extensive. It had to go just right or it would have been a disaster. You get the sense that bringing the young Joash to the throne was their only chance to save Judah. They must have planned this with great care for the entire six years that Joash was hidden away in the temple. Maybe they thought they could do it when he was about 4 or so. Maybe they thought it would have to be when he was about 16. Clearly, Jehoiada was prepared to rule Judah by proxy while the child matured so the age of Joash may not have been as important as the timing for the revolt and the right connections to be made. There must have been scores of secret meetings and dozens of revisions to the plan. What must the planning have been like? How many close calls were there as some of the details could have pontentially leaked out to the queen? There must of been lots of tense moments. How badly were they all iching to just get on with it.

The six years in the making for King Joash are really facinating to me. The plans to bring him to the throng were no doubt very very carefully and prayerfully considered. Everything had to be handled with great care. It must have been an interesting time in Judah.

Moral Decay Can Happen So Fast

It's remarkable how quickly a relatively good and God-fearing society can fall into moral decay. After many decades of growing closer to God and following closely after His laws and, for the most part, enjoying His favor we see in this chapter how low Judah sinks within just one generation (really in about 9 years). Remember Asa reigned for 41 years and Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years after him. So Judah had 66 years of godly rule with very strict attention to detail in terms of administration and following God's law. So Jehoram who God curses with an incurable disease starts Judah into it's decline with only 8 years of rule and his son, Ahaziah (equally wicked), only rules for 1 year afterwhich he is killed.

The next thing you know, his evil mother takes over and kills all of the royal seed she can find. We can only imagine how dispicable this woman was. Remember, she was the primary influence into the evil development of her son Ahaziah.

"...for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly" -- 2 Chronicles 22:3

You have to really stop and think about the day to day live in Judah during this period to grasp the swiftness of this decline. So many people who were born during the 66 years of good rule and only knew of life with a goodly king and strict adherence to God's law in the land. Now, in just 9 short years we come to the point in this chapter where this woman, Athaliah, slaughters all the royal sons and actually rules Judah for 6 years. She was the daughter of Omri (who was an evil king of Israel and father of the notorious Ahab). The spiritual state in Judah hit an all time low.

I've always been intrigued by the story of how Joash was hidden away in the temple for 6 years to escape death by the hand of Athaliah. This is a fascinating glimpse into the society of Judah during this time. But what speaks to me the most as I read this passage again is the speed with which this society fell into moral decay. It was so fast! It's a good lesson for us to always remember that spiritual death and destruction can occur in a flash. We have to be so diligent to guard against it.

The First Born Is Not Always the Best Choice

This chapter just speaks to me again about how important it is to properly prepare when passing the torch to the next generation. The contrast between Jehoram and his father, Jehoshaphat, is striking. What a glaring disconnect! This is a man, Jehoram, who wasn't fit to be any kind of leader with measurable authority, let along king. There is nothing notable about his 8 year reign. His only contribution was to cause Israel to fall out of favor with God and hurry along God's judgement of his people.

Why would Jehoshaphat, after spending so much his life seeking God's will and encouraging Israel to do the same, be so careless as to hand over the kingdom to such a wicked man? Only one reason is given -- he was the first born.

". . . but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; because he was the firstborn." -- 2 Chronicles 21:3

Jehoram is given full control of God's kingdom that both Jehoshaphat and Jehosophat's father Asa had so carefully administered and nurtured under God's guidance. His only qualification is that he was the first born of apparently many other more noble sons. We get confirmation of this from the prophecy from Elijah when he informs jehoram that God will curse him for his actions.

"Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah . . . and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself" -- 2 Chronicles 21:12-13

Clearly, being the first born is not all it's cracked up to be. Actually, if you look over the examples we have in the scriptures of men who were the first born in their families (e.g. Cain, Easu, Eliab, etc.) you quickly start to get the sense that maybe there's something here that God's trying to tell us. What really should matter in terms of succession is character, diligent preparation, and most importantly God's favor. This is a lesson that should reach to all great men and women when we take upon us the sober responsibility of passing the torch.

Trusting God for Prosperity

There is so much packed into this chapter 20 of 2 Chronicle. There are lots of images to ponder like the host of dead bodies which lay wasted in the wilderness and the 3 days it took the Israelite to remove the spoil from theses dead bodies. This must have been a grim sight! There is also much to gleam in terms of geography from the names of places mentioned and in terms of anthropology from the names of the inhabitants and the time lines given from Jehoshaphat's reign (we're told his age at the time he reigns and how long he reigns). Lots of lessons can be made of this. However, what sticks out to me as I read it today is the message -- trust in God.

"Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." -- 2 Chronicles 20:20

God honors this trust in him and says through the prophet, things like "stand ye still", "fear not", and don't "be dismayed". These are the direct results of trusting in God. A kind of calm results. No worries remain. This is complete trust. This is an important message for today because God has not changed and never will. He still wants us to trust Him this way.

It's also interesting that, at the end of the chapter, we are told of Jehoshaphat's joint venture with Ahaziah (who was a very wicked man) to build ships together and we see how God judges Jehoshaphat for this indiscretion by destroying these ships that he and Ahaziah had built together. This little side narrative doesn't seem to fit until you consider that fact that it kind of underscores the whole theme of this chapter -- that we should put our trust in God and not in the world around us. Did God want Jehoshaphat to prosper and perhaps build a fleet of trade ships? I don't see why not. Clearly, it was his partnership with a known evil man that brought about God's judgement. God wants us to prosper, but, more importantly, he wants us to trust him.