II Kings 15 and II Chronicles 26
In II King 15, we learn a little about Uzziah (JUDAH) and a lot about the kings of Israel that were in power during the time of his reign. In II Chronicles 26, we learn a lot about Uzziah and what kind of king he was.
Uzziah (Judah), who was sixteen when he came to power, ruled for fifty-two years. He was mostly a good king, doing what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, except he did not destroy the pagan shrines and people offered sacrifices and burned incense there.
The kings of Israel mentioned in II Kings 15 include:
- Zechariah son of Jeroboam II who reigned over Israel six months
- Shallum son of Jabesh who reigned over Israel one month
- Menahem son of Gadi ruled who reigned over Israel ten years
- Pekahiah son of Menahem who reigned over Israel two years
- Pekah son of Remaliah who reigned over Israel twenty years
None of the kings of Israel did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but Uzziah (Judah) did. Zechariah the prophet apparently had a good influence on him. Zechariah taught him to fear God and “as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” Then, he decided he could burn incense in the Temple. The priests tried to stop him, but couldn’t get him out of there until he was stricken with leprosy. He suffered from the disease until the end of his days.
Government and the rule of law does make a difference. Israel during this time reminds me of third-world countries where whoever is willing to do anything to rule does. Individuals come into power through assassination. Pray for our country.
Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Isaiah 1 – 4.
A good Jewish story.
A Jewish businessman in Chicago decided to send his son to Israel to absorb some of the culture of the homeland. When the son returned, the father asked him to tell him about his trip. The son said, "Pop, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity." "Oy, vey," said the father, "Vot haf I dun?" He decided to go ask his friend Jacob what to do. Jake said, "Funny you should ask. I too sent my son to Israel, and he also came back a Christian. Perhaps we should go see the rabbi and ask him what we should do." So they went to see the rabbi. The rabbi said,"Funny you should ask. I too sent my son to Israel. He also came back a Christian. What is happening to our young people? Perhaps we should go talk to God and ask him what to do." The three of them prayed and explained what had happened to their sons and asked God what to do. Suddenly a voice came loud and clear from Heaven. "Funny you should ask. I, too, sent my Son to Israel"
The Amazing Spider-Man
Today, Karen and I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man, an excellent movie starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The story was a little different (better) than the movie starring Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.
I’d recommend it to anyone.
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