2 nd Kings, Bible Lesson 23.
Just for your thoughts;
2 nd Kings,
Bible Lesson 23.
After the death of King Solomon (931 B.C.), the kingdom was divided into two parts. The northern kingdom of Israel consisted of ten tribes, while the southern kingdom of Judah consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The kingdom of Israel lasted from around 931 B.C. to 722 B.C. In 722 B.C., the Assyrians came and destroyed Samaria, bringing Israel’s kingdom to an end. Its duration was only about 209 years.
But the kingdom of Judah lasted from 931 B.C. to 586 B.C. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, captured Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and carried the people into exile.
The lifetime of Judah’s kingdom was about 345 years.
All the kings who ruled Israel turned away from the Lord without exception, worshipping Baals and idols. The last king of Israel was Hoshea, son of Elah.
During his reign, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came against Samaria and besieged it. In the third year, Samaria was taken. At that time, the king of Judah was Hezekiah. After him, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attempted to capture Judah.
During Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrian empire was very powerful, while Babylon was an emerging kingdom. Sennacherib came with a mighty army and besieged Jerusalem.
Then King Hezekiah, being very afraid, surrendered himself to God. Therefore, unlike Israel, which God delivered into the hands of its enemies, Judah was not handed over to the Assyrian empire.
It was only about 136 years later, during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, that God delivered Judah into the hands of the Babylonians.
The reason was that most of the kings of Judah followed God to some extent. But finally, the last four kings of Judah turned away from God, and because of that, God handed the nation over to the Babylonians.
The measure of our faithfulness to God determines the prosperity of our spiritual life. God had already set an appointed time to deliver Israel into the hands of its enemies. Likewise, He had fixed a time for Judah to be given into the hands of the Babylonians.
If God had chosen, He could have given Judah over to the Assyrians. But because King Hezekiah, and later King Josiah, walked faithfully with God, the destruction was delayed for a time.
When we study the history of Israel and Judah, we can learn many lessons.
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. He knows exactly when and to whom He must hand over those who turn away from Him.
Until God’s appointed time comes, no one can lay a hand on us.
From the fact that the Lord delivered Judah and Israel into the hands of their enemies, we must learn lessons for our own lives.
If the people of Judah had learned from history and walked in the ways of the Lord, they could have avoided Babylonian captivity.
The saying “The only lesson we learn from history is that we do not learn anything from history” proves true in this matter.
Ezekiel Shanmugavel