66. Beginner Bible Course: The Kings of Judah Pt. 1

EPISODE 66  The simple Bible overview of…THE KINGS OF JUDAH, PT 1

We just finished Kings of the Hill North and the for-profits God sent to warn them. I clumped all 19 Kings after Jeroboam the one who started at all and who clawed their way to the top of the Hill in one podcast. Now we turn to the Southern Hill Judah, and we're going to need to take this in a series of podcasts. They too had 19 Kings plus Solomon son who also started it. There are several reasons we need to take this in multiple episodes first. And most importantly, God had made a promise to David. The one of his offspring would sit on the throne, his King until the King came from David's line who had rule forever.

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David was of the tribe of Judah. And Judah of course, is the remaining Southern tribe. Along with that tiny tribe, Benjamin who's embedded in the area of Judah. So while all of Jacob's kids and tribes were important, in fact, all nations of the world are important to God. Remember the promise to Abraham, all nations of the world will be blessed through you. It's the Southern tribe of Judah that gets the focus of the rest of the old Testament. And specifically that promised King who had come through the line of David. So we're going to take a look at the first 11 Kings following Rehoboam on the Southern Hill Judah.

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This covers a period of 200 years, some years. I've given my students a report card to fill out on the Kings of Israel and Judah. I list their names in the dates. They rained, and I leave the report card blank for them to fill in a grade plus teacher comments. You're welcome to do that as well as you follow along the writer, a first and second Kings and the writer of first and second Chronicles, which piggybacks first and second, Kings normally give a grade to each King themselves. The Northern Kings all get bad grades. They're all considered bad, evil or worse. J who that reformer in the middle probably gets the best grade, but they be no more than C plus while he addressed the symptoms of Israel's disease.

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He never addressed the disease itself. Idolatry the sins of Jeroboam in the South, the report cards, a little more tricky. Some Kings are good. Some Kings are bad and worse. And with some Kings there mid-quarter grade is different than their final. I'm about to give you a quick overview of the first 12. I urge you to explore this deeper in first and second Kings and second Chronicles before we do, I'd like to mention something quickly about first and second Chronicles. You've heard me refer to a first and second Chronicles in my discussions of the story of David, the story of Solomon and the Kings of the Hill North first. And second Chronicles is probably the last book written in the old Testament, around 400 or 425 BC.

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In many ways. It's like it's a lot of lists of names and dates quite tedious. It also quite closely follows the stories of David and the Kings of Israel and Judah. Many people believe Ezra was its author. Well, first and second Kings gives us the historical account, the flow of events and Kings first and second Chronicles has a different purpose written after the destruction of the Northern kingdom, by a Syria and the exile of the Southern kingdom to Babylonia and even the return of a remnant of exiles to Judah, to rebuild Jerusalem and restart their nation. Second Chronicles purpose is to give people hope that God would be true to his promises.

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00:03:42

I mean, after Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and all the nations repeatedly like Parana nipped at, and even dined on the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah. It's no wonder the surviving people back in the area of Jerusalem and Judah needed some encouragement. Chronicles was written to remind them how they got into these predicaments to call them to obedience, to the law of God and to remind them God cared for them and would fulfill his promise. Particularly the promise to David that one day one of his descendants would be King and rule forever. Much of the information that I'll share with you on Kings of the Hill.

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00:04:25

South in this in future episodes is from second Chronicles chapters, 13 through 36. You could say first and second Kings gives the 40,000 foot view first and second Chronicles dives down for a much closer look. So here we go to the report card of the Kings of the Hill in the South part. One of course Solomon's son Rehoboam started at all. We studied his life in the Rehoboam and Jeroboam story. We've learned about his multiple wives and that he neither cared for nor had any regard for God. I'd probably go about a D minus, but I'll leave it up to you.

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His son Abijah takes over Abijah rains for three years by just that kind of tricky. One to grade. On the one hand, he had 14 wives, 22 sons and 16 daughters. He also allowed idolatry to continue. The one good thing he did do is when confronted by Jeroboam of Israel in a potential battle, he relied on God, you'll read a speech in second Chronicles. He begged Gerald bombed to go home and said, you've bailed out on God. We're still on God's side. This isn't going to end well Jeroboam doesn't listen. He comes from both front and rear on a Biga and the troops of Judah and God, it says routed Jeroboam and the North so much.

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00:05:47

So Jeroboam never recovered. The next King was EISA. He ruled for 41 years. We're told God, brought peace to Judah through EISA early on. He cleans house. He follows the law of God. He builds up Judah's defenses. Second Chronicles tells us he's attacked by a million troops from Ethiopia, knowing he's over his head. He relies on God and God gives an incredible victory. EISA holds a solemn assembly to worship God in Jerusalem. It's magnificent and get this. He removes his own mother from power because she set up a horrible, false image.

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00:06:27

Removing your mama is no small thing. ACEs great at midterm was much higher than his final Israel's King Bay Isha prepares to attack him. Now, mind you God intervened and helped EISA and Judah defeat 1 million Ethiopian troops on the attack. But now with Bay Usha and as much smaller army threatening them, EISA turns to a human ally. Ben, Hey dad, God shakes his head and said, dude, what are you doing from there? ACEs life goes downhill. Juda struggles against the enemy is when a says, confronted by a prophet. Instead of being repentant, he gets really angry and bitter.

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00:07:11

He gets a foot infection that ultimately takes him out. His son Jehosaphat's takes the throne. We're told Jehosaphat was like his dad in the early years, he firmed up Judah's grip, politically and militarily. He was single-minded. He got rid of the shrines of the false guides. He sent priests out to the towns of Judea and surrounding areas. They controlled teaching the people how to follow the law of God in the middle of Jehosaphat's rain. We're told he developed an Alliance with a Hab. Yes, the worst King of Israel. You'll remember he and a half going into battle. He's disguised as a Hab.

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Remember that Jehosaphat, unlike a Hab lives for another day, back in Jerusalem, he's rebuked for his Alliance with Ahab, but unlike EISA, he doesn't get angry or bitter. He becomes broken and repentant. Second Chronicles tells us he really turned his heart back to God. He appointed fair and good judges. He put the real fear of God in the citizens were told when Ammon, Moab, and Edam allied to attack Jerusalem. He brought the people together in another solemn assembly and they fell before God and cried out for his help. God said, I'll fight for you. And Jehosaphat was so convinced of God's faithfulness.

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00:08:34

He puts a choir out in front of their army, as they go into battle King Jehosaphat started strong, had a glitch in the middle repented and ended strong Jehosaphat's dies. And his son Jehoram takes his place. Jehoram ruled for eight years. Here's a bulleted list of his accomplishments. You give them a, he killed all of his brothers so he could have the throne were told. He abandoned God. He led Jerusalem away from God. He was evil in the same spirit. As the Kings of Israel. He receives a letter of warning from Elijah, but he disregards it, got to Flix his family with the plague then has the Ethiopians return and attack and take his family and kill off all.

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00:09:18

But one of his sons, ASI. And finally we're told he's taken by a painful humiliating disease. His son a has takes over. He only lasts a year before being killed by Jay who, when he was visiting King George, some of Israel were told he was evil, that he was cut out of the same bolt of cloth is a Hab. When he is killed, we get our first and only queen of the South, the Elia, the white witch. She was simply devilish. I don't use that term loosely. Her first act was to kill all of her boy, grandchildren. No kidding.

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Grandma killed all of her little boy grandbabies. Well all but the one-year-old who is hidden by the priests on the surface. She seemed to be doing this so she could stay queen and have no competitors. But below that, what would happen if she had succeeded? The Ethiopians had killed all of <inaudible> sons except for ASI. And now ASI as dad and at the Leia Kilz all of his sons, except for the one-year-old God had promised David. One of his descendants would sit on the throne of Judah until a descendant came, who had ruled forever. If alkali had been successful, God's promise would have been nullified.

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00:10:42

Thankfully, grandma missed a grand boy, Jehoiada. The priest protected this. One-year old in the temple for six years. And at year seven, brought him out. He'll become the next King. But before we moved to little Joe Ash, here's another thing the white witch did during her evil reign. She used all of the temple artifacts devoted to Yahweh the God of Israel in the worship of bale. After her six year reign of tear at the light, here's some commotion in the temple, singing and joyous, shouting. She thinks she hears long, lived the King and she nears the temple. When she arrives, she sees a seven year old crown who looks strikingly like her son <inaudible> she screams treason, Jehoiada.

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00:11:32

The priest doesn't want her blood contaminating the temple. So she's dragged out to the horse stables. I imagine her being trampled there like Jay, who did to Jesse rebel, ding-dong the white, which is dead. The next King is little Joe Ash, age seven. When he's crowned, the young lad becomes the King mentored by Jehoiada the priest. Why would this kid start out strong with that? To allege he tore down the bale temple. He restored the burn offerings. Then he began to renovate the temple that had become dilapidated under the white witch. But Joe Ash also had a higher midterm than a final grade.

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00:12:13

When the priest Jehoiada, his mentor dies at 130, the wheels begin to come off his rule, the sex and religion shrines return. The profits are disregarded the murder of one of these profits. Zachariah Jehovah to his son, triggers consequences from God within a year. The army and troops invade Joe ashes. Army is throttled Joe ashes wounded in battle. And while he's recovering, he's assassinated primarily in retaliation for the murder of Zachariah. The prophet, I told you some of these Kings were kind of hard to give a grade. His son Amazigh takes his place. He serves for 29 years.

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Amazon has called a good King by God. He executes his dad's assassins, but he doesn't harm their kids. Why? This is important in God's law, the law of Moses God specifically said the children will not be punished for the sins of their parents, nor the parents for the sins of their children. Each person is guilty for his own sin. Amazigh is following the law of God. That's unusual for the Kings of Israel and Judah. He's kind of a curved records. In other words, we're told he hires the soldiers of Israel to help defend him from an enemy. But then God says, why aren't you trusting in me? So he sends those soldiers home.

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00:13:36

That's pretty cool. On the other hand, he brought back the gods of the people he conquered and when prophets confronted him, he told him to shut up. Who asked you mind your own business? Not cool. At this point, the prophets say you're pretty much done Amazon, how he's done in his challenging. Jehoahaz the Northern King of Israel to fight on the battlefield. Jehovah Ash says, don't even think about it you're way over your head, but Amazigh attacks and gets throttled. Jehoahaz not only wins the victory. He comes to Jerusalem and tears down 600 feet of Jerusalem's protective wall. Then he takes anything he wants, including hostages.

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00:14:17

He leaves Amazigh to rule this broken down Capitol city and his defeated army for 15 years. He's a lame duck until he flees the country and is assassinated his son, you Zaja at age 16, takes the throne, use Aja rules for 52 years. He's called a good King, a loyal seeker of God. He strengthens Judah against the Philistines. He organizes his kingdom. Judah is on the mend, but then we're told he became arrogant. His strength went to his head one day, he walks into the temple and he begins to burn incense.

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00:14:58

You'll remember from the law of God, the incense of God was a special recipe and it was only to be burned in certain circumstances by the Levi's, but powerful use Aja decided rules are made to be broken. The Levi's begged him not to do it. He disregards these piano priests and continue as he's doing it. A skin disease appears on his head. He realizes he's gone too far for the rest of his life. He spent in quarantine. And when he dies because of the skin disease, he's not allowed to be buried in the Royal cemetery. Then we get to a son Jotham he rules for 16 years. He's a good King steady and determined to obey.

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00:15:40

God, let that soak in the common people of Judah. However, kept on sinning. Jotham was a splash of faithfulness in the cesspool nation of Judah Jotham dies and then comes a, has he ruled for 16 years? And he was one bad, bad boy. We're told he copied the idolatry of Israel. He cast images of bail. He participated in the sex and religion bail cult, and he implemented passing his own sons through the fire. Yup. That's just exactly what it sounds like. It was an epidemic of depravity under King, a has God turns his wrath on this wicked King and the citizens of Judah.

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00:16:28

He sends Aram against them. Then King Pekka of Israel who kills 120,000 of a has troops in one day and takes 200,000 captives to Samarria. He seeks help from a Syria and instead they turn on him. So weak a has purges, anything gold or silver from Jerusalem to pay off a Syria and then get this. He worships the Assyrian gods, the gods of the very people who just defeated and pillaged him. Well, there you are folks. We've just gone through 200 years of Kings of the Hill. South 11 Kings and one queen.

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00:17:08

We have eight Kings in 140 years to go before they're exiled to Babylon. God is also sending them sticky note profits to warn them as he warned the Northern kingdom with Elijah Elisha, Amos and Hosea. We're going to take a look at the first two of those Joel and Micah in our next word picture.