As we finish our study, I would like to consider these final chapters, while trying to also reflect on the book of Kings as a whole. I have tried to magnify one dominant theme in the study: We need a better king! Even the best of kings proved to fall short.Our King has come, living the life we could not live; dying the death we should have died; rising from the dead, defeating our ultimate enemies. And our King is coming again, and we will be with Him forever. Right now, we are in between the times. Let us not lose heart, as we wait for the day in which King Jesus returns to establish his eternal, shalom-filled kingdom. We need a better King, and praise God, we have One!
Following the noble reign of Hezekiah, we read of the faithless reign of Manasseh. In the last chapter, we noted how Hezekiah led a reformation, despite having a wicked father (just as Josiah will do). Here we read how Manasseh led the nation into idolatry, despite having a faithful father. He apparently reigned with his father a few years, as well. So he had seen what a faithful leader looks like up close. Yet, he is as evil as they come. Let us consider his idolatry that we must avoid, and the obedience of Josiah that we need to pursue.
The good news of the gospel is that you do not have to turn out like your father. If you find this hard to believe, then consider Hezekiah. God raised up this Judean King, while a dark cloud was hanging over the nation, to lead them to a time of restoration. He was the greatest king since David, yet his dad was perhaps the most evil king in Judah’s history. But God, by his graced brought restoration in a season of ruin through the leadership of Hezekiah. In these chapters, we are reminded of the grace of God in bringing refreshing fall-like seasons in our life, and encouraged to seek the Lord like Hezekiah.
In the midst of the disobedience and decline of chapters 11-16, there are whispers of this hope. We will focus our attention upon these whispers, while not ignoring the tragic cries of the darkness. We will confine our attention to the reigns of two particular kings: Joash in Judah (11-12) and Joash in Israel (13:10-25). From these stories, I have two gigantic expressions of God’s grace to point out.
This is a really easy section to outline, but a hard section to read for some to read because it is bloody. It is divided into three parts: (1) The Anointing (9:1-13); (2) The Avenging (9:14-10:27); (3) The Assessment (10:28-36). If you scan these sections you can see that breakdown. A young prophet anoints him, then he serves as God’s avenger. He eliminates Joram, Ahaziah, Jezebel, Ahab’s descendants, the worshipers of Baal. In the final verses of chapter 10 we are left to ponder the assessment of his reign. While that covers the story itself, I have chosen to go with a bit different outline: (1) Things that Differ; and (2) Things that Matter. We need to make some distinctions between this story and our time period, but we also need to take some things very seriously that are still true for us.
