Wednesday, December 9, 2015

2 Kings 15

"And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done,  except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.  Then the Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land." vv.3-5

Read chapter 15
This section can be a bit confusing and helps to map it out on a time line.  One to map the time line of the kings of Israel verses the kings of Judah, but you'll also see kings that overlap.  Here we see that Azariah, the father, and Jotham, his son, co-reign at the same time and that for about ten years.  It also gets a little confusing when some kings have multiple names.  Azariah here is also called Uzziah (cp. 15:1-5 with 15:32).  Also comparing the book of Kings with the book of Chronicles we can learn more details behind a matter.  Here in kings it says Azariah did what was right in the sight of the Lord and then the Lord strikes him with leprosy.  What's that all about?  But if we read in  2 Chronicles 26:16-19  we then understand the why.  
"But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.  So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men.  And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.” Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar."

Take time right now and map out the kings in this chapter that you read about and make a smily or frowning face next to each one.

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