God’s Glory Through Kings Part three

2 Kings 10-12:3, 2 Kings 25:27-30

The book of Second Kings records the succession of kings of Judah and Israel. The accounts are historical, written for the retention of knowledge, and theologically describe God’s interaction with the nations of the world, their kings, and their people. At the time of 2 Kings, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. The northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Each nation was ruled by its own King. The King operated as the representative head of the people before God. They are either described as faithful like their father David, or sinful like their other forefathers. Whatever direction the king turned, either toward God or away from him, so went the people. For that reason, the book reads like a cosmic melodrama. Kings are established, assassinated, dethroned, and re-established. A few kings rebuilt God’s temple, tore down idols, and led the people in God’s ways and worship. For short stints, the blessing of God rests on the people. But most of the kings live in rebellion against God, disregarding His ways and leading the people to idol worship, practicing injustice against the weak, and participating in human sacrifice. The Kingdoms war against one another and the powerful nations that surround them; they are sieged and rescued, they become victors and victims, they rise, and they fall until ultimately, both Judah and Israel are swept away into exile by Assyria and Babylon. God’s wrath is executed against Israel and Judah; God’s wayward and wicked chosen people. Adding further tension to the plot are the two covenants God made with Israel that appear to be at stake with their disobedience. The first is to bless and keep the chosen people of Israel (Gen 12). But Israel is exiled and scattered. The second is to preserve Davids's kingly throne forever (2 Sam 7). But the kings from the line of Judah are murdered and exiled because of their disobedience. 

The book of 2 Kings demonstrates God’s determination to display His glory in two ways. The first is through God’s fierce punishment of sin. Sin is evil, corrupting God’s glorious design. In 2 Kings, God’s severity against sin reveals the severity of God’s desire to display His glory. The second is through his love and faithfulness to a chosen people. God displays His glory by demonstrating the length and breadth of His love and faithfulness to rebellious people. The story of Joash demonstrates God’s desire for his glory and God’s very evident hand in keeping his promises. Joash found his way to the throne because his predecessor, Ahaziah, was rebellious against God, leading to a violent demise. Through the providence and protection of God, Josiah, a descendent of David, ascends to the throne where he serves God faithfully, at least for a while. In the story, the converging elements of God’s jealous desire for his people, his commitment to them, and His hatred of sin come together in an unbelievable narrative. 

Read 2 Kings 10-12:3

God wants to display his glory through a chosen people. His desire for his glory, his covenant faithfulness to his people, and the preservation of the line of David continue as central themes in the book. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, God’s hand is guiding history towards the end which he determines. To preserve the line of David and reveal his glory through faithfulness to His people, God saved Joash for kingship. To express his wrath at the sin of his people, God decimates Ahab's family. God exacts justice for sin yet faithfully preserves his chosen people. Even when the sinners are also those he’s chosen. Overall the book of second kings tells a bleak story of Israel's failure to live faithfully to God; they are exiled from their land for their sins. But the book ends with a glimmer of hope. God is still faithful. King Jehoiachin, from the line of David, an exile and prisoner in Babylon, was released from prison. God’s faithfulness to his promises continues, even in Israel's greatest defeat. 

Read 2 Kings 25:27-30

Again God is committed to demonstrating his glory. Both by punishing sin and faithfully choosing a people. On Jesus’s cross, God’s glory is fully realized. God’s severe hatred against sin is expressed in the brutal torture and death of Jesus as atonement for the sins of the world. God's great love and faithfulness are embodied by Jesus’s willing, even joyful(Heb 12:2), sacrifice on behalf of a chosen people. The full weight of God’s glory hung beneath a cross beam for the whole world to see.

Wonder:

Do you believe God’s glory is evident in the punishment of sin?
God evidently directed the course of history for his glory. How have you experienced God guiding your story to bring Him glory?