Pray Thru the Bible

God Speaks

15 Uzziah son of Amaziah began to rule over Judah in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. ² He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.

³ He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. ⁴ But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. ⁵ The Lord struck the king with leprosy, which lasted until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house. The king’s son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.

⁶ The rest of the events in Uzziah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. ⁷ When Uzziah died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Jotham became the next king.

⁸ Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six months. ⁹ Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. ¹⁰ Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king.

¹¹ The rest of the events in Zechariah’s reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ¹² So the Lord’s message to Jehu came true: “Your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. Shallum reigned in Samaria only one month. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi went to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him, and he became the next king.

¹⁵ The rest of the events in Shallum’s reign, including his conspiracy, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

¹⁶ At that time Menahem destroyed the town of Tappuah and all the surrounding countryside as far as Tirzah, because its citizens refused to surrender the town. He killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.

¹⁷ Menahem son of Gadi began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria ten years. ¹⁸ But Menahem did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. During his entire reign, he refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.

¹⁹ Then King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria invaded the land. But Menahem paid him thirty-seven tons of silver to gain his support in tightening his grip on royal power. ²⁰ Menahem extorted the money from the rich of Israel, demanding that each of them pay fifty pieces of silver to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned from attacking Israel and did not stay in the land.

²¹ The rest of the events in Menahem’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ²² When Menahem died, his son Pekahiah became the next king.

²³ Pekahiah son of Menahem began to rule over Israel in the fiftieth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years. ²⁴ But Pekahiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.

²⁵ Then Pekah son of Remaliah, the commander of Pekahiah’s army, conspired against him. With fifty men from Gilead, Pekah assassinated the king, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the palace at Samaria. And Pekah reigned in his place.

²⁶ The rest of the events in Pekahiah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

²⁷ Pekah son of Remaliah began to rule over Israel in the fifty-second year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty years. ²⁸ But Pekah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.

²⁹ During Pekah’s reign, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked Israel again, and he captured the towns of Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also conquered the regions of Gilead, Galilee, and all of Naphtali, and he took the people to Assyria as captives. ³⁰ Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah and assassinated him. He began to rule over Israel in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹ The rest of the events in Pekah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

³² Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

³⁴ Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done. ³⁵ But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord.

³⁶ The rest of the events in Jotham’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. ³⁷ In those days the Lord began to send King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah. ³⁸ When Jotham died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Ahaz became the next king.

26 All the people of Judah had crowned Amaziah’s sixteen-year-old son, Uzziah, as king in place of his father. ² After his father’s death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath and restored it to Judah.

³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. ⁵ Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.

⁶ Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia. ⁷ God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with the Meunites. ⁸ The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful.

⁹ Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall. ¹⁰ He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.

¹¹ Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This army had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. ¹² These regiments of mighty warriors were commanded by 2,600 clan leaders. ¹³ The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.

¹⁴ Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. ¹⁵ And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.

¹⁶ But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. ¹⁸ They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!”

¹⁹ Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ When Azariah the high priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him. ²¹ So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.

²² The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ²³ When Uzziah died, he was buried with his ancestors; his grave was in a nearby burial field belonging to the kings, for the people said, “He had leprosy.” And his son Jotham became the next king.

Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com

We Respond

[TBR-189: II Kings 15 and II Chronicles 26 (July 8, 2023)]

Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding II Kings 15 and II Chronicles 26:

1. What does this chapter tell me about God?

2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?   

Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.  

II Kings 15

1. God gives people the ability to choose whether to live wisely and do good or to live wickedly and do evil.  

2. People can choose to trust God, obey Him and do good, or to trust in themselves, follow Satan and do evil.

II Chronicles 26

1. God will deal severely with people (especially leaders like Uzziah) who blatantly disobey His commandants.

2. People, like King Uzziah [aka Azariah], can follow God and His principles by doing good most of their lives, but they can also become proud and arrogant in disobeying Him. They will suffer the consequences now or in eternity.  

Prayer:

3. How might I pray regarding II Kings 15 and II Chronicles 26?  

O LORD God, You are the ultimate freedom grantor. From the beginning, You gave people the ability to choose whether to live wisely and do good or to live wickedly and do evil. I turn to Your Holy Spirit to enable me to follow You and Your plans as closely as Jesus did. Don’t let me give up or be discouraged when I don’t see things going the way I think they should. Don’t let me become proud and arrogant so that I think that I am better than other people or think that I can ignore You and Your “ground rules.” May I develop a healthy sense of “the fear of the LORD.” *This will keep me in a close relationship with You, bring me wisdom and insight, help me not to sin, lead me into holy living, produce a sense of confidence and security, enable me to encourage other people to follow Christ, and bring You glory, LORD. Amen 

*These concepts are drawn from The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life. by John P. Bevere, Nashville Tennessee, W Publishing an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2023, 18-19. 

Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)

4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to II Kings 15 and II Chronicles 26?

With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:

• I will ask the Holy Spirit’s help to make wise choices.
• I will discuss daily with the LORD what He wants me to do that day and then do it without grumbling or complaining.
• I will show a humble awe of God in whatever I do each day.
• I will talk lovingly but firmly with a person I know who is blatantly disobeying God and His commands, about how they can be forgiven and healed.

Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.