Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

 

2 Kings 15:23-26  27-31

 

October 24, 2021

 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.   And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.   And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place.   Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.   And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.   Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.   Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

 

In my early days in sales, a young man told me there were two things I would need to learn, no one had the ability to deal with ignorance and apathy.  Is that not where we find Israel in this account, and also the United States of America today?  Ignorant of what God has said, and an attitude of unconcern.

Some of you may say we are very concerned about what is happening in our nation, if we just had honest elections, this problem would be fixed.  And if we look at Judah at the same timeline their kings look to God and some did more so than others, but as a nation, the people follow his lead and look to God. Godly men in Leadership have a great influence on the direction of a nation.

 

My concern is would such a person be disregarded just as Israel ignored the prophets God sent to them?  When we awake as a nation we will come to understand these truths, money has got us some of the most dishonest people, they lie and call it spin, and they go to Washington without and become millionaires.  So, the answer is to send wealthy people to Washington D.C., wrong, no for most people it is not just wealth, but the power their wealth gives them to take freedom from all those Walmart shoppers, who have an odor and are too stupid to manage life.

 

A verse often quoted is 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land."  Yes, that is the answer, but it not going to happen until the Church, you, and me awake, we have been guilty of the sins of Israel, and sought after the pagan gods of materials and wealth and self, and drank the Kool-Aid of their offering, and not found the peace or contentment and had no understanding of why.  Peace and contentment are only found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and looking to Him for our direction.  Our nation does not need another religious man who bragged about having atheists in his Sunday School class that were not in disagreement with his teaching.  But a man who is a follower of Jesus Christ, and allows God to direct his ways.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice