You win the game.

We’ve set a higher bar this week when it comes to reading Scripture.  It hasn’t just been a matter of reading the passages I quote along with an explanation on my part.  We started the week by asking you to look up passages in Kings to determine what kings were good and which were bad.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your confessions, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer You our praises. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, 'You are our gods.' No, in You alone do the orphans find mercy." The LORD says, "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; My love will know no bounds, for My anger will be gone forever. (Hosea 14:1-4 NLT)

Then, we took a place that was confusing and looked up the story in another book of the Bible: Chronicles.  When we looked up the story from another perspective, we found that Chronicles included details that Kings did not include.  Suddenly, the story made more sense.

I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. My people will again live under My shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:5-7 NLT)

Then we read the prophets Amos and Hosea.  Both of those prophets were contemporaries of the kings we covered this week.  We found that the prophecies made a lot more sense when we had the background of the Kings and Chronicles accounts.  We learned that the prophecies weren’t just doom and gloom.  They offered a ray of hope for the Israelites, should they decide to return to the LORD again.

Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. (Hosea 14:9 NLT)

In the end, the work is all worth it.  We get a Bingo! (Ah-ha!) moment by reading the various accounts.  Maybe we get more than one.  We learn that those who walk with the LORD receive the benefits and blessings that go along with that walk.  We also learn that sinners who rebel against God will stumble and fall.  When we walk with God, we win the game.  By doing the work of reading Scripture, we win the game too.

How about you?  Did you do the work this week?  Did you look up the stories of the kings?  Did you read the account(s) in Chronicles?  Did you read through the writings of the two prophets?  Bingo, you won the game.

Bingo!

Connections are made when we have the pieces to connect.  A jigsaw puzzle, for example, only works when we have the pieces that connect together.  Otherwise, the picture doesn’t come into focus.  There’s something missing.

Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: "There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere--one murder after another. That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. (Hosea 4:1-3 NLT)

Reading the prophet, Hosea, can be like reading any of the prophetic books.  There are parts that are filled with doom and gloom.  It seems like God has had enough.  In fact, the LORD is announcing the demise of Israel (the northern kingdom).  This seems a bit harsh without the rest of the picture.  It’s only after reading through the book of Kings that we see how long Israel has been rebelling against God.  They have been worshipping Baal, sleeping with temple prostitutes, and sacrificing their children in the fire, for hundreds of years.  The LORD has been working with them to bring them back and they did return at times, for a short time.  But then they turned away and stayed away.  So, the LORD is sending them into captivity.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your confessions, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer You our praises. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, 'You are our gods.' No, in You alone do the orphans find mercy." The LORD says, "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; My love will know no bounds, for My anger will be gone forever. (Hosea 14:1-4 NLT)

When the book of Kings seems to be “missing pieces” because God looks to be punishing or rewarding unjustly, the book of Chronicles helps out.  It fills in details that may not be reported in Kings.  When we read about those details, the puzzle pieces start fitting in place.  The picture comes into focus.  The message of the prophets makes much more sense.  The story is not about doom and gloom.  It’s a story of redemption.

I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. My people will again live under My shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:5-7 NLT)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…and it was good.  Humankind was created in the image of God…very good.  When we listened to the serpent of old, we traded the good gifts of God for the empty promises of God’s enemies.  We lost the Garden Walk.  When we return to the LORD and walk in God’s ways, though, we start to receive the benefits and the blessings of the Garden once again.  Kings paints this picture.  Chronicles paints this picture.  The prophets paint this picture.  The pieces fit together. Bingo!

How about you?  Are the pieces starting to fit together?  Is the picture starting to become clear?  Do you see God’s desire for you and your life?  Are you ready to walk together with God?

Listen to the prophets.

We are adding a third concept to our “travel bingo” search this week: prophets.  Now prophets are not a new concept.  They are spokespeople for a god or gods.  Their job is to receive a message and deliver that message to a person or group of people.  The true prophets of the LORD that we have seen so far have included Elisha and his mentor Elijah, Nathan (bringing a message to David), Samuel, and, of course, Moses.  (In many ways, Moses is considered the first of the true prophets of the LORD because people spoke directly with God before then.  They asked Moses to be this go-between for them.)

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. (Amos 1:1 NLT)

The prophets we’ve seed up until this time, however, have simply been included in the storyline.  With the exception of Samuel, they haven’t had books named after them.  Even Samuel’s book is more of a history than it is a book of prophecy.  Now, however, we are starting to see books that are written by the prophets containing the messages of the prophets.  The timing of their ministry helps us understand the meaning and purpose of their messages.

The LORD gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, He said to him, "Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods." (Hosea 1:1-2 NLT)

Amos and Hosea were two prophets who lived in the time period we are covering this week.  We know this because the opening verses of their books tell us the timing of their ministries.  Both of them lived in the south (Judah).  Both of them were sent to the north (Israel) do deliver the same message: the LORD is going to punish Israel for their long lasting rebellion against God.  They will be beaten in battle and taken into captivity.  The reign of Israel’s kings is about to come to an end.

How about you?  Have you paid attention to the prophets’ messages in the stories up to this time?  Have you ever read the books written by the prophets in your Bible?  Do you listen to the prophets?

Dive into chronicles.

Amaziah son of Joash began to rule over Judah in the second year of the reign of King Jehoash of Israel. Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. Amaziah did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, but not like his ancestor David. Instead, he followed the example of his father, Joash. (2 Kings 14:1-3 NLT)

We’ve been following the kings of the north (Israel) and the south (Judah) throughout this series.  We’ve learned about the holiness of God, the patience of God, the justice of God, and the forgiveness of God by simply watching these kings.

Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield. He also paid about 7,500 pounds of silver to hire 100,000 experienced fighting men from Israel. (2 Chronicles 25:5-6 NLT)

We haven’t explored, however, the fact that there is another set of accounts of the lives of these kings.  In fact, there has been another set of accounts dating back to the days of king David.

But a man of God came to him and said, "Your Majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the LORD is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim! If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for He has the power to help you or to trip you up."  (2 Chronicles 25:7-8 NLT)

These accounts are captured in the books named 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. (The book was originally just called “Chronicles” and spanned over two scrolls.) One of my Bibles is nice because it simply has the text of Scripture.  There are no distractions to my reading.  I have other Bibles that are nice, though, because they have notes that tell me about these parallel passages.  When I’m reading 2 Kings 14:1-22 about Amaziah my study Bible tells me that there is a parallel passage in 2 Chronicls 25:1-28.

Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?" The man of God replied, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this!" So Amaziah discharged the hired troops and sent them back to Ephraim. This made them very angry with Judah, and they returned home in a great rage. (2 Chronicles 25:9-10 NLT)

When we are investigating the lives of these kings, Chronicles can be helpful in understanding more details about what really happened.  For example, 2 Kings only reports that Amaziah was a good king like his father Joash and that he later picked a fight with the northern kingdom, Israel.  This can leave us confused.  If he was a good king, why did he pick a fight with his cousins in the north?  Why did he end up losing that fight?  What went wrong?

When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them! This made the LORD very angry, and He sent a prophet to ask, "Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?" But the king interrupted him and said, "Since when have I made you the king's counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!" So the prophet stopped with this warning: "I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel." (2 Chronicles 25:14-16 NLT)

Chronicles helps us see the rest of the story.  Amaziah didn’t follow the LORD his whole life.  When he turned away from God and started following false gods, then the LORD allowed Israel to defeat Judah in battle.  The story makes more sense when we dive into Chronicles.

How about you?  Do you have a Bible that allows you to read the text without distractions?  Do you have a Bible with study notes and cross-references?  Do you learn more details by diving into Chronicles?

Watch the kings.

We’ve been in the book of Kings for several months now.  I’ve been doing the work to quickly and clearly communicate details about each king.  When did the king live?  Where (Israel in the north or Judah in the south) did the king reign?  How long was his reign?  Was he a good king or a bad king?  Then, I would build a slide show indicating these things during our worship services.

King Hazael of Aram had oppressed Israel during the entire reign of King Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day He still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from His presence.  (2 Kings 13:22-23 NLT)

I shared all these details because they were important to understanding God’s interaction with them.  We get to see how God rewards those who walk with the LORD and how God punishes those who fight the LORD.  More than that, we start to see how patient God is with all of them, working to bring them closer to the abundant life the LORD desires for all of us.

Amaziah son of Joash began to rule over Judah in the second year of the reign of King Jehoash of Israel. Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. (2 Kings 14:1-2 NLT)

I also shared these details because they were included by the human Scripture writers themselves and, ultimately, important to the LORD who inspired those writers to capture this part of history. 

The real goal of my preparation, teaching, and writings is to drive all of us to read Scripture.  So, I will give us all a chance to do that right now.  Look up the following passages in your own Bible.  These are the kings we are covering this week.  Were they good or bad?  Why do you say that?  What part of Scripture (book, chapter, and verse) inside that passage tells you?  What does it say?

Amaziah King of Judah (2 Kings 14:1-22) ___________

Jereboam II King of Israel (2 Kings 14:23-29) ___________

Azariah (Uzziah) King of Judah (2 Kings 15:1-7) ___________

Zechariah King of Israel (2 Kings 15:8-12) ___________

* Shallum King of Israel (2 Kings 15:13-16) ___________

Menahem King of Israel (2 Kings 15:17-22) ___________

Pekahiah King of Israel (2 Kings 15:23-26) ___________

Pehah King of Israel (2 Kings 15:27-31) ___________

Jotham King of Judah (2 Kings 15:32-38) ___________

Ahaz King of Judah (2 Kings 16:1-20) ___________

When you do the exercise, you will start to see some patterns.  For example, were the kings of the south (Judah) usually good or bad?  Were there any times that the pattern was broken?  Were the kings of the north (Israel) usually good or bad? 

Shallum has a star * next to his name because he is a bonus question.  Do the Scriptures clearly indicate whether he was good or bad?  Which would you say he was?  What are your Scriptural reasons for saying that?

Congratulations.  You just read through a little over three chapters of Scripture today.  At that pace, you would make it through the entire Bible in a year!  Does that feel good?  Will you continue to read Scripture?  Will you watch the kings?