I just finished reading the Book of 2 Chronicles which shows us the ending of the era of the kings of Israel. The books of Kings and Chronicles in the Bible reveal the highlights (and many “lowlights”) of the reigns of the kings of the Hebrew people in Judah and Israel. The northern kingdom, Israel, was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. God allowed this because the Israelites abandoned the Lord and His Word. Instead of learning from this, the southern kingdom, Judah, fell into the same pit. As I was reading about the various kings leading Judah (before they fell to the Babylonians), I felt like I was watching a “ping pong” match. Judah bounced from a bad king to a good king…and back to a bad king. The majority of the people expressed no moral backbone and caved in to however the king lived. Manasseh is a case in point. His father, Hezekiah, served the Lord for most of his reign. Manasseh came to the throne at the tender age of 12 and reigned 55 years. The Bible says, “Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon” (2 Chronicles 33:9-11). What a sad commentary! God’s people did more evil than the ungodly nations before them! What is true of a nation, is also true of individuals. My “take aways” from reading about the kings of Israel and Judah are these: (1) Keep a tender heart and be willing to listen to the Lord; (2) We spare ourselves so much pain and sorrow if we live God’s way and reject evil and sin; (3) Leaders are imperfect. We need to pray for them, but we cannot let them replace the Lord; (4) We all reap what we sow. I am glad the Lord gave us the stories about the kings. They are both an inspiration and a warning to me as I continue my journey. By the grace of God, I set my heart on the one called “the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!” How about you?

Pastor Mark Boucher