Bent Oak Church

Special message delivered by former pastor Brad Lombardi.

As we wrap up the book of 2 Kings, the story doesn't seem to end well. The final events of this long story of Israel are destruction and exile. Jerusalem falls, and the people of Israel fragment and divide. But there is hope. It is small and perhaps unnoticed by some, but the final word of the book is that this still is unfished. 

As we come to the end of 2 Kings, it's surprising how uneventful the fall of Jerusalem is. In the end, the king simply surrenders to Babylon. Far from a dramatic last stand, the life and identity of Judah just fizzles out. Their sin has stripped them of faith. They can no longer see the story of what God wanted to do through them. So, all is lost. 

Josiah had led remarkable reforms throughout Judah and Israel, but upon his death, his son reverted back to idolatry in just three months. As God had spoken, Josiah would be spared, but judgment was coming for Judah. We take a closer look at God's wrath and his patience. 

Having found the book of the Law, Josiah set out to lead spiritual reforms throughout his kingdom. The list of idols and temples he removed is overwhelming. It was a massive project and a remarkable achievement. But for all his success, scripture summarizes his work with a much similar commendation. Josiah loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength. 

After Hezekiah, Manasseh ruled for fifty-five years. He was one of the most wicked kings of Judah and unleashed decades of idolatry, violence, and human sacrifice. It would be nice if the good kings ruled long and the wicked kings were judged quickly, but 2 Kings reminds us that God is patient and the sun often shines on both the righteous and the unrighteous. God is faithful and patient even when we are not. 

Hezekiah's rule marks one of the high points in Judah's kingdom. Hezekiah repeatedly shows himself to be a man of prayer, but when a prophecy for the future warns of destruction, Hezekiah struggles to engage what will not be his to bear. It is a clear warning that even the most devout and faithful life can slip into self-centeredness. We find the better him of Hezekiah in Christ himself, who interceeds for those not only in the future but those who oppose and persecute him. 

With Israel surrounded and the Assyrians mocking their faith in God, Hezekiah prayed. The lord answered. He told Hezekiah not to fear. God can not be mocked, and God would respond to the boasts of the Assyrian king. The city of Jerusalem prayed, waited, and watched for what God would do. They witnessed an incredible miracle. 

With Israel defeated, Assyria turned its attention to Judah and Jerusalem. But before they launched their assault, they offered the people a path to peace. They reasoned with them to side with Assyria. Given Assyria's power and skilled propaganda, it was a very real temptation. 2 Kings 18 helps us better understand the true nature of all temptations and why temptations can be so difficult to recognize. 

In chapter 17, we read of the fall of Samaria and the exile of the Israelites to Assyria. But the dramatic event is narrated with a single sentence. Instead, 2 Kings puts its emphasis on why God would allow it to happen. God explained that Israel would not remember, did evil in secret, and ignored his warnings. We take a look at how our own lives are also at risk. 

Chapter 15 records a quick succession of kings and with it a strike absence of the prophetic witness. You could conclude that God must have been silent during these years, but you would be wrong. This period was one of the prophets' most prolific. So why are they absent from 2 Kings 15?The chapter forces us to ask the question of our own time. What keeps us from hearing God? What keeps us from recognizing how God is at work. 

As we take a closer look at the succession of kings in Israel and Judah we are warned about drawing conclusions too quickly. God knows what each king and nation needs. For some, it is rescue, for others, it is a humbling of pride. How easily pride controls us, both in success and in despair. Chapter 14 gives us an image of how pride can keep us from recognizing the work of God. 

Jehoash was given a prophetic promise. He would strike the Syrians and defeat them. Elisha commanded Jehoash to fire arrows out the window as a sign of his coming victories. Jehoash fired three arrows and then stopped. Elisha explained that his victories would be limited to three. Jehoash should have fired more arrows. What keeps us from receiving all God has for us? What is it that stunts our faith and traps us in our own attempts at control? 

To celebrate Father's Day, we combined services with Central Assembly. Dr. Jim Bradford and Pastor Chase Replogle discuss manhood and fatherhood. 

Joash did what was right in God's eyes. He also repaired the temple and managed to avert war with Syria, but how did he pull it off? Joash used his wealth and the temple's. His actions raise a question How much of his faithfulness was based on appearances and how deep did his reforms go into the heart of Israel's worship.

For two chapters we watched the rise of Jehu. He was a king by military precious and decisive action. God used him to overthrow the house of Omri but he did not follow God. To the south, in Juda, another king came to power. But he did not rise by sword or plot. He came to power as a child, through a covenant, an anointing, and a testimony. 

Jehu was anointed by God to be the new king of Israel. He even fulfilled long-awaited prophecies. But outward action alone should not be our primary evaluation of faithfulness. In the end, Jehu did not follow God nor obey with all his heart. His life is a warning about how easily we trust appearances and success and mistake them for genuine faith. 

God had had enough with the kings of Israel. They had brutalized his people, killed his prophets, and refused to honor him as God. God would now replace the house of Omri with a new king. But hanging in the story is an important question. Is this peace? How does real peace come in a broken world?

Many see the Bible's prophecies of destruction as a fickle God prone to abandon his people, but for every page of destruction, there is page after page of his divine warnings. And where God's warning is given, his messenger also wept. Elisha wept for Israel. Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Our God longs to give us a better way.

2 Kings records the collapse of the Israelite kingdoms. As their kings continued to turn away from God that collapse came in military defeat but also in moral clarity. In this week's passage, we see the inability of kings to resolve those conflicts or unravel the complicated ethical complexities. But we also discover a God who is able to save, a god who is able to reverse things in spite of the compromised people at the center.