If God Be Against Us… (2 Kings 23:31 – 25:7)
If God Be Against Us…
2 Kings 23:31 – 25:7 (24:3-4)
I read those two verses at the beginning,
Because from the start I want you to have firmly grounded in your mind
The truth about what is taking place here.
I want you to know from the outset
That the destruction you are about to witness taking place
Did so at the command of Holy God.
These events are not Satan attacking God’s people…
These events are not a godless world trying to put the light of the righteous…
This is God bringing about judgment on a group of hypocritical followers
That do not love Him as He commanded.
God is at the root of this judgment.
While studying Hezekiah, we had a sermon called “If God Be For Us…”
And of course the obvious response is, “Who can be against us.”
And that rang true in Hezekiah’s reign,
As he trusted God and God killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night
And rescued Jerusalem from the lion’s mouth.
When God is on your side, you have no need to worry or fear.
But one can only imagine what the flipside would look like
What if you were one of the Assyrians?
What if you found out that God was your enemy?
MOST PEOPLE HAVE DIFFICULTY VIEWING GOD AS AN “ENEMY”
Mostly because John 3:16 has so been driven into our heads
About the love of God most people today (even those who reject Him)
Still don’t see God as an enemy.
But that theology is not accurate or biblical.
Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
After giving the parable of the talents,
Jesus spoke specifically about those who hid their talent in the ground.
Luke 19:27 “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”
Paul described what an enemy of God looks like.
Philippians 3:18-19 “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”
Which is of course what James also said:
James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Even Jesus said:
Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
The point is that we don’t just go through this life neutral.
You are either God’s ally or you are God’s enemy.
You are either for God or against Him.
And when God is for you life is great, BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN GOD IS AGAINST YOU?
That is precisely what we see taking place in our text this morning.
Now we just recently studied Josiah: The Devoted King.
But it was Josiah’s grandfather that is important to this truth.
Manasseh was so immoral, and so idolatrous that it was during his reign
That God decided that He had seen enough.
And therefore the judgment upon Judah is inevitable.
God is no longer offering forgiveness.
God even commanded Jeremiah to quit praying for this people.
God is against them and judgment is a certainty.
We are going to see the last 4 kings
Who ever sat upon the throne in Jerusalem.
DO YOU REALIZE THAT AFTER THESE KINGS,
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANOTHER
NOT UNTIL KING JESUS RETURNS.
I want to show you the last four, and therefore
Let you see what life is like when you find yourself an enemy of God.
#1 JEHOAHAZ: THE CONFUSED KING
2 Kings 23:31-34
Jehoahaz was the son of Josiah.
He was not the oldest, but he was the people’s choice for the throne.
He reigned in the place of his father, but there was one problem.
(32) “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”
I don’t want to spend a lot of time chasing down facts about these kings,
But I will show you why he was a confused king.
Jeremiah 22:11-17 “For thus says the LORD in regard to Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 1but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again. “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’ “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD. “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
There you see what sort of a king Jehoahaz was.
He had no clue what it was that made a person kingly.
He thought fancy houses and long robes where what made a man a king.
He would have done well to remember the admonition of God to Samuel.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
And Jeohahaz certainly did not understand that.
He was clueless to what things really mattered.
Ezekiel 19:1-4 “As for you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among young lions, She reared her cubs. When she brought up one of her cubs, He became a lion, And he learned to tear his prey; He devoured men. ‘Then nations heard about him; He was captured in their pit, And they brought him with hooks To the land of Egypt.”
There again Ezekiel points out what a ruthless and foolish king he was.
Ezekiel even went so far as to proclaim his punishment.
He would be carried to Egypt.
(VERSES 33-34)
He was wicked and God judged him.
Jehoahaz: The Clueless King
#2 JEHOIAKIM: THE STUBBORN KING
2 Kings 23:35 – 24:7
Jehoiakim was also the son of Josiah.
In fact he was Jehoahaz’s older brother.
Probably the reason Pharaoh chose him is the same reason the people did not. He was most likely a soft individual and Pharaoh knew he could control him.
Pharoah imposed a tax and Jehoiakim taxed the people.
And then comes the evaluation of his life.
(37) “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”
Jehoiakim was also a wicked king.
Jeremiah 22:18-23 “Therefore thus says the LORD in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, “They will not lament for him: ‘Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’ They will not lament for him: ‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’ “He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. “Go up to Lebanon and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan; Cry out also from Abarim, For all your lovers have been crushed. “I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your practice from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice. “The wind will sweep away all your shepherds, And your lovers will go into captivity; Then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated Because of all your wickedness. “You who dwell in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when pangs come upon you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!”
God was specifically angry with Jehoiakim
Because he refused to listen to God.
This is what Ezekiel noted as well.
Ezekiel 19:5-9 “When she saw, as she waited, That her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs And made him a young lion. ‘And he walked about among the lions; He became a young lion, He learned to tear his prey; He devoured men. ‘He destroyed their fortified towers And laid waste their cities; And the land and its fullness were appalled Because of the sound of his roaring. ‘Then nations set against him On every side from their provinces, And they spread their net over him; He was captured in their pit. ‘They put him in a cage with hooks And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would be heard no more On the mountains of Israel.”
Because of Jehoiakim’s wickedness he also would be judged.
He would be punished and carried to Babylon.
(VERSES 1-6)
The writer of kings doesn’t mention Jehoiakim’s exile,
But the writer of Chronicles does.
2 Chronicles 36:6 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.”
(Incidentally this is also when Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon – 609BC.)
It is apparent, however, that he was set free from Babylon
Because his death also involved the burial of a donkey.
But again we see a defiant king and more judgment from God.
Jehoahaz: The Confused King Jehoiakim: The Stubborn King
#3 JEHOIACHIN: THE DESPISED KING
2 Kings 24:8-17
And again we are dealing with yet another wicked king.
(9) “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.”
So this is now Josiah’s grandson, the son of Jehoiakim.
And he is a wicked king.
This king is actually despised by God.
Jeremiah 22:24-30 “As I live,” declares the LORD, “even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. “I will hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. “But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it. “Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out And cast into a land that they had not known? “O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD! “Thus says the LORD, ‘Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.'”
I think it’s obvious that God despised this king.
God making a promise that none of this king’s descendants
Would ever sit on the throne of Israel.
God brings about punishment on Jehoiachin as well.
(VERSES 10-17)
Just as God said that He would get rid of Jehoiachin and his mother,
That’s exactly what He did.
(This is also when Ezekiel and 10,000 captives were deported to Babylon – 594BC)
Furthermore God said Jehoiachin’s son would not sit on the throne Instead his uncle “Zedekiah” became king.
Jehoahaz: The Clueless King Jehoiakim: The Stubborn King
Jehoiachin: The Despised King
#4 ZEDEKIAH: THE ABANDONED KING
2 Kings 24:18 – 25:7
This is now the third son of Josiah to be king,
But sadly he isn’t much like his father either.
(19) “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.”
And so God wasn’t very pleased with him either.
I called him THE ABANDONED KING,
Because that is precisely what God did to him.
Jeremiah 24:8 “But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness — indeed, thus says the LORD — so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt.”
If you have read the book of Ezekiel,
You know that Ezekiel saw a most horrific site.
Ezekiel 10:18-19 “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.”
Ezekiel saw God’s glory get up off of the mercy seat and move from the Holy of Holies to the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house.
Ezekiel 11:22-23 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.”
The Hebrew term is ICHABOD
“no glory” or “the glory of the LORD has departed”
It is the name that Phinehas’s wife gave to her son who was born after she heard that her husband was dead and that the ark of the covenant had been stolen by the Philistines.
Ezekiel actually saw it, and it happened during Zedekiah’s reign.
God left them.
He abandoned them to be destroyed.
(VERSES 25:1-7)
Do you realize that the last thing Zedekiah ever saw on this earth
Was the death of his sons?
Now I know we have just covered a lot of text
In a short period of time, but we did so on purpose.
I was hoping to allow you to see the big picture of what is going on here.
Each of these four kings all 3 things in common.
1) EVIL
All four of them “did evil in the sight of the LORD”.
• They all hated God’s Word
• They all shed innocent blood
• They all worshiped idols
• THEY WERE ALL EVIL
2) ENEMIES
And not just coincidental enemies,
The enemies they faced were specifically from God.
Jehoahaz faced Egypt
Jehoiakim faced Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites and Ammonites
Jehoiachin and Zedekiah both faced Babylon
(24:2-4) “The LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive.”
I hope you see that these men had enemies
Because God was sending them.
(24:20) “For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
They had Evil in common
They had Enemies in common
3) EXILE
Each of these kings was exiled from God’s land.
Jehoahaz died in Egypt
Jehoiakim was exiled to Babylon, then returned and his body was thrown out into the streets.
Jehoiachin was exiled to Babylon with his mother
Zedekiah was exiled after being blinded and witnessing the death of his sons.
And the point is that God was against these kings
And they didn’t have a chance.
All of them suffered the same fate.
Indeed the nation suffered the same fate.
They were enemies of God and they could not hide from His judgment.
When God is for you, who can be against you,
But when God is against you, there is nothing you can do.
NOW FOR A LITTLE APPLICATION
It is always the common practice of people in the church to read such Scriptures and immediately try to apply it to America.
America is an idolatrous nation.
Tolerant of false religion
In love with the things of the world
Chasing money as fast as we can
America is a disobedient nation.
Loving the things God hates
Disregarding the Laws of God on an increasing basis
America is a nation that sheds innocent blood
We may never know the number of unborn babies that never see the light of day
And because of those facts it is easy to read passages like this
And then go on some rant about how America better watch out.
But listen you cannot take the history of Israel and apply it to America.
IT IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCENARIO
If you want to apply to America:
Pick Greece, Pick Rome, Pick Babylon, Pick Assyria, or any of those Canaanite nations.
BUT NOT ISRAEL
WHY?
ISRAEL WAS A COVENANT NATION
SO WHO DO WE APPLY TEXTS LIKE THIS TO?
That is easy.
WHO WAS ISRAEL AND JUDAH AT THIS TIME?
They were those who claimed to be in covenant with God,
But they had broken that covenant.
They were apostates.
They were hypocrites.
They were religious on the outside, and idolatrous on the inside.
Physical descendants of Abraham, but not spiritual descendants.
Although they looked like Israel on the outside,
They were not truly Israel on the inside.
Paul said:
Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
These were outward Jews, not inward ones.
They were hypocrites, false claimers, covenant breakers,
And because of that God was kicking them out of the land
That was reserved for those who keep His covenant.
TURN TO: DEUTERONOMY 6
(I know we quote it a lot)
YOUR PART OF THE COVENANT
Love Me and prove it with obedience
MY PART OF THE COVENANT
To let you live in the land intended for My people.
But if you break your part of the covenant
And prove that you were lying when you entered My covenant
Then I will kick you out of that land completely.
And since Israel proved to be liars, God removed them from their land.
This is the type of people we are dealing with.
AND SO WHEN WE WANT TO APPLY THESE TEXTS TO OUR DAY, WE DO NOT APPLY THEM TO THE WORLD,
WE APPLY THEM TO THE FALSE BRETHREN OF THE CHURCH.
The Bible promises that there will be false believers among the brethren,
And those false brethren are enemies of God destined for judgment.
Matthew 13:36-43 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.”So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Just as it was not enough to live in God’s land and call yourself a Jew
And perform the outward religious ceremonies.
It is enough to dwell in God’s church and call yourself a Christian
And perform the outward religious ceremonies.
The Love for God must be real.
The Commitment to God must real.
The Obedience to God must be real.
Because the enemies will someday be removed and cast into the fire.
This is the message that the writer of kings
Has been trying to portray throughout the book.
He is a Jew living in Babylon and he writes this book to reveal to the Jews
How something as horrible as the Babylonian exile could happen.
How did we go from David’s kingdom to this?
It happened because those who claimed to be God’s people
Failed to truly be God’s people, and God removed them.
That is why the writer has stressed
The importance of seeking and trusting and obeying God.
He wanted all of us to know that taking God’s name is not enough
If you never really give Him your life.
HAS THAT NOT BEEN CLEAR THROUGHOUT THE KINGS?
(All the way back to Elijah asking, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?”)
There is no room for hypocrisy in a relationship with God.
Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
Please don’t try to hide in the land without being committed.
God will find you and God will remove you.
This morning I want to ask you to genuinely and truly
GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST.
I want to ask you to fully commit your life to God.
Be a child of God, not an enemy of God.
Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
