April 19-23

Matthew 1:7b-9
Rehoboam begot Abijam, and Abijam begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, Ahaz begot Hezekiah.

Well, it has taken several days to go through the studying of these verses. A lot of name confusion, and some men skipped in the genealogy. This is basically going to be a list of the facts on each of the fathers listed.

Abijam
King for 3 years.
1kings 15:3 heart was not loyal to The Lord God as David had been. Was at war with jeroboam king of Israel during that time, and there was a point where they relied on The Lord. (2 chronicles 13:18)

Asa
Reigned 41 years
1 kings 16:11 did what was right in the sight of The Lord
Heart was loyal to The Lord all his days
Judah's oath made during his reign: 2 chronicles 15:12-15 God gave them rest all around them as they sought Him with their souls
2chronicles 16:11-15 diseased in his feet, did not seek The Lord but the physicians. Then he died.

Jehoshaphat
35 years old when took the throne
Reigned 25 years
Looks for the word of The Lord in seeking out whether to go to battle
Said the word of The Lord was with Elisha
The only reason Elisha sees the king of Israel is because Jehoshaphat is with him
2 Chronicles 17
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of David
He did not seek baals but the God of his fathers.
Walked according to the acts of God's commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
Fear of The Lord fell around all the kingdoms surrounding Judah during his reign.
Jehoshaphat got mislead by king Ahab and almost died when going to war with him, but he cried out to The Lord and was saved.
Ended not so well by making a treaty with Ahaziah king of Israel who acted wickedly. The Lord destroys their work.

Jehoram (Joram not to be confused with Joram king of Israel)
32 years old when he took the throne
Reigned 8 years
Married Ahab's daughter and did evil in God's sight.
Killed all his brothers (2 Chronicles 21)
Walked in the ways of the kings of Israel just as Ahab had done.
The Lord would not destroy Judah for the sake of David. (V19 His promise to give David a lamp to Him and his sons)
Lost all his wives and sons and possessions in His house (except his son jehoahaz).
Is struck by The Lord with an incurable disease and his intestines all came out and died in severe pain.
No one sorrows when he died.

Ahaziah (also called Jehoahaz)
skipped in the genealogy of Jesus.
Three kings are skipped in Jesus genealogy before it reintroduces Huzziah
22 years old reigned one year.
Did evil like Ahab. (2 chronicles 22) Was a son in law of the house of Ahab. Mother was granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel: athaliah
Athaliah took the throne and killed all the royal heirs except Ahaziah's son Joash who was hidden from her. She reigned for six years. Then they killed her.

Joash (not mentioned in the geneology) took the throne. At 7 years old. He reigned 40 years in Jerusalem.
He did what was right in the Lord's eyes all the days of Jehoida the priest.
Worked to rebuild the temple. After Jehoida died, the king and the leaders of Judah left the house of The Lord, and worshipped images and idols. Would not listen to prophets of The Lord. When Jehoida's son Zechariah came down to confront him Joash kills his son.

Amaziah (skipped in the genealogy)
25 years old when he took the throne
Reigned 29 years.
Did what was right in The Lord's sight but not with a loyal heart. Turned away from following The Lord.

Uzziah (back into the genealogy)
Reigned at 16 years old
Reigned for 52 years
Did what was right in the sight of The Lord during the days of Zachariah The Lord made him prosper.
Entered in the temple when he shouldn't have, got leprosy and spent the rest of his days isolated.

Jotham
Reigned at 25 years old
Reigned 16 years
Did what was right in the sight of The Lord but the people acted corruptly.

Ahaz
20 years old
Reigned 16 years
Did not do what was right in the sight of The Lord. Made Baals burned his children in the fire
The Lord delivered him to the hand of the king of Syria. In his distressed e became increasingly unfaithful to The Lord.

Hezekiah
25 years old
Reigned 29 years
Mother was Abidjah, daughter of Zachariah
Did what was right in the sight of The Lord
Opened the temple
Time to minister to The Lord to worship in the temple
Keeps the Passover and feasts of unleavened bread
2 chronicles 30:12 God's hand was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and of the leaders at the word of The Lord
2 chronicles 31:21
In all the work he did was good and right before The Lord he sought God with all his heart and he prospered
He cried out to The Lord with Isaiah the prophet and God heard and saved them from Assyria
God gave him a sign when he was sick and near death and makes the son go back 10 degrees and gives him another 15 years of his life (2 kings 20:1-11) and then Hezekiah did not repay the favor, but then he humbles himself.
God tested his heart when princes of Babylon came to visit and Hezekiah shows them all the treasures.
Isaiah prophesies that it will all be taken away some of the sons will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Hezekiah is okay with it because there will still be peace in his time




One side note observation from the split of Judah and Israel there is not one king of Israel mentioned that did good in the sight of The Lord.

Application

I still have so much to go through in the genealogy. Almost up to the kingdom that gets taken into Babylon

So much thoughts here. Watching the kings that did what was right in the sight of The Lord, vs the kings that did evil, then the kings that were doing right only when a certain priest or person was there but once that person died they turned away. And even the kings who did right made mistakes

We need a Savior. We will make mistakes and there will be consequences for those choices. God also wants to redeem. That seems to be common theme. He is very patient between all these kings that go back and forth in their faithfulness or lack of faithfulness. He is jealous for His people and their hearts. And he releases them into the choices they make with the desire that they will come back to Him.

My application: seek Him with all my heart
Be loyal to Him. Don't put my faith based on the people around me but on Him, whom is always consistent. Be careful to not make choices based on what those around me say... Without taking time to inquire of The Lord and seek the counsel of those in authority He has placed in my life: aka nick, pastors, missional community leaders... Wisdom from those who have gone before and are walking faithfully in their life to God. Those that speak truth that line up with His word.
In sickness take time to pray to The Lord for healing.
Remember what He has done. Don't ever forget it! Tell of His faithfulness in my life to my children and my children's children :)