Nine Good Kings
![Nine Good Kings and What made Them Great
Pt. 16, The Biblical Story
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© June 22, 2014
www.pastorkennedy.com
A Historical Overview of “Good” Kings…The Biblical Story, Pt. 16
Today we are having a brief overview of the lives of nine kings of Israel who in the Scripture were listed as “good” and whose stories are found primarily in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
David, 1010-970 BC
Asa, 912-872 BC
Jehosaphat, 874-850
Joash (Jehoash), 843-803 BC
Amaziah, 803-775 BC
Uzziah (Azariah), 787-735 BC
Jotham, 749-734 BC
Hezekiah, 726-697 BC
Josiah, 639-608 BC
Studying these Old Testament kings give us principles, which we can carry over into our practical daily lives.
Four principles we find in the study of these “mostly-good” kings are as follows:
1. A Heart and a Love for God. The foundation of a “good” king was that he loved God with all his heart and drew strength from following God’s Word. He founded the strength of his kingdom on God’s Power, and he exercised faith in the Living God!
2. Responsible Corrective Actions to Cleanse the Land of that which was abhorrent to God. A king who was pro-active in Righteousness. He removed, put up boundaries, and set aside, that which was destructive physically, morally, emotionally and spiritually, for himself and those for whom he was responsible.
(i.e. Did you ever put child-protectors on the doors of your kitchen cupboard doors so your little children could not access bleach, cleaning supplies, or other things, which could be harmful?)
3. Initiatives for the good of everyone; teaching God-honoring ways.
Positive steps of action and a sound Biblical knowledge build healthy lives.
4. Exercising Faith in God during times of Adversity. How he responded when faced with serious dilemmas. He revealed the genuineness of his faith in God when faced with extreme adversity. He truly trusted in God.
What makes a life pleasing to God? Is my daily life, my practical life pleasing to God?
1. A Heart and a Love for God.
The foundation that keeps anyone stable is a heart for God. King David is known as a “man after God’s own heart”.
In Psalm 15, David summarized a person whose daily life reflected a life pleasing to God…who evidence a love for God.
Psalm 15 (ESV)
The Person who Pleases God – One who will Dwell on God’s Holy Hill
1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
• A Blameless and Righteous Person – before God
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
• A Truthful Person
and speaks truth in his heart;
• A Person who Does not Slander others – Who doesn’t build himself up by tearing someone else down
3 who does not slander with his tongue
• Someone who Is a trustworthy friend and neighbor – Who doesn’t do things which would harm those who trust him (neighbors and friends)
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
• A Person who Doesn’t hang out with or take advice from the wrong crowd – Is cautious of and doesn’t respect those whose actions and advice of who are dishonorable to God
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
• One who Honors and respects those who fear God
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
• Someone True to his word - Honorable to do what he says he will do
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
• One who Doesn’t seek benefit from ventures which take advantage of others
5 who does not put out his money at interest
• Someone who Doesn’t take “favors” when the innocent can be harmed
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
• There are Enduring Benefits from the quality of these life choices
He who does these things shall never be moved.
King David set the pattern of what an honorable king should be, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. David is known as having a heart after God’s own heart.
Eight other “Good” Kings
Let’s look at the eight other kings who were identified as “good” kings, who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”.
2. Responsible Corrective Actions.
King Asa (2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14)
14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.
Hezekiah’s Reforms 2 Kings 18:3-7
Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made (over 500 years before!), for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan – [Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and serpent]). 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered.”
Josiah’s Reforms – Restored the Covenant with God and Broke down and destroyed altars to false gods and idols
2 Kings 23
Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah….
10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech. 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts. And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.
3. Initiatives established for the good of the people; teaching the people God-honoring ways.
Asa Accepted Peaceful Times as an Opportunity to Strengthen the Security of His People: Fortifying the Cities and Strengthening the Armed Forces
2 Chronicles 14: 7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.
Jehosophat Sent Teachers of the Book of the Law of the LORD
2 Chronicles 17: 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, … to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, …. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
Jehosophat established honorable Judges in the Land
2 Chronicles 19
4 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 5 He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6 and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. 7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”
4. Exercising Faith in God during times of Adversity.
Asa Responded to Extreme Adversity in Continued Reliance upon God
2 Chronicles 14:9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried to the Lord his God,
“O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Jehoshaphat Attacked by a Great Army and trusted God for Victory
2 Chronicles 20:1-26
After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat’s Cry to the Lord for Deliverance
2 Chronicles 20:5-12
12 “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Jahaziel Prophesies Victory for God’s People Trusting in Him
2 Chronicles 20:14
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
Jehoshaphat and all Israel has faith in the Lord for deliverance
21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
~~~
Why does God allow adversity?
When one has little relationship with God, his or her response to adversity is to continue to rely on what they have relied upon all along – themselves.
God allows adversity in the life of those who do not honor Him, to press them to repent and be brought back to God – so they will find salvation, redemption and eternal life.
When one loves God and honors Him in his or her life and they face adversity, their response is to rely on God, the One in whom they have relied on all along, with continuing trust in Him.
God allows adversity in the life of those who love Him, in order that God’s glory will be shown to all those who have eyes to see, so that many more will glorify God through His mighty works on behalf of His Children.
• Joash “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chronicles 24:2) Some kings are influenced for good and for evil through their advisors or peers.
o He restored the Temple of the Lord, which had fallen in disrepair.
o He was influenced for good by Jehoida the priest.
o After the death of Jehoida, Joash was influenced for evil by his peers.
“Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.” (2 Chronicles 24:24)
• Amaziah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father… not with a whole heart.” (2 Kings 14:3; 2 Chronicles 25:2)
o He fought against God’s enemies, trusting God, and prevailed
o He foolishly worshipped false gods and was defeated
• Uzziah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)
• Jotham “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done... But the people still followed corrupt practices.” (2 Chronicles 27:2)
• Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
o They tore down the places of idolatrous worship. (2 Kings 18:3-7)
o They cleansed God’s Temple from all the profane things that had defiled the temple, and restored it to be a place of worship of God alone.
o They consecrated themselves, so they would be personally cleansed to honorably worship God.
o They worshipped God together in His Temple.
o They experienced great defeat of their enemies.
• Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2)
o Josiah Repairs the Temple
o The priests find the Book of the Law
o Josiah responded in repentance when the Book was read to him, realizing the country was facing destruction because of their sin…but because of his repentance, Josiah was delivered.
2 Kings 22
16 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 19 because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’ ” And they brought back word to the king.
o Josiah Reinstitutes Israel’s Covent with God
o Josiah breaks down and destroys that which is abhorrent to God
o Josiah Restores the Passover Celebration
Conclusion
Four principles which each of us should have in our lives:
1. Love. A Heart and a Love for God.
2. Cleanse. Responsible Corrective Actions to Cleanse our heart and home of that which is abhorrent to God.
3. Initiate. Positive Initiatives for the good of our home and family; teaching and exampling God-honoring ways.
4. Faith. We especially reveal our Faith in God when we trust God during times of Adversity.
These passages give us the opportunity to read the fuller transcript of these king’s lives. Repentance from sin and trusting in the deliverance of the Lord always brings with it mercy, hope, and incomparable peace from God, with His deliverance.
These kings, obviously, were not perfect! They made plenty of mistakes…some, which cost them their lives, but they also experienced God’s mercy and victory when they put away the gods of this world with the manipulation of their own pride, and followed the LORD their God.
Scriptural Passages of “good” and “mostly-good” Kings, not including David.
• Asa, 2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14; 1 Kings 15:9–24
• Jehosaphat, 2 Chronicles 17-20; 1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 3
• Joash (Jehoash), 2 Chronicles 24; 2 Kings 11:21–12:21
• Amaziah, 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Kings 14:1–22
• Uzziah (Azariah), 2 Chronicles 26
• Jotham, 2 Chronicles 27; 2 Kings 15:32–38
• Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 29–32; 2 Kings 18-20
• Josiah, 2 Kings 22–23:30; 2 Chronicles 34–35](Pt._16,_Nine_Good_Kings_files/shapeimage_1.png)
