List of Judah Kings

In the books of Kings details about the kings of the ten tribes predominate from chapter 12 of the first book and in the first 17 chapters of the second book until Assyria swept them from the land for their many sins. The kings of the ten tribes were consistently evil with few acknowledgements of the God of Heaven. In the books of the Chronicles records of the kings of Judah predominate who were descendants of David and good and evil kings followed one another.

The changeable nature, the fickleness of Judah's "worship" of the Lord comes across in 2 Chron.34.31, which the Living Bible renders: "As the king (Josiah) stood before them, he made a pledge to the Lord to follow His commandments with all his heart and soul, and to do what was written in the scroll." A scroll containing the laws of God, as given to Moses, had been found in the Temple and Josiah was in despair when he realised how far they had departed from the requirements of the Lord. The Lord sent comforting words after his repentance and Josiah made his pledge in response. Having discovered God's will, he resolved to follow it faithfully. Josiah's single-minded desire to follow the Lord and know His will contrasts sharply with the capriciousness and changing styles of the worship of Judah and their kings until Nebuchadnezzar took them away as the Lord foretold He would, if they did not mend their ways.

Why, then, were they so fickle? We have been accustomed, in Britain, to seeing successive labour and conservative governments pursuing policies according to their own wisdom at the time! But no matter what party governs, their efforts to benefit the community have been fraught with problems, not having the benefit of the direct guidance of God. On the other hand, why should Judah and their kings, having tasted the blessings which flowed to them in worshipping and serving God, so quickly cast Him aside, in favour of idol worship and other sins? In this context how powerfully comes to us the message of Matthew 4.10 to worship and serve only the Lord our God!

What then is the objective in bringing these few thoughts? The title, "A Pledge to the Lord", conveys the thought of a settled purpose of the mind, made for life. It conveys the thought of a decision made with that full seriousness and consideration which is appropriate in giving heed to the instructions of the mighty Lord of Creation. By contrasting this attitude with the happenings in Judah during the period of the kings, when even the best of the kings slipped from this high ideal and the worst pursued a life-style and rulership in headlong opposition to God, whom they did not believe and whose instructions they therefore obstinately ignored, we may learn both how to remain steadfast for ever in following His commandments and how we may avoid the traps that ensnared the feet of those kings who displeased him.

Let us then quickly survey the main features of the reigns of David and his descendants.

David

David himself followed Saul who did not keep the commandment of the Lord his God when he offered a burnt offering when Samuel delayed in his coming to Gilgal. (1 Sam.13.8-14) In his case faith did not overcome fear of losing his troops before battling with the Philistine hordes and Saul did foolishly. His wrong attitude to God caused his dynasty not to be continued.

So the Lord marked out David the "man after his own heart" whom he prepared for service with many difficult experiences. In 2 Sam.7.16 the Lord's word to David is recorded. "Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee (me)." Better promises were made to him than the privilege of building a house on earth for the Lord which was denied him. David received this and other wonderful promises, which were not withdrawn in spite of his sins in the matters of Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and numbering God's people who were said to be innumerable. These sins brought judgements upon David and Israel; the death of Bathsheba's child, trouble, rebellion and death among his own sons; David's concubines were shamefully used as predicted by the Lord through Nathan (2 Sam.12.9-14) and, in respect of numbering the people; a pestilence as chosen by David after Gad the prophet showed him God's alternative punishments in 2 Samuel 24.12-15. Though the Lord forgives the repentant yet sometimes the trouble which results from a sin must run its full course to teach a never-to-be-forgotten lesson and to complete the expiation of guilt.

Psalm 51.1&2 (LB) gives David's desire, when he says "O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again." David believed in God's goodness and mercy and therefore understood that fundamental truth which is delivered to all God's children that there is no sin from which the repentant cannot be recovered. The deep sorrow at offending God's laws and consciousness of alienation from Him and the desire to return to His rest invoke His generous and condescending forgiveness and ensure a continuing basis for serving Him. Was this why the Lord forsaw that David was "a man after His own heart" - a man, though imperfect, with the same love of righteousness?

Solomon

And what of Solomon? How wonderfully he started. Listen to the account of his humility as recorded in 1 Kings 3.7. "O LORD my God, thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in." And so he asked for an understanding heart to judge the Lord's great people - not long life, or riches, or death to his enemies. And how we are moved in reading Solomon's prayer which commences in 1 Kings 8.22! Solomon, at the dedication of the Temple, inspired by God's spirit, here declared how Israel will need to cry to the Lord out of various distresses brought about by forsaking the way of the Lord.

So we need to note that no frail human can perform unaided a pledge to the mighty Creator of all Things. We are all sinners, born and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51.5) and cannot rise, without His constant aid, to the standards required in performing a vow to Him. 2 Chronicles 9.22 tells us that King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth yet for all his wisdom he did not wholly follow the Lord. Exodus 34.14-16 specifically warned against intermarriage with the daughters of idolatrous nations lest "their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods." And so 1 Kings 11.1-6 tells a sorry tale that can be summed up with a few extracts. "King Solomon loved many strange (foreign) women." "When Solomon was old,...his wives turned away his heart after other gods;… Ashtoreth… and...Milcom,…and Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father." No! this son of David was not the Messiah of whom it would be said "this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". (Matt.3.17) What a warning here not to allow any attractions of the world or the devil to divert us from performing God's will: But how we need His help in pursuing this resolve. We are doomed to failure without His constant aid.

Rehoboam

Rehoboam, son of Solomon, suffered as a result of the Lord's anger with Solomon for not heeding His twice-repeated warning not to worship other gods. 1 Kings 11.11 to 13 (LB) gives the Lord's message. "Since you have not kept our agreement and have not obeyed my laws, I will tear the kingdom away from you and your family and give it to someone else. However, for the sake of your father David, I won't do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so I will let him be king of one tribe, for David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city". So as the Lord predicted, Rehoboam antagonised the majority of the tribes of Israel who were then ruled by Jeroboam.

When Rehoboam was at the height of his popularity and power he abandoned the Lord and was attacked by the king of Egypt for his sins. However he repented and the Lord relented. But, Judah must pay tribute to Shishak the Egyptian king in order to realise it was better to serve God than an earthly king. 2 Chron.12.14 (LB) sums him up as "an evil king, for he never did decide really to please the Lord." What a faithful God that He still used His infinite wisdom to guide an evil man in diverting him from the worst excesses of his wickedness. How much more is He able and willing to guide those who love His will in His way that we might fulfil our pledge of consecration to Him.

Abijah

Abijah, was the next of David's descendants on Judah's throne. Although 2 Chron.13 records that his reign was unstable for a war with Israel when the men of Judah cried to the Lord when ambushed by Jeroboam and defeated them, we have to turn to 1 Kings 15.1-3 (where he is called Abijam) to discover he was as great a sinner as his father Rehoboam. Perhaps that is why he was only permitted to reign 3 years before being succeeded by his son Asa.

Asa

The scriptures testify that Asa was "careful to obey the Lord," (2 Chron.14.2 LB). He was zealous to remove idol worship. (2 Chron.14.3-5). Again in 2 Chron.15.17 (LB) it is recorded "in Judah and Benjamin the heart of King Asa was perfect before God throughout his lifetime." Do you sigh with relief to read a statement like that after the previous 2 and a half idolatrous reigns which preceded him? However we then find when Judah is attacked in the thirty sixth year of his reign he turns not to the Lord for help but to the king of Syria. For this the Lord predicted wars for him and he became diseased in his feet but even then did not ask the Lord about it. How easy it is to become complacent in following the Lord so that we are not prepared for still seeking the help of the Lord when good times are followed by trials. We need a constant habit of seeking the Lord's approval and help in all the affairs of life.

Jehoshaphat

There was good and bad in Jehoshaphat too. Although he did not worship idols and obeyed God's commandments, (2 Chron.17.3&4) he was a lot too friendly with the kings of Israel and made a marriage alliance between his son and the daughter of wicked Ahab. Jehoshaphat fancied working closely with the other ten tribes instead of being careful to retain a feeling for the will of the Lord. The Lord was displeased when he joined with Ahab in going to war with Syria. Later he had a partnership with Ahaziah of Israel in a shipping enterprise which also ended in disaster. But the marriage alliance brought Judah far more trouble since Ahab's daughter turned Jehoshaphat's son to wickedness.

Jehoram

Jehoram worked evil throughout his reign. He killed his brethren (2 Chron.21.4) and was as wicked as the kings of Israel. Therefore the Lord allowed the nations who had been subject to Judah to revolt, (2 Chron.21.8-10) other nations attacked and the king's palace was ransacked, he was afflicted with a bowel disease, and he died unmourned (2 Chron.21.16-20). What a signal warning not to become unwitting partners with those of this present evil world, who, though they may not turn our hearts from God, may be used of the devil to lay snares for the future we are not clever enough to for see. Oh! for the Lord's guidance and wisdom in all our ways.

To be continued

DL

Next issue:

Ahaziah, Athaliah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah