Today we come to 2 Kings 21-22, where we observe some of the results of Hezekiah’s downfall, which we briefly mentioned yesterday. When Isaiah the prophet told Hezekiah to “put his house in order” (cf., 2 Kings 20:1), we saw that Hezekiah “prayed to the LORD … and wept bitterly” (verses 2-3). Most of us would have been inclined to do the same thing, because most of us want to continue living. However, we also saw that Hezekiah was selfish (cf., 2 Kings 20:19), and his selfish desire to continue living did not consider God’s best either for Hezekiah or for the kingdom Judah. God granted Hezekiah an additional fifteen years (cf., 2 Kings 20:6), but it was during those fifteen years that his son, Manasseh – an exceedingly evil king – was born. Essentially, Manasseh’s reign over Judah represents the beginning of the end for Judah. Whereas, the kingdom of Israel has already been removed to Assyria, now Judah’s days are numbered. Chapter 21 details the evil deeds of Manasseh, who even practiced child-sacrifice (verse 6). Though perhaps not as evil as Ahab – the worst king of Israel – Manasseh is probably the epitome of an evil king and the worst of the kings of Judah. Manasseh was followed by his son, Amon - another evil king of Judah – who was assassinated. Later, he was replaced by his young son, Josiah. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, the priests discovered the “Book of the Law” (verse 11), which had been ignored through a long line of kings and kingdoms (verse 13). Josiah required the priests to “speak to Huldah, a prophetess, who said, ‘The LORD is going to bring disaster on this place and its people because they have forsaken me’” (verses 14-17). We are seeing that God is judging Judah, and its kingdom is coming to a close. However, because Josiah demonstrated "a responsive heart, humbled himself, tore his clothes, and wept” (verses 19-20), God briefly extended His mercy to Judah.
Proverbs 16:28-17:4 establishes several excellent, biblical principles that should be a part of our standard, daily practice - righteousness, patience, self-control, and especially, trust, for “every decision is from the LORD” (verse 33). Knowing that God superintends our choices implies our regular consultation with Him and our prayerful submission to His will. Hezekiah should have done this. Proverbs 17 continues with equally good advice, particularly regarding peace, quiet, and prudence — virtues that should characterize all Christians.
Today we close the book of Acts with chapter 28:17-31. Here we see that the Apostle Paul has settled into his own living quarters in Rome “with a soldier to guard him” (cf., Acts 28:16). We further read that, “for two whole years, he stayed in his own rented house - proclaiming boldly and teaching without hindrance about the Lord” (verses 30-31). It is interesting that the Jews at Rome had “not received any letters from Judea” about Paul’s activities before he was sent to Rome (verse 21). We recall how the Sanhedrin were planning to kill Paul (cf., Acts 23:15) and that Festus was planning “to write an investigation about Paul to His Majesty” (cf., Acts 25:26). It is obvious that either no paperwork was ever written or it somehow got lost in the shuffle, because verse 21 also gives a beautiful testimony of Paul’s life: “none of the brothers has said anything bad about you.” Amazingly, back in Jerusalem, God used Paul’s undeserved persecution to move him - at the emperor’s expense - to Rome, where God vindicated and used him in a mighty way.
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