VERSE: 2 Kings 25:2–So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. TRUTH: For over two years the city of Jerusalem was under attack. Babylon had come and would ultimately conquer Judah. Yet at no time during this two year standoff and famine does it ever say anything about anyone turning or repenting or crying out to God. Do we cry out to God in the midst of the consequences of our sin, or are we just going through it with no hope? RESPONSE: Lord, no matter my circumstances, help me to never be so proud that I am unwilling to repent and turn back to…

VERSE: 2 Kings 24:3–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.TRUTH: Sin has consequences. God is Holy and cannot stand sin, so even though He loves us, He will still punish sin. Judah learned this, especially since they were continuing to practice these sins and had not repented. The Lord loves us and so He created a way for us to be made right with Him through Jesus Christ, but we have to choose to accept that gift. If we don’t, God will judge our sin. RESPONSE: Lord,…

VERSE: 2 Kings 23:2-The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. TRUTH: Josiah had been changed by the reading of God’s Word, so the first thing he did was gather everyone together and read God’s Word to them. The people heard and took the message to heart and helped Josiah exact his wide-sweeping reform. How will…

VERSE: 2 Kings 22:19–“because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a devastation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. TRUTH: When we hear God’s Word, how is it received? Does it find a place of tenderness and humility within us in order to work and guide us? Or, are we proud and hard-hearted and unwilling to receive and accept it? RESPONSE: Lord, I want my heart to be like Josiah’s, tender and humble and…

VERSE: 2 Kings 21:2–He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the sons of Israel. TRUTH: Hezekiah had been a great king who followed the Lord. Unfortunately, his young son Manasseh did not listen or follow his father’s footsteps. Each person must make a decision about God for himself or herself. We cannot be saved by riding the Christian coattails of our parents. Likewise, we are not condemned because of the evil of our parents. Each one of us has a choice of how we will respond to the message of Jesus Christ. How will you?…

VERSE: 2 Kings 20:10–So Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to decline ten steps; no but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.” TRUTH: God had promised Hezekiah that He would heal him from his illness and Hezekiah asked for a sign and was offered two choices. Hezekiah chose what he thought would be the more difficult of the choices. God is capable of doing great and mighty things. Do we trust Him to do all that He promises us? Are we willing to ask for Him to do things that we consider to be hard? RESPONSE: Father, You are mighty and powerful You are over all things and…

VERSE: 2 Kings 19:22– ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice, And haughtily lifted up your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!’ TRUTH: Assyria was on a rampage. This mighty nation was gobbling up other nations as fast as they could on their quest to become a world power. Israel had already fallen to them and been scattered. Now they came against Judah and King Hezekiah. What they didn’t count on was coming against the living Holy God that King Hezekiah served. The other nations had served pagan gods that had proved futile in trying to protect their worshippers once Assyria showed up. So,…

VERSE: 2 Kings 18:6–For he clung to the Lord, he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. TRUTH: Hezekiah was different from all the other kings of Judah. He clung to the Lord. He followed God, but not just that, he trusted God completely and held to Him no matter what. Would others describe our relationship with God by saying that we “cling” to Him?RESPONSE: Lord, I want my life to be described that way. I want to cling to You through all of life’s circumstances and need You desperately and  love You. I will trust in You no matter what the…

VERSE: 2 Kings 17:39-40–“But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. TRUTH: This chapter details the fall of Israel and their being led into captivity. The verses list several reasons why, but ultimately the reason for their defeat is summed up in these two verses. The Lord will deliver His people, but they rejected God and followed their own ways. God gives us the same promise and the same choice. He will protect us and watch over us, but we must be following Him. Are…