Study Desk

The man of God was angry with Jehoash. Elisha said, "You should have hit five or six times! Then you would have defeated Aram until you destroyed it! But now, you will defeat Aram only three times."

Amaziah did what the Lord said was right, but he did not follow God completely like David his ancestor. Amaziah did everything that Joash his father had done.

He commanded Uriah the priest, "Use the large altar to burn the morning burnt offerings, the evening grain offerings, and the drink offerings from all the people of this country. Sprinkle all the blood from the burnt offering and other sacrifices on the large altar. But I will use the bronze altar to get answers from God."

These things happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. And it was the Lord who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt! He saved them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But the Israelites began worshiping other gods.

The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God, and those things were wrong! The Israelites built high places in all their cities—from the smallest town to the largest city.

But the people would not listen. They were very stubborn like their ancestors. Their ancestors did not believe the Lord their God.

The people stopped following the commands of the Lord their God. They made two gold statues of calves. They made Asherah poles. They worshiped all the stars of heaven and served Baal.

But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. They lived just as the Israelites had.

Some people said to the king of Assyria, "The people who you took away and put in the cities of Samaria don't know the law of the god of that country. So that god sent lions to attack them. The lions killed them because they don't know the law of the god of that country."

So the king of Assyria gave this command: "You took some priests from Samaria. Send one of them who I captured back to Samaria. Let that priest go and live there. Then he can teach the people the law of the god of that country."

The people of Babylon made the false god Succoth Benoth. The people of Cuthah made the false god Nergal. The people of Hamath made the false god Ashima.

No, you must respect only the Lord your God. Then he will save you from all your enemies."

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord , the God of Israel. There was no one like Hezekiah among all the kings of Judah before him or after him.

This happened because the Israelites did not obey the Lord their God. They broke his agreement and did not obey everything that Moses, the Lord 's servant, had commanded. The Israelites would not listen to the Lord's agreement, or do what it taught them to do.

Maybe you will say, "We trust the Lord our God to help us." But I know that Hezekiah destroyed the altars and high places where people worshiped the Lord. Hezekiah told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar here in Jerusalem."

The commander's master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to say bad things about the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear all those things and answer them. Maybe the Lord your God will show how wrong the enemy is! So pray for the people who are still left alive."

He told them, "Tell King Hezekiah of Judah these things: ‘Don't be fooled by the god you trust when he says Jerusalem will not be defeated by the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, " Lord , God of Israel, you sit as King above the Cherub angels. You alone are the God who rules all the kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth.

Lord , please listen to me. Lord , open your eyes and look at this message. Hear the words that Sennacherib sent to insult the living God.

But you are the Lord our God, so please save us from the king of Assyria. Then all the other nations will know that you, Lord , are the only God."