Week 22, May 24–30: Acts 19–28; 2 Kings 1–12; Psalms 73–76

• Sun      May 24            Acts 19–21     
• Mon     May 25            Acts 22–24     
• Tue      May 26            Acts 25–28     
• Wed     May 27            2 Kings 1–3     Ps. 73
• Thu      May 28            2 Kings 4–6     Ps. 74
• Fri        May 29            2 Kings 7–9     Ps. 75
• Sat       May 30            2 Kings 10–12 Ps. 76

Acts closes with a remark that ties back to the book’s opening paragraph. Jesus had instructed his disciples (and us) to bear witness to Jesus “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The second half of the book has been all about Paul and his travels, not literally to the ends of the earth, but moving in that direction. He eventually makes his way to Rome, and Acts concludes with him in prison there. He is obeying Jesus’s instructions and “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (28:31).

The book of Acts ends there without telling us any more about the rest of Paul’s life and ministry. However, we do have the rest of the NT. In the epistles that come after Acts, we will see how the Lord used Paul and the other apostles to continue building the church, advancing his kingdom, and ensuring that the good news of Jesus is proclaimed throughout the world and through the centuries. Acts was written to tell the story of the apostles, and really it is a story of the work of God by the Spirit in the name of the risen Christ. God used Peter, Paul, and the other apostles to begin the mission Jesus gave them, and now we have the great privilege to continue the same work God has been doing since the church began. I pray reading Acts has been encouraging and motivating, and that we as a church will continue to grow in our heart for God to be known and worshipped to the ends of the earth.

We also continue our OT reading into 2 Kings. As with 1–2 Samuel, the narrative moves along without a major disruption as we turn the page from 1 to 2 Kings. Together, these books tell the stories of the successions of kings in what has become a divided kingdom; Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The books of 1–2 Chronicles will retell the same basic history, but it will do so with more of a focus on the kings of Judah, the line of David. Here in 1–2 Kings, we read of the southern kingdom, Judah, and its kings, but there is also quite a bit of attention given to the northern kingdom, Israel, and its kings.

As we read through these accounts it may be helpful to keep in mind points of similarity and difference between Israel and its kings and Judah and its kings. In Judah, the kings all descend from David’s line and continue the dynasty established back in 2 Samuel 7. While there is one dynasty through all of Judah’s history, all the way up to the exile of Judah into Babylon, there are 10 different dynasties in Israel. The throne is not always passed down to a successor from the same family line, like in Judah. In fact, kings in Israel are often displaced through violent takeover, with the new king killing the previous king and all potential heirs to the throne. Both Israel and Judah see the reign of 20 kings over the course of their existence as a divided kingdom, but in Judah, they all descend from David’s line.

Of the 20 kings in Judah, eight of them are said to be somewhat faithful, more or less following the Lord and walking in the ways of David, with varying degrees of faithfulness. Only two of the kings of Judah, Hezekiah and Josiah, are fully faithful. This contrasts with the kings of Israel, all of whom are unfaithful and seem to grow progressively more idolatrous and sinful from one to the next. Judah’s kings also rebel against God and lead wicked lives, and we know even David’s time as king was marked by horrible sin. Generally speaking, however, Judah’s kings are more obedient to the Lord than were the kings of Israel.

While we do not necessarily want to get ahead of ourselves, we do know from Deuteronomy where the sequence of events in Israel and Judah’s history is all heading. Both Israel and Judah will eventually end up in exile out of the land because of their sin (Deut. 4:27; 31:29). We will read about this prophetic prediction from the Pentateuch coming true in next week’s reading. Israel will be defeated by Assyria and brought into exile there (2 Kings 17). Then at the end of 2 Kings, Judah will be defeated and brought into exile in Babylon (2 Kings 25). This perspective helps inform our reading of each successive king, both in Israel and in Judah. Their sin and the sin of the people under these kings’ leadership will lead to tragic consequences eventually.

In the books of Samuel and Kings, the kings obviously play a prominent role. Prophets are also important figures in these narratives. They sometimes serve as contrasting characters to the kings. In fact, the prophets are often directly at odds with the kings. Whether its Samuel to Saul, Nathan to David, or Elijah to Ahab, the prophets are the ones tasked with the difficult job of rebuking the wayward kings with words from God. They are responsible for calling Israel and Judah and their kings to repent and turn back to covenant faithfulness and to walk in the ways of the Lord. Sadly, there efforts often do not produce the desired effect, at least not in their time.

As spokesmen for the Lord, they highlight the fact that God is unchanging and faithful to his word and his promises. When things are going badly for Israel and Judah, it might look like God’s promises are failing. But really things are playing out exactly as he said they would. The trouble they are facing is because of their sin and it lines up exactly with what God had said would happen to them, back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Later in our reading, when we get to the books of the so-called writing prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), we will see how they repeat and develop many of these themes that arise in these narrative accounts of Israel and Judah’s history. The messages of those later prophetic books will reflect back on what we have read in these historical books and give additional prophetic perspective on the decline and eventual exile of Israel and Judah.

All of this demonstrates the need for something different—a new reality. For God’s people to experience the blessings of relationship with him, and for them to be redeemed to him as his people after generations of rebellion and sin, there must be a new covenant and a new king to rule over God’s people. The authors of these books of Israel’s and Judah’s history wrote in such a way, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that communicates a gradually building anticipation for a coming Davidic king who will reign forever on the throne of God’s kingdom. In this way, reading 1–2 Kings as Christian Scripture helps us see more clearly the good news of the gospel of Christ.