The Southern Kingdom

II Kings 18:1-7

THE two-tribe or southern kingdom does not have a much better record for serving the true God than does the ten-tribe kingdom. Concerning the latter the record states: “The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them.” (II Kings 17:22) Concerning the two-tribe kingdom we read, “Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made”; that is, the worship and service of heathen gods instituted by Jeroboam.—II Kings 17:19

As for the kings of the southern kingdom, Hezekiah was one noble exception to the rule. Of him the account states that he “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.” (vs. 3) Under his leadership the worship of false gods was abolished, and the nation was encouraged to return to Jehovah the true God.

Of special interest is the record that Hezekiah “brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did bum incense to it.” The New Testament informs us that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up as the great sin-bearer of the people. (John 3:14) In Moses’ day, a plague of serpents attacked Israel and safety was provided by their looking upon the brazen serpent.

The brazen serpent therefore meant much to Israel at the time; but the people were not authorized to make an idol out of it—something to which they should burn incense. It served a valuable purpose in the time of Moses, and was used by God as a type of the great sin-bearer, Christ; but to continue to use it as a form of worship and adoration, was idolatry. Hezekiah called the brazen serpent “Nehushtan,” meaning a piece of brass. What a practical viewpoint—it was simply a piece of brass, so why should it be worshiped?

Hezekiah’s reign paralleled in part the reign of Israel’s last king, Hoshea. It was during this time that the king of Assyria besieged and captured Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom, and attempted also to enslave the two-tribe kingdom of Judah. But Hezekiah rebelled and fought back. However (and this seems to be a slight blot on Hezekiah’s otherwise good record), he evidently for a time lost his faith in the Lord and sent word to the king of Assyria, apologizing and offering to pay tribute.—II Kings 18:14

Thus did Hezekiah endeavor to appease the Assyrians in order to save Jerusalem and his kingdom from being overthrown, as were Samaria and the ten-tribe kingdom. Appeasement seldom accomplishes the desired ends, and in this case it did not prevent the Assyrian armies from marching against the city. But for Hezekiah it can be said that when he was confronted with this very real danger, he sought the Prophet Isaiah’s advice and acted upon it, and the Lord defeated the enemy.

Isaiah 31:1-3

“WOE unto them that go down to Egypt for help.” These words are often considered as advice from the Lord for the Christian not to seek help from the world—Egypt being considered a symbol of the world. It is no doubt quite proper to use the statement in this manner, but Isaiah apparently had in mind an unusual situation which existed in his day concerning the kingdoms of Judah, Assyria, and Egypt.

Egypt seems to have been the first world power, or empire. But in Isaiah’s day Assyria was rapidly gaining power. But both of these gave place later to Babylon, the first world power recognized in the prophecy of Daniel (chap. 2) as figuring in the “times of the Gentiles.” When the king of Assyria sent messengers to Hezekiah demanding that he surrender, these messengers said that if Hezekiah was by any chance depending upon Egypt for help he would be disappointed, for so far as Assyria was concerned, Egypt was weak like a “bruised reed.”

The Prophet Isaiah knew that the only safety for God’s people was to put their trust in the Lord. He was the prophet who advised Hezekiah to seek the Lord’s help when menaced by the Assyrian army. He probably knew that mention had been made of the possibility of seeking help from Egypt against the Assyrians. He knew that only the Lord could save Jerusalem, and in his prophecy emphasizes the same fact, saying, “Woe to them who go down to Egypt for help.”

Israel was a nation under God, and he expected them to put their trust in him. Had they trusted the Lord fully, and obeyed his laws, he would have protected them; but they did not do this. For a short time, under the rule of Hezekiah, the two-tribe kingdom made a fair show of obedience, and the people were blessed accordingly. But this did not last. As with the ten-tribe kingdom most of Judah’s kings were also wicked, and under their leadership the nation became corrupt and weak, and finally was taken captive into Babylon.

QUESTIONS

Were the kings of the southern kingdom, on the whole, more righteous than those of the northern kingdom?

Name one king of Judah who was righteous. In what ways did he show his faith in God, and how was his temporary lack of faith displayed?

What did Isaiah mean when he said, “Woe unto them that go down to Egypt for help”?

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