Reading for January 7th

 Read 2 Kings 15.23-38. In verse 27: Twenty years is difficult to fit into a chronology for Israel. If it is not a simple error or exaggeration, it may indicate that Israel was divided and that Pekah reigned over a splinter section of it before becoming king over the entire country. In verse 29: The sites listed in this verse are all in northern Israel which along with Damascus and Syria, was ravaged in 733-32 BCE. In verse 30: Tiglath-pileser helped Hoshea to overthrow Pekah. The overthrow and Hoshea's pro-Assyrian policy kept Israel from meeting the fate as Syria in 732. Hoshea's kingdom, however, was only a part of the former state, since the northern part of the country was made into an Assyrian province. In verse 37: Pekah and Rezin wanted to force Judah to join them in a coalition to resist Tiglath-pileser of Assyria. The matter came to a head during the reign of Ahaz. See 16.5. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 6th

 Read 2 Kings 15.1-22. In 15.1-38: Azaiah and Jotham of Judah; Zecaraiah, Shallum, Menahem, and Pekahiah of Israel. In verse 1: Azariah also known as Uzziah (2 Chr 26). In verse 4: High places were shrines other than the temple of Jerusalem. In verse 5: Leprosy was a word used for a variety of skin diseases. It was greatly feared because it was regarded as fatal and incurable. Lepers were isolated because the disease was contagious. Hence, Azaiah and his son Jotham were co-regents, that is they ruled together. In verse 12: The prophecy about the duration of the Jehu dynasty occurs in 10.30. The rapid succession of contenders to the throne at the end of the Jehu dynasty is reminiscent of the last days of Baasha's house in 1 Kings 16. In verse 15: The rest of the deeds is part of the standard deuteronomistic formula. Since he reigned only one month (v. 13), Shallum did not have time to accomplish many deeds. In verse 16: Tiphsah was a town on the Euphrates, quite out of Menahem's reach. a better reading is Tappuah (as in the Septuahgint), which was within Israel. The practice of rip[ping] open pregnant women is mentioned elsewhere in the bible in the context of wars with other countries (2 Kings 8.12; Hos 13.16; Am 1.13). The reason for Menahem's brutality against the town of Tappuah is unknown, but it has been suggested that this was Sahllum's hometown. In verse 19: Pul was another name for Tiglath-pileser III, one of the greatest kings of the Assyrian empire (see v. 29). A talent was between 45 and 130 pounds. A thousand talents of silver was an enormous sum. In verse 20: A shekel was slightly less than half an ounce. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for January 5th

 Read 2 Kings 14.11-29. In verse 13: A cubit was about 18 inches, so 400 cubits is about 200 yards. The wall of the city was essential for its protection. In verse 19: Lachish was an important fortress and city about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem. In verse 22: Elath was an important port city at the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Amaziah was able to rebuild and restore it to Judah after he defeated Edom (v. 7). In verse 25: Lebo-hamath represented the idealized northern border of Israel in northern Syria as described for Solomon (1 Kings 8.65). The Sea of the Arabah was the Dead Sea. Jonah was the prophet about whom the book of Jonah was written. The oracles referred to here, however, are not recorded. In verse 28: Jeroboam's reign was a prosperous one, but he did not restore Damascus and Hamath to Israel, nor had they once belonged to Judah. The text has been damaged in transmission, and the original reading is uncertain. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 4th

 Read 2 Kings 14.1-10. In 14.1-29: The reigns of Amaziah and Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. In verse 4: The high places were shrines other than the Temple of Jerusalem. In verse 6: The law referred here is Deut 24.16. In verse 7: The location of the Valley of Salt is uncertain, but most scholars locate it south of the Dead Sea in the same depression in which the Dead Sea or Salt Sea lies. Sela means "rock" or "crag." The meaning of Jokth-el is uncertain. One suggestion is that it means "God destroys." In verse 8: Let us look one another in the face is a challenge to battle (v. 11). In verse 9: The fable does not imply any marriage treaty or relationship between Amaziah and Joash. Its point, rather, is that Amaziah is trying to make himself more important than he is and that he will be trampled down if he continues. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 3rd

 Read 2 Kings 13.14-25. In 13.14-25: Elisha's death. This story lies outside of the framework for Joash (vv. 12-13) but precedes the beginning formula for Jeroboam II (14.23-24). Since the deuteronomistic editor regularly uses these formulas as the frame work for the history, this story may be either out of place or a later addition. In verse 14: My father is a term of respect showing the king's subordination to the prophet. The exact sense of the chariots of Israel and its horsemen here is uncertain. It recalls previous episodes in the Elisha stories (2.12; 6.17) and may have become a kind of nickname for him because of those episodes. In verses 15-17: Symbolic acts like this one are frequently carried out by prophets in the bible, especially by Ezekiel and Jeremiah. In this case, the Lord's arrow of victory is shot eastward (v. 17), toward Aram (Syria), to represent victory over the Arameans. In verses 18-19: This is an example of bellomancy, the use of weapons of war to foretell the future, which was common in the ancient Near East. In verses 20-21: Elisha's miraculous powers continue even after his death. In verses 22-23: While these verses were certainly written after the fall of Israel in 721 BCE, the writer still appeals to the people of the north stating that the Lord has not ultimately abandoned them. In verses 24-25: These verses fulfill Elisha's prediction in v. 19. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 2nd

 Read 2 Kings 13.1-13. In 13.1-13: The reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash. In verse 1: Joash and Jehoah are two versions of the same name. In verse 2: The sins of Jeroboam are the shrines at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12.25-33). In verse 3: Like the rest of the regnal formulas, this verse is deuteronomistic and sounds much like part of the deuteronomistic formula found in the book of Judges (Judg 2.14; 4.1-2; 6.1). In verse 5: The idea and language are also borrowed from the book of Judges. The identity of this savior is not clear, bit it may be a reference to Elisha (vv. 4-21). In verse 6: The sins of the house of Jeroboam are the same as the sins Jeroboam (v. 2). The sacred pole was used in the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. In verse 7: Like the dust at threshing means that the army had scattered. In verse 10: While they bear the same name, Joah king of Judah and Jehoash king of Israel are two different people. In verse 13: This Jeroboam is distinct from the one in 1 Kings 12-14 and is often called Jeroboam II. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 1st

 Read 2 Kings 12.1-21. In 12.1-21: The reign of Jehoash. In verse 1: Forty years is probably a round number for a generation. In verse 3: The high places were shrines other than the Temple of Jerusalem. In verses 4-16: Jehoash repairs the Temple. Jehoash has to admonish the priests (v. 7), who are slow to carry out the repairs. Money is literally "silver." Parts of this account, however, seem to assume that the contributions were in the form  of coins, which would be an anachronism since coins began to be used widely in Palestine no earlier than the late 6th century BCE. In verse 18: Votive gifts were special items of value that the kings of Judah had dedicated tot he Temple. By paying these to Hazael as tribute, Jehoash capitulated to him and in effect bribed him to prevent him from attacking Jerusalem. In verse 19; The Annals of the Kings of Judah may have been official records of the monarchy of Judah. They no longer exist. In verse 20: Millo means 'fill"; it probably refers to the earthwork done by David to fill in the saddle between the Temple area and the palace area south of it ((2 Sam 5.9). In verse 21: The motive behind Joash's assassination is not explained in 2 Kings. See Chr 24.20-27. Comments or Questions..