WHEN we review “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” with Heb. 1:1, as our standpoint, the list given of the kings becomes very deeply interesting.
By the Lord's express command, Joshua, the successor of Moses in the leadership of the people was to stand before Eleazar the priest, who should inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord (Num. 27:21). This did Israel on one occasion, in the days of Phinehas (Judg. 20:28), but when Abiathar fled to David to Keilah, the ark rested in obscurity in Kirjath-jearim, and of all the priestly vestments he brought with him simply an ephod in his hand. And when in perplexity David bade Abiathar bring hither the ephod; and David inquired of the Lord, who answered him in condescending grace (1 Sam. 23:6-12).
As all know, David was no sooner established in the kingdom, than he set about bringing up the ark to Zion: Solomon built the temple, that house of rest for the ark of God. At the dedication of the temple, first appeared the overshadowing cloud; “Then spake Solomon, the LORD hath said that He would dwell in thick darkness.” Would He who dwelt between the Cherubim indeed shine forth? When Solomon had made an end of praying, all the children of Israel saw the fire descend from heaven, and the glory of the LORD filled the house; seeing which they bowed and worshipped with thanksgivings.
So far as we have ourselves gleaned, scripture gives not the slightest intimation for how long or how short a period that glory-light, which had been at once the defense and the sure guide to their fathers in the wilderness, was openly discerned upon the house. While God shined out of it, Zion was the perfection of beauty.
In the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak spoiled the temple. During the reign of Abijah the form of godliness was maintained (2 Chron. 13:10-12), yet the king's heart was not perfect with the Lord his God (1 Kings 15:3), and idolatry was practiced (vers. 12, 13), which in its most glaring forms Asa removed. This last king began his reign well, and by his offerings enriched the temple; and his faith was rewarded in the overthrow of Zerah and his 1,000,000 warriors (2 Chron. 14:9-12). But the closing years of his reign saw his own spoliation of the temple, in order to bribe Benhadad into an alliance with himself against Baasha.
The one remarkable event which we wish to draw special attention to in the reign of Jehoshaphat is that related in full details in 2 Chron. 20. Moved by his fear of the confederated forces of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, he proclaimed a fast; and all Judah stood before the LORD in the temple, while the king prayed. The answer was instantly given, in the hearing of all the people. by Jahaziel.
To Jettorain's alliance with the house of Ahab and its disastrous consequences, we have already referred. Passing over the three kings whose names are omitted in ver. 8, as we have seen, we come to Uzziah; who, like Asa, started well, and ended badly. The one event of his reign we refer to is his presuming to enter the sanctuary to burn incense upon the altar of incense, in the face of the earnest protest of Azariah and those eighty priests who were likeminded with him; and his being smitten with leprosy as he stood beside the altar, and thrust out of the sanctuary (2 Chron. 26). Was the sanctuary defiled by this fearful visitation?
In the year that king Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah saw such a vision of glory that his description of it favors the thought that it far transcended the glory as openly discerned by Israel on the day of the dedication of the temple. Because he saw the Lord, high and exalted, His being the transcendent glory (John 12:41), the skirts thereof filled the temple. Though Israel's kings had failed, and sinned grievously, the cry of the Seraphim bore witness to the fact that the throne of God is established in holiness. The prophet and Israel were of unclean lips, yet was the prophet's iniquity taken away, and “he spake of Him” Whose glory he had been privileged to behold. Jotham reigned well, and built the high gate of the house of Jehovah. Had it been like king like people, Judah had prospered during his reign; but of them we read, “and the people did yet corruptly” (2 Chron. 27:2).
Ahaz was so infamous for his very great wickedness that the Spirit of God has characterized his very name thus, “This is that king Ahaz,” or “This same king Ahaz.” He “wearied men “; he spoiled, and shut up the temple. Oh the tender mercies of our God! In those distressing days He appointed for His people a sanctuary, even Himself! (Isa. 8:14). In the reigns of other wicked kings honorable mention is made of faithful priests; one thing that characterizes the wicked reign of Ahaz is, that here we have a scarcely less wicked priest in Urijah, who lends himself to become the ready tool of his sacrilegious sovereign in building an idolatrous altar (2 Kings 16:10, 11).
Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he slave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him.” If we looked only upon the surface, we might have considered that the piety of Hezekiah would have been rewarded in the exaltation of the nation over which be reigned. That his reign was very greatly beneficial to his subjects we freely admit. When however we draw a comparison between the days of Jehoshaphat and those of Hezekiah, we are struck by certain sure signs that, notwithstanding the latter's godliness, the nation has declined to a much lower footing before the Lord.
On the Assyrian coming upon the scene Hezekiah proclaims no fast, as did Jehoshaphat; instead of the nation standing before the Lord, its godly king enters the sanctuary to make his own earnest prayer as an individual. In a day of national adversity we read of two individuals simply, as praying, and crying to heaven (2 Chron. 32:20). Hezekiah indeed spread Sennacherib's letter before the Lord, but instead of an instant answer, the reply is sent by Isaiah t3 him (2 Kings 19:20). Then the army of Judah is in no way associated with the overthrow of the Assyrians; and instead of gathering spoil, poor Hezekiah had already endured the mortification of humbling himself before his enemy (2 Kings 18:14), and what must have grieved him not less, of the sanctuary despoiled of silver and gold, in a vain attempt to satisfy the greed of his powerful adversary (vers. 15, 16).
All this tells its own sad tale. The prophet Isaiah draws aside the curtain, and shows that hypocrisy existed, and that deeds of darkness were done, behind that form of godliness outwardly retained by the nation (Isa. 29:13-15).
Had Hezekiah been content to set his house in order and die, the nation had been spared much suffering. During those added fifteen years was born Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1); the heart of Hezekiah became lifted up, to his own and to the nation's hurt (2 Chron. 32:25, 26); and those hidden workings of evil appeared to have gathered great strength. It may be observed: as Isaiah proceeds with his prophecies, he becomes by the Spirit more and more vehement in his denunciations of Israel's transgression (Isa. 58:1-7; 59:2-8). All the more positively awful is the state of things disclosed by Isa. 28:14, 15, when we consider its existence in the very face of that prophet's sublime testimony concerning the glories and honors that all find their center in the Person of the coming Messiah!
Very significant indeed is Isaiah's lamentation, doubtless with the death of Hezekiah before his mind (Isa. 57:1, 2), and in full view of that wickedness which he saw was gathering strength continually (vers. 3, 4).
It is made very clear by Heb. 11:39, 40, that the three verses immediately preceding this reference directly refer to a period of fearful persecution that raged before Christ came. It would be very remarkable indeed if scripture furnished us with no clue as to the precise period at which it slew its thousands of faithful men and women.
It will help us much to apprehend the real state of affairs during the reign of Manasseh, if we bear in mind what has been written above concerning the workings of evil in Israel, and observe at the same time that for three previous generations of kings the Spirit of God had raised up and maintained a very powerful prophetic testimony, in the mouths of the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, Micah.
Now coming directly to Manasseh’s reign, we find events recorded which give us a most complete picture or foreshadowing of a still more awful period, in which the man of sin will for a time practice and prosper. For here we have a wicked ruler, despising all reproofs, and compelling his subjects to do iniquity. He places an abomination in the house of God. He persecutes to the death those who will die, rather than do evil. Jehovah's “watchmen,” His prophets, hold not their peace day nor night; and the abundant fruit of their powerful testimony is proved by the immense numbers who die the death of martyrs (2 Kings 21:16). While Jehovah's saints are hunted to the death within Jerusalem, the merciless Assyrian comes against the city from without, so that they are placed as between two fires. At such a moment it became faithful priests, who could not enter within the sanctuary, because of the abomination set up therein by Manasseh, to “weep between the porch and the altar,” and say, “Spare Thy people, O Jehovah, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”