101 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria . And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria , to the rulers of Jezreel , the elders , and to the guardians of the children of Ahab , saying , 2 "Now , when this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons , 3 select the best and fittest of your master's sons , and set him on his father's throne , and fight for your master's house ." 4 But they feared greatly and said , "Behold , the two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand ?" 5 And the one who was over the household , and he who was over the city , the elders , and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu , saying , " We are your servants , all that you say to us we will do , we will not make any man king ; do what is good in your sight ." 6 Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying , "If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice , take the heads of the men , your master's sons , and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time ." Now the king's sons , seventy persons , were with the great men of the city , who were rearing them. 7 When the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons , and put their heads in baskets , and sent them to him at Jezreel . 8 When the messenger came and told him, saying , "They have brought the heads of the king's sons ," he said , "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning ." 9 Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people , "You are innocent ; behold , I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these ? 10 "Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord , which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab , for the Lord has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah ." 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel , and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests , until he left him without a survivor . 12 Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria . On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds , 13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said , "Who are you?" And they answered , "We are the relatives of Ahaziah ; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother ." 14 He said , "Take them alive ." So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked , forty-two e men ; and he left none e of them.
15 Now when he had departed from there , he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right , as my heart is with your heart ?" And Jehonadab answered , "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand ." And he gave him his hand , and he took him up to him into the chariot . 16 He said , "Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord ." So he made him ride in his chariot . 17 When he came to Samaria , he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria , until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah .
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, " Ahab served Baal a little ; Jehu will serve him much . 19 "Now , summon all the prophets of Baal , all his worshipers and all his priests ; let no one be missing , for I have a great sacrifice for Baal ; whoever e is missing shall not live ." But Jehu did it in cunning , so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal . 20 And Jehu said , " Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal ." And they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came , so that there was not a man left who did not come . And when they went into the house of Baal , the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other . 22 He said to the one who was in charge of the wardrobe , "Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal ." So he brought out garments for them. 23 Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab ; and he said to the worshipers of Baal , "Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord , but only the worshipers of Baal ." 24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings . Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside , and he had said , " The one who permits any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape shall give up his life in exchange ." 25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering , that Jehu said to the guard and to the royal officers , " Go in, kill them; let none e come out." And they killed them with the edge of the sword ; and the guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal . 26 They brought out the sacred pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. 27 They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal , and made it a latrine to this day . 28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel .
29 However , as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat , which he made Israel sin , from these Jehu did not depart , even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan . 30 The Lord said to Jehu , "Because e you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes , and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart , your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel ." 31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord , the God of Israel , with all his heart ; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam , which he made Israel sin . 32 In those days the Lord began to cut off portions from Israel ; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel : 33 from the Jordan eastward , all the land of Gilead , the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites , from Aroer , which is by the valley of the Arnon , even Gilead and Bashan . 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might , are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Israel ? 35 And Jehu slept with his fathers , and they buried him in Samaria . And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place . 36 Now the time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight e years .
111 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead , she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring . 2 But Jehosheba , the daughter of King Joram , sister of Ahaziah , took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons who were being put to death , and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom e . So they hid him from Athaliah , and he was not put to death . 3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord six years , while Athaliah was reigning over the land .
4 Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard , and brought them to him in the house of the Lord . Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord , and showed them the king's son . 5 He commanded them, saying , "This is the thing that you shall do : one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king's house 6 (one third also shall be at the gate Sur , and one third at the gate behind the guards ), shall keep watch over the house for defense . 7 "Two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath , shall also keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king . 8 "Then you shall surround e e the king , each with his weapons in his hand ; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death . And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in." 9 So the captains of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded . And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath , with those who were to go out on the sabbath , and came to Jehoiada the priest . 10 The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David's , which were in the house of the Lord . 11 The guards stood each with his weapons in his hand , from the right side of the house to the left side of the house , by the altar and by the house , around the king . 12 Then he brought the king's son out and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony ; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said , " Long live the king !"
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people , she came to the people in the house of the Lord . 14 She looked and behold , the king was standing by the pillar , according to the custom , with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king ; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets . Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried , " Treason ! Treason !" 15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between e e the ranks , and whoever follows e her put to death with the sword ." For the priest said , "Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord ." 16 So they seized e her, and when she arrived at the horses' entrance of the king's house , she was put to death there .
17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people , that they would be the Lord'S people , also between the king and the people . 18 All the people of the land went to the house of Baal , and tore it down ; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly , and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars . And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord . 19 He took the captains of hundreds and the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land ; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord , and came by the way of the gate of the guards to the king's house . And he sat on the throne of the kings . 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet . For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king's house . 21 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king .
121 In the seventh year of Jehu , Jehoash became king , and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem ; and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba . 2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only the high places were not taken away ; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places .
4 Then Jehoash said to the priests , "All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the Lord , in current money , both the money of each man's assessment and all the money which any man's heart prompts e him to bring into the house of the Lord , 5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance ; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever e e any damage may be found ." 6 But it came about that in the twenty-third e year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages of the house . 7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest , and for the other priests and said to them, "Why do you not repair the damages of the house ? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances , but pay it for the damages of the house ." 8 So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people , nor repair the damages of the house . 9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar , on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord ; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the Lord . 10 When they saw that there was much money in the chest , the king's scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the Lord . 11 They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work , who had the oversight of the house of the Lord ; and they paid it out to the carpenters e and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord ; 12 and to the masons and the stonecutters e , and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord , and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13 But there were not made for the house of the Lord silver cups , snuffers , bowls , trumpets , any vessels of gold , or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord ; 14 for they gave that to those who did the work , and with it they repaired the house of the Lord . 15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work , for they dealt faithfully . 16 The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord ; it was for the priests .
17 Then Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem . 18 Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah , his fathers , kings of Judah , had dedicated , and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house , and sent them to Hazael king of Aram . Then he went away from Jerusalem . 19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did , are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Judah ? 20 His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash at the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla . 21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer , his servants , struck him and he died ; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David , and Amaziah his son became king in his place .
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said , "Behold , the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ! 30 "This is He on behalf of whom I said , ' After me comes a Man who [1]has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' 31 "I did not recognize [2]Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel , I came baptizing [3]in water ." 32 John testified saying , " I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven , and He remained upon Him. 33 "I did not recognize [4]Him, but He who sent me to baptize [5]in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes [5]in the Holy Spirit .' 34 "I myself have seen , and have testified that this is the Son of God ."
35 Again the next day John was standing [7]with two of his disciples , 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked , and said , "Behold , the Lamb of God !"
37 The two disciples heard him speak , and they followed Jesus . 38 And Jesus turned and saw them following , and said to them, "What do you seek ?" They said to Him, " Rabbi (which translated means Teacher ), where are You staying ?" 39 He said to them, "Come , and you will see ." So they came and saw where He was staying ; and they stayed with Him that day , for it was about the [8]tenth hour . 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew , Simon Peter's brother . 41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah " (which translated means [9]Christ ). 42 He brought him to Jesus . Jesus looked at him and said , "You are Simon the son of [10] John ; you shall be called Cephas " (which is translated [11] Peter ).
43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee , and He found Philip . And Jesus said to him, " Follow Me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida , of the city of Andrew and Peter . 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote -Jesus of Nazareth , the son of Joseph ." 46 Nathanael said to him, " Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?" Philip said to him, "Come and see ." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold , an Israelite indeed , in whom there is no deceit !" 48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree , I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered Him, " Rabbi , You are the Son of God ; You are the King of Israel ." 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree , do you believe ? You will see greater things than these ." 51 And He said to him, "Truly , truly , I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man ."
(Read John 1:29-36)
John saw Jesus coming to him, and pointed him out as the Lamb of God. The paschal lamb, in the shedding and sprinkling of its blood, the roasting and eating of its flesh, and all the other circumstances of the ordinance, represented the salvation of sinners by faith in Christ. And the lambs sacrificed every morning and evening, can only refer to Christ slain as a sacrifice to redeem us to God by his blood. John came as a preacher of repentance, yet he told his followers that they were to look for the pardon of their sins to Jesus only, and to his death. It agrees with God's glory to pardon all who depend on the atoning sacrifice of Christ. He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all that repent and believe the gospel. This encourages our faith; if Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? He bore sin for us, and so bears it from us. God could have taken away sin, by taking away the sinner, as he took away the sin of the old world; but here is a way of doing away sin, yet sparing the sinner, by making his Son sin, that is, a sin-offering, for us. See Jesus taking away sin, and let that cause hatred of sin, and resolutions against it. Let us not hold that fast, which the Lamb of God came to take away. To confirm his testimony concerning Christ, John declares the appearance at his baptism, in which God himself bore witness to him. He saw and bare record that he is the Son of God. This is the end and object of John's testimony, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John took every opportunity that offered to lead people to Christ.
(Read John 1:37-42)
The strongest and most prevailing argument with an awakened soul to follow Christ, is, that it is he only who takes away sin. Whatever communion there is between our souls and Christ, it is he who begins the discourse. He asked, What seek ye? The question Jesus put to them, we should all put to ourselves when we begin to follow Him, What do we design and desire? In following Christ, do we seek the favour of God and eternal life? He invites them to come without delay. Now is the accepted time, 2 Corinthians 6:2. It is good for us to be where Christ is, wherever it be. We ought to labour for the spiritual welfare of those related to us, and seek to bring them to Him. Those who come to Christ, must come with a fixed resolution to be firm and constant to him, like a stone, solid and stedfast; and it is by his grace that they are so.
(Read John 1:43-51)
See the nature of true Christianity, it is following Jesus; devoting ourselves to him, and treading in his steps. Observe the objection Nathanael made. All who desire to profit by the word of God, must beware of prejudices against places, or denominations of men. They should examine for themselves, and they will sometimes find good where they looked for none. Many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they conceive. The best way to remove false notions of religion, is to make trial of it. In Nathanael there was no guile. His profession was not hypocritical. He was not a dissembler, nor dishonest; he was a sound character, a really upright, godly man. Christ knows what men are indeed. Does He know us? Let us desire to know him. Let us seek and pray to be Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile; truly Christians, approved of Christ himself. Some things weak, imperfect, and sinful, are found in all, but hypocrisy belongs not to a believer's character. Jesus witnessed what passed when Nathanael was under the fig-tree. Probably he was then in fervent prayer, seeking direction as to the Hope and Consolation of Israel, where no human eye observed him. This showed him that our Lord knew the secrets of his heart. Through Christ we commune with, and benefit by the holy angels; and things in heaven and things on earth are reconciled and united together.
