Israel -- How many of the kings of Israel were good?
Are you ready? This blog...weblog...is going to be monotonous. It will be kind of boring. But it is the summary of the history of the nation of Israel. This is the whole sad story.
Jeroboam ~ Bad king -- 1 Kings 14:8-9 "You have done more evil than all who lived before you." 22 years
Abijah ~ Bad king --1 Kings 15:3 "He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been." 3 years
Nadab ~ Bad king -- 1 Kings 15:26 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit." 2 years
Baasha ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 15:34 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit." 24 years
Elah ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:12-13 "So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu- because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols." 2 years
Zimri ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:18-19 "he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit. " 7 days
Omri ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:25-26 "But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him. He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols." 12 years
Ahab ~ extremely Bad king -- 1 Kings 16:30-33 "Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. " 22 years
Ahaziah ~ just-like-his-dad Bad king -- 1 Kings 22:52-53 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, because he walked in the ways of his father and mother and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 53 He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done." 2 years
Joram ~ not-quite-as-bad, but still Bad king -- 2 Kings 3:2-3 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them." 12 years
Jehu -- Did some AMAZING things for God {in fact you might want to go read the stories about him here in 2 Kings : crazy good stories, like Speilberg-should-make-a-movies-about-him good} ... but still not a good king -- 2 Kings 10:30-31 "The LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 28 years
Jehoahaz ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 13:2-3 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son. " 17 years
Jehoash ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 13:11 -- "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them." 16 years
Jeroboam ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 14:24-25 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit." 41 years
Zechariah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:9 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit."
6 months
Shallum ~ Got to be king by assassinating Zechariah, and was not king long enough to be good or bad...as a king. I mean, assassination is BAD. 1 month
Menahem ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:18 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 10 years
Pekahiah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:24 "Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit." 2 years
Pekah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:28 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 20 years
Hoshea ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 17:2 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. " 7 years
The answer to the question on the title? NONE!!!
NO good kings.
242 years, 7 months, and 7 days of bad kings and idol worship. 242 years, 7 months and 7 days of God's undeserved mercy. And the end of this monotonous story : 2 Kings 17:3-23
2 Kings 17:7-23
All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, "You shall not do this." The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. NIV
Jeroboam ~ Bad king -- 1 Kings 14:8-9 "You have done more evil than all who lived before you." 22 years
Abijah ~ Bad king --1 Kings 15:3 "He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been." 3 years
Nadab ~ Bad king -- 1 Kings 15:26 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit." 2 years
Baasha ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 15:34 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit." 24 years
Elah ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:12-13 "So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu- because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols." 2 years
Zimri ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:18-19 "he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit. " 7 days
Omri ~ Bad King -- 1 Kings 16:25-26 "But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him. He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols." 12 years
Ahab ~ extremely Bad king -- 1 Kings 16:30-33 "Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. " 22 years
Ahaziah ~ just-like-his-dad Bad king -- 1 Kings 22:52-53 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, because he walked in the ways of his father and mother and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 53 He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done." 2 years
Joram ~ not-quite-as-bad, but still Bad king -- 2 Kings 3:2-3 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them." 12 years
Jehu -- Did some AMAZING things for God {in fact you might want to go read the stories about him here in 2 Kings : crazy good stories, like Speilberg-should-make-a-movies-about-him good} ... but still not a good king -- 2 Kings 10:30-31 "The LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 28 years
Jehoahaz ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 13:2-3 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son. " 17 years
Jehoash ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 13:11 -- "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them." 16 years
Jeroboam ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 14:24-25 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit." 41 years
Zechariah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:9 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit."
6 months
Shallum ~ Got to be king by assassinating Zechariah, and was not king long enough to be good or bad...as a king. I mean, assassination is BAD. 1 month
Menahem ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:18 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 10 years
Pekahiah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:24 "Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit." 2 years
Pekah ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 15:28 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. " 20 years
Hoshea ~ Bad king -- 2 Kings 17:2 "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. " 7 years
The answer to the question on the title? NONE!!!
NO good kings.
242 years, 7 months, and 7 days of bad kings and idol worship. 242 years, 7 months and 7 days of God's undeserved mercy. And the end of this monotonous story : 2 Kings 17:3-23
2 Kings 17:7-23
All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, "You shall not do this." The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. NIV
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