Justin Houtz

2 Kings 25, Hebrews 7, Amos 1, Psalm 144

DateVersionReading Plan
November 12, 2024ESV (2016)M’Cheyne Plan 2024

2 Kings 25

2 Kings 25:7 (ESV) 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

“[Zedekiah’s] sons were killed before his eyes, thus eliminating the threat of royal heirs to the throne. Zedekiah was blinded and taken to prison in Babylon. This fulfilled the prophecies that he would see Nebuchadnezzar (Jr 32:4) but would not see Babylon (Ezk 12:11–13).” (CSB Notes)

The exactness of the prophecies between Jeremiah and Ezekiel regarding the treatment of Zedekiah is profound. Jeremiah prophesied that Zedekiah “shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.” (Jer. 32:4b) but Ezekiel’s prophecy spoke that, “He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes.” (Ezek. 12:12b), symbolic of Zedekiah being blinded by Nebuchadnezzar.

2 Kings 25:8–10 (ESV) 8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

“The end of this historic phase of the Davidic covenant came with the total destruction of everything of significance in Jerusalem: literally, the temple, the king’s palace, all the houses of Jerusalem, all the great houses, and the defensive wall of Jerusalem.” (CSB Notes)

From these verses, we see that the comprehensiveness of devastation that came upon Jerusalem. Everything of prominence was destroyed, including the wall of the city, leaving it defenseless and allowing wildlife to roam through without hinderance.

2 Kings 25:22 (ESV) 22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor.

“From a prominent Jerusalem family, Gedaliah’s grandfather had been a scribe during Josiah’s reign (2 Kings 22:3). Ahikam, his father, was among those sent to inquire of Yahweh through Huldah (22:12), and he was responsible for saving the life of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 26:24).” (FSB)

The connection of Jeremiah to Gedaliah through Ahikam is fascinating and demonstrates the alignment of the prophetic narratives with that of the Books of 1 & 2 Kings.

Hebrews 7

Hebrews 7:1–3 (ESV) 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

“The author of Hebrews understands the name Melchizedek to mean “king of righteousness” and the title king of Salem to mean “king of peace” (Heb 7:2). The combination of the terms “righteousness” and “peace” has messianic implications within the OT—a factor that contributes to Melchizedek’s prominent role in Hebrews (see Isa 9:6–7; Jer 23:5; Zech 9:9–10; compare Heb 1:8–9).” (FSB)

“The Levitical priesthood of the Jews was grounded in the order of Aaron, but the priesthood of Jesus Christ is grounded in the order of Melchizedek. The mysterious Melchizedek appeared in Gn 14:18–20 and was not mentioned again until the messianic promise was made in Ps 110. The author of Hebrews drew from the OT witness to show that the order of Melchizedek was eternal in origin and scope. Melchizedek was a type of Christ reflecting the divine attributes of eternity, righteousness, peace, and sovereignty. His eternality is evident in that he was a priest forever—without record of beginning or end. His righteousness is evident in his name since Melchizedek is Hebrew for king of righteousness. His peace is evident in the fact that he was also declared to be the king of Salem, which means king of peace.” (CSB Notes)

The author of Hebrews highlights the exalted nature of Melchizedek in that Abraham apportioned to him a tenth part of everything. Melchizedek is certainly an intriguing biblical personality, appearing in multiple places between the Old and New Testaments but with relatively few details about him provided.

Amos 1

“Amos denounced the people of Israel for their apostasy and social injustice and warned them that disaster would fall upon them for breaking the covenant. He urged them to leave the hypocrisy of their ‘solemn assemblies’ (5:21) and instead to ‘let justice roll down like waters’ (v. 24). Nevertheless, said Amos, God would remember his covenant with Israel and would restore a faithful remnant.” (ESV Amos Introduction)

In this first chapter, “Amos describes God’s coming judgment against Israel’s neighbors. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Amon are judged for their sins: fire will consume them.” (The Bible: A Reader’s Guide)

Psalm 144

“In this royal psalm (about kingship), the psalmist first addresses Yahweh individually, then participates in a communal address. He begins by blessing Yahweh as the one who prepares him for battle, protects him during battle, and places him in his role as king (vv. 1–2). The psalmist then speaks as a representative of the entire nation of Israel and highlights his (and their) insignificance before Yahweh (vv. 3–4). He fuses theophany imagery and creation imagery as he pleads with Yahweh to deliver him (and all of Israel) from foreign enemies (vv. 5–8). The psalmist depicts the praise of Yahweh following a victory, and does so in personal terms, emphasizing his role as Yahweh’s servant (vv. 9–10). His individual voice then disappears from the psalm, as the remainder of the psalm presents a series of communal requests for blessing: sons and daughters (v. 12), food and livestock (v. 13), and social stability (v. 14). The psalm closes with a blessing on both the people and God (v. 15).” (FSB)

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