READING FOR JANUARY 21, 2026: 2 KINGS 16-17, JOHN 14, PSALM 145:10-21 2 KINGS 16 This chapter provides a few other details beyond 2 Chronicles 28 of King Ahaz’s struggle against Israel and Aram and his outreach to Assyria. Here we learn that the King of Assyria did listen to Ahaz’s plea for help. Assyria captured Aram and put its king to death. Ahaz then traveled to Damascus to meet the King of Assyria. While there he noticed Aram’s altar and sent the pattern to the priest in Jerusalem with instructions to build a copy of it. When he returned to Jerusalem, Ahaz offered sacrifices on this pagan altar. Not only was the altar improper, but Ahaz as king was wrong to offer sacrifices. Ahaz’s sins keep piling up. As we learned in 2 Chronicles, Ahaz dies after 16 years of disobedient reign and is succeeded by son Hezikiah.
2 KINGS 17 Now 2 Kings hopscotches over where we were in 2 Chronicles and introduces us to King Hoshea of Israel (the northern kingdom). He also did evil, but the text says a different kind of evil; perhaps he wasn’t as bad as his predecessors. The Bible, even Jesus (see Matt. 11:24), indicates there are different levels of evil. Any evil at all, though, falls short of God’s standard. Hoshea maintained his throne by paying taxes to Assyria. Later, though, Hoshea conspired with the King of Egypt in an attempt to free Israel from this bondage. When Israel stopped paying, Assyria imprisoned Hoshea and besieged Israel’s capital city of Samaria. After three years, they captured Samaria and led the people into exile. This ended the northern Kingdom. Our Mormon neighbors, however, believe these people eventually migrated to North America.
The next 17 verses summarize Israel’s history from its exodus from Egypt to the then present time. A secular historian would view this history as the normal interaction of power politics among nations. The Bible gives the fuller picture of what’s behind these power plays. It’s Israel adopting the surrounding cultures’ gods and standards, God repeatedly sending prophets to warn them to stop it, but their refusal to heed these warnings leading to their eventual demise. When reading about these thousands of years of God’s blessings and warnings, it’s difficult to conclude that this Old Testament God (our God) is anything but longsuffering and loving. If He ultimately had not respond to this continual evil, He wouldn’t also be holy and just.
The concluding 18 verses give the fascinating and little-studied account of the repopulation of the northern kingdom. These verses would be great to read when studying the woman at the well in John 4. Apparently when Assyria conquered territory, they resettled the people to other places in their empire. That way they would break their affinity with their original homeland, perhaps connect to their new area, and make them less likely to start a rebellion. Thus, people came to Samaria, the former Israel, from throughout the Assyrian Empire. Not surprisingly, they did not worship the Lord, so God sent lions to the land to get their attention.
This did the trick because they asked Assyria to send them teachers to instruct them about the Lord. The king then sent them a priest to teach them how to fear the Lord. The plan was a well-intended but did not work out because the people tried to mix worship of the true God with their previous false gods. This practice is known as syncretism. For example, there are some Haitians who mix Catholicism with Voodoo. In the USA there are people who mix Christianity with Buddhism or scientism. Jesus says that kind of mixture won’t work: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matt. 4:10). This mixture continued in Samara to Jesus’s time, as expressed by the Samaritan woman: “Sir, I perceive that You [Jesus] are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship” (John 4:19). JOHN 14 What word comes to your mind when you think of the writings of John? The first word which often comes to mind is love because John (who referred to himself as the disciple Jesus loved) speaks so much about it. He uses the word love, in its various forms, almost 60 times as he writes about the life of Jesus. In fact, the entire life and ministry of Jesus is a demonstration of God’s love (John 3:16). As we read of the Jesus’ actions READING FOR JANUARY 21, 2026 CONTINUED: JOHN 14, PSALM 145:10-21 and accompanying words at the foot washing and the “farewell discourses” of Jesus (chs 14-16) we can feel Jesus’ love for his followers. He is so tender with them; his instruction so reassuring. He knows he is going away and as much as he has tried to prepare them, he also knows they don’t yet understand what is about to happen. They won’t be able to understand until they look back after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension with the help of the Holy Spirit (12:16, 13:7). So, he loves them now by preparing them, by telling them again and again that though he is going away, he will return. (14:18 & 28; 16:16-22). Like a parent leaving their child with a sitter or a teacher preparing to leave their classroom to a substitute, Jesus spelled out for the disciples: I am going away, but I will be back. I won’t forget you. I have made provision; I am still acting for your good, but I will be away for a while. You’ll likely be afraid, but take courage, I will be back. I will return to be with you and will one day take you to be with me.
The other word that stands out in the book of John is Father. John uses the word father 121 times to refer to God. It was his relationship with the Father that gave Jesus his identity and purpose. Jesus knew that His Father was one who loves. After describing Himself as the good Shepherd, Jesus said, “Therefore My Father loves Me.” (10:17). Love is the nature of the Father! God is love and Jesus lived his life cognizant of the fact that our Father is one who loves! He remained firmly in that loving relationship by joyfully obeying his Father and he desired for his followers to do the same (14:21,23; 15:9-10; 16:27).
Jesus knew that His Father is generous of spirit. When he taught the Jews about true manna he said, “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (6:32). Jesus lived on this earth confidently knowing that His personal Father is a generous giver. And of course, “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son.” (3:16) God is generous and loves by giving his people what they need. Jesus understood this and relied on it in such a way that he lived fearlessly, without anxiety – even in these final chapters as he calmly shepherded his flock toward the crucifixion.
Jesus knew His Father in a way no other one has ever known Him. He is a righteous Father (17:25) and a holy Father (17:11). He is one who seeks men to worship Him in spirit and in truth (4:23-24). He is a Father who works in the lives of men (5:17) and one who should be honored (8:49). The Father’s ways are good, and living according to his will is nourishing to our lives (4:34). God’s ways are not mysterious, for Jesus has made them known to us (15:15; 17:7-8). Jesus knew that his Father was near – no further away than the people Jesus was with. Notice how Jesus often is addressing the people around him and then simply looks up and addresses his Father knowing that his Father is always nearby and always attentive (11:41, 12:28, 17:1)
How do you know our Father? The way we view God determines how we serve Him. The right way to think of God is to think of Him as Jesus did. He saw Jesus as a Father. He saw Him as a personal, loving, generous, right- eous Father always nearby. Remember, Jesus’ Father is our Father! Let’s finish John’s gospel asking the Holy Spirit to help us come to know our good Father like Jesus knew him so that we may live joyfully with him like Jesus did. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relation- ship with the Father, has made him known”(Jn. 1:18).(Some ideas adapted from “Jesus and the Father in the Book of John”) PSALM 145:10-21 In verses 10-12 we are reminded of Psalm 19 and Romans 1 that all creation. such as John’s and Barb’s flowers. praises God. Do we perceive this creational praise? Verse 13 assures us that though the Babylonian, Persian, Roman, and even British Empires all fell, God’s Kingdom will never end. God, through His Gospel, offers eternal citizenship in His Kingdom to all. Those of us getting older are concerned about falling. How comforting to know God will support us when we do (vs.14-16). He is righteous, kind, near, forthcoming, perceptive, watchful to all who love him but an unbeatable foe to those who reject Him (vs. 17-21).
