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Theosis · English Bible
4 Kingdoms (2 Kings)

4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 18

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1And it came to pass in the third year of Osee son of Ela king of Israel that Ezekias son of Achaz king of Juda began to reign. 2Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abu, daughter of Zacharias. 3And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David did. 4He removed the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and the brazen serpent which Moses made: because until those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called it Neesthan. 5He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; and after him there was not any like him among the kings of Juda, nor among those that were before him. 6And he clave to the Lord, he departed not from following him; and he kept his commandments, as many as he commanded Moses. 7And the Lord was with him; and he was wise in all that he undertook: and he revolted from the king of the Assyrians, and served him not. 8He smote the Philistines even to Gaza, and to the border of it, from the tower of the watchmen even to the strong city. 9And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Ezekias (this is the seventh year of Osee son of Ela king of Israel,) that Salamanassar king of the Assyrians came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10And he took it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Ezekias, (this is the ninth year of Osee king of Israel, when Samaria was taken.) 11And the king of the Assyrians carried away the Samaritans to Assyria, and put them in Alaë and in Abor, by the river Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes; 12because they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord their God, and transgressed his covenant, even in all things that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and hearkened not to them, nor did them. 13And in the fourteenth year of king Ezekias came up Sennacherim king of the Assyrians against the strong cities of Juda, and took them. 14And Ezekias king of Juda sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians to Lachis, saying, I have offended; depart from me: whatsoever thou shalt lay upon me, I will bear. And the king of Assyria laid upon Ezekias king of Juda a tribute of three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold. 15And Ezekias gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. 16At that time Ezekias cut off the gold from the doors of the temple, and from the pillars which Ezekias king of Juda had overlaid with gold, and gave it to the king of the Assyrians. 17And the king of the Assyrians sent Tharthan and Raphis and Rapsakes from Lachis to king Ezekias with a strong force against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is by the way of the fuller's field. 18And they cried to Ezekias: and there came to him Heliakim the son of Chelcias the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and Joas the son of Saphat the recorder. 19And Rapsakes said to them, Say now to Ezekias, Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians, What is this confidence wherein thou trustest? 20Thou hast said, (but they are mere words,) I have counsel and strength for war. Now then in whom dost thou trust, that thou hast revolted from me? 21See now, art thou trusting for thyself on this broken staff of reed, even upon Egypt? whosoever shall stay himself upon it, it shall even go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharao king of Egypt to all that trust on him. 22And whereas thou hast said to me, We trust on the Lord God: is not this he, whose high places and altars Ezekias has removed, and has said to Juda and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 23And now, I pray you, make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou shalt be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 24How then wilt thou turn away the face of one petty governor from among the least of my lord's servants? whereas thou trustest for thyself on Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 25And now have we come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 26And Heliakim the son of Chelkias, and Somnas, and Joas, said to Rapsakes, Speak now to thy servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it; and speak not with us in the Jewish language: and why dost thou speak in the ears of the people that are on the wall? 27And Rapsakes said to them, Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own water together with you? 28And Rapsakes stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, and said, Hear the words of the great king of the Assyrians: 29thus says the king, Let not Ezekias encourage you with words: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand. 30And let not Ezekias cause you to trust on the Lord, saying, The Lord will certainly deliver us; this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians: hearken not to Ezekias: 31for thus says the king of the Assyrians, Gain my favour, and come forth to me, and every man shall drink of the wine of his own vine, and every man shall eat of his own fig-tree, and shall drink water out of his own cistern; 32until I come and remove you to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, and bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil, and honey, and ye shall live and not die: and do not ye hearken to Ezekias, for he deceives you, saying, The Lord shall deliver you. 33Have the gods of the nations at all delivered each their own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians? 34Where is the god of Hæmath, and of Arphad? where is the god of Seppharvaim, Ana, and Aba? for have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35Who is there among all the gods of the countries, who have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 36But the men were silent, and answered him not a word: for there was a commandment of the king, saying, Ye shall not answer him. 37And Heliakim the son of Chelcias, the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and Joas the son of Saphat the recorder came in to Ezekias, having rent their garments; and they reported to him the words of Rapsakes.

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4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 18:3

Philaret of Moscow (Drosdow)

Philaret of Moscow (Drosdow)19th century

Once God appointed a king to ensure the unwavering unity of His people, examples such as Kings David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah illustrate the vital role a monarch can play in guiding his subjects to lead ‘a quiet and silent life...in all godliness and purity.’ Some may argue that such kings did not exist, nor did their reigns yield positive outcomes; while this holds some truth, it primarily applied to the kingdom of Israel, where both rulers and their nations turned to idols instead of the one true God, resulting in meager fruits from inadequate supplication.

In examining the history of Christian monarchies, I will highlight a specific instance that exemplifies how a devout king can foster genuine piety among his people. There was a period when Arianism flourished in Constantinople to such an extent that St. Gregory the Theologian, summoned by the Orthodox faithful to defend Orthodoxy, struggled to find a church for his ministry and had to establish a place of worship in a private residence. However, through the prayers of the Orthodox community and the divine Providence of God, the righteous Emperor Theodosius arose to grant Orthodoxy his protection and support. St. Gregory recounted that he ‘walked among the army and the Emperor’ to gain access to the cathedral church in the capital, necessitated by the need for caution against the many disruptive Arians. From that moment, the proclamation of Orthodoxy began to spread more freely among the citizens of Constantinople; soon, with the pious Emperor’s patronage, an Orthodox cathedral was erected, transforming the capital of the Empire, once a hub of heresy, back into a center of Orthodoxy.

The reflections derived from the Apostolic teachings regarding prayer and gratitude to God for the devout king—an esteemed blessing for both the people and the Church—should resonate with your own thoughts and sentiments, influenced by what you observe and experience. Can we not recognize the pastoral care of our Righteous Sovereign for our ‘quiet and silent life’ in his quick efforts to end the brutal conflict that arose against us, restoring peace by appeasing our adversaries without seeking retribution for the strife endured? Do we not see a profound example of His righteousness in His desire to sanctify His rightful authority, already blessed by succession, by receiving the royal crown through the Church’s prayers, God’s blessing, and the sacred anointing?

Let us, faithful children of Russia, increase our fervent prayers for our righteous Emperor Alexander Nikolayevich, that the King of kings may invisibly ‘place ... on His head a crown of honest stone’ (Ps. 20:4) and ‘crown Him with mercy and bounty’ (Ps. 102:4); may He ‘anoint’ Him with ‘the holy oil’ (Ps. 88:21), granting the oil of grace, the spirit of wisdom and power; and may He ‘bless Him with the blessing of goodness’ (Ps. 20:3). Additionally, may He bestow blessings upon the partner of His glory, the pious Empress Maria Alexandrovna, for our complete joy and the perfect welfare of our Motherland.