Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
I & II Kings: 400 years of the growth and then the decay of the kingdom
“Ahaz was the worst of the Davidic kings. He had the great prophet Isaiah to advise him and would have done better by accepting his advice. The phrase "made his son pass through fire, according to the abominations of the heathen" (2 Kgs. 16:3) does actually mean that he offered a son to a fire-belching idol. He also performed other idolatrous practices. Ignoring both Isaiah's assurance about an attack by Syria and Israel and his warning about the growing dangers from Assyria (Isa. 7), Ahaz tried a pressure-play against the Syrians and northern Israelites by giving tribute to Assyria's king, even adopting his religion, to curry favor with him. This Ahaz, a descendant of David and Solomon, even removed the lavers from their bases and the "sea" (font) from the brazen oxen of the temple to satisfy the king of Assyria. The Chronicles account expands the brief note about Ahaz's death to explain that he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the sepulchers with the other kings (2 Kgs. 16:20; 2 Chr. 28:27).” (Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament, 315.)
The historian Karen Radner: “The deportees, their labor and their abilities were extremely valuable to the Assyrian state, and their relocation was carefully planned and organized. We must not imagine treks of destitute fugitives who were easy prey for famine and disease: the deportees were meant to travel as comfortably and safely as possible in order to reach their destination in good physical shape. Whenever deportations are depicted in Assyrian imperial art, men, women and children are shown travelling in groups, often riding on vehicles or animals and never in bonds. There is no reason to doubt these depictions as Assyrian narrative art does not otherwise shy away from the graphic display of extreme violence, and contemporary text sources support the notion that the deportees were treated well, as attested for example in a letter from an Assyrian official to his king Tiglath-pileser III:
"As for the Aramaeans about whom the king my lord has written to me: 'Prepare them for their journey!' I shall give them their food supplies, clothes, a waterskin, a pair of shoes and oil. I do not have my donkeys yet, but once they are available, I will dispatch my convoy." (NL 25 = SAA 19 17).
“As we have seen, the Assyrian resettlement policy divided existing communities into those who had to stay and those who had to leave, according to the needs of the state. Populations were relocated within the boundaries of the empire, replacing and being replaced by people who were themselves moved. Our last source, especially, highlights that the state authorities actively encouraged a mixing of the new neighbors: the ultimate goal of the Assyrian resettlement policy was to create a homogeneous population with a shared culture and a common identity - that of "Assyrians". (https://www.worldhistory.org/Tiglath_Pileser_III/)
Hezekiah did three things to turn Judah to the Lord:
Do we have something in our lives that is good, but keeping us from the better or best? It is ok to ‘break’ a tradition, or ignore “Mormon culture” – even if it dates back to the days of Joseph Smith.
Hezekiah did three more things to turn to the Lord:
Thought question: How well are you doing in each of these three areas?
What are you doing well? How can you improve?
President Ezra Taft Benson: “Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes. We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings. We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions. We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple. All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom. But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come. Testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow” (“The Power of the Word,” Ensign, May 1986, 81).
Elder L. Lionel Kendrick: “The scriptures should be of the greatest importance in our lives. Our spiritual survival during the stresses of our society and the temptations of our time is greatly dependent upon the strength we will receive from searching the scriptures and listening to the words of the prophets, seers, and revelators.
“People as well as nations perish without scriptures. The scriptures are spiritual food for our spirits, which is just as important as physical food for our bodies” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1993, 14; or Ensign, May 1993, 14).
Thought Questions on Scriptures:
How to get your life back in order
2 Kings 23:26–25:30
Teaching Thoughts:
- Begin with King David and end with the king of Babylon.
- Open with building the temple and end with burning the temple
- Open with David's first successor the temple to the throne: Solomon It ends with David's last successor: Jehoiachin. He was released from captivity by the king of Babylon.
- I Kings has the story of Elijah; II Kings has the story of Elisha.
“Ahaz was the worst of the Davidic kings. He had the great prophet Isaiah to advise him and would have done better by accepting his advice. The phrase "made his son pass through fire, according to the abominations of the heathen" (2 Kgs. 16:3) does actually mean that he offered a son to a fire-belching idol. He also performed other idolatrous practices. Ignoring both Isaiah's assurance about an attack by Syria and Israel and his warning about the growing dangers from Assyria (Isa. 7), Ahaz tried a pressure-play against the Syrians and northern Israelites by giving tribute to Assyria's king, even adopting his religion, to curry favor with him. This Ahaz, a descendant of David and Solomon, even removed the lavers from their bases and the "sea" (font) from the brazen oxen of the temple to satisfy the king of Assyria. The Chronicles account expands the brief note about Ahaz's death to explain that he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the sepulchers with the other kings (2 Kgs. 16:20; 2 Chr. 28:27).” (Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament, 315.)
The historian Karen Radner: “The deportees, their labor and their abilities were extremely valuable to the Assyrian state, and their relocation was carefully planned and organized. We must not imagine treks of destitute fugitives who were easy prey for famine and disease: the deportees were meant to travel as comfortably and safely as possible in order to reach their destination in good physical shape. Whenever deportations are depicted in Assyrian imperial art, men, women and children are shown travelling in groups, often riding on vehicles or animals and never in bonds. There is no reason to doubt these depictions as Assyrian narrative art does not otherwise shy away from the graphic display of extreme violence, and contemporary text sources support the notion that the deportees were treated well, as attested for example in a letter from an Assyrian official to his king Tiglath-pileser III:
"As for the Aramaeans about whom the king my lord has written to me: 'Prepare them for their journey!' I shall give them their food supplies, clothes, a waterskin, a pair of shoes and oil. I do not have my donkeys yet, but once they are available, I will dispatch my convoy." (NL 25 = SAA 19 17).
“As we have seen, the Assyrian resettlement policy divided existing communities into those who had to stay and those who had to leave, according to the needs of the state. Populations were relocated within the boundaries of the empire, replacing and being replaced by people who were themselves moved. Our last source, especially, highlights that the state authorities actively encouraged a mixing of the new neighbors: the ultimate goal of the Assyrian resettlement policy was to create a homogeneous population with a shared culture and a common identity - that of "Assyrians". (https://www.worldhistory.org/Tiglath_Pileser_III/)
Hezekiah did three things to turn Judah to the Lord:
- He removed evil from among the people (see 2 Kings 18:4)
- He removed good things (brazen serpent) that were keeping Israel from the Lord (see 2 Kings 18:4);
- He trusted in the Lord (see 2 Kings 18:5).
Do we have something in our lives that is good, but keeping us from the better or best? It is ok to ‘break’ a tradition, or ignore “Mormon culture” – even if it dates back to the days of Joseph Smith.
Hezekiah did three more things to turn to the Lord:
- He went to the temple (see 2 Kings 19:1)
- He sought the counsel of the prophet (see 2 Kings 19:2–5);
- He prayed to the Lord (see 2 Kings 19:14–19).
Thought question: How well are you doing in each of these three areas?
What are you doing well? How can you improve?
President Ezra Taft Benson: “Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes. We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings. We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions. We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple. All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom. But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come. Testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow” (“The Power of the Word,” Ensign, May 1986, 81).
Elder L. Lionel Kendrick: “The scriptures should be of the greatest importance in our lives. Our spiritual survival during the stresses of our society and the temptations of our time is greatly dependent upon the strength we will receive from searching the scriptures and listening to the words of the prophets, seers, and revelators.
“People as well as nations perish without scriptures. The scriptures are spiritual food for our spirits, which is just as important as physical food for our bodies” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1993, 14; or Ensign, May 1993, 14).
Thought Questions on Scriptures:
- How often do you read your scriptures?
- In an age of digital interruptions, what do you do to stay focused on your study of the scriptures and minimize interruptions?
- Name one person you know who truly loves to study the scriptures. What effect has their scripture Study had on their lives?
- What help you to receive revelation as you study the scriptures?
How to get your life back in order
- Go to the temple (2 Kings 23:2).
- Get rid of idols (2 Kings 23:5, 6).
- Don’t do things that harm your family (2 Kings 23:10).
- Replace wickedness with something important (2 Kings 23:10).
- Get rid of monuments to sin (2 Kings 23:15-16 see also 1 Kings 13:12 – 340 years earlier).
- Keep Passover (sacrament) (2 Kings 23:21).
- Act on the words of prophets (2 Kings 23:4).
- “Turn to the LORD with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your might (2 Kings 23:25).
2 Kings 23:26–25:30
- Jerusalem is destroyed, and the people of Judah are brought into captivity.
- Approx 600 B.C.
- One of Zedekiah’s sons, named Mulek, escaped the destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord directed Mulek and others to the promised land in the Americas sometime after Lehi and his family had left Jerusalem. Some of Lehi’s descendants found the descendants of Mulek and joined them in Zarahemla. (See Omni 1:12–19; Mosiah 25:2; Helaman 8:21.)
Teaching Thoughts:
- How will your study of the scriptures inspire you to remove wickedness from your life?
- How will your study of the scriptures invite revelation into your hearts and mind this week?
- How will you make a difference this week to help others be inspired and inspiring?