Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Okay, Bible readers, it's time for our weekly check-in. We've read a lot of new names, new places,

and strangely worded prophecies this week. So I just want to remind

you, there will not be a quiz. If you were to tell me the name of a king and ask me which kingdom he

ruled over, there'd be a good chance I'd have to guess. So, this is just your weekly reminder

that understanding all these details on your first or 50th past through scripture isn't the point. The point is,

what are you learning about God and his character? Are you seeing more of him? Are you delighting in him

more? If so, thank him. And if not, ask him for help. He can open your eyes and he can change

your heart. But Jehovah has, not so much, whoever that is.

Today we're back in the narrative section of scripture in a time that overlaps with the

prophecies we're reading. These prophecies are being delivered during this time frame and many,

but not all of them, are being fulfilled during this time frame as well.

Another portion of the prophecies were fulfilled

after this time period, like the birth of the Messiah, for instance, and some have yet to be

fulfilled, like the Messiah coming back to reign in peace on the new earth. For today, though,

we're stuck in the final days of the kingdom of Judah. They have a new king, Ahaz, and he's horrible,

honestly. He's acted more like a northern king than a southern king, building idols of his own,

and even initiating child sacrifices, which is exactly what the Canaanites who were in the

promised land before the Israelites were doing, and that's why God used the

Israelites to drive them out. So this is a bit of foreshadowing here. Because of Judas sins, God allows them

to suffer defeat at the hands of both Syria and Israel. But when the people of Israel try to enslave them,

a prophet named Oded shows up and rebukes them, as do a few of their own leaders.

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