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CHAPTER 12 – 2 Kings: 853 B.C.-Approx. 560 B.C.

Second Kings is the twelfth book of the Bible following 1 Kings, the eleventh book of the Bible. These two books appeared in the Hebrew Bible as one book with the title Melechim which is translated “Kings.” The Septuagint divided Kings into two books. The English titles became 1 Kings and 2 Kings.

Authorship

The book of 2 Kings is a compilation of material from a variety of Jewish (Hebrew) sources. Jewish tradition is that the editor was the prophet Jeremiah whose ministry began about 626 B.C. and extended beyond 586 B.C. The last few verses of 2 Kings were probably written by someone else.

Summary

Second Kings covers the time of the divided kingdom from the reign of king Ahaziah of the northern kingdom, Israel, in 853 B.C. up to the release of king Jehoiachin of the southern kingdom, Judah, from prison in Babylon in 560 B.C.

The book opens with an account of evil king Ahaziah’s injury, the prophet Elijah’s prophesy of Ahaziah’s death, and Ahaziah’s attempts to kill Elijah. Ahaziah dies and his evil brother, Jehoram, reigns. Elijah is then translated, that is, God takes Elijah to heaven without Elijah experiencing death.

The prophet Elisha succeeds Elijah and 1 Kings records a number of miracles that God performs through Elisha. These miracles included the parting of the Jordan River so that he could cross over it, the healing of undrinkable waters so that it becomes drinkable, the cursing of mocking children who are then mauled by bears, the provision of water for an army, the increase of a poor widow’s oil, and the raising of a dead child to life.

Other miracles were the removal of poison from a pot of soup, the multiplication of food, the healing of Naaman the leper, the striking of his covetous servant Gehazi with leprosy, causing an iron axe head to float in water, the disclosing of the king of Syria’s secret war plans to the king of Israel, striking the Syrian army with blindness, and the fulfilled prophecy of plenty of food for the famine-stricken city of Samaria.

The story of Elisha’s miracles also caused the restoration of land to a Shunammite woman by the king, and Elisha prophesied that Hazael would become king of Syria. Next, is the record of the reign of evil king Jehoram in Judah, his death, and the ascension of his evil son, Ahaziah, to the throne.

Joram (Jehoram) king of Israel is wounded in battle and so Ahaziah, king of Judah visits Joram. Elisha commands a young man of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king of Israel. Jehu then executes Joram, Ahaziah, Jezebel, the wife of deceased king Ahab, Ahab’s sons, Ahab’s government, relatives and close acquaintances, his priests, and all the worshippers of the idol, Baal. Nevertheless, Jehu continues in the sin of idol worship, which was instituted by Jeroboam I, in the worshipping of golden calves.

After Jehu’s death, his son Jehoahaz reigns in Israel. In Judah, Athaliah, the mother of king Ahaziah of Judah whom Jehu killed, seizes the throne. She kills all the royal heirs leaving only Joash (Jehoash), who was hidden by his nurse, alive.

Athaliah’s reign ends when Joash ascends to the throne and Athaliah is put to death. Joash does right in the sight of God while Jehoiada, the high priest, lives, but he afterwards does evil. At his death his son, Amaziah, reigns in Judah.

Elisha dies and it happens that in burying a man in Elisha’s tomb, when the dead body touches Elisha’s bones, the person comes back to life by a miracle of God.

After the death of evil king Jehoahaz of Israel, a series of evil kings reign in Israel. These kings were Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, defeats Hoshea taking Israel captive in 722 B.C., scattering them in Assyria, and bringing in foreigners to take their place in Israel, thus ending the northern kingdom of Israel.

After evil king Amaziah of Judah, evil Azariah (Uzziah) reigns, then good king Jotham, and then evil king Ahaz. Next, comes godly king Hezekiah who destroys idolatry in Judah. God saves Hezekiah from the invasion of king Sennacherib of Assyria by killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a night, and God heals Hezekiah from his sickness. After Hezekiah, evil kings Manasseh and Amon reign in Judah.

Next, comes godly king Josiah of Judah who destroys idolatry in Judah, observes the Passover, and makes widespread religious reforms. Josiah is killed in battle by Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. After his death, evil kings Jehoahaz, Jehoakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah reign in Judah.

The southern kingdom of Judah comes to an end when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, takes them captive to Babylon in three stages, namely, in 605 B.C., in 597 B.C., and in 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar leaves Gedaliah as governor in Judah, but Gedaliah is killed and the people, in fear of retribution from Nebuchadnezzar, flee to Egypt. After 37 years, Jehoiachin is released from prison in Babylon in 560 B.C. and is free for the rest of his life.

Themes

• Ungodly leaders and godly leaders.
• Miracles from God.
• Captivity to enemies because of turning away from God.
• Satan at work to lead people into sin.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God sends His prophets into the world as a godly example.
• God punishes ungodly leaders and evil nations.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

God says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach [disgrace] to any people.” Proverbs 14:34. This was exemplified by the evil kingdoms of Israel and Judah which God allowed to go into captivity.

Now, when Christ was on earth, it happened that “Jesus [Christ] taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment [clothing] was white as the light.” Matthew 17:1, 2.

“And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias [Elijah] talking with him [Christ].” Matthew 17:3. “Who appeared in glory” (Luke 9:31), being honoured by God, “and spake of his [Christ’s] decease [death] which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” Luke 9:31.

That is, Moses who had died was resurrected, in other words, brought back to life by God, and taken to heaven. So, at the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, both Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Christ.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Do not be turned away from God by ungodly leaders.
• Follow the godly example of the true prophets sent by God.
• Believe that God is able to do miracles.
• Trust God even in difficult times.

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