Lord’s Day, Vol. 12. No. 30
Opening the Second Book of Kings
The Second Book of Kings provides the historical record of the Northern Kingdom from Ahaziah (1 Kings 16:28-2 Kings 1:18), the eighth king to the nineteenth and last king Hoshea (2 Kings 17:1-41). The Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom with its capital Samaria into captivity in 722 B.C. without further recovery.
The Second Book of Kings also provides the historical record of the Southern Kingdom from the 5th king Jehoram (2 Kings 8:16-24) to the twentieth king Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27-30) and his captivity in Babylon.
Before God’s judgment upon the two kingdoms, the LORD sent His prophets to rebuke them so that they may turn back to Him. Notice, for the Northern Kingdom the judgment was unto perdition, there was no recovery for the kingdom. For the Southern Kingdom, the LORD will chastise them for 70 years of captivity in Babylon and bring them back to the land again.
The Northern Kingdom had a form of worship that was not pleasing in the sight of the LORD. It was of their concoction, not according to the LORD’s stipulations. Their worship was not accepted by the LORD just as Cain’s worship was not accepted whereas Abel’s worship was accepted. The Northern kings did not take heed of the LORD’s warning right from the beginning in the days of their first king Jeroboam.
The Northern Kingdom was an apostate kingdom with the worship of two golden calves made by Jeroboam in Bethel and Dan. This became worse when Ahab (1 Kings 16:28-22:40) presided over the kingdom. He married Jezebel, the daughter of the Sidonian king Ethbaal, and brought her Baal and Asherah
worship into Israel. For the first time, the cultic apostate worship was replaced by paganism.
It was at this time that God raised the prophets Elijah and later Elisha to confront them with their sin and His judgment. Elijah announced Israel would experience some years of drought because of her defection from the God of Israel and attachment to the prophets of Baal. Baal, who was to be the god of thunder, rain, and fertility suffered shame when the drought came (1 Kings 17). The spiritual battle between Elijah and the Baal prophets at Mount Carmel was climatic. The LORD demonstrated that He is the only living and true God by sending fire from heaven to burn up the altar of offerings set up by Elijah (1 Kings 18).
The misdeeds of Ahab will bring the Book of First Kings to a close with Ahab’s death and the beginning of his son Ahaziah’s reign (1 Kings 22 – the 7th king of Israel) who also did evil in the sight of the LORD. He walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, for he served Baal and provoked to anger the LORD, God of Israel, according to all that his father had done (1 Kings 22:52-53).
Although the LORD sent His prophets Elijah and later Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-13:21), to protect the kingdom of Israel from foreign invaders like Syria and to turn them back to Him, Israel’s kings remained hardened in their idolatry and apostasy. The LORD repeatedly intervened by His prophets to rebuke and turn them back to Him (2 Kings 1).
In the reign of Jehoram, the son of Ahab, he wrought evil in the sight of his father but not like his father, and like his mother, for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless, he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin (1 Kings 3:1-2). When the Moabites rebelled against Israel, Elisha, for the sake of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, helped deliver them (2 Kings 3:3-27). Later, Elisha healed the Syrian general Naaman and thwarted Syria’s war plans against Israel and resurrected a dead child (2 Kings 4:32-37).
The prophet Elijah was taken to heaven bodily after he had completed his work for the LORD – 2 Kings 2:11 (KJV) And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Elisha died during the reign of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu (2 Kings 13:20). His work involved delivering Israel from the Syrian invasion. When the Syrian army came and surrounded the city of Dothan to capture Elisha, the LORD delivered the Syrian army into Israel’s hands (1 Kings 6:15-23).
2 Kings 6:17-18 (KJV) And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
Jehu was God’s instrument of judgment against the house of Ahab who did wickedly. He destroyed the worship of Baal in Israel (2 Kings 10:19-28) – 2 Kings 10:28 (KJV) Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Judah, the 5th king Jehoram reigned (2 Kings 8:16-24), who was the son of Jehoshaphat. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him always a light, and to his children.
Ahaziah reigned after Jehoram as the 6th king of Judah. He walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab, for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab (8:27). Ahaziah was smote by Jehu and he died (9:27).
Ataliah the mother of Ahaziah usurped the throne when Ahaziah was dead. She slew all the sons of Ahaziah except Joash – 2 Kings 11:1-3 (KJV) And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3 And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
Jehoiada, the high priest, saved Joash, and when Joash was 7 years old, through a revolt against Queen Athaliah, Joash was established as the 8th king. He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away, the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in high places (12:2-3). The house of the LORD was repaired (12:4-16). When Hazael king of Syria came to invade Judah, he took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he went away from Jerusalem.
Amaziah reigned as the 9th king in Judah after the death of Joash (14:1). He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father, he did according to all things as Joash his father did (14:3), the high places were not taken down, as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.
In a battle with Jehoash king of Israel, Judah was put to the worse before Israel – 2 Kings 14:13-14 (KJV) And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. 14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
Azariah or Uzziah reigned as the 10th king of Judah. He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, save that the high places were not removed, the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places. The LORD smote the king so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in several houses (15:4-5).
There is an interlude as the focus is shifted to the kings of Israel and their reign. Ahaziah was the 8th king who ruled in Israel (1 Kings 16:28-1:18), Jehoram the 9th king (8:16-24), Jehu the 10th king (9:30-10:36).
Jehoahaz was the 11th king of Israel. He did that which was evil in the right of the LORD, and followed after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin. The LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days (13:2-3).
2 Kings 13:4-6 (KJV) And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz was the 12th king (13:10-11). He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
Jeroboam II reigned in Israel as the 13th king, Zechariah reigned as the 14th king, did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin. Shallum reigned as the 15th king, he was smote by Menahem who then reigned in his stead as the 16th king (15:14). Pekahiah, the son of Menahem, reigned as the 17th king, he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin (15:24). Pekah, the son of Remaliah conspired against Pekaniah (15:25) and reigned as the 17th king of Israel
He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin. Pekah warred against Jerusalem but could not prevail (16:5). Pekah the son of Remaliah reigned as the 18th king of Israel. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin (16:27-28).
Uzziah reigned as the 10th king of Judah (15:13; 30; 32). Hebrew word roots “-z-z” root of Uzziah and “-z-r” root of Azariah , they both mean “strong” as playing on words.
Jotham reigned as the 11th king after Azariah (15:5b). He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD. He did according to all that his father had done (15:34) as did Uzziah his father. Ahaz son of Jotham reigned as the 12th king of Judah (16:1-20). Ahaz walked in the way of the kings of Israel and made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places, and on the hills and under every green tree (16:3-4). Ahaz made alliance with the Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria when the Syrians under Rezin came against him. He took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria (16:7-8).
It was during the reign of Ahaz that Hoshea reigned as the 19th king of Israel. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD but not as the kings of Israel before him (17:2). Shalmaneser king of Assyria came against him and Hoshea became his servant and gave him presents. The king of Assyria came up and besieged Samaria for three years (17:3) and took Samaria on the 9th year of Hoshea and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (17:6).
What was the cause of Israel’s captivity? The children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. They secretly did those things which were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the towers of the watchmen to the fence cities.
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree. And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger. For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of His sight. For He rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them (17:7-23).
After Ahaz, Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah. He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. After Hezekiah came Manasseh the 14th king of Judah. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
Amon reigned as the 15th king. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD as his father Manasseh. He walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them. Amon was slewed by his servants, Josiah his son reigned in his stead as the 16th king of Judah (22-23:30).
Jehoahaz reigned as 17th king of Judah. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath and made Eliakim, the son of Josiah, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, the 18th king of Judah. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD according to all that his fathers had done. He became the servant of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Jehoiachin reigned as the 19th king of Judah. He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father had done (24:9). Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and took him at the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
The king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah who was the 20th and final king of Judah.
2 Kings 25:1-11 (KJV) And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. 5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. 6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away.
As a result of their departure from the LORD, the kingdom of Judah was deported to Babylon. The LORD’s chastisement came upon His people for 70 years – Hebrews 12:10-11 (KJV) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee