Introduction to the second book of Kings
The 12th Book of the Bible: The Kingdoms of Israel, Part 2
Since both Books of Kings originally consisted of a single scroll, the second book follows seamlessly from the first Book of Kings.
At the beginning of the book, the focus is still on the wicked kings of the Northern Kingdom and the ministry of the prophet Elisha.
During the period covered by the Books of Kings, several other prophets were active alongside Elijah and Elisha, whose books we also find in the Bible.
For the Northern Kingdom of Israel, these are Hosea, Amos, and Jonah—even though this book only reports on his mission in Assyria.
In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah prophesied.
In 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered Samaria, thereby bringing an end to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Parts of the Jewish population were deported, and in their place, other peoples from the Assyrian Empire were settled there.
Here we find the roots of “Samaria,” with its mixture of Jewish and pagan ideas, as we know it from the New Testament.
In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, alongside godless monarchs, God-fearing kings also repeatedly came to power.
From this we learn how God repeatedly intervened to help in the history of Israel whenever the people began to seek Him, but also how the decline of the land progressed when Israel no longer sought its God.
The downfall of the southern kingdom of Judah began in 605 B.C. with a victory over Egypt by the future Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II.
This made him the de facto ruler of the kingdom of Judah, and the reigning king, Jehoiakim, was forced to pay him tribute.
When these payments failed to materialize, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem for the first time in 597 BCE, deposed the king, and took parts of the population—primarily from the upper class—into captivity.
After the newly installed Jewish king, Zedekiah, also broke his oath of allegiance, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem once again.
In 587 B.C., the city was finally captured and plundered; the temple and all major structures were burned, and the majority of the remaining population was taken into Babylonian exile.
The Second Book of Kings concludes a nearly 1,000-year period in the history of Israel that began with the Book of Joshua—the time when the people themselves possessed their promised land.
This state of affairs was not restored until 1948 AD, after more than 2,500 years, with the founding of the State of Israel.
Outline of the Second Book of Kings:
Chapters 1 through 2, verse 11 – Elijah’s continued ministry until his ascension
Chapter 2, verse 12 through Chapter 8 – The ministry of the prophet Elisha in Israel
Chapters 9 through 17 – From the anointing of Jehu as king of Israel to the fall of the Northern Kingdom
Chapter 18 through the end – The further history of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, from King Hezekiah to the Babylonian Exile
Content of the second book of Kings:
2. Kings chapter 1
2. Kings chapter 2
2. Kings chapter 3
2. Kings chapter 4
2. Kings chapter 5
2. Kings chapter 6
2. Kings chapter 7
2. Kings chapter 8
2. Kings chapter 9
2. Kings chapter 10
2. Kings chapter 11
2. Kings chapter 12
2. Kings chapter 13
2. Kings chapter 14
2. Kings chapter 15
2. Kings chapter 16
2. Kings chapter 17
2. Kings chapter 18
2. Kings chapter 19
2. Kings chapter 20
2. Kings chapter 21
2. Kings chapter 22
2. Kings chapter 23
2. Kings chapter 24
2. Kings chapter 25