2 Kings

Elijah (1:1-2:18)

--Is there no God in Israel? (1:1-19)

--Elijah confronts Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, for consulting Baal-Zebub instead of Yahweh. “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub?” He actually stopped Ahaziah’s messengers on the way.

--Fire consumes Ahaziah’s men, until the 3^rd captain begs Elijah for mercy.

--Ahaziah died according to Elijah’s word. This was the proof of a true prophet, i.e. his prophecies came true!

--The importance of prophecy remains throughout 1 & 2 Kings, as it had in the other historical books.

--The Chariot of Fire (2:1-18)

--Elijah is about to be taken into heaven. Note the confirmation of the “company (lit. “sons”) of the prophets” in 2:3, 5. This considers the importance of prophecy and God’s use of prophets for announcing his work. This was perhaps to reassure Elisha in the face of his mentor’s departure, i.e. that God was in this & was with him.

--Elijah & Elisha cross the Jordan River miraculously, with Elijah’s cloak causing the water to part so that they can cross.

--Elisha requests a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah tells him that it will be his if Elisha sees Elijah taken up into heaven.

--The chariot & horses of fire descended & Elijah ascended into heaven in a whirlwind. This verse (v. 11) is the obvious climax of this passage. Probably the “fire” & “whirlwind” need not be taken completely literally, rather this is a human description of a celestial, or heavenly, event. Human descriptions are inadequate, & fire & whirlwind were the best that could be done.

--Elisha takes Elijah’s cloak.

--Elisha parts the Jordan with the cloak. Note that this was a sign to the “Sons of the prophets” that Elijah’s spirit was resting upon Elisha.

--The “sons of the prophets” went to look for Elijah. Elisha told them not to go but finally relented.

Elisha (2:19-9:13)

--Early Ministry (2:19-25)

--The bad well is “healed” by the Lord through Elijah. He used salt to bring about the healing. Salt has been seen to have purifying powers (partially true) for millennia.

--Bears kill the 42 “youths” after jeering Elisha.

--Apparently Elisha was prematurely bald & they were making fun of him.

--The sentence seems a bit harsh, but remember that prophecy was a demanding job & required reverence & respect from the people. Remember that even Ahab had a measure of respect for prophets, when he had little respect for anything else.

--This event, along with others, shows the effective use of the name of Yahweh by the prophet Elisha as the successor of Elijah.

--Joram, Jehoshaphat, & Elisha (3:1-27)

--NOTE—Two different Jorams ruled concurrently, one in Israel & one in Judah. This is a cause for confusion!

--Joram of Israel takes Jehoshaphat & the king of Edom with him to put down the rebellion of the Moabites. They apparently went by of Judah & Edom, thus entering Moab from the south.

--Omri subdued Moab, but after Ahab’s death, the Moabite king Mesha rebelled. Apparently the rebellion was successful, despite the efforts of Joram to put down the rebellion.

--The “Moabite Stone,” or “Mesha Stele,” describes some of this rebellion. It describes the recapture of numerous cities by Mesha & the building of several new cities.

“. . .Omri was the king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab for many days, for Kemosh was angry with his land. And his son reigned in his place; and he also said, "I will oppress Moab!" In my days he said so. But I looked down on him and on his house, and Israel has been defeated; it has been defeated forever! And Omri took possession of the whole land of Medeba, and he lived there in his days and half the days of his son: forty years. But Kemosh restored it in my days. . . .” Mesha Stele (link)

--When they were out of water, Jehoshaphat asked Joram if a prophet was available. Elisha was nearby, interestingly, and the kings went to see him.

--A harp was brought in. Apparently, prophecy was at times down with music, perhaps to aid in prayer to hear from God.

--Elisha prophesies of the coming of water. Trenches must be dug, which will then fill with water.

--Also, victory over the Moabites will belong to the three allies.

--The Moabites saw the water, turned reddish by the sun or the red sandstone, & thought that the allies had broken out against each other. They attacked & were beaten.

--However, after Mesha offered his son in sacrifice, Israel retreated. This was perhaps in disgust, perhaps the battle simply turned. We cannot be sure. But the end result was that Moab was never re-conquered by Israel or Judah.

--Miracles (4:1-6:7)

--A Widow’s oil is multiplied in order to save her sons from being taken into slavery. The slavery was, of course, debtor’s slavery. The service of the sons would repay the debt of the mother. But Elisha saved her from this indignity through this miracle.

--The Shunammite’s son is raised. After Elisha promised her a son, the son died. She went to him, & he returned & lay upon the boy, after which he awakened. The significance of the sneezing is unclear, if indeed there is any.

--The bad stew is restored. The gourds may have poisoned the stew, however they may have simply made it bitter & inedible because of taste. In the latter case, Elisha did some miraculous cooking.

--Naaman, an Aramean commander, is healed of leprosy. He learned of Elisha from a servant girl.

--Note that he still goes to the king, not to Elisha. This may have been protocol, but it may have been in thought that a prophet was always in service to the king.

--Note his anger at being told to dip in the Jordan River. He complains that the rivers of Damascus are much cleaner than the Jordan. However, he dips & is healed.

--Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, receives Naaman’s leprosy after secretly taking the payment refused by Elisha.

--Elisha causes the axhead to float. One of the “sons of the prophets” lost in the water & was distressed because it was borrowed.

--NOTE—In all of these miracles, Elisha’s power, & thus Yahweh’s power, over nature & disease are emphasized. Elisha had Yahweh’s authority.

--Elisha & the Arameans (6:8-7:20)

--Elisha confuses the Arameans.

--The king of Israel knows every place that the Arameans go to attack Israel before they arrive. This angers the Aramean king, Ben-Hadad.

--Ben-Hadad surrounds the home of Elisha, but the army of God blinds Ben-Hadad & Elisha directs them to Samaria.

--Ben-Hadad besieged Samaria. The siege was so severe that cannibalism was practiced.

--Elisha predicted an end to the siege, which the king would not enjoy.

--The siege is miraculously lifted, as discovered by a group of lepers.

--The king of Israel is trampled at the gate of the city.

--The identity of this king is impossible to ascertain. There is no other reference to this occurrence, which has led many to suggest that this is more folklore than history. I would prefer to suggest that this is history that is either misplaced temporally or exaggerated.

--This uncertainty is also shown in the anonymous nature of the narrative. The king is never named, perhaps because the sources were more concerned with the actions of the prophet rather than the identity of the king.

--The important thing was the accuracy of Elisha’s prophecy.

--Elisha & the kings (8:1-9:13)

--The Shunammite’s land is restored after she has been gone to the land of the Philistines. Gehazi told the king about her & the land is restored.

--The lack of historical order is also seen here, & perhaps in this whole section of 2 Kings, as seen in the difficulty of putting the Aramean battles into chronological order.. Gehazi would not have been in the presence of the king with leprosy, which he received in chapter 5.

--Elisha tells Hazael that he will be the next king of Aram. Hazael proceeds to kill Ben-Hadad.

--Jehoram & Ahaziah—Little known.

--Elisha anointed Jehu king over Israel. He is given the task of removing the family of Ahab from history. He told his fellow soldiers, who proclaimed him king.

Jehu, king of Israel (9:14-10:35)

--Jehu kills the kings of Judah & Israel. Jehu shot Joram, king of Israel, & led his men to mortally wound Ahaziah, king of Judah.

--Obviously there was fairly widespread discontent with Joram and the house of Omri. Only that would seem to explain the willingness of most of Joram’s men to desert him in favor of Jehu.

--Of course, there is also the matter of prophetic leadership. The men may also have seen that Jehu’s time was now & he had been chosen by prophetic word.

--Jezebel killed. Jehu calls on Jezebel’s servants (eunuchs) to follow him. They throw Jezebel out of the window & she dies. The dogs eat her flesh, as Elijah had prophesied.

--Ahab’s family purged. Jehu gets the officials to kill the sons of the house of Ahab. This completes the word of Elijah that Ahab’s family would lose the throne & be wiped out.

--Judah’s Royal family killed—Ahaziah’s relatives are killed.

--Baal Worshippers killed. Jehu gets the Baal “servants,” perhaps “ministers,” & priests to come together & has them all killed. This is Jehu’s attempt to remove the cause of Ahab’s downfall—rampant baalism.

--Jehu was promised a descendant on the throne to the 4^th generation, which was true & was the longest dynasty in Israel. However, he did not faithfully follow Yahweh either.

--Note Hazael’s successful forays into Israel. He was able to remove much of the territory gained by Omri & Ahab.

Athaliah & Joash (11:1-12:21)

--Athaliah’s coup (11:1-3). When Athaliah, the king’s mother, saw that the heir to the throne, and her entire family was killed in Israel, she claimed the throne & killed all rivals, or so she thought. However, Joash was the infant son of Ahaziah & was saved by his aunt, Ahaziah’s sister.

--Joash & Jehoiada (11:4-21)—The priest Jehoiada raised Joash.

--After 6 years, when Joash was was 7 years old, Jehoiada placed him on the throne.

--Athaliah is killed. She is the only usurper of Judah’s history. She does not have the official record of accession & death.

--Joash’s Reforms (12:1-21)—

--Joash led in repairing the temple. He collected money & paid craftsmen to rebuild lost & damaged items.

--However, he did not remove the high places. Rather, sacrifices continued to offered there.

--He was assassinated. The wickedness of the people is obvious. They killed the reforming king who worked to remove the evil of previous generations. This was, like other reforms, an external reform that did not accomplish what the king really desired.

Various Kings (13:1-15:38)

--Jehoahaz was defeated by the Arameans, losing a great deal of land & military might, although in the end he was delivered from Aram. The obvious picture is that the Arameans had nearly destroyed Israel’s army before the deliverer freed them.

--Elisha’s death. Elisha died after predicting some defeats of the Arameans.

--Note the final miracle: A corpse is thrown into Elisha’s tomb & is resuscitated.

--Amaziah of Judah & Jehoash of Israel—Civil War. Amaziah challenged Jehoash who finally took up the challenge & defeated Amaziah.

--Jehoash tore down part of Jerusalem’s wall & took the temple treasury. This was a case of misplaced arrogance by Amaziah, who felt that his victory of Edom made him strong enough to challenge Israel. As earlier in history, Israel was stronger than Judah.

--Jeroboam II of Israel & Azariah/Uzziah of Judah—

--The chronology of their reigns is difficult. Co-regencies are possible, the number of years simply does not add up & any proposed solution is less than satisfactory. We must accept a mistake or that the editors had information that we do not have which would explain the discrepancies.

--Most of their reigns were times of prosperity & peace.

--Jeroboam re-conquered lost lands, extending the boundaries back to near their original extent.

--Succession of kings, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, & Hoshea within 15 years. This was an unsettled time which saw the downfall of Israel.

Ahaz, Pekah, & Tiglath-Pileser (16:1-20)

--Tiglath-Pileser, or Pul, 1^st appeared during the reign of Menahem, somewhere near 740 B.C.

--Syro-Ephraimitic Crisis—

--In 734, Pekah of Israel & Rezin of the Arameans led a revolt against Assyria.

--They wanted Ahaz of Judah to join them. When he refused they attacked him.

--Ahaz appealed to Tiglath-Pileser for help. When the Assyrians attacked Damascus & northern Israel, Ahaz was free, but now he was subject to Assyria, which led to compromises in the temple & in worship practices.

--Note Isaiah 7, where the prophet told Ahaz to trust God & the “two burning firebrands,” Pekah & Rezin, would be gone. This was the context for the Emmanuel prophecy, that a “young woman,” possibly a virgin, would have a child, and before the child was old enough to know right from wrong, Aram & Israel would be gone. Ahaz, of course, chose not to trust in the Lord, instead trusting in the Assyrians.

The Fall of Israel (17:1-40)

--Hoshea rebelled against Shalmaneser, king of Assyria in 725/724. The Assyrians responded with normal vigor & besieged Samaria.

--Samaria finally fell in 722/721, apparently after Sargon II had ascended to the Assyrian throne.

--Israel was exiled & Babylonians were brought into Israel. This caused what would eventually become the “Samaritan Schism” between Jews & Samaritans in later centuries. Even though they worshipped in a form similar to Judaism, they were considered unclean to the Jews.

--Much of 2 Kings 17 is a Deuteronomic review of the sins of Israel. It is a great place to see the listing of sins according to Deuteronomic theology.

è Principles from the Divided Monarchy

•1.  Carefully consider your counselors.

•2.  God takes idolatry seriously.

•3.  Listen to the word of God.

•4.  Don’t forget your past.

•5.  Bad leaders bring bad results.

•6.  Wealth & power are easily abused.

•7.  Pick your battles carefully.

•8.  A good father does not guarantee a good son.

Hezekiah (18:1-20:21)

--Hezekiah’s Reforms

--He removed the “high places.” The other kings are said specifically not to have removed the high places. This was the abiding sin of the kings of Judah, even the “good” kings, such as Joash.

--He destroyed the bronze serpent of Moses, which had become an object of worship for the people rather than an object for memorial. Isn’t this what so often happens to items of historical significance? They become immortalized & then worshipped.

--Sennacherib, Hezekiah, & Isaiah

--Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, attacked Judah in 701 B.C. He was at 1^st successful, as seen in Hezekiah’s offer of tribute.

--When Sennacherib demands more, Hezekiah reconsiders his easy capitulation. This is when Isaiah enters the picture.

--Isaiah tells Hezekiah to trust in Yahweh for deliverance. In fact, the Assyrians will soon be gone.

--The Assyrians are hit with an unexplained plague that kills 185,000 (?) forcing Sennacherib to withdraw. Herodotus, the later Greek historian, reported of a plague apparently brought by mice that wiped out an Assyrian army. Perhaps this could be that event.

--NOTE—Much of 2 Kings 19 is paralleled in Isaiah 37. The prophetic oracles are from Isaiah & placed in their context in 2 Kings. This is really unprecedented in the OT, i.e. to have a distinct historical context for prophetic oracles recorded in two separate textual contexts.

--Hezekiah’s extra 15 years. Also unprecedented is Yahweh giving Hezekiah an extra 15 years after healing him from disease. Hezekiah cried out to God, & Yahweh heard his prayer.

Manasseh & Amon (21:1-26)

--Manasseh & Amon ruled during the height of Assyrian power in the 7^th century. This in part helps to explain the total rejection of Yahwism for false religion, including child sacrifice & astral worship.

--Esarhaddon, Sennacherib’s son, & then Ashurbanipal controlled all of the near east including Egypt. Manasseh could not have rebelled during this period of time, or at least in human terms this was impossible.

Josiah’s Reform (22:1-23:37)

--Josiah’s reign began at 8 years old, & like Joash he later sought to restore the damaged temple. He, like Joash, collected temple treasury money for the restoration.

--In the process of remodeling, the “book of the law” was found. The words of this book caused quite a stir, in fact prompting repentance & a search for authentication.

--The prophetess Huldah is summoned to investigate the book. She deems it authentic, & and the reform is initiated.

--Much of the reform is characteristic of the laws in Deuteronomy, which has led to the term Deuteronomic.

--Removal of high places,

--Removal of vessels for Baal, Asherah, & the “host of heaven,”

--Destruction of false altars,

--Removal of prostitutes,

--Destruction of the place of child sacrifice.

--Removal of diviner & mediums, and

--Celebrated Passover. In fact, there had never been a Passover like this one. Note that the Passover was specifically held in Jerusalem as commanded in Dt. 16:1-8.

--Josiah’s challenge to Pharaoh Necho.

--The pharaoh was traveling through Judah on his way to assist the Assyrians, who were making a final stand against the advancing Babylonians.

--Josiah refused passage & was killed in the battle.

--Necho placed his Josiah’s son Jehoiakim on the throne in place of the popularly chosen Jehoahaz. Necho, & Nebuchadnezzar later, did this to show their position of authority. Also, the thought was that by choosing a new king, that king was more likely to remain loyal to the overlord. We know, of course, that this did not happen, but the kings still did it.

The Fall of Judah (24:1-25:30)

--In 604/603, Nebuchadnezzar/Nebuchadrezzar attacked Jerusalem. Jehoiakim was made a vassal of Babylon at this time. Perhaps some people of Judah were deported at this time, i.e. Daniel’s chronology would suggest this.

--In 598/597, Nebuchadnezzar returned in response to Jehoiakim’s rebellion.

--Jehoiachin was now king, & he surrendered to the Babylonians.

--He & the leading citizens were deported in Babylon at this time, including the prophet Ezekiel.

--Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on the throne in Jerusalem. Zedekiah was actually Jehoiachin’s uncle, a son of Josiah.

--In 587/586, Nebuchadnezzar returned in response to Zedekiah’s rebellion against him. This defeat by Nebuchadnezzar was complete.

--Jerusalem & the temple were destroyed.

--The royal family was killed, & Zedekiah taken away blinded.

--A governor, Gedaliah, was placed in charge of the new region of the Babylonian empire. Thus, Judah ceased to be an independent state!

**The book ends with Jehoiachin released from prison & seated at the royal table.

--This opens the door for messianic expectation for a new king from Jehoiachin’s line, i.e. David’s line.

--Haggai sees this in Zerubbabel.

--Christians see it in Jesus!

Theology of 1 & 2 Kings

1. Prophecy

--Roles of Prophets

--Royal Advisors—We see this role performed by several prophets, including Shemaiah, Micaiah & Isaiah.

--Covenant Watchmen—Elijah, Ahijah, and various others called Israel & Judah back to the covenant with Yahweh.

--Predictors of the future—Ahijah, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Jehu ben Hanani, and others predicted the future, both for good & evil. This included the division of the kingdom, fall of kings, and natural phenomena.

--Prophetic Worldview

--Worship of Yahweh alone is the criteria for all success. Placing anything else in the place of “the Name” would result in defeat, destruction, and death. Thus all the kings are judged primarily according to their worship practices. Thus the two major reformers, Hezekiah & Josiah, are portrayed the most positively.

--Oppression of the less fortunate in society—widows, orphans, aliens, poor—was also a criteria for survival & blessing. Failure in this area reflected a failure in relationship with Yahweh.

--Judgment & Hope

--The prophets primarily prophesied messages of judgment. The nation would fall. Kings would die. The people would suffer.

--However, a message of hope was also prominent, albeit more subdued. The nation would never be utterly rejected. Yahweh would always love His chosen people & would never forsake them. Thus He left a tribe for the sake of David, & He would allow a remnant to return after punishment.

2. The Davidic Monarchy

--David as ideal king

--All kings are measured against David. He was the ideal king, who walked “after God’s own heart.” (1SA 13:14). David sought the Lord & served Him faithfully during most of his lifetime.

--How does this align with the affair with Bathsheba? He committed a gross sin, in fact several gross sins. However, when he was confronted, David made no excuses & begged for no special mercy. He accepted his sin & the resulting consequences. He repented & confessed his sin to God. This apparently is even more important than the sin being committed. (Remember Jesus said that he came for the sick, not the well.)

--The Eternal Throne

--David was promised a throne for eternity. Yahweh chose David as His king. Thus the throne would always be occupied, although periods of discipline would be necessary.

--This became a source of false hope for Judah. The kings & and the nation thought that Yahweh could not allow them to be defeated because that would take away the promised throne.

--Messianic Hope

--As the failure of the kings became more & more apparent, a hope for the future arose. Yahweh would eventually replace the present faulty system with a new king who would rule righteously. We likely see this hope beginning in the release of Jehoiachin at the end of the book.

3. Covenant

--Mosaic Covenant

--The judgments of the prophets & the Dtr are based upon the Mosaic covenant, esp. as represented in Deuteronomy, as well as portions of Exodus & Leviticus. The treatment of people & property, as well as attitudes of commitment to & worship of Yahweh, is spelled out here.

--Davidic Covenant

--The covenant between Yahweh & David does not supersede the Mosaic covenant. This is often overlooked in biblical study.

--If the kings, or the people, broke the old covenant regulations they were still held accountable. This would be the basis for judgment or discipline of the kings.

--Ultimately, the force of the Mosaic covenant actually superseded the Davidic covenant, resulting in the downfall of the kingdom of Judah.

4. Jerusalem

--Temple

--The temple was the place Yahweh had chosen for “His name to dwell.” Thus, this was His dwelling place. His presence was there.

--Inviolability of Jerusalem—

--2 Kings 19:34, Jeremiah 7:2-8—The Lord will protect Jerusalem because His presence was there & for the sake of David.

--This became a theological foundation for Judah. They believed that God would never allow Jerusalem or the temple or David’s house to be destroyed.

--This became a source for complacency in Judah.