Old Testament survey (12): 2 Kings

Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. (2 Kings 8:19)

For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. (2 Kings 17:7-8)

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. (2 Kings 22:1a-2)

And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake bya his servants the prophets. (2 Kings 24:2)

Overview

[1] 1 & 2 Kings, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF); Complete 5-Year Study (MP3); Micaiah and a God-Aimed Arrow (PDF)

There are key verses that summarize the thrust of these two books. The first key verses describe the decline and fall of the northern kingdom: “For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day” (2 Kings 17:22–23).

The second key verse describes the fall of the southern kingdom: “And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land” (2 Kings 25:21). (Read the complete article)

[2] Book of 2 Kings, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)

There are three prominent themes present in the Book of 2 Kings. First, the Lord will judge His people when they disobey and turn their backs on Him. The Israelites’ unfaithfulness was reflected in the evil idolatry of the kings and resulted in God exercising His righteous wrath against their rebellion. Second, the word of the true prophets of God always comes to pass. Because the Lord always keeps His word, so too are the words of His prophets always true. Third, the Lord is faithful. He remembered His promise to David (2 Samuel 7:10-13), and, despite the disobedience of the people and the evil kings who ruled them, the Lord did not bring David’s family to an end. (Read the complete article)

[3] 2 Kings, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)

This book continues the history of the kingdoms to the captivities. It includes the translation of Elijah and the ministry of Elisha. During this period Amos and Hosea prophesied in Israel, and Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah in Judah.

Second Kings is in seven parts:

1. The last ministry and translation of Elijah, 1:1-2:11.
2. The ministry of Elisha from the translation of Elijah to the anointing of Jehu, 2:12-9:10.
3. The reign of Jehu over Israel, 9:11-10:36.
4. The reigns of Athaliah and Jehoash over Judah, 11:1-12:21.
5. The reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash over Israel, and the last ministry of Elisha, 13:1-25.
6. From the death of Elisha to the captivity of Israel, 14:1-17:41.
7. From the accession of Hezekiah to the captivity of Judah, 18:1-25:30.

The events recorded in Second Kings cover a period of 308 years. (Ussher)

[4] 2 Kings (with chart The Road to Bondage), from Uplook Ministries


Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] An Argument of First and Second Kings, by David Malick

[2] Profiting From the Prophets, by Bob Deffinbaugh

• The Life and Times of Elijah the Prophet— Chariots of Fire (2 Kings 1:1–2:18)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Elisha’s Accreditation (2 Kings 2:19–3:27)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Two Women and Two Meals (2 Kings 4:1–44)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— The Healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-27)
• The Life and Times Elisha the Prophet— Feast or Famine (2 Kings 6:24–7:20)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet - Saved from the Syrians: The War that Never Happened (2 Kings 6:1-23)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Looking Out for a Lovely Lady (2 Kings 8:1-6; 4:8-37)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— What It Takes to Make a Prophet Weep (1 Kings 19:15-18; 2 Kings 8:7-15)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Three “Birds” with One Stone (1 Kings 19:15-18; 2 Kings 8:16–9:37)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Jehu Cleans House (Ahab’s House) (2 Kings 10:1-36)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet—Jezebel II (2 Kings 11:1–12:21)
• The Life and Times of Elisha the Prophet— Grave Matters Or Runaway Corpse (2 Kings 13:1-25)

Sermons on 2 Kings (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

2 Kings 6

[1] Power of God II Kings 6, by Ronald E. George Jr., Fayetteville Baptist Church

[2] 2 Kings 8:1–15, 13:14–24, The Rest of the Story: God's Promises to Elijah, by Nathan Kuperus

2 Kings 22

[1] Sensitivity - having a tender heart, by James Huffman

[2] 01 Listen 070218, by Steve Walker

[3] When Will Revival Come? by Mike Mestler

[4] Walking Through The Dark, by Thomas Black

[5] Lessons From A Leader excerpts from life of Josiah 30, by George Mansfield

[6] Hearts of Purpose, by Daniel P. Thompkins, Jr.

For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner

Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.