2 Kings – by R. L. Roberts, Jr.

Outline

I. The Title of the Book

II. Its Prophetic Classification

III. Outline of “2 Kings” with topics

1. Chapters 1:1-2:12: The Conclusion of the Story of Elijah
2. Chapters 2:12-13:21: The Story of Elisha the Prophet
3. Chapters 14-16: Continued Religious Decline
4. Chapter 17: The Fall of Israel
5. Chapters 18-25: The Kingdom of Judah to Its Captivity and Exile

IV. Conclusion: The Value of the Book–Six Lessons for Christians

Introduction

The Hebrew canon is uniformly divided into three parts; its three groups are known as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Masoretic text(1), however, gives certain subdivisions within the second and third groups; the prophets are classified as Former, i.e. Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Latter (our major and minor prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi). Originally the two books of 1 and 2 Kings were known simply as “Kings” (the Hebrew term “malachim” being used to designate one book of Kings). In the Septuagint the two books of Samuel and the two books of Kings become one book of Kingdoms divided into 1 Kingdoms, 2 Kingdoms, 3 Kingdoms, and 4 Kingdoms or, the four “Books of the Kingdoms”. “Through the old Latin version the Greek titles passed into the Latin Bible,(2) and from the Latin Bible into the later versions of Western Christendom”(3). Jerome, however, caused the Hebrew titles to be restored to the books; 1 and 2 Kingdoms became 1 and 2 Samuel, and 3 and 4 Kingdoms became 1 and 2 Kings. The separation of Kings into two books is found in the rabbinic Bible printed in Venice in 1516-17 AD.

Discussion

Probably the first question that comes to our minds today is, “Why are these historical books classified as prophetic by the Jews?” “The books belonging to one division are never (by the Jews) transferred to another”(4). They viewed the books of the division called the former prophets as prophetical on the ground of the religious and spiritual teaching which their history conveys. William Smith in his dictionary of the Bible says in referring to the division of the book of Kings into two books, that “the division into two books, being purely artificial and as it were mechanical, may be overlooked in speaking of them; and it must also be remembered that the division between the books of Kings and Samuel is equally artificial, and that in point of fact the historical books commencing with Judges and ending with 2 Kings present the appearance of one work, giving a continuous history of Israel from the time of Joshua to the death of Jehoiachin”(5). In support of this contention Dr. Smith lists a number of arguments and concludes by saying that “generally the style of the narrative [that of the books of Judges, Ruth, Samuel, and Kings(6) which he says] form one unbroken narrative, ordinarily quiet and simple, but raising to great vigor and spirit when stirring deeds are described, . . . and the introduction of poetry or poetic style in the midst of the narrative, constitute such strong features of resemblance as to lead to the conclusion that these several books form but one work. Indeed the very names of the books sufficiently indicate that they were all composed by the same authority for the convenience of division, and with reference to the subject treated of in each division, and not that they were original titles of independent works”(7).

Whether or not these books of the former prophets were the work of one man or several, we have not the time to determine, if we could. Our chief interest is now in observing that they are of great value, not primarily as a source for reciting historical events of the distant past, but as conveying by means of history, all its interest, moral and religious truth. The message is one message of instruction that sets forth and enforces the abiding lessons of the righteousness, justice, and loving kindness of God. It is a message of warning in that it exhibits the Divine judgments upon idolatry and sin and conveys the lesson that disobedience and rebellion, a hard and defiant spirit that leads men to forget God, could not fail to bring disastrous consequences. The purpose of the books of the prophets is to recall people to a sense of their high duty to Almighty God and to warn them of the inevitable consequences of forgetting His commandments. Thus, historical narrative is used to convey moral truth.

The book of Kings belongs to “the great period of oral prophets and oral prophecy”(8). Throughout this period, biblical history is presented in its most vivid picture. Though the form of the book is historical, it is history from the prophetic viewpoint. Events that have little to do with God’s dealings with men are told in the “barest style of annals”, but “where events touched the controversy between God and His people, the narrative rises to the height of epic interest”(9).

In the period covered by the account given in the book of 2 Kings the prophets Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, along with others, were faithfully testifying of the moral foundation of the nation, vindicating the righteousness of God, rebuking sin, and upholding the Divine ideal to which God’s people as a nation had been called. Their work as prophets was:

1. to instruct the people in the law;
2. to convey the direct will of God, mostly upon occasions of great moment;
3. to forewarn and admonish rulers;
4. to embody in written form their instructions direct from God;
5. to preserve a history of their times;
6. to counteract all idolatrous tendencies'(10).

Even though the great work of the prophets of God was at this time at its very height, it scarcely affected the persistence of the people to sin and did very little to stay the impending doom of both Israel and Judah.

Brother Charles Roberson said that “the chief aim of Kings is didactic, the imparting of great moral lessons backed up by illustration from the nation’s history and from the lives of its heroes and leaders” (11). With this purpose of the book in mind, let us now note the message of the book. 2 Kings opens in the midst of an account of the reign of Ahaziah over Israel and ends with the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, and the desolation of Jerusalem, and the burning of the temple, followed by a notice of the liberation of Jehoiachin from his Babylonian prison. In short, this is the period of great national decline. The Kingdom of Israel lasted about 250 years, coming to an end in the destruction of its capital, Samaria, by the Assyrians in 722 BC. The kingdom of Judah began nearly 100 years before the disruption, and lasted nearly 150 years after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, coming to an end in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Israel had 19 Kings and nine dynasties; all the kings were idolaters. Judah had 19 kings; nearly all of whom were idolaters. There is little wonder then that the period is designated as that of National Declination!

Desirous of being able to present as much of the message of the book as possible in the space allotted and thinking that this can best be done by outline coupled with pertinent comment, we now come to consider the following:

Chapter 1-2:12. The Conclusion of the Story of Elijah

Elijah’s career belongs to 1 Kings except for a few fiery and fearless deeds that remain to be told in the second book of kings. Ahaziah, foiled by Elijah in his attempt to consult Baalzebub concerning his sickness, sent a captain and 50 men to bring Elijah to him, evidently by force, but Elijah called for fire from heaven to consume them and Jehovah “answered by fire”. A second captain and his 50 men met an identical fate. A third begged for his life and for Elijah to go with him. Elijah did and fearlessly faced the king and told him that he would surely die because he had sought to inquire of Baalzebub and not Jehovah, thus insulting Jehovah.

Knowing that his toilsome and perilous mission was almost at an end, Elijah makes his last visit to the various schools of the sons of the prophets, to speak farewell encouragement to the last force that to him held the only power for the reform of apostate Israel and Judah. The thrilling story of his departure for heaven follows. As he promised a last bequest to Elisha, there appeared “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, . . . and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2:11) – a fitting ending for such a career. Of Elijah, Isaac Errett in his Evenings with the Bible, writes these fitting words: “It had been fire and whirlwind all along his path. At his birth, the Jewish legends say ‘he was wrapped in swaddling bands of fire and fed on flame’. During the whole of his career, ‘he rose up as a fire, and his words blazed as a torch’” (Ecclesiasticus XLVII:1). In fire and tempest, as a representative of the “fiery law”, and the stern executor of its terrible judgments, he had exulted; and these lend their sublimities to his triumphal translation. Horses, and chariots of fire, and a whirlwind are grand accompaniments of his departure (12).

Chapter 2:12-13:21. The Story of Elisha the Prophet

When the call of Jehovah came to Elisha, he was a mere plowboy in his father’s field. He freely and with self-determination responded to the call and took the place of a servant to Elijah, serving as such for 7 or 8 years. Elisha was not like many aspirants to prominence. He was neither too proud to serve nor too self-conceited to learn; in patient service and diligent study he laid the foundations of his future imminence as a prophet of Jehovah. If Elisha needed such training, even with the help of inspiration, surely those who could serve God acceptably today need the same sort of subordinate preparation for Christian service.

In 2 Kings 2:19-8:15 there are accounts of:

1. the healing of the spring at Jericho;
2. the denouncing of the mocking youths (there were juvenile delinquents in the land);
3. the victory of the three kings over Moab;
4. the widow’s oil;
5. the birth, death, and restoration of the Shunammite’s child;
6. the poison pottage;
7. the multiplication of the loaves;
8. the healing of Naaman (note the change in Naaman, who, after his healing, said, “Now I know . . .”; before, he had said, “Behold, I thought . . .”);
9. the swimming of the ax head;
10. the horses and chariots of fire in the mountain;
11. the siege of Samaria and the four lepers;
12. the return of the Shunammite after the seven-year famine;
13. the visit of Elisha to Damascus.

In contrast to Elijah’s spirit which is symbolized by earthquake, fire, and tempest, Elisha’s is that of gentleness and tolerance though it was no less one of rebuking sin and vindicating the will of God. Stanley says of him, “His deeds were not of wild terror, but of gracious, soothing homely beneficence, bound up with the ordinary tenor of human life. When he smites with blindness, it is that he may remove it again; when he predicts, it is the prediction of plenty, and not a famine (2 Kings 6:18-20; 7:1). The leprosy of Gehazi is but as the condition of the deliverance of Naaman. . . . At his house by Jericho the bitter spring is sweetened; for the widow of one of the prophets the oil is increased; even the workmen at the prophets’ huts are not to lose the ax head which had fallen through the thickets of Jordan into the eddying stream (2 Kings 6:5-7); the young prophets, at their common meal, are saved from the deadly herbs which had been poured from the blanket of one of them into the cauldron, and enjoy the multiplied provision of corn (2 Kings 4:38-44). At his home in Carmel he is the oracle and support of the neighborhood; and the child of his benefactress is raised to life, with an intense energy of sympathy that gives to the whole scene a grace as of the tender domestic life of modern times (2 Kings 4:27-37)”(13). Certainly Elijah’s mission of judgment was necessary; but if there had been no Elisha, his work would soon have perished. The spirit of Elisha’s mission, like that of no other prophet, seems to anticipate that of Christ.

As you read the book of 2 Kings, do not fail to read the wonderful story of the Shunammite woman found in chapter 4:8-37 and chapter 6:1-6. There is not enough time to tell the whole story of this great woman, but we dare not leave this section of the book without pausing to notice something about this outstanding individual. Isaac Errett’s words are far more fitting than any that this speaker could command, and so I quote: “We see, associated with wealth, a strong faith in Jehovah, a steady and fervent piety, the domestic virtues that make home peaceful and bright, a wise benevolence, a self-reliance and independence, a self-control, a sweet spirit of contentment, and a wonderful energy, that combine to make her really a great woman, and a model of her sex. Blessed be the memory of the Shunammite. Though her name has perished, and her grave unknown, she lives through millennia, to show what a good woman of fair endowments is capable of becoming in goodness and usefulness, and what such a woman in the possession of wealth is capable of accomplishing in a quiet domestic sphere. To all the noble Christian women who are seeking, in a humble way, to glorify God and bless their fellow beings, without neglecting their homes or failing in the duties of wives and mothers, we present this portrait as designed to cheer and strengthen them in their efforts”(14). Would that every Christian woman knew the story of this beautiful life encircled with a halo of a tender and touching providence.

Chapter 8:16-9:10 – The Reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah in Judah

Of Jehoram it is said that “he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom” and “the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.” These statements come ringing in our ears as we follow the history of the Northern Kingdom, covering nearly 200 years. As is said of Jehoram, it is said of Zimri (1 Kings 16:19); Omri (16:26); Ahab (16:31) before him. Afterwards the same description is given of Jehu (2 Kings 10:31); Joash (13:2); Jehoahaz (13:11); Jeroboam II (14:24); Zachariah (15:9); Manehem (15:18); and so on from generation to generation! What a fearful thing this is: how it does augment the terror of the day of damnation upon evil doers whose sins are so far reaching. Schiller said, “The very curse of an evil deed is that it must always engender evil.” Certainly the honors and pleasures of Jeroboam were short-lived, and they were far offset by the ever-accumulating iniquities and stumbling blocks that spring from his never dying sin. To author an act that with perpetual power haunts, curses, and blights the future generations is dreadful beyond expression. We must today “resist unto blood, striving against sin.” For one sin can crush not only our own soul but others as well. It can do so because once committed it can multiply immensely its power to pervert souls – a power that even our own repentance would not stay. There is no sin or phase of sin that is not terrible beyond description.

Chapter 9:11-10:28 – The Conspiracy of Jehu against both Judah and Israel

Jehu, as a young man, was a bodyguard to Ahab. Following that, he worked his way up to the chief military position. He was popular and in the prime of life when commissioned by Elisha. A “furious” chariot driver – he must have been somewhat like the “speed demon” of today – he “drove” his commission for divine vengeance just as furiously, and violently, and also fraudulently. His reign, like that of his successor, was just another step in the downfall of Israel. So Jehu “destroyed Baal out of Israel” (10:28) and so pleased God that He promised Jehu that his “sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel”, still “Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel” (10:31). The reign of Jehu marks the time when God “began to cut Israel short” (10:32). The land east of the Jordan was lost to Syria, and though the oppression continued through the next reign – that of Jehoahaz – “the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast He them from his presence as yet” (13:23).

Chapter 11 Athaliah’s Usurpation, Reign, and Death

This woman, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was a true daughter of her mother in ambition, energy, and cruelty, and in thorough devotion to Baal. She caused all but one of her grandchildren to be murdered, and would have murdered him, the royal seed, if he had not been hidden in the temple. As we think of the lives of the great women of Shunem and the heartless Athaliah, we are made to agree with one who said, “Women are ever in extremes; they are either better or worse than men.” If you would fully understand the sad condition in Judah at this time, ponder this: a daughter of the idolatrous Jezebel was on the throne of David! It is no wonder that God removed Israel “out of His sight”.

Chapters 11 and 12 – The Reign of Joash (Jehoash) of Judah

A few verses tell the story of this reign. One in 2 Kings says, “And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (12:2). Another in 2 Chronicles says, “Thus Joash remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada had done to him, but slew his son” (24:22). In the New Testament, Joash’s crime is found uttered by Jesus Himself as “the climax of unrighteous murders” for which the vengeance of God was to be visited upon the Jews (Matthew 23:34-35).

Chapter 13 – Continual Oppression

The continual oppression by Syria is briefly halted by a prayer of Jehoahaz. “The Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians” (13:5), only to be oppressed again shortly. There follows the account of the death of Elisha and Jehoash (13:10-21).

Chapters 14-16 – Continued Religious Decline

In Israel the reign of the last two kings of the house of Jehu is followed by a period of anarchy with four different dynasties and five kings. In Judah the reign of four kings of the house of David was marked by the growing sin of idolatry. The last of these four kings was Ahaz, who has the reputation of being one of the worst, if not the worst, of the princes of the house of David.

Chapter 17 – The Fall of Israel

The siege of Samaria by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, its capture by Sargon 2, his successor, and the carrying of Israel away into Assyria have been told in the first six verses. The narrative becomes a general review and denunciation of the sins of Israel. It begins with verse 7 which opens with the statement, “And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God.” Read chapter 17:7-23 if you would see a concise presentation of sin, stubbornness, and shame such as caused God to remove Israel “out of His sight” (verse 23). This section of the book ends with a brief description of Israel being carried captive into Assyria, and in a “tone of scorn” tells of the hybrid race, the Samaritans of the days of Christ, of which only a few hundred remain today. They were a people who “feared the Lord, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children’s children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day” (verse 41).

Chapters 18-25. The Kingdom of Judah to its Captivity and Exile

The rest of the book records the last 135 years of the history of the kingdom of Judah. The period begins with the reform under Hezekiah – A period dominated by the great prophet Isaiah.

Chapters 18-20 – The Good Reign of Hezekiah

Hezekiah, a remarkable product of an apostate father, grew up during one of the most corrupt times known to man. The fact that “after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor that were before him” (18:5), was due probably largely to the influence of his mother. If so, it confirms the adage that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”, and shows what influence for good the mothers of men can have when they faithfully meet their divine responsibility.

Hezekiah was a young man of 25 years when he ascended the throne under most perplexing and critical circumstances. With promptness, though with an evident settled purpose, he got to the root of the troubles that threaten the nation. He seems to have realized that it was righteousness and not political policy that exalted a nation. “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them” (2 Chronicles 29:3). This immediate action by the new king left no doubt about his intentions and is certainly a consequence of the fact that he trusted in the Lord God of Israel. He was a very prayerful man, the most prayerful of the kings.

A fuller account of Hezekiah’s life is given in 2 Chronicles and other books of the prophets and for fear of needless repetition the comments of him are consummated with a brief reference to his illness and death. God said to him, “Set your house in order for you shall die and not live” 2 Kings 20:1). Faced with such stern and sobering words, Hezekiah, as though bereft of all earthly consolation, “turned his face to the wall” and prayed unto the Lord and “wept sore”, beseeching the Lord to remember how “I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in Your sight” (20:3). Soon the Lord sent this reply, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you and I will add unto your days 15 years” (20:5-6). What greater assurance have we than this: that a merciful God sees our tears and hears our earnest pleadings when life’s inevitable tragedies “turn our faces to the wall” and to God!

The 21st chapter begins with the reign of Manasseh, related without any question of even one righteous act! He had a righteous father and probably a righteous mother but evil counselors. “He did evil above all that the Ammorites did, which were before him”, and “he made Judah also to sin with his idols; therefore, thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘Behold I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down and they shall become a prey and a spoil to their enemies’” (21:11-14).

Chapter 21:19-26

No redeeming feature appears during the reign of Ammon

Chapter 22-23:30 – Josiah’s Reign and Reforms

“The pendulum now swings back.” Restoration of the temple marks the beginning of Josiah’s reformation. The finding of the book of the law and its effect upon the king and the people are noted with lasting interest. Upon hearing the law read, Josiah rends his clothes, realizing that those before him had not kept the words of the book, and he knew that God’s wrath would be kindled against the people of his day. Hulda, the prophetess, inquires of the Lord for him, and God replies that His wrath was not to be quenched and that Jerusalem was to become a desolation and a curse, but Josiah would not have to view i

Upon hearing this, Josiah only intensified his efforts to reform. He destroyed all idols and places of idol worship. He sacrificed idolatrous priests on the altars and burned their bones on them – a remarkable fulfillment of a prophecy spoken 345 years earlier in 1 Kings 13:2. Next he reinstated the Passover exactly according to the law as had not been done since the time of the judges. Josiah’s rashness and resultant death evidence the fact that he did not always act wisely. He was intensely religious but a poor politician of medium force. His work was necessarily superficial. Seemingly, only a faithful few were heartily behind the king and his efforts. There was little or no regard for moral purity among the masses. Josiah’s was a forced reformation, and it lasted only as long as the power to enforce it lasted. Then came a terrible reaction. There is no kingly power that can force a genuine reformation save that of Christ the King. The only way that a true reformation can be established today is from within by willing submission of men to the power and authority of Christ.

An elegy to Josiah is expressed in these words: “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, neither after him arose there any like him” (22:25). “Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, . . . and the Lord said, ‘I will remove Judah also out of My sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.’” (22:26-27). The reformation was too late to save the guilty nation. It has been noted that it was: 1) merely the result of royal authority, and not of repentance on the part of the people; 2) there was a fierceness of zeal and a persecuting spirit which detracted from the merit of the performances. The hope of saving the divine cause was destined to defeat. Judah at this time was “dead to the roots”; “not even the voice of God’s holy law nor the voice of living prophets had for it any quickening power”.

Notwithstanding the lack of permanent success of Josiah’s reformation, his deeds were long remembered after the fall of Jerusalem. The anniversary of his death was long observed and due to his influence the Jews during the captivity and afterwards formed a hatred for idolatry that has been characteristic of them ever since.

Chapter 23:31-24:6

A Period of Decline under Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim

Chapter 24:47-25:30 – Final Decline Under Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

Jerusalem is besieged and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The 70 years of exile in Babylon begins. 2 Kings is valuable for its deep religious teaching and the insight which it gives us into God’s providential and moral government of the world. It tells us how and why the most magnificent temple ever built to God’s glory and in which He gave a visible symbol of His presence was consigned to flames and destruction. Such lessons as are presented of both God and man are the best evidence of the divine origin of the book and make it a rich treasury for our admonition and learning. Its canonical authority can never be disputed. The references to this book in the New Testament are striking testimony to its value as a book of religious teaching, and to its authenticity as a portion of the Word of God.

Conclusion

What better way could be used to show its abiding lessons and its relationship to the whole message of the Bible than to summarize its message in the inspired words of that Holy Book? They are to be found on almost every page of holy writing, but the following are at once recognized as paramount value:

1. “God spoke by the mouth of his prophets . . .” (Acts 3:21).
2. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears unto their supplication: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).
3. “Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant and loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, listing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18).
4. “God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). “For Jehovah your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
5. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily; therefore, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil one hundred times, and prolong his days, yet surely I know that it will be well with them that fear God, that fear before Him: but it shall not be well for the wicked, neither shall He prolong his days, which are a shadow; because he fears not before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13).
6. “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14,34).

Footnotes

1. A text of the Hebrew old Covenant which passed through the hands of the Masoretes, a succession of Jewish scholars, who flourished from the 6th to the 10th century, and who endeavored to give permanence to the traditional type which appears in most printed Hebrew Bibles today.
2. 1, 2, 3, 4 Regnum..
3. Swete, H. B., An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, Cambridge: 1914, 215.
4. Driver, S. R., An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament, Meridian Library: 1960, 27.
5. Smith, William., A Dictionary of the Bible, London: 1863, Volume Two, 21.
6. ”The Book of Joshua seems to be an independent book.” Ibid., 21.
7. Ibid., 21.
8. Price, Ira M., “A Syllabus of Old Testament History,” 1908, 114.
9. Moulton, R. G. The Modern Reader’s Bible, New York: 1946, 1379.
10. Price, 117 – 118.
11. Roberson, C. H., “Outline of the Book of the Old Covenant”, unpublished.
12. Errett. Isaac, Evenings With the Bible, Cincinnati: Volume II, 115-116.
13. Stanley, History of the Jewish Church, Lect. xxxi.
14. Errett, 137-138.

Questions for Class Discussion

1. Why is this book classified as prophetic?
2. What evidence had the sons of the prophets that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha?
3. Why was the prophet Elisha frequently sought after and under what circumstances?
4. Compare the characters of Elijah and Elisha.
5. What was the work of the prophets?
6. What does this book teach about entangling alliances?
7. What was the outcome of Jehoshaphat’s friendliness with Ahab?
8. What are the characters of Jehoiada and Joash? Does 12:2 help answer?
9. Why did Samaria and Israel fall? List six causes.
10. What was the sign given to Hezekiah to show him that God would heal him?
11. What was the temporary and the permanent effect of Josiah’s reign?
12. Who predicted the period of Babylonian exile? What are the dates of it?
13. How does reference to this book in the New Covenant show the value of it?
14. Give five lessons from the book of 2 Kings.