2 Kings 25 records the fate of Judah after years of disobedience to God. God allowed the Babylonian Empire, under the command of Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy Jerusalem and strip the Temple of almost everything that made it significant. Zedekiah and the people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon, where they would remain for several decades of God-ordained exile.

Judah was in complete decline. King Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, leading to the conquest of Jerusalem. His son Jehoiachin inherited the throne, only to be exiled to Babylon with the rest of Jerusalem’s elite and skilled workers. Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah (Mattaniah) as a puppet king, but he later rebelled against his master.

2 Kings 23 documents King Josiah’s reforms in Judah and the former Kingdom of Israel. Josiah purged the land of all idolatry and destroyed the high places where people offered unauthorized sacrifices. He commanded all the people to keep the Passover Feast, which had been neglected during the time of the kings. The rest of the chapter records the reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and how they were oppressed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt.

2 Kings 22 begins with Josiah becoming king of Judah at just 8 years old. In Josiah’s 18th year as king, he determined to renovate the Temple of God in Jerusalem. During the renovation process, Hilkiah found a book containing the laws God had given to Moses. Josiah was distraught over the people of Judah’s neglect for the law. He sent servants to the Huldah, the prophetess, to hear a word from the Lord. Huldah told Josiah that God would punish Judah, but He would delay the punishment until after Josiah’s death.

2 Kings 21 gives us details about the reign of 2 wicked kings of Judah. Manasseh, the son of righteous Hezekiah, departed from the example of his father and welcomed all forms of evil into Judah. He established places of idol worship, brought idols into the Jerusalem Temple, and sacrificed his children to pagan gods. God was so angry He foretold of a day when Judah would be conquered by the enemies and decimated. After Manasseh’s death, Amon became king. He continued the policies of Manasseh but was assassinated after just 2 years on the throne.

King Hezekiah of Judah fell sick and was at the point of death. While on his bed, he prayed to God to extend his life. God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him his life would be extended 15 years. The second part of the chapter documents how Hezekiah showed off all the treasures of Jerusalem to a Babylonian envoy. Isaiah, by the Spirit of God, prophesied that one day, all the precious things in Jerusalem would be carried away captive to Babylon.  

After the Rabshakeh of Assyria threatened King Hezekiah and Jerusalem, Hezekiah went to Isaiah the prophet for council. Isaiah prophesied that God would save the city and humble the king of Assyria for mocking the “Holy One of Israel.” God sent an angel into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army. Their humbled king returned to Nineveh, where he was assassinated by his sons while worshiping in a pagan temple.  

Hezekiah was a godly king, in fact, we are told he was the godliest king since David led the nation. 2 Kings 18 documents his early days on the throne, followed by his difficult days fighting with the king of Assyria. He tried to pay the king of Assyria to leave Jerusalem alone, but the Assyrians sent their army to the city. This chapter recounts how the Rabshakeh, an Assyrian official, mocked Judah and their God, and tried to scare them into surrendering.

2 Kings 17 is a very important chapter in the Old Testament because it tells us about the expulsion of the people of Israel from their land by the Assyrians during the days of king Hoshea. After decades of disregarding and disrespecting God’s commands, God allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel and relocate most of the people to distant portions of the Assyrian Empire.

2 Kings 16 is about Ahaz, King of Judah. He was not a very godly king. He promoted idol worship and even sacrificed his own son to a pagan god. After the kings of Syria and Israel attacked Jerusalem, Ahaz sent an SOS to Tiglath-Pilesar of Assyria who eventually saved him by defeating the Syrians. The end of the chapter documents Ahaz’s new altar in the Jerusalem Temple. It was based on an altar he saw when in Damascus, and he replaced God’s bronze altar with his new altar without God’s permission. Ahaz ruled Judah 16 years. His son Hezekiah followed him on the throne.

This chapter is a list of kings who reigned over Judah and Israel. The text moves through several decade very quickly. The kings of Judah highlighted in this chapter are Azariah, also known as Uzziah, and Jotham. The kings of Israel highlighted in 2 Kings 15 are Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah.

2 Kings 14 briefly documents the reigns of Joash of Judah, Joash of Israel, Amaziah of Judah, and Jerobaom II of Israel. The nation of Judah was weakened significantly when Amaziah declared war on Israel and was defeated by Joash of Israel. Joash’s son, Jeroboam II, led the nation of Israel for more than 4 decades and reclaimed much of the land Israel had lost to enemies in previous years.

2 Kings 13 briefly documents the reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash (Jehoash) in Israel. They were wicked kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord. The end of the chapter records the death of Elisha, the prophet of God who served the Lord in Israel for many years.

Joash became the king of Judah when he was just 7 years old. He was faithful to God all the days Jehoiada the priest was by his side. He reformed the nation of Judah from most of its ungodly worship practices and he repaired the Temple of God in Jerusalem. He reigned for 40 years before being assassinated by his servants.

In 2 Kings 11, the evil queen Athaliah murders the royal family of Judah and seizes power for herself. But unknown to her, one of the heirs to the throne survives, a young baby named Joash. Athaliah reigns for 7 years before Jehoiada, a priest in Jerusalem, organizes an overthrow and reveals Joash to the citizens of Judah. The people of Judah accept Joash as the true king and Athaliah is dethroned and executed.

In 2 Kings 10, after killing the previous king and claiming the throne of Israel for himself, Jehu proceeded to exterminate all the relatives of wicked king Ahab. This purge was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken against the house of Ahab by the prophet Elijah. Jehu then cleansed Israel of Baal worship by destroying all the worshipers of Baal along with the house of Baal.

In 2 Kings 9, Jehu is anointed the next king of Israel. He travels to Jezreel and kills Jehoram (Joram), the king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah. Afterwards, he ordered Jezebel, Ahab’s wicked wife, to be killed by being thrown out of her window. Her body was eaten by dogs, just as the Elisha had prophesied in 1 Kings 21:23.

2 Kings chapter 8 is best summarized in 4 sections. First, the Shunammite woman received her property back after a 7-year famine in Israel. Second, Hazael murdered Ben-hadad to become the king of Syria. Third, Jehoram (Joram) became king of Judah. Fourth, Ahaziah replaces Jehoram in Judah but only reigns for 1 year.

Starvation plagued Samaria, the capital city of the kingdom of Israel, as a result of the Syrian siege against them. Elisha prophesied that God would bring deliverance to the city. The prophesy was fulfilled the next day. When 4 men with leprosy tried to surrender themselves at the Syrian camp, they found the camp deserted. God had miraculously caused the Syrian army to retreat, sparing the residents of Samaria from starvation.

2 Kings 6 can be broken down into 3 sections, the first documents a miracle performed by Elisha where he made an iron axe head float in the water. The second documents God thwarting the Syrian army as they tried to capture Elisha in Dothan. Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded by horses and chariots of fire that outnumbered the Syrian aggressors. The third section discusses a period of terrible starvation in Samaria when the Syrian’s besieged the city during the reign of King Jehoram.