This week, we shall continue to study
the book of 2 Kings in the Old Testament.
12:17-21—Defeat and death of Joash (the account in 2 Chr. 24:15-27 complements the account in 2 Kings)
(1) According to the account in 2 Chronicles, what preceded the invasion by the army of Aram?
(2) What then caused the army of Aram to withdraw eventually?
(3) What reason did 2 Chronicles give for the murder of Joash by his officials? (24:25)
(4) If you were to write his epitaph, what would you write?
13:1-9—Jehoahaz, King of Israel
(5) In this short account of the reign of Jehoahaz, which particular sin was repeatedly mentioned?
(6) Why was this sin so abhorred by the Lord? (1 Ki. 12:28-30)
(7) What other sin was also mentioned? (v. 6b)
(8) What happened to Israel under Jehoahaz, as the Lord’s anger burned against Israel?
(9) Even though he was reduced to having only a very small army, what happened when Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor? (vv. 4-5)
(10) How did it reflect the character of the Lord?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
13:10-13—The Reign and Death of Jehoash, King of Israel
(1) The author of 2 Kings only mentioned Jehoash’s battle with Amaziah in passing at this point, however, the more detailed account in 2 Kings 14: 8-14 is worth reading:
a. Can you simply sum up what lesson you can learn from this account?
b. How might you apply it to your life?
13:14-19—Jehoash and Elisha: The reign of Jehoash also marked the death of Elisha.
(2) From this visit of Elisha (v. 14):
a. How did the king look upon Elisha?
b. Can you understand why then the king still “did evil in the eyes of the Lord"?
(3) Why did Elisha (or the Lord, rather) desire to give victory to this wicked king over Aram (at least at Aphek)? (v. 17)
(4) Do you think it was a “reward” for the king’s visit to Elisha? Why or why not?
(5) If you were Jehoash, after what Elisha said of the arrow shot, how might you understand the significance of the striking of the arrows?
(6) Was his striking of the arrows only three times a sign of his lack of faith? Why or why not?
(7) If he had struck it many times, resulting in the complete destruction of Aram, would it really matter, if he and Israel continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord?
13:20-25—Death of Elisha and Fulfillment of Prophecy
(8) What impact might the death of Elisha have on Israel and the king?
(9) What did this miracle of the bones of Elisha serve to illustrate?
(10) As Israel was so weak in military power, how could they continue to survive under the might of Hazael, king of Aram? (v. 23)
(11) How was the prophecy of Elisha fulfilled? (v. 25)
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Can you recall the latter part of the life of Joash and how eventually he died? (2 Ki. 12:19-21; 2 Chr. 24:15-27)
(2) What kind of a successor do you expect him to have?
(3) As much as Amaziah was not as good as David, what might have accounted for his difference from his father Joash, who even killed Zechariah the priest who rebuked his sin? (2 Chr. 24:20-22)
(4) Why did the Bible choose to emphasize that he did not kill the children of the assassins of his father? (Deut. 24:16)
(5) The victory over Edom was a significant one (v. 7), however, it also caused Amaziah to sin (see 2 Chr. 25:14-16).
a. What sin did Amaziah commit?
b. What did this victory lead to according to 2 Kings 14:8?
(6) Perhaps Jehoash heard of the prophecy of 2 Chronicles 25:16. In any case, what was the meaning of his parable? (2 Ki. 14:9-10)
(7) Why did Amaziah end up with such a complete defeat?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
14:15-22—Death of the Two Kings:
(1) How would you compare the two kings, i.e. Jehoash of Israel (2 Ki. 13:12-25) and Amaziah of Judah (2 Ki. 14:1-14; 2 Chr. 25:14-28)?
(2) What might be the reason that the people conspired and killed Amaziah and put his son Azariah (i.e. Uzziah) in his place? (see 2 Chr. 25:27)
14:23—The Reign and Death of Jeroboam II, King of Israel
(3) This particular passage about Jeroboam appears to have three emphases:
a. God gave Jeroboam power to restore Israel to the former glory of Solomon, at least in the northern region (1 Ki. 8:65). What was the reason given? (vv. 26-27)
b. This was prophesied by Jonah the prophet (the character in the Book of Jonah): What insight might it provide for us to understand the fleeing of Jonah to avoid preaching judgment to the people of Nineveh (which was a rising power in the Ancient Near East)?
c. In spite of God’s grace, Jeroboam still did evil in the eyes of the Lord. How can one reconcile these facts: God provided the prophet Jonah to serve the king, He foretold his victory and He empowered him to have great military strength; yet the king continued to walk in evil?
(4) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
15:1-7—Azariah, King of Judah
(1) How did Joash, Amaziah and Azariah differ from the two predecessors in terms of where their mothers or wives were from? (2 Ki. 15:2; 14:2; 12:1; 8:26; 8:16-18)
(2) What might have accounted for their difference in their walk with the Lord, at least in the first part of their reign?
(3) The common theme among these three kings who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” is that such a comment was only valid in the first part of their reign, and they all committed some kind of sin that led to their downfall. What was the cause of Azariah’s downfall and what important lesson can we learn from him? (See detailed account of his sin in 2 Chr. 26:16-21.)
15:8-12—Zechariah, King of Israel
(4) Zechariah was the 4th generation king in the house of Jehu (with Jehoahaz, Jehoash and Jeroboam II being his predecessors):
a. What prophecy did his death fulfill? (2 Ki. 10:30)
b. What was the reason for the prophecy when it was given? (2 Ki. 10:28-31)
c. How long did this last king from Jehu’s house reign?
d. What might be God’s message?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The two kings that came after Zechariah were Shallum and Menahem:
(1) How did they both come to the throne?
(2) What kind of a kingdom had Israel plunged into?
(3) How long did each reign?
(4) What were the sins common to the two kings?
(5) What other evil did Menahem do? (v. 16)
(6) Having to pay enormous tributes to the Assyrians, what was the country like under the reign of Menahem?
(7) Do you get a sense that the Northern Kingdom was soon coming to an end? Why or why not?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
15:23-31—The Beginning of the End of Israel
(1) How long did this next king, Pekahiah, reign? (v. 23)
(2) What kind of a king was he?
(3) How did he die?
(4) Who succeeded him?
(5) While Pekah appeared to have lasted much longer than his previous four predecessors, consider the following:
a. What kind of a king was he?
b. What was the disaster that came upon Israel during his time? (v. 29)
c. Was he any worse than any of the kings of Israel?
(6) How did Pekah die?
15:32-38—The Reign and Death of Jotham, King of Judah
(7) What kind of a king was Jotham and who was his mother?
(8) Read the additional account of his prosperity in 2 Chronicles 27:3-6: What did the Bible attribute his success to?
(9) What particular challenge did Judah face after the death of Jotham? (v. 37) Why does the Bible say that it was “the Lord” who did this to Judah?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?