2 Kings 15:1-38
Q.1. What was it about the reigns of Azariah (Uzziah) and Jotham, kings of Judah that staved off God’s judgment? – (2 Kgs.15:1-7, 32-38)
Here God’s Word reports that both kings – did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done … according to all that his father Uzziah had done (2 Kgs.15:3 & 34). According to the expanded record in 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah was successful, because – He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him (2 Chron.26:5). However, in his old age, he was brought down by pride (2 Kgs.15:5 c.f. 2 Chron.16:16-21). It is also recorded that King Jotham was blessed – Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God (2 Chron.27:6). This brought prosperity to Judah. However, the hearts of God’s people continued to be divided since – the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places (2 Kgs.15:4 & 35). This was an affront to God and would eventually be the cause of their going into exile.
Q.2. What was the shameful feature of the successive reigns of the kings of Israel that guaranteed the captivity of its people? – (2 Kgs.15:8-31)
Without exception, the reigns of Northern Israel’s kings were marred by terrible idolatry, summed up with the same words – He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin (2 Kgs.15:9, 18, 24, & 28). Even worse, was the continuous killing of innocent people who were murdered along with the wicked. This led to a number of short and unstable reigns. They were those of Zechariah for 6 months (2 Kgs.15:8), Shallum for one month (2 Kgs.15:13), and Pekahiah for 2 years (2 Kgs.15:23). Menahem reigned for 10 years but surpassed them all for wickedness (2 Kgs.15:14-22). God knew where this decline would end – This is the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And it was so (2 Kgs.15:12). With such a stain of evil on the land, it is no great surprise to read – In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria (2 Kgs.15:29). This captivity of Israel was some 150 years before the exile of Judah to Babylon.