2nd Kings Chapter Nineteen

 2Ki 19:1  And it happened, when King Hezekiah heard, that he tore his garments and covered himself with sackcloth and went in to the house of Jehovah; 

2Ki 19:2  and he sent Eliakim, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covering themselves with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 

2Ki 19:3  And they said to him, So says Hezekiah, it is a day of distress, and of rebuke, and of contempt today; for the sons have come to the birth, and there is no power to bring forth. 

2Ki 19:4  It may be that Jehovah your God will hear all the words of the chief cupbearer, with which his master the king of Assyria has sent him to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah your God has heard; and you shall lift up prayer for the remnant that is found. 

2Ki 19:5  And the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 

2Ki 19:6  And Isaiah said to them, You shall say this to your lord: So says Jehovah, Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled Me. 

2Ki 19:7  Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumor and shall turn back to his land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his land. 

2Ki 19:8  And the chief cupbearer returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that he had traveled from Lachish. 

2Ki 19:9  And when he heard it said of Tirhakah the king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is coming out to fight against you, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 

2Ki 19:10  So you shall speak to Hezekiah the king of Judah, saying, Do not let your God in whom you trust delude you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

2Ki 19:11  Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 

2Ki 19:12  Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden in Telassar? 

2Ki 19:13  Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah? 

2Ki 19:14  And Hezekiah took the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and read them, and went up to the house of Jehovah. And Hezekiah spread it before the face of Jehovah. 

2Ki 19:15  And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah the God of Israel, who sits above the cherubs, You are God Himself, You alone, to all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made the heavens and the earth. 

2Ki 19:16  O Jehovah, incline Your ear and hear; O Jehovah, open Your eyes and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib with which he has sent him to reproach the living God. 

2Ki 19:17  Truly, O Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations, and their lands; 

2Ki 19:18  and have put their gods into the fire, for they were no gods, but the work of the hands of man, wood and stone, and have destroyed them. 

2Ki 19:19  And now, O Jehovah our God, we pray to You, save us out of his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth shall know that You are Jehovah God, You alone. 

2Ki 19:20  And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have heard that which you have prayed to Me regarding Sennacherib the king of Assyria; 

2Ki 19:21  this is the Word that Jehovah spoke concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you. 

2Ki 19:22  Whom have you reproached and reviled? Against whom have you lifted up a voice? Yea, you have lifted up your eyes on high, even against the Holy One of Israel! 

2Ki 19:23  By the hand of your messengers, you have defamed the Lord, and have said, With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the height of its cedars, the best of its firs, and I will enter into the furthest dwelling, its densest forest; 

2Ki 19:24  I have dug and drunk strange waters, and I dried up with the sole of my feet all the rivers of Egypt. 

2Ki 19:25  Have you not heard from afar, I made it? From days of old I formed it. Now I have caused it to come, that you should make fortified cities desolate ruin heaps. 

2Ki 19:26  And those living in them were short in hand; they were terrified and were ashamed; they were as the grass of the field, and the green herb, as the grass on the housetops and blasted grain before it was grown! 

2Ki 19:27  But I have known your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, and your rage against Me. 

2Ki 19:28  Because of your raging against Me, and because your arrogance has come up into My ears, even I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came. 

2Ki 19:29  And this shall be the sign for you: you shall eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year you shall sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 

2Ki 19:30  And the escaped ones of the house of Judah that is left shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 

2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion they that shall escape; the zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall do this. 

2Ki 19:32  So Jehovah says this concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor shall he pour out a siege mound against it. 

2Ki 19:33  By the way that he came in, in it he shall return; and he shall not come into this city, says Jehovah. 

2Ki 19:34  For I will defend this city, to save it, for My own sake, and for My servant David's sake. 

2Ki 19:35  And it happened in that night, that the Angel of Jehovah went out and struck a hundred and eighty five thousand in the camp of Assyria; and they rose up early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies. 

2Ki 19:36  And Sennacherib the king of Assyria moved, and went and returned, and lived in Nineveh. 

2Ki 19:37  And it happened, as he was bowing himself in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place. 

2nd Chronicles 32:1-23 Supplemental Information: Hezekiah fortifies Judah and bolsters its defenses against Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah strengthens the hearts of his men by focusing their hearts on Jehovah. Sennacherib sends messengers to terrorize Judah. He claims Jehovah is no better than the other gods of all their conquered enemies. God strikes the Assyrian leaders within their camp. Sennacherib returns home in shame and is executed in his god's temple by his sons.

2nd Kings 19:1-7 Summary: Hezekiah sends messengers to Isaiah to inquire of God. Isaiah reports that Sennacherib will hear a rumor, return to his land and will be killed.

NOTE: The personal nature that God has taken in the matter. This is not the first time an enemy goes against Jehovah. It is a basic understanding that to war against another country means to war against their god. So why is Jehovah treating this matter in this way? What should we learn and/or be encouraged by in this story?

Verses 8-19 Summary: Sennacherib's messengers report to him. He sends them back with letters telling Hezekiah to not be deluded by Jehovah. He cites his victories over all the nations they have come up against. Hezekiah takes the letters to Jehovah and prays for deliverance. 

Verses 20-34 (Explain the main point of God's reply to Sennacherib): Isaiah prophecies against Sennacherib. He points out Sennacherib's pride over victory(s), as is the king was the one with power. God corrects him and reminds him that his victories were given to him by Jehovah. He then prophecies of the future in terms of agriculture. For a period of two years there will not be a typical sowing/harvest. The third year will see a return to this type of agriculture because Judah will still be there as a remnant. God declares He will defend Jerusalem.

NOTE: In my mind, God's main point is to punish Sennacherib for his pride and for disrespecting Jehovah. He also points to His love for the house of David (which carries the lineage of the Christ). It should also not escape our notice that Hezekiah's attitude is diametrically opposite to Sennacherib. Hezekiah is absolutely relying on Jehovah.

Verses 35-37 Summary: An angel of god strikes down 185000 Assyrians. Sennacherib leaves, returns to Nineveh. While worshiping his idol, he is executed by his sons.

NOTE: Nothing historically can be found concerning an idol named Nisroch. There is much speculation as to which god this was and how the name came to be mistranslated. In my own view, it cannot be dismissed to think that this king created his own god and god name to worship. Idols are man-made and subject to the whims of those in power.

From Halley's Bible Handbook: (Paraphrased) Sennacherib did create an account of this history on a clay prism which may be viewed in the *Oriental Institute Museum in Chicago (*name has been changed since this original writing). He writes of his victories against Hezikiah including the capture of over 200K people. He does not make any claim of overtaking Jerusalem and in traditional fashion, would leave out any defeat suffered at the hands of his enemy.
"It is indeed a most remarkable confirmation of Biblical History."

2nd Kings Chapter Eighteen

 2Ki 18:1  And it happened in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah the king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz the king of Judah began to reign. 

2Ki 18:2  He was a son of twenty five years when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty nine years; and the name of his mother was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 

2Ki 18:3  And he did the right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father David did; 

2Ki 18:4  he took away the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherah, and beat to bits the bronze serpent that Moses made (for in those days it was that the sons of Israel burned sacrifices to it) and called it Nehushtan. 

2Ki 18:5  He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel, and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him; 

2Ki 18:6  and he clung to Jehovah; he did not turn aside from following Him, and kept His commands that Jehovah commanded Moses. 

2Ki 18:7  And Jehovah was with him. He acted prudently every place he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 

2Ki 18:8  He struck the Philistines to Gaza and its borders, from the Watch Tower to the fortified city. 

2Ki 18:9  And it happened, in the fourth year of King Hezekiah (it was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah the king of Israel) Shalmaneser the king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 

2Ki 18:10  And they captured it at the end of three years; in the sixth year of Hezekiah (it was the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Israel) Samaria was conquered; 

2Ki 18:11  and the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 

2Ki 18:12  because they did not listen to the voice of Jehovah their God, and transgressed His covenant, all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded; yea, they did not listen nor do them. 

2Ki 18:13  And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib the king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and captured them. 

2Ki 18:14  And Hezekiah the king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria, to Lachish, saying, I have offended, turn back from me; that which you put on me I will bear. And the king of Assyria laid on Hezekiah the king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 

2Ki 18:15  And Hezekiah gave all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the house of the king. 

2Ki 18:16  At that time Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and the pillars that Hezekiah the king of Judah had overlaid, and gave them to the king of Assyria. 

2Ki 18:17  And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, and the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the cupbearers from Lachish, to King Hezekiah with a heavy force, to Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, and they went up and came in and stood by the conduit of the upper pool that was in the highway of the Fuller's Field. 

2Ki 18:18  And they called to the king, and Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder went out to them. 

2Ki 18:19  And the chief of the cupbearers said to them, Now say to Hezekiah, So says the great king, the king of Assyria, What is this hope in which you have trusted? 

2Ki 18:20  Do you say that a mere word of the lips is counsel and strength for battle; now, on whom have you trusted that you have rebelled against me? 

2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, you have trusted for yourself on the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt, which if a man lean on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it! So is Pharaoh the king of Egypt to all those who trust in him. 

2Ki 18:22  And when you say to me, We have trusted to Jehovah our God, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar you shall bow yourselves in Jerusalem? 

2Ki 18:23  And, now, I ask you, exchange pledges for yourself to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give to you two thousand horses if you are able to give for yourself riders on them. 

2Ki 18:24  And how will you turn back the face of one prefect of the least of the servants of my lord, that you trust for yourself upon Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 

2Ki 18:25  Now, have I come up against this place to destroy it without Jehovah? Jehovah said to me, Go up against this land, and you shall destroy it. 

2Ki 18:26  And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah said to the chief of the cupbearers, Please speak Aramaic to your servants, for we understand; and do not speak with us in Jewish, in the ears of the people on the wall. 

2Ki 18:27  And the chief of the cupbearers said to them, Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master, and to you, and not to the men that sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink the water of their feet with you? 

2Ki 18:28  And the chief of the cupbearers stood and called with a great voice in Jewish, and spoke and said, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria; 

2Ki 18:29  So says the king, Do not let Hezekiah delude you, for he is not able to deliver you out of his hand; 

2Ki 18:30  and do not let Hezekiah make you trust to Jehovah, saying, Jehovah delivering shall deliver us; and, This city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

2Ki 18:31  Do not listen to Hezekiah, for so says the king of Assyria, Make with me a peace treaty and come out to me; and you each shall eat of his vine, and each of his fig tree, and you each shall drink of the waters of his own well, 

2Ki 18:32  until I come; and I will take you to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil, and honey; and live, and do not die; and do not listen to Hezekiah, when he persuades you, saying, Jehovah shall deliver us. 

2Ki 18:33  Have the gods of the nations at all delivered each his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 

2Ki 18:34  Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah, that they have delivered Samaria out of my hand? 

2Ki 18:35  Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 

2Ki 18:36  But the people kept silent and did not answer him a word, for the command of the king was, saying, Do not answer him. 

2Ki 18:37  And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came in to Hezekiah, having torn their garments; and they told him the words of the chief of the cupbearers. 

Verses 1-8 Summary: Hezekiah becomes king over Judah. He is a good king. There are NO better kings than him. He trusts God. He destroys idolatry, including THE HIGH PLACES! God gived him success against the Philistines. Hezekiah rebels against Assyria.

6. What do you already notice different about Hezekiah compared to the kings before him? He seems to understand that Jehovah is God. He actually gets rid of the high places. a

Verses 9-16 Summary: Israel is conquered by Shalmeneser of Assyria. Ten years later, Sennecharib captures Judah's fortified cities. Hezekiah sends Sennecharib tribute money.

7.In what year did Sennacherib attack the cities of Judah? Hezekiah's reign starts 726. This happens in his fourteenth year. 713/12

Verses 17-37: (Picture yourself on the wall listening to the speech of Rabshakeh. What are your impressions? Sennacherib sends messengers to convey his message to the king and to the people. They try to reason with the people, telling them not to listen to Hezekiah, and not to trust in Jehovah. They offer a peace covenant whereby they can live for a time where they are, but eventually will move (surrender). The messenger cites the fact that no other nation has been able to stand against their forces. 

2nd Kings Chapter Seventeen

 2Ki 17:1  In the twelfth year of Ahaz the king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah reigned in Samaria, nine years over Israel. 

2Ki 17:2  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 

2Ki 17:3  Shalmaneser the king of Assyria came against him, and Hoshea was a servant to him, and paid him tribute. 

2Ki 17:4  And the king of Assyria found a conspiracy in Hoshea, in that he had sent messengers to So the king of Egypt, and had not offered tribute up to the king of Assyria, as year by year. And the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in a prison. 

2Ki 17:5  And the king of Assyria went up into all the land, and he went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. 

2Ki 17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and removed Israel to Assyria, and made them live in Halah, and in Habor, by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

2Ki 17:7  And it was so because the sons of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and feared other gods, 

2Ki 17:8  and walked in the statutes of the nations that Jehovah had dispossessed from the face of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel that they made. 

2Ki 17:9  And the sons of Israel secretly did the things which were not right against Jehovah their God, and built high places for themselves in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city, 

2Ki 17:10  and set up for themselves pillars and Asherahs on every high hill, and under every green tree; 

2Ki 17:11  and burned incense there in all high places, like the nations that Jehovah had removed from their face; and did evil things to provoke Jehovah, 

2Ki 17:12  and served the idols, of which Jehovah had said to them, You shall not do this thing. 

2Ki 17:13  And Jehovah testified against Israel, and against Judah, by the hand of all His prophets, and every seer, saying, Turn back from your evil ways, and keep My commands, My statutes, according to all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets. 

2Ki 17:14  And they did not listen, and hardened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not remain faithful to Jehovah their God. 

2Ki 17:15  And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and went after the vain thing, and became vain, and after the nations that were around them, of whom Jehovah had commanded them not to do like them. 

2Ki 17:16  And they left all the commands of Jehovah their God and made for themselves casted images, two calves, and made an Asherah, and bowed to all the host of the heavens, and served Baal, 

2Ki 17:17  and caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire and divined, and used incantations, and sold themselves to do the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him, 

2Ki 17:18  so that Jehovah was very angry against Israel, and turned them away from His face; not one was left, only the tribe of Judah by itself. 

2Ki 17:19  Also Judah did not keep the commands of Jehovah their God, and they walked in the statutes of Israel that they had made. 

2Ki 17:20  And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of the plunderers, until He had cast them out from His presence. 

2Ki 17:21  For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam lured Israel from following Jehovah, and caused them to sin a great sin. 

2Ki 17:22  And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did; they did not turn aside from them; 

2Ki 17:23  until Jehovah turned away Israel from His face, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets; and Israel was exiled from off its land to Assyria to this day. 

2Ki 17:24  And the king of Assyria brought men in from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and made them live in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 

2Ki 17:25  And it happened at the beginning of their living there, they did not fear Jehovah, and Jehovah sent lions among them, and they were striking among them. 

2Ki 17:26  And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations that you have exiled and have made to live in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land, and He has sent the lions into their midst; and, behold, they are killing them, since they do not know the custom of the God of the land. 

2Ki 17:27  And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Cause one of the priests whom you removed from there to go there, and they shall go and live there; and he shall teach them the custom of the God of the land. 

2Ki 17:28  And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how they should fear Jehovah. 

2Ki 17:29  And nation by nation was making gods of their own, and putting them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, nation by nation in their cities where they lived. 

2Ki 17:30  And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth; and the men of Cuth made Nergal; and the men of Hamath made Ashima; 

2Ki 17:31  and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim. 

2Ki 17:32  So it was that they feared Jehovah, and made for themselves, of the lowest of them, priests of the high places and they sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 

2Ki 17:33  They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they exiled them. 

2Ki 17:34  To this day they do according to the former custom; they do not fear Jehovah, and do not do according to their statutes, and according to their ordinances, and according to the Law, and according to the commandment that Jehovah commanded the sons of Jacob, on whom He set His name, Israel. 

2Ki 17:35  And Jehovah made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; 

2Ki 17:36  but Jehovah who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a stretched out arm, you shall fear Him, and you shall bow yourselves to Him, and you shall sacrifice to Him; 

2Ki 17:37  and the statutes, and the judgments, and the Law, and the commandments that He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever, and you shall not fear other gods; 

2Ki 17:38  and the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, and you shall not fear other gods; 

2Ki 17:39  but you shall fear Jehovah your God, and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 

2Ki 17:40  But they did not listen, but did according to their former custom. 

2Ki 17:41  And it happened, these nations feared Jehovah, yet they served their graven images, both their sons and their sons' sons. As their fathers did, they are doing to this day. 

Verses 1-23 Summary: Hoshea reigns for nine years. Eventually, Israel falls to Assyria to king Shalmaneser. The Israelites that were not killed were moved to foreign cities. The writer is precise and exacting in the reasons for the judgements that befall Israel. The list is long, but two main recurring themes are seen. 1) Idolatry 2) Ignoring God's commands. God sums it up as them becoming "vain."  Judah does not escape God's notice in this judgement. They too have wandered from His service.

1. What lesson can we learn from verse 9? There are no "secret" sins. The unjust action of a sin must be answered/accountable. It was so out of hand that it permeated Israel. 

2. What lesson can we learn from verses 21-22? This is another recurring theme. A sin originates for a culture and they adhere to it in perpetuity. They take measures to make sure little of the truth is revealed to them to make them uncomfortable. Truth tellers are hated. It is a sickness of self-will and as God puts it, vanity.

Verses 24-41 Summary: The Assyrian king fills Samaria with foreigners. They serve idols. Because they serve idols, God sends lions to punish them. They report it to the Assyrian king. He sends a priest to teach them how to serve God. He does. They continue to serve idols. They fear God, but the serve the other idols as well.

3. Can you think of a reason why Assyria made a practice of transplanting conquered peoples to foreign lands?  It makes logistical sense. Simply overthrowing a nation would be useless if not for the riches it may bear. By moving the inhabitants, they would be enslaved in a strange land and be more manageable. Subsequent generations might even forget their heritage land and become assimilated. The transplanted  peoples into the lost land would be subject to the king that put them  there so they too are better managed as well. Taxes, products and services would now be made in the name of the new king.

4. Later, in the days of the New Testament, the descendants of the people placed in Samaria by the king of Assyria were known as Samaritans. Now, why did the Jews of Jesus' day have nothing to do with them? The Jewish tradition of tracing heritage became muddied for the northern Israelites. So many were shipped out of the region. any of those left behind would end up mingling with non-Jews. Their bloodline was "tainted." In the time of Christ, Jews had little to do in close relationships with Gentiles if at all possible. Gentiles were "unclean." Samaritan/Jewish descent was part of that unclean culture. 

Note: Samaritan Jews believed in Jehovah. They believed in the Pentateuch only, which is convenient to the cognitive dissonance required concerning their history of disobedience and subsequent rejection by Jehovah. By the time Jesus comes along, John Hycanus (Maccabean/priest) had destroyed the Samaritan temple in 120 BCE. This action solidified the rift we see during the days of the Christ.

5. What year did Israel fall to Assyria? 721BC

2nd Kings Chapter Sixteen

 Ki 16:1  In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 

2Ki 16:2  Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. 

2Ki 16:3  But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel. 

2Ki 16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 

2Ki 16:5  Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 

2Ki 16:6  At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day. 

2Ki 16:7  So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me. 

2Ki 16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. 

2Ki 16:9  And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 

2Ki 16:10  And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. 

2Ki 16:11  And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus. 

2Ki 16:12  And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon. 

2Ki 16:13  And he burnt his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar. 

2Ki 16:14  And the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of his altar. 

2Ki 16:15  And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by. 

2Ki 16:16  Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. 

2Ki 16:17  And king Ahaz cut off the panels of the bases, and removed the laver from off them, and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. 

2Ki 16:18  And the covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he unto the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Assyria. 

2Ki 16:19  Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 

2Ki 16:20  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 

Verses 1-9 Summary: Ahaz of Judah is an evil king. His idolatry included the high places and child sacrifice (*his own son). Rezin of Syria and Pekah of israel attack Judah. Ahaz pays tribute with Tiglath-pileser of Assyria for his help . The Assyrian king attacks Syria and kills Rezin. 

*Likely Molech/Moloch worship

Verses 10-20 Summary: Ahaz visits Tiglath-pileser and takes note of his altar. He commands that a similar altar to be built for himself. Then multiple other "modifications" are made of the temple implements to accommodate the foreign king. Ahaz dies and Hezekiah becomes king.

2nd Chronicles 28 (Additional facts about Ahaz): He increased Baal worship. Syria and Israel rout Judah. Hundreds of thousand of Judeans are affected by this conquering. Obed travels to Israel and delivers a curse by God against them for killing their relatives and capturing so many as slaves. Israel repents and cares for the captured and send them home. Edomites and Philistines pillage Judah. Tiglathpilsener oppresses Judah as well! 

5. What lesson can we learn from 2nd Chronicles 28:19? 
2Ch 28:19  For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.
We must first recognize the power that these kings had. They led by example first, then persuasion. Then if necessary they used force. These steps were either in accordance to God's plan, somewhere in the middle, or in the case of Ahaz, a complete disregard for Jehovah. 
Like today, people outside of his courts could respond to evil by not doing it. But if the king leads with an evil heart and you live close, it would have been difficult to resist.
Where are the priests like Jehoiada, willing to risk life and limb for God? It doesn't take long for people to forget.

2nd Kings Chapter Fifteen

 2Ki 15:1  In the twenty seventh year of Jeroboam the king of Israel Azariah the son of Amaziah the king of Judah began to reign. 

2Ki 15:2  He was a son of sixteen years when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty two years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 

2Ki 15:3  And he did the right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah did; 

2Ki 15:4  however, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. 

2Ki 15:5  And Jehovah touched the king, and he was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, and Jotham the son of the king was over the house, judging the people of the land. 

2Ki 15:6  And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

2Ki 15:7  And Azariah lay with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And his son Jotham reigned in his place. 

2Ki 15:8  In the thirty eighth year of Azariah the king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel, in Samaria, six months. 

2Ki 15:9  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as his fathers did; he did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 

2Ki 15:10  And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him before the people, and killed him, and reigned in his place. 

2Ki 15:11  And the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 

2Ki 15:12  This was the Word of Jehovah that He spoke to Jehu, saying, Your son of the fourth generation shall sit to you on the throne of Israel; and it was so. 

2Ki 15:13  Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty ninth year of Uzziah the king of Judah, and he reigned a full month in Samaria. 

2Ki 15:14  And Menahem the son of Gadi from Tirzah went up and came into Samaria and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him, and reigned in his place. 

2Ki 15:15  And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy that he conspired, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 

2Ki 15:16  Then Menahem struck Tiphsah, and all who were in it, and its borders from Tirzah, for it did not open, and he struck it; he ripped up all its pregnant women. 

2Ki 15:17  In the thirty ninth year of Azariah the king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, ten years in Samaria. 

2Ki 15:18  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, all his days. 

2Ki 15:19  Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave a thousand talents of silver to Pul, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 

2Ki 15:20  And Menahem brought out the silver from Israel, on all the mighty men of wealth, to give to the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver for each one; and the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. 

2Ki 15:21  And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

2Ki 15:22  And Menahem lay with his fathers. And his son Pekahiah reigned in his place. 

2Ki 15:23  In the fiftieth year of Azariah the king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem reigned over Israel two years in Samaria. 

2Ki 15:24  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 

2Ki 15:25  And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his general, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in the high place of the house of the king, with Argob and Arieh, and fifty men of the sons of the Gileadites with him; and he killed him and reigned in his place. 

2Ki 15:26  And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 

2Ki 15:27  In the fifty second year of Azariah the king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel, twenty years in Samaria. 

2Ki 15:28  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 

2Ki 15:29  In the days of Pekah the king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria came and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and removed them to Assyria. 

2Ki 15:30  And Hoshea the son of Elah conspired a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him, and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 

2Ki 15:31  And the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 

2Ki 15:32  In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, began to reign. 

2Ki 15:33  He was a son of twenty five years when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 

2Ki 15:34  And he did the right in the eyes of Jehovah; he did according to all that his father Uzziah did. 

2Ki 15:35  Only, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense in high places; he built the Upper Gate of the house of Jehovah. 

2Ki 15:36  And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

2Ki 15:37  In those days Jehovah began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah. 

2Ki 15:38  And Jotham lay with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. And his son Ahaz reigned in his place. 

Verses 1-7 Summary: Azariah a good king, high places still stand. He reigns 52 years. 

2nd Chronicles 26 (Additional facts about Uzziah (Azariah)): Uzziah made king in-place-of his father. He rebuilt Elath. He did right in the sight of God. Uzziah wars successfully against the Philistines and also fortifies Jerusalem. His influence (strength) is well known even into Egypt. His army was 330k+. His fortified towers included improved weaponry technology. As he became strong, he decides to burn incense in the temple. The priests oppose him and he becomes leprous on the spot.

1. What lessons can we learn from the reign of Uzziah? Like most, if not all the kings, power tends to corrupt/cloud their thinking processes. It may be understandable when you consider that they live in a constant state of knowing that opposing forces want you dead. It is not paranoia. The threat is real. The issues manifest themselves 100% of the time when they take their focus off of Jehovah (who put them there). 
Losing focus on God can and does happen to EVRYONE! That is the point of this revelation.

2. What great prophets began to write during the reign of Uzziah? Zechariah, Isaiah.

Verses 8-12 Summary: Zechariah reigns in Israel after Jeroboam (for 6 months). He is murdered by Shallum. Zechariah fulfills the promise of four generations of Jehu on the throne.

Verses 13-15 Summary: Shallum reigns for one month. Menahem murders him and takes over.

Verses 17-22 Summary: Menahem reigns ten years as a bad king (towards God). Pul of Assyria exacts payment to leave Israel alone.

NOTE: This is the first mention of Assyria within the context of the kings. During this era, the Assyrians had begun already to gain power due to it's weapon technology. Specifically, the introduction of iron into weapon making (better, cheaper, stronger than bronze). Their tactics also included engineers for digging tunnels, filling moats, building ladders etc to breach walls.

Verses 23-26 Summary: Pekahiah, son of Menahem takes over after the death of Menahem. He reigns for two years. Pekah murders him.

Verses 27-31 Summary: Pekah reigns twenty years in Israel. Hoshea murders him.

3. What should we learn from the previous list of wicked kings in Israel? It's NOT good to be king? At least not in Israel during this time. It's obvious they are not inquiring of God. It's obvious that because of so much treachery, no good, solid reign can happen.

Verses 32-38 Summary: Jotham becomes king in Judah after Uzziah. He is a good king except for the high places. Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel war with Judah. Ahaz becomes king in Judah.

2nd Chronichles 27 (Additional facts about Jotham): Except for the high places Jotham was a good king because (6) "because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God." However in verse two we read that he did not worship God (he did not go into the temple), and those that did worship in the temple did so corruptly.

NOTE: The theme recurs over and over. Good kings end up failing in one way or another, then in subsequent generations, it just gets worse. The main message to us of course is to be diligent in our focus on God and directing our children in that way.

4. Why would you think the people continued to act corruptly and seemed to be growing worse spiritually in spite of having a relatively good king like Jotham? Chronicles indicates that he himself was not predisposed to the worship of God. He failed to set an example. He also failed to pay attention to what was happening in the temple while he had authority. 

5. What great prophet began to write during the days of Jotham? Michah

2nd Kings Chapter Fourteen

 2Ki 14:1  In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz the king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash the king of Judah reigned. 

2Ki 14:2  He was a son of twenty five years when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 

2Ki 14:3  And he did the right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not like his father David; he did according to all that his father Joash did; 

2Ki 14:4  however, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 

2Ki 14:5  And it happened, when the kingdom was strong in his hand, he struck his servants, those who struck his father, the king. 

2Ki 14:6  But he did not cause to die the sons of those who struck him, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses that Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers are not to be caused to die for the sons, and the sons are not to be caused to die for the fathers, but each shall be caused to die for his own sin. 

2Ki 14:7  He struck Edom in the Valley of Salt, ten thousand, and captured the Rock by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day. 

2Ki 14:8  Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, Come, we shall look one another in the face. 

2Ki 14:9  And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah the king of Judah, saying, The thorn that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife; and a beast of the field in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn. 

2Ki 14:10  You have certainly stricken Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in it and stay in your house; and why should you stir yourself up to evil so that you may fall, you and Judah with you? 

2Ki 14:11  But Amaziah would not listen, and Jehoash the king of Israel went up; and they looked one another in the face, he and Amaziah the king of Judah, in Beth-shemesh of Judah. 

2Ki 14:12  And Judah was stricken before Israel, and they each fled to his tent. 

2Ki 14:13  And Jehoash the king of Israel caught Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, in Beth-shemesh. And they came in to Jerusalem, and he broke through the wall of Jerusalem at the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits. 

2Ki 14:14  And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and the sons of the hostages, and returned to Samaria. 

2Ki 14:15  And the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah the king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

2Ki 14:16  And Jehoash lay with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam reigned in his place. 

2Ki 14:17  And Amaziah the son of Joash the king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz the king of Israel. 

2Ki 14:18  And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

2Ki 14:19  And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; and they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 

2Ki 14:20  And they lifted him up on the horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 

2Ki 14:21  And all the people of Judah took Azariah (and he was a son of sixteen years), and they made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 

2Ki 14:22  He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. 

2Ki 14:23  In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash the king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Jehoash the king of Israel reigned in Samaria, forty one years. 

2Ki 14:24  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not turn aside from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he caused Israel to sin. 

2Ki 14:25  He restored the border of Israel from the entering in of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the Word of Jehovah the God of Israel which He spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah the prophet, the son of Amittai of Gathhepher. 

2Ki 14:26  For Jehovah had seen the affliction of Israel to be very bitter; and none was bound, and none free, and there was no helper for Israel. 

2Ki 14:27  And Jehovah had not spoken that He would blot the name of Israel from under the heavens, but saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. 

2Ki 14:28  And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, all that he did, and his might with which he fought, and with which he recovered Damascus and Hamath of Judah for Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

2Ki 14:29  And Jeroboam lay with his fathers, with the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his place. 

Verses 1-7 Summary: Amaziah becomes king in Judah after Joash. Once established, he kills the servants that killed his father. Amaziah strikes Edom. Amaziah is a good king, although he does not remove the high places.

Notes:
- Amaziah considers the Mosaical law when he dispatches his father's killers. Good.

  This act is encouraging in regards to the mindset of the king. 
- Why do we see this recurring theme of not removing the high places?
- Edom revolted under Jehoshaphat's son Joram/Jehoram in chapter eight. 

Verses 8-16 Summary: Amaziah declares war with Jehoash of Israel. Jehohash warns him, but Amaziah wars anyway and loses. Jehoash robs the temple. Jehoash passes and Jeroboam his son takes his place.

NOTE: We saw one generation before Jehoash of Israel, under Jehoahaz, a (nearly) complete dismantling of Israel's army, and yet Amaziah could not defeat them. 2nd Chronicles 17 cites upward of one million fighting men under Jehoshaphat. So here a few generations later, Judah lacks the wherewithal to claim a victory. So what happened? Why is God favoring Israel?

Verses 17-22 Summary: Amaziah of Judah dies and the people make Azariah king. Amaziah was hunted down and killed.

2nd Chronicles 25 (Additional facts about Amaziah): Amaziah lacked a perfect heart. Amaziah's army was 300,000 chosen plus 100,000 mercenaries of Israel (Ephriam). A holy man tells Amaziah not to use the Israelite forces. Amaziah sends back the Israelites and they are fuming over it. Amaziah conquers Edom in the Valley of Salt. The Ephraim troops run a *looting campaign, killing three thousand and taking much plunder. Amaziah takes the idols from Edom and worships them. God sends a prophet to speak against Amaziah. Amaziah challenges Israel and loses. Because of his idolatry, Amaziah is killed.

2. What Lesson can we learn from 2nd Chronicles 25:7-10? Amaziah is warned by the man of God NOT to ally with Israel. His first thought is "what about the money I've spent?" This is a revelation of heart. It also reveals that he did not inquire of God before this action. Jehoash recognizes Amaziah's overconfidence immediately. It may have been power that was Amaziah's undoing. In my mind, all kings are to be compared to David and how he responds to his acknowledgement of sin.
Christianity fixes this issue. 

3. How was Amaziah like his father? The lure of idolatry was just too great. The holy man said it best "Why have you sought the gods of the people that have not delivered their people out of your hand?" His father Joash did the same and worse by killing the son of Jehoiada, the very man that saved his life.

*NOTE: In 2nd Chronicles, the Ephraim army plundered cities of JUDAH from Samaria to Beth-horon. These noted cities are from Ephraim northward, none in what would be considered Judah. Jehoash of Israel breaks down the wall of Jerusalem at the gate of Ephraim (also known as the gate of Benjamin). This gate was the northern most entry to Jerusalem.

The action of sending back an army would deprive them of any spoils, which may have been part of the reason for their anger. The cities plundered were Judah's realm. How the cities from Samaria to Beth-horon figures into the story is up for interpretation. It may be that they were part of the war that was incited by Amaziah's overconfidence. 
The bottom line for me is that Jehoshaphat's million-man army has depleted over the years. Syria's depletion of Israel's forces was likely limited to the eastern sector tribes (east of the Jordan river). God is not happy with either side.
Even the good kings can't seem to maintain a good standing. What is God telling us?

Verses 23-29 Summary: Jeroboam succeeds Jehoash of Israel. He is an evil king. God takes pity on Israel and they take back some territory.

4. What do we know about the work of Jonah? Jonah was the reluctant prophet of God sent to Nineveh. He was to preach to them so they could repent. He tries to run away, was swallowed by a fish, then end up doing his duty. The city repents, and he is not happy about it.

5. What do we know about the Nation of Assyria and the city of Nineveh at this time? We know that Assyria is becoming more influential/powerful in the region. Eventually, Assyria conquers Israel. As was typical for the day, powerful nations had no qualms with using extreme violence to terrorize and/or overthrow neighboring nations. Assyria was right in the thick of it. Nineveh was a large idolatrous city. It took three days walk through it. Because of the Assyrians' violent nature and idolatry, Jonah would disobey God when told to go there to preach to them.

2nd Kings Chapter Thirteen

 2Ki 13:1  In the twenty third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, the king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu reigned over Israel, in Samaria, seventeen years. 

2Ki 13:2  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and went after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn aside from it. 

2Ki 13:3  And the anger of Jehovah glowed against Israel, and He gave them into the hand of Hazael the king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all the days. 

2Ki 13:4  And Jehoahaz sought the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah listened to him, for He saw the oppression of Israel; for the king of Syria had oppressed them. 

2Ki 13:5  And Jehovah gave a deliverer to Israel, and they went out from under the hand of Syria, and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as before. 

2Ki 13:6  Only, they did not turn aside from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin; he walked in it, and also the Asherah remained in Samaria. 

2Ki 13:7  For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any of the people except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like dust by threshing. 

2Ki 13:8  And the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

2Ki 13:9  And Jehoahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Joash reigned in his place. 

2Ki 13:10  In the thirty seventh year of Joash the king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz reigned over Israel, in Samaria, sixteen years. 

2Ki 13:11  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not turn aside from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he walked in it. 

2Ki 13:12  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might with which he fought with Amaziah the king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

2Ki 13:13  And Joash lay with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 

2Ki 13:14  And Elisha had become sick with his illness in which he died; and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept on his face, and said, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen! 

2Ki 13:15  And Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows. And he took bow and arrows to himself. 

2Ki 13:16  And he said to the king of Israel, Cause your hand to ride on the bow. And he caused his hand to ride. And Elisha placed his hand on the hands of the king, 

2Ki 13:17  and said, Open the window eastward. And he opened. And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of deliverance of Jehovah, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians in Aphek, until it is finished. 

2Ki 13:18  And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them up. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike the earth. And he struck three times, and stopped. 

2Ki 13:19  And the man of God was angry with him, and said, By striking five or six times, then you would have stricken Syria until it was finished; but now, you shall strike Syria three times. 

2Ki 13:20  And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of Moab came into the land, at the beginning of the year; 

2Ki 13:21  and it happened, they were burying a man; and, behold, they saw the band, and threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And the man fell and touched the bones of Elisha, and came alive, and rose on his feet. 

2Ki 13:22  And Hazael the king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 

2Ki 13:23  And Jehovah was gracious to them, and pitied them, and turned toward them, for the sake of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and was not willing to destroy them, nor to cast them out from His presence as yet. 

2Ki 13:24  And Hazael the king of Syria died, and his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place. 

2Ki 13:25  And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz returned and took the cities out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael that he had taken out of the hand of his father Jehoahaz in battle. Jehoash struck him three times, and he brought back the cities of Israel. 

Verses 1-9 Summary: Jehoahaz take over Jehu's throne in Israel. Israel's armed forced are all but obliterated by Syria. The Israelites are so conquered they end up living in tents. Jehoahaz asks God for a deliverer and God supplies one but for all intents and purposes, Israel is dead as a fighting nation.

1. Why would God answer Jehoahaz when he pleaded for deliverance seeing that he had not departed from the calf worship begun by Jeroboam? God took pity on the nation. They were being oppressed and some of the citizens (remnant) were still faithful. See also verse 23: God is very much attached to His people and the promises he made going back to Abraham.

NOTE: If ALL of Israel became nomadic, this is a fatal blow to the nation. (Update: "living in tents" may indicate a time of peace. Some versions render the saying as "living in homes." This is technically incorrect since the word means tents. However, the overall meaning is likely closer to indicating a time of peace. Also, one may consider that the nomadic tribes that did exist didn't need to flee to the fortified cities for safety (another way of expressing peacetime). 

Verses 10-13 Summary: Jehoash/Joash becomes king after Jehoahaz. He reigns sixteen years, dies and is buried. Jeroboam, his son take over. 

NOTE: Just like that, now we are into the final generation of the house of Jehu.

Verses 14-21 Summary: Elisha is sick and Joash visits him. Elisha promises a deliverer form Jehovah, then asks Joash to strike the ground. He strikes it three times. Elisha tells him he should have struck it more so that he could have victory over Syria. With his three strikes, he would only realize partial victory. Elisha dies and is being buried. A band Moabite of marauders are spotted and they throw another dead guy onto Elisha. The dead guy raises from the death.  

Note: Elisha's death goes back to Joash's reign (Jeroboam stated to take over (13)). 

Verses 22-25 Summary: Jehoash Jehoahaz's son has some victory against Syria.

NOTE: Verse 23- What must we realize about our God here? 'for the sake of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and was not willing to destroy them"
We see a very dedicated Jehovah here, practicing extreme patience, love and mercy.

2nd Kings Chapter Twelve

 2Ki 12:1  Joash reigned in the seventh year of Jehu. And he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. 

2Ki 12:2  And Joash did that which was good in the eyes of Jehovah all his days in which Jehoiada the priest guided him; 

2Ki 12:3  only, the high places were not destroyed; the people still sacrificed and offered incense in high places. 

2Ki 12:4  And Joash said to the priests, All the silver of the devoted things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, the silver coming over, each man the silver of his valuation, all the silver that comes upon any man's heart to bring into the house of Jehovah, 

2Ki 12:5  even the priests shall take to themselves, each man from his friend; and they shall repair the breach of the house, in all places where a breach may be found. 

2Ki 12:6  And it happened, in the twenty third year of King Joash, that the priests had not repaired the breach of the house. 

2Ki 12:7  And King Joash called to Jehoiada the priest, and the priests, and said to them, Why have you not repaired the breach of the house? And now, do not receive any silver from your friends, but give it for the breach of the house. 

2Ki 12:8  And the priests consented not to receive silver from the people, nor to strengthen the breach of the house. 

2Ki 12:9  And Jehoiada the priest took a chest and cut a hole in its lid, and put it near the altar, on the right side, as one comes into the house of Jehovah, and the priests who kept the door put in it all the silver brought into the house of Jehovah. 

2Ki 12:10  And it happened, when they saw that the silver in the chest was plentiful, that a scribe of the king, and the high priest went up, and they bound it up, and counted the silver found in the house of Jehovah. 

2Ki 12:11  And they weighed silver into the hands of those doing the work, those overseeing the house of Jehovah; and they gave it, weighed it out, to the craftsmen in wood, and to the builders who were working on the house of Jehovah, 

2Ki 12:12  and to the masons, and the stone cutters, and to buy wood and cut stone to strengthen the breach of the house of Jehovah; and for all that went out on the house, to make it strong. 

2Ki 12:13  However, there were not made for the house of Jehovah basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold or vessels of silver, of the silver brought into the house of Jehovah; 

2Ki 12:14  for they gave it to those doing the work, and they made strong the house of Jehovah with it. 

2Ki 12:15  And they did not reckon with the men into whose hand they gave the silver, to give to those doing the work, for they were dealing with faithfulness. 

2Ki 12:16  And the guilt offering silver and the sin offering silver was not brought into the house of Jehovah, for it was the priests'. 

2Ki 12:17  Then Hazael the king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and captured it; and Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. 

2Ki 12:18  And Joash the king of Judah took all the dedicated things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own dedicated things, and all the gold found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and sent to Hazael the king of Syria; and he went away from Jerusalem. 

2Ki 12:19  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

2Ki 12:20  And his servants rose up and made a conspiracy and killed Joash in the house of Millo, which goes down to Silla. 

2Ki 12:21  For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him; and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place. 

Verses 1-16, 2nd Chronicles 24:1-14 Summary:  Joash confronts Jehoiada and the priests for taking money and not rebuilding damages to the temple. Jehoiada takes up a collection and they begin the work. The workman are trustworthy and are not required to show accounting.
2nd Chron.: Joash given two wives. Joash leverages the tax as a "levy from Moses" to encourage the priests. Baal priests had broken into the house and had used the holy implements for Baal worship. There is a proclamation sent through the land for the people to pay the levy. They do it cheerfully. The king and Jehoiada administer payments. After repairing the temple, holy utensils are made. Offerings are made continually during the life of Jehoiada.

4. Why did the temple need repairing? In this context, it looks like Baal priests had vandalized the temple.
Also: The temple's holy implements were used by king Asa as payment to the Syrians to fight Baasha (1Kings 15). During the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak of Egypt sacked the temple implements and golden shields Solomon had made (1Kings 14). 2nd Chronicles 21: We find judgment against Jehoram of Judah. Philistines, and southern Arabians sack the house of Jehoram. With these victories, it is unlikely the temple went untouched.

NOTE: Did you question why the money collected thus far was not used? Why did they start a new collection? On the surface it seems a little shaky. Twenty-three years and no repairs. Where did the money go? One thing that cannot be questioned (to me) is Jehoiada's faithfulness to God, so the stealing of temple funds was unlikely. Many commentators characterize this neglect as stealing. What seems as likely is that the funds were just enough to fund the priests and there was little left over. Priests did not hold land and as such, depended on grazing rights, sacrifices and donations for their living. Priests in Jerusalem would have little in the way of making a living. 
The fact that it took twenty-three years to this point does raise some questions. What lessons might we learn from this?

Verses 17-21 Summary: Hazael threatens Jerusalem. Joash responds by giving Hazael all the "dedicated things," and gold in the temple and his house. Eventually, two of Joash's servant murder him.

2nd Chronicles 24:15-27 (The amazing apostacy of Joash): Jehoiada dies. He is buried with David. Princes and other leaders confer with Joash to apostacy. They turn their backs on God and commit idolatry. God sends prophets to warn them but they do not listen.  Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada confronts Joash with his sin and the king has Zechariah stoned on the spot. Zechariah claims "Jehovah shall seek you out" as he is dying. Syria sacks Jerusalem and God has Syria rout Judah. They plunder the nation quite easily since God was turned away from. Because of his treachery against Zechariah, Joash's own servants murder him. Joash is buried in the city, but not with the kings.

5. What lesson do we learn from Jehoiada? In my mind the big lesson is revealed by the heart of Joash. Joash was rescued by Jehoiada. Jehoiada was a faithful servant who sought after God and his influence saved the lineage of David. (think....JESUS!)

Jehoiada was in the right place at the right time. God's promise of David's lineage was existentially threatened. Jehoiada was married to the king's daughter. Though not a warrior, he acted like one by usurping Athaliah's treachery. He risked his life for Joash.
It took little persuasion for Joash to turn against Zechariah and totally disrespect the grace and mercy afforded to him by Jehoiada. (That's why it must have seemed justifiable to murder Joash) 

6. What lessons can we learn from the apostacy of Joash? At aged forty-seven, you'd hope Joash was solid. He followed the directives of Jehoiada, but in the end, preferred idolatry, his "friends" and perhaps being "popular and new." Nothing really new. At least he had the decency to listen to Jehoiada. In the end, his cowardly heart was revealed.