What I Noticed Today (2 Kings 14-15)
2 Kings 14 and 15 record the reigns of several kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings 14
In verses 1-14, Amaziah, son of Joash began to reign in Judah in the second year of Jehoash, king of Israel.
- Amaziah was 25 years old when he became kings, and he ruled 29 years in Jerusalem (790-767 B.C.).
- He was a good king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
- But he failed to remove the high places and allowed the people to continue to make sacrifices there.
- Amaziah won a major military victory over the Edomites.
- After that, he challenged Jehoash, king of Israel. The king of Israel warned him not to come up against him, but Amaziah didn't listen. Amaziah lost the battle. Jehoash broke down a major section of the wall at Jerusalem and plundered the gold and silver in the house of the Lord and the king's house.
In verses 15-16, Jehoash, king of Israel died and his son, Jeroboam ruled in his place. He was a bad king doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.
In verses 17-21, 15 years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash, a conspiracy rose up against Amaziah king of Judah. Amaziah was killed and his son, Azariah, ruled in his place. Azariah was 16-years old when he became king.
In verses 23-29, Jeroboam II became king of Israel in the 15th year of Amaziah king of Judah. Jeroboam II reigned in Samaria for a total of 41 years.
Note: Jeroboam II served as coregent with his father, Jehoash for nine years (793 – 782B.C.) and reigned as sole king until 753 B.C.
- Jeroboam II was an evil king. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam I.
- Jeroboam II was able to restore the borders of Israel to those similar to what existed in the time of Solomon.
- Jeroboam died and his son, Zechariah, reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15
In verses 1-7, Azariah became king of Judah in the 27th year of Israel’s King Jeroboam II (767 B.C.).
Note: Azariah means “Yahweh has helped.” He is also known as Uzziah, which means “Yahweh is my strength.”
- Azariah was a good king doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, except that he did not remove the high places and continued to allow the people to make sacrifices there.
- The Lord touched him and made him a leper the rest of his life. His son, Jotham, governed the people of Judah.
- When Azariah died, Jotham reigned in his place.
In verses 8-12, Zechariah, son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel in the 38th year of Judah’s Kings Azariah.
- Zechariah was a bad king doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Shallum, son of Jabesh, conspired against the king, killed him, and ruled in his place.
- This fulfilled God's promise to Jehu that one of his heirs would sit on the throne of Israel for four generations.
In verses 13-15, Shallum reigned in Israel for only one month before Menahem, son of Gadi, killed him in the 39th year of Judah’s King Azariah (Uzziah) and became king in his place.
In verses 16-22, Menahem became king over Israel in the 39th year of Judah’s King Azariah, and he reigned 10-years in Samaria.
- Menahem destroyed the city of Tiphsah, even killing all the pregnant women.
- He was a bad king, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Pul, king of Assyria, invaded the land and Menahem gave him 75,000 pounds of silver to support him and strengthen his hold on Israel. To raise the money, Menahem taxed each of the wealthy men of Israel 20-ounces of silver.
- After Menahem died his son, Pekahiah, reigned over Israel in his place.
In verses 23-26, in the 50th year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekahiah became king in Israel. He reigned two years in Samaria (742-740 B.C.). Pekahiah was a bad king who did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Pekahiah’s officer, Pekah conspired against him and killed him in the king’s palace in Samaria in 732 B.C. and became king in his place.
Note: Pekahiah also killed two men named Argob and Arieh. We don’t know exactly who these men were, but they may have been princes, heirs to the throne.
In verses 27-3,1 in the 52nd year of Judah’s King Azariah Pekah became king in Israel, and he reigned 20 years.
- Pekah was a bad king, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria attacked Israel and captured cities in northern Israel and deported the people to Assyria.
- Hoshea, son of Elah, conspired against the king, killed him, and reigned in his place in the 20th year of Jotham king of Judah.
In verses 32-38, in the second year of Pekah king of Israel, Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah began to reign in Jerusalem.
- He was 25-years old when he became king and reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem.
- He was a good king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, except that he did not remove the high places and he allowed the people to continue to make sacrifices there.
- Jotham died and Ahaz, his son, reigned in his place.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- King Ahaziah started out well, obeying God, but with the success of the military victory, pride came into his life, and that pride cost him and the people of Judah dearly when they lost the battle and all their treasures to the Israelites.
- We need to keep our eyes on the Lord and be faithful to follow him and beware lest pride enter into our lives, causing us to go places and do things we should not!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
