Chronological Bible Study – July 8
What I Noticed Today (2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26)
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 for 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 27-31, 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!
2 Chronicles 26
In verses 1-5, Amaziah’s son, Uzziah, reigned in his place.
- Uzziah became king of Judah when he was 16-years old, and he reigned 52 years from Jerusalem.
Note: Uzziah was the tenth king of Judah and was a good king. He was called Azariah in 2 Kings 15.
- Uzziah rebuilt the seaport city of Eloth, which allowed Judah to increase trade.
- He did right in the eyes of the Lord as long as the prophet Zechariah was alive, and the Lord prospered him.
In verses 6-8, when Uzziah went into battle, the Lord helped him against the Philistines, Arabians, and Meunites.
- The Ammonites gave tribute money to Uzziah, and his fame spread all the way to Egypt.
In verses 9-15, Uzziah rebuilt the Jerusalem city wall and the towers and fortified them.
- He built cisterns to help provide water to farmers and built up herds of animals.
- He built up the army and built up military machinery to help defend the city.
In verses 16-23, however, as Uzziah became strong, he wasn’t satisfied with just being king and decided to take on the role of the priests by offering incense in the temple.
- Azariah, the priest, along with the other priests, stopped him, but the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy.
- Uzziah lived the rest of his life isolated from the Lord’s temple because of his leprosy.
- Uzziah died and was buried in the king’s cemetery, and his son Jotham became king in his place.