2 Kings continues the story from 1 Kings. It is a story of the downward spiral of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. In the northern kingdom of Israel, the kings obstinately lead the kingdom in idolatry, starting with “the sin of Jeroboam.” Even the good kings do not remove the two golden calves Jeroboam created. Israel is in steady decline until they are conquered by the Assyrians. Judah was somewhat better. They had two righteous kings, Hezekiah and Josiah. They passed reforms and tried to lead the people away from idolatry and to Yahweh. Yet these reforms were short-lived. As soon as each of them died, a wicked ruler reestablished idolatrous worship, child sacrifice, and witchcraft. Due to this, Judah is also overtaken by a foreign power. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sieged Jerusalem and destroyed in. He burned the temple and tore down Jerusalem’s walls. Most of the people of Judah were taken into Babylon, but the poorest remained. A small group of these went to Egypt.

A large section of the book is taken by the prophet Elisha. Elijah was taken away in a chariot of fire, leaving Elisha to take up his role. Elisha performed many miracles in the first half of the book, culminating in the revival of a dead man when he is tossed into Elisha’s grave. Ultimately, despite the work of the prophets in Israel and Judah, both kingdoms rejected Yahweh, turned to idolatry and sin, and were overtaken by foreign nations.

The people of Israel had been given explicit instructions to worship Yahweh and not to worship other false gods or idols. Yet both kingdoms began to do exactly what they had been commanded not to do. God sent prophets like Elijah and Elisha, as well as many others, to both kingdoms to call them back to God. The kings of Israel hated these prophets and tried to kill them. Israel became exceedingly wicked until they were destroyed by Assyria. The people of Judah only did a little bit better. They had two righteous kings named Josiah and Hezekiah that listened to the prophets and the Word of God. They led the people to follow God, but after they died, the kings after them led the people back to worshiping idols. They practiced witchcraft and even killed their own children in honor of these false gods! Therefore, God allowed them to be overtaken by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Most of the people of Judah were either killed or taken to Babylon, but the poorest people stayed in Judah. Some of those decided to go to Egypt and were never heard from again.

Yahweh had given an incredible offer to the Israelites. He told them that they would be His people and He would be their God (Ex. 19:5-6). The Israelites heard God’s terms and agreed to be obedient to God (Ex. 24:7). Yet the history of the Israelites demonstrated their unfaithfulness to this commitment. They left God to worship false gods and disobeyed His commandments. They were repeatedly warned that they would go into exile if they did not repent and obey God. Their sins earned them suffering, hardship, and bondage. God was not harsh or unloving. He sent the prophets to turn Israel and Judah back to Him, but they persisted in their sin. Scripture tells us that we have all sinned (several Scriptures could be placed here). Our sin earns each of us suffering, hardship, and bondage to sin and death. Through Jesus we are freed of this bondage to sin. We will be freed from suffering and hardship, not in this life, but for all eternity. Praise God for His steadfast love! Praise Jesus for His atoning death!