God’s people are captured and exiled to a foreign land.
The Lord’s intention when He rescued His people from slavery in Egypt was that they would dwell in the land He had promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier, forever serving Him and obeying His commands. But within a generation of Joshua’s passing, the people lived according to their own desires, rejecting God’s law (Judg. 2:7–15). Although the nation experienced seasons of spiritual renewal under the rule of the judges and the united monarchy of David and Solomon, the Book of 1 Kings traces the decline and fracture of Israel into two distinct domains, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Each kingdom was led by its own series of kings, whose leadership often caused more harm than good.
As the people drifted further from God’s purposes, He used natural disasters, foreign invasions, civil wars, and prophetic messages to warn them of their impending judgment. If the people refused to return to obedience, God would allow them to be taken into captivity in a foreign land. The coming Exile would temporarily reverse the Exodus, sending God’s people back into bondage.
In 722 B.C. the Assyrians captured Samaria, capital of Israel, and deported many of the nation’s inhabitants to Mesopotamia (2 Kin. 17:1–18), bringing the northern kingdom to an end. Judah survived only a few generations longer. Several kings of Judah were faithful to the Lord, but the kingdom ultimately faltered in its commitment to God. Despite the warnings of numerous prophets, the people continued to practice idolatry and live in blatant disregard of God’s goodness and sovereignty. The reign of Manasseh, who was reported to have committed greater evils than the notoriously cruel Canaanites, was an exceptionally low point for Judah (21:1–9). Judah followed the northern kingdom into captivity (21:10–15) in 587 B.C. when the Babylonians sieged, pillaged, and burnt Jerusalem to the ground (25:1–21).
As we read the account of Israel’s slow and steady decline, culminating in the terrible loss and devastation of the Exile, we are compelled to consider the consequences of our actions and the necessity of heeding any red flags in our own lives when we are on a path toward destruction. Just as God offered the Israelites ample opportunities to come back to Him, we are likewise not without hope of preventing some of our greatest miseries if only we accept the opportunity to turn away from actions that lead to tragic consequences.
Originally, 1 and 2 Kings were one book (see the introduction to 1 Kings), covering about four hundred years of history. Because the final event mentioned in 2 Kings is the captivity of Judah after the Babylonian conquest, the book must have been compiled by an unknown author or editor sometime after 587 B.C. The events of this book take place in Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations—from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sheba to the south and west, and Phoenicia, Syria, and Mesopotamia to the north and east (see the maps at “The Cedar Trade” at 1 Kin. 7:2; “Ophir” at 1 Kin. 9:28; and “The Three Campaigns of the Assyrians” at 2 Kin. 15:29).
Key People in 2 Kings
• Elisha, successor to the prophet Elijah; he asked to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, likely an allusion to the law of inheritance (2 Kin. 2:1).
• The Shunammite woman, a resident of the Mount Carmel region rewarded for extending hospitality to Elisha (2 Kin. 4:8).
• Naaman, a Syrian general who followed the advice of his wife’s Israelite servant girl and visited Elisha; his leprosy was cured after he washed in the Jordan River seven times (2 Kin. 5:1).
• Jehonadab, a man who joined in destroying the descendants of King Ahab and suppressing the worship of Baal (2 Kin. 10:15–17, 23–28).
• Athaliah, the evil queen of Judah who tried to kill all the heirs to the throne so she could rule the nation (2 Kin. 11:1).
• Joash, the boy king of Judah who carried out spiritual reforms until his mentor died; he then turned from God (2 Kin. 12:1).
• Jonah, the prophet best known for his encounter with the great fish (Jon. 1); he appears in 2 Kings ministering to the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kin. 14:25).
• Uzziah, a king struck with leprosy after committing a sin similar to Saul’s unlawful sacrifice (2 Kin. 15:1–5).
• Sennacherib, a king of Assyria who sent troops to besiege Jerusalem; their sudden retreat fulfilled a promise made by God (2 Kin. 18:13—19:37).
• Jehoiachin, next-to-last king of Judah, regarded by his captors as the true king in exile (2 Kin. 25:27–30).
Key Events in 2 Kings
• Elijah rides to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kin. 2:1–15).
• Elisha raises a boy from the dead (2 Kin. 4:18–37).
• Naaman is healed of leprosy (2 Kin. 5:19).
• An ax head floats (2 Kin. 6:1–7).
• The northern kingdom of Israel is captured and taken into exile by the Assyrians (2 Kin. 17:1–18).
• Babylonian envoys visit King Hezekiah (2 Kin. 20).
• The Book of the Law is found during repairs to the temple (2 Kin. 22).
• Jerusalem is captured and the southern kingdom of Judah is taken into exile by the Babylonians (2 Kin. 25).