Macarthur - 2 Kings

MacArthur Bible Studies

2 Kings: The Fall of Israel and Judah

2016 by John MacArthur

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Some material from the Introduction, Keys to the Text and Exploring the Meaning sections taken from The MacArthur Bible Commentary, John MacArthur, Copyright 2005 Thomas Nelson Publishers.

ISBN 978-07180-3476-4

ISBN 978-07180-3489-4 (eBook)

First Printing April 2016

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CONTENTS

T he nation of Israel began as one unified state composed of twelve tribes of Gods chosen people living in the Promised Land. Under King David, the nation had vanquished its enemies and found the blessing that God had promised them. But all that changed when Davids son Solomon added pagan elements to the proper worship of the Lord and led Israel away from Gods Word. God responded to this sin by dividing the nation in two.

The Lord left ten tribes in the north (who retained the name Israel) and two in the south (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who called themselves Judah). Israel would go on to experience a long line of ungodly kings, with each monarch seemingly more sinful than his predecessor. Judah, meanwhile, retained the line of David, and while that kingdom also experienced evil rulers, there were a number who followed in Davids footsteps. In the midst of these tumultuous times, God sent prophets to both Israel and Judah, pleading with His people to turn away from their sin and return to fellowship with Him.

The books of Kings cover a period of more than 400 years, and during those years, as one would expect, there were great fluctuations in world power. Egypt and Assyria wrestled back and forth for dominance, until both were eventually overshadowed by Babylon (modern-day Iraq). Babylon itself would later be overshadowed by Persia (modern-day Iran). Ultimately, when the time of judgment arrived for Gods people, the Lord would use Assyria to conquer Israel and Babylon to conquer Judah. In this way, both kingdoms came to an inglorious end.

In these twelve studies, we will examine the reign of kings depicted in the book of 2 Kings and witness the events that led to the demise of Israel and Judah. We will look at the godly reigns of some of Judahs kings (such as Jehoshaphat, Jehoash, and Hezekiah) and the wicked reigns of some of Israels kings during its last days. We will also examine some of the individuals who stood against the idolatry that polluted Israelprophets such as Elisha and priests such as Jehoiadawho stayed true to Gods Word at risk of their own lives.

Through it all, we will learn some precious truths about the character of God, and we will see His great faithfulness in keeping His promises. We will learn, in short, what it means to follow God wholeheartedly and walk by faith.

TITLE

First and Second Kings were considered one book in the earliest Hebrew manuscripts. They were later divided into two books by the translators of the Greek version, known as the Septuagint. This division was later followed by the Latin Vulgate, English translations, and modern Hebrew Bibles. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts titled the one book Kings, after the first word in verse 1. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings combined represent a chronicle of the entire history of Judahs and Israels kingship from Saul to Zedekiah.

AUTHOR AND DATE

Jewish tradition proposed that Jeremiah wrote Kings. However, this is unlikely because Jeremiah never went to Babylon where the final event of the book takes place, and the date this event took place (561 BC) would have made him at least eighty-six years old at the time. Based on the fact 1 and 2 Kings emphasize the ministry of prophets, it seems likely it was written by an unnamed prophet who lived during the exile. The evidence seems to point to a single author living in Babylon who drew from pre-exilic source materials to complete the books.

The last narrated event in 2 Kings 25:2730 sets the earliest possible date of completion, and because there is no record of the end of the Babylonian captivity in Kings, the Israelites release from exile identifies the latest possible writing date. This sets the date for the works between 561538 BC. This date is sometimes challenged on the basis of the to this day statements throughout the books, but it is best to understand these as coming from sources the author used rather than by the author himself.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

The action in 1 and 2 Kings takes place in the whole land of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, including the Transjordan. The author tells of four invading nations who played a dominant role in the affairs of Israel and Judah from 971 to 561 BC. The first was Egypt, who impacted Israels history during the tenth century BC. The second was Syria (Aram), who posed a threat during the ninth century BC. The third was Assyria, who terrorized Palestine from the mid-eighth century to the late seventh century BC and ultimately destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. The fourth was Babylon, who became the dominant power from 612 to 539 BC. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, carrying the people of Judah into captivity.

The author of Kings, an exile in Babylon, wrote the book to communicate the lessons of Israels historyfrom the ascension of Solomon in 971 BC to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCto the Jews living in exile. To accomplish this, he traced the histories of two sets of kings and two nations of disobedient peopleIsrael and Judahto show how the people grew indifferent to Gods law and His prophets. The sad reality he reveals is that all the kings of Israel and the majority of the kings of Judah were apostates who led their people into idolatry. Because of the kings failure, God sent His prophets to confront the people with their sin. When this message was rejected, the people were ultimately carried into exile.

HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL THEMES

The book of 2 Kings begins with the reign of King Ahaziah in Israel and King Joram/Jehoram in Judah and concludes with the decline and fall of both kingdoms. Each king is introduced with (1) his name and relation to his predecessor, (2) his date of accession, (3) his age in coming to the throne (for kings of Judah only), (4) his length of reign, (5) his place of reign, (6) his mothers name (for Judah only), and (7) the authors spiritual appraisal of his reign. This introduction is followed by a narration of the events that occurred during the reign of each king. Each reign is concluded with (1) a citation of sources, (2) additional historical notes, (3) notice of death, (4) notice of burial, (5) the name of the successor, and (6) in a few instances, an added postscript.