2 Kings 15:1-15

< Back to 2 Kings Index


TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Reigns of Azariah, Zechariah, and Shallum

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God disciplines believers for their evil deeds.

  2. God records the evil deeds of unbelievers.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Let’s learn to love the phrase, “And so it was.”

QUESTIONS

  1. How is it that Azariah had such a long reign?

  2. What were the “high places”?

  3. Why did the Lord strike King Uzziah with leprosy?

  4. What city was the capital of the northern kingdom of Samaria?

  5. What is “the Chronicles of the kings of Israel”?

ANSWERS

  1. When we put the biblical data together, we find that for 23 years of his 52 year reign Azariah co-reigned with his father Amaziah.

  2. They were not places where foreign gods were being worshipped, but where the Lord was being worshipped with sacrifices and incense. However, they were not the Temple in Jerusalem where all sacrifices were to take place according to the Law.

  3. We know from 2 Chronicles that Uzziah’s leprosy was discipline from the Lord because Uzziah’s heart was lifted up with pride and he tried to take on the role of a priest.

  4. Samaria

  5. This is not a reference to 1 or 2 Chronicles in the Bible, which were written after the books of Kings and only cover the kings of Judah. The Chronicles of the kings of Israel mentioned here are a different record, which has not survived to this day.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. 1. Discuss God’s discipline of believers. Discuss why the Lord sometimes disciplines with sickness and even death.

  2. 2. Although “the Chronicles of the kings of Israel” are not around today, God has a record of the evil deeds of the kings. In fact the evil deeds of all unbelievers are recorded. See Revelation 20:11-15. Why do you think God keeps a record of these deeds?

CHALLENGE

  1. There are many prophesies in God’s Word that are yet to be fulfilled. You can be confident that they will be fulfilled – just as God’s Word says. And when they are fulfilled we will rejoice and say, “And so it was.”

KEY VERSES

  • “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” 2 Kings 15:3-4

  • “This was the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, ‘Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.’ And so it was.” 2 Kings 15:12

2 Kings, Old Testament, TalksRon Reid2 KINGS 15:1-15