2 Kings 21

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Reigns of Manasseh and Amon, Evil Kings of Judah

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Godliness is not genetic.

  2. Ungodliness is natural.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Set up godly patterns.

QUESTIONS

  1. What miracle did God perform at the end of 2 Kings 20?

  2. Did Hezekiah use the remainder of his life to the glory of God?

  3. Which of the kings of Israel or Judah had the longest reign?

  4. Which king was the most wicked of all the kings of Judah?

  5. List some of the sins of evil King Manasseh.

  6. Godliness is not genetic, but is ungodliness?

ANSWERS

  1. God graciously raised King Hezekiah up from his deathbed and gave him 15 more years to live, in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer.

  2. No, during this time Hezekiah foolishly showed off the temple treasures to a delegate of Babylonian officials. The Lord rebuked Hezekiah and told him that the Babylonians would return and take these temple treasures to Babylon along with Judean captives. It was also during these years that Hezekiah’s son Manasseh was born.

  3. King Manasseh

  4. King Manasseh

  5. Idolatry, child sacrifice, witchcraft, divination, and the occult. Reliable Jewish tradition says that it was Manasseh who killed Isaiah by sawing his body in half. Manasseh not only did great wickedness himself, but he led the whole nation of Judah into further evil in the sight of the Lord.

  6. In a sense, yes. The Bible teaches that the sinful nature which we all possess is passed on naturally – from parents to children. As a result, we are not only sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners by nature.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Godliness is not genetic. We see from the life of King Manasseh that Hezekiah’s righteousness did not guarantee that his children would be godly. So as parents, what are we to do? While we can not ensure godliness, how can we steer our children in that direction?

  2. It is not a popular concept to say that mankind is by nature ungodly, but this is what the Bible teaches. And if we are honest, we certainly see this to be true in life. Discuss some of the ways that evil is checked and restrained in society. Yet only God can change our natural bent toward evil.

CHALLENGE

  1. Because ungodliness is natural, we need to set up godly patterns and habits in our lives to keep us from forsaking the Lord. What godly habit can you begin or recommit to this week?

KEY VERSES

  • “And [Manasseh] did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.” 2 Kings 21:2

  • “So [Amon] walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them.” 2 Kings 21:21


2 Kings, Old Testament, TalksRon Reid2 KINGS 21