The gate in today’s background photo is flanked on either side by imposing heads of stern-looking statuary. No doubt prominent, influential heads-of-state back in their day.
And so, just as the imposing head-statuary stretches away on either side of today’s gate, so also we see stretched out before us, in the book of 2 Kings, the kingly heads of the divided nation of Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south) … one ungodly king, after another, after another.
In total, the northern kingdom of Israel had 19 kings … not one of which was godly. Every single king refused to follow God.
In the southern kingdom of Judah there were a total of 20 kings (19 kings & 1 queen) … out of which only 8 followed and obeyed God.
The book of 2 Kings is an account of willful persistent sin.
However … 2 Kings is also an account of God’s faithfulness. Over and over, God faithfully kept placing His prophets in front of the wicked kings to warn them that disobedience results in consequences!
* God sent, to the northern kingdom of Israel, the prophets: Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Amos, and Hosea.
* To the southern kingdom of Judah, God sent the prophets: Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah.
These were strong, faithful, godly prophets! They warned of doom & judgement! Disobedience results in consequences!!
However, the kings … one after another … after another … after another … chose to continue in their willful persistent sin.
Disobedience results in consequences!!
Judgement came! At the close of the book of 2 Kings both the northern kingdom of Israel, as well as the southern kingdom of Judah were conquered by foreign nations and carried off into captivity.
“The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from His presence, as He had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile.” – 2 Kings 17:22-23
Job 4:8 – “Those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.”
Galatians 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction;”
Proverbs 13:15 – “The way of the transgressor is hard.”
Jesus Christ can be seen in 2 Kings in the healing ministry and compassion of the prophet Elisha.
Elisha multiplied bread to feed a hungry crowd; so also Jesus multiplied bread to feed a hungry crowd.
– 2 Kings 4:42-44
– Matthew 14:13-21
– Mark 6:30-44
– Luke 9:10-17
– John 6:1-13
– Matthew 15:32-39
– Mark 8:1-9
Elisha healed a leper; so also Jesus’s ministry on earth was one of healing.
– 2 Kings, chapter 5
– Mark 1:34, 40-45
– Luke 17:12-19
