Jacqui: 0:14

Greetings listeners. Have you ever wondered what happens when people start to drift away from doing what's right? The Book of Second Kings gives us a front, front row seat to a nation's journey as they slowly lose their way, but it also shows us that even in the darkest moments, god never gives up on his people. It's a story full of twists, turns and surprising reminders that God's love is always there, even when everything else falls apart. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where weekly, we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. Today we're delving into the book of 2 Kings. We'll explore how 2 Kings takes us through centuries of history, from the miraculous acts performed by the prophet Elisha and the impact of the kings to the devastating fall of both Israel and Judah. As we journey through this book, we'll uncover how, even when people seem determined to walk away, god remains faithful, just as he does with us today. The book of 2 Kings continues the story of the Israelites from where 1 Kings ended. It covers about 300 years of history, showing how two separate kingdoms, israel in the north and Judah in the south, gradually fell apart because they turned away from God. Now, when we say they turned away, it simply means they stopped following God's guidance and began chasing after other things like power, idols or the ways of the nations around them. The story starts with the prophet Elijah passing on his role to his student, elisha. Passing on his role to his student Elisha, elisha performs miracles and tries to guide the people of the northern kingdom of Israel back to God, but most of the kings keep leading the people in the wrong direction, engaging in idol worship and disregarding God's commands. This disobedience ultimately leads to their downfall and in 722 BC, israel is conquered by the mighty Assyrian Empire. Their downfall is a strong reminder that when we walk away from God, things can really fall apart. Meanwhile, the southern kingdom of Judah lasts a bit longer. They have a few good kings who try to bring the people back to God, like Hezekiah and Josiah. Unfortunately, most of the kings in Judah also lead the people into sin and eventually they're conquered as well. In 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, burned down the temple and took the people into exile, marking the end of the kingdom. The ups and downs of these two kingdoms are what shaped the story of Second Kings, but amidst this turmoil, some significant themes emerged that offer lessons for us today.

Jacqui: 3:48

I'm going to describe three key themes in 2 Kings. First, there's faithfulness versus disobedience. Throughout 2 Kings, we see that rejecting God's law brought severe consequences. The kings and people of Israel and Judah repeatedly turned their backs on God, even after countless warnings from the prophets. The Lord judged Israel and Judah because of their disobedience to his law. When people chose to ignore God's instructions, there were serious consequences. It's a bit like if you keep ignoring a traffic light, you might get away with it for a while, but eventually there's going to be a crash. 2 Kings 17: 7-23 explains that Israel fell because they'd sinned against the Lord, their God. Sinning against God is church speak for things like drifting away from God, disobeying God's expressed laws and commands, ignoring God, etc. This theme serves as a reminder that our actions have consequences and disobedience to God leads to destruction.

Jacqui: 5:10

The second theme is the role of the prophets. The prophets were God's spokespeople, trying to help the people find their way back to him way back to him. We see a lot of discussion about them in 2 Kings 17: 13; 21: 10 through 15. These prophets weren't just doom and gloom messengers. They were like lifeguards, calling out to the people to help them avoid drowning in their own bad choices. Elisha is the most prominent prophet in this book, following in the footsteps of Elijah. Through his miracles and teachings, elisha demonstrated that God hadn't abandoned his people, even when they seemed determined to walk away. These prophets serve as a reminder of God's mercy and patience, always giving his people a chance to return to him. Note that the words of these true prophets came to pass. We can see that in 2 Kings 23:16 and 24:2. This confirmed that the Lord did keep his word, even his warnings of judgment.

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And the third theme is God's promise-keeping. The Lord remembered his promise to David 2 Kings 8:19. Even though the kings of the Davidic line proved themselves to be disobedient to the Lord, he didn't bring David's family to an end as he did the families of the northern kingdom. Even as this book closes, the line of David still exists, see 2 Kings 25: 27-30. So there is hope for the coming seed of David that we learned about in 2 Samuel 7: 12-16. Even when everyone else was unfaithful, god kept his promise, showing he's the one we can always count on.

Jacqui: 7:18

2 Kings serves multiple purposes, primarily focusing on demonstrating the consequences of righteous and evil rulership in Israel and Judah and tracing the spiritual reasons for their decline, division and eventual captivity. So now we've explored an overview in the main themes. Now let's zoom in on some of the pivotal stories that bring this book to life. We'll look at three key episodes First, the ministry of Elisha. Second, the rise and fall of the kings. And third, the fall of the northern and southern kingdom. And third, the fall of the northern and southern kingdom. Our first major story begins with the transition of prophetic leadership from Elijah to Elisha. It's an incredible moment that showcases both the power and continuity of God's work among his people.

Jacqui: 8:23

Elijah, one of the most well-known prophets in the Old Testament, doesn't die in the usual sense. Instead, in 2 Kings 2:11, he is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind by a chariot of fire. Imagine that it's a dramatic and powerful departure that highlights Elijah's unique role in God's plan. As Elijah is taken up, elisha, his devoted student, witnesses the event. Imagine witnessing your mentor being carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire. That's not something you'd forget, right? This marked a turning point for Elisha. Before this, elisha had boldly asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. We see that in 2 Kings 2:9. So what does that mean? Well, essentially, elisha is asking for the power and authority beyond his own abilities to carry on Elijah's mission, and God grants his request. From that point on, elisha's ministry is marked by many miracles that confirm God's power working through him. That confirmed God's power working through him.

Jacqui: 9:43

One miracle we'll refer to as the widow's oil. A widow was on the brink of losing her sons to slavery because of debt. Elisha instructed her to gather empty jars and pour out the little oil she has, and miraculously, the oil kept flowing until every jar was full. Then there was the raising of the Shunammite son. That's in 2 Kings 4: 32-37. This striking story involved a boy promised to a woman who had shown kindness to Elisha suddenly dies. Elisha went to him, prayed and the boy was brought back to life. And then there's the healing of Naaman's leprosy. Naaman, a commander in the Syrian army, had leprosy and heard that Elisha could heal him. After he followed Elisha's instructions to wash in the Jordan River seven times, naaman was completely healed.

Jacqui: 10:49

Oh, before we go any further, here's a pro tip. If you get Elijah and Elisha confused, like I do, I always remember Elijah comes first because of the letter J in the middle of his name Elijah. Elisha has an S, elisha, so J comes before S. So Elijah was first and Elisha was the student. You can thank me later for that.

Jacqui: 11:20

The second major event is the rise and fall of the kings in both Israel and Judah. In the northern kingdom, israel, there's a rapid succession of kings, most of whom led the people further away from God. They continue to worship idols and follow corrupt practices, despite the warnings of prophets like Elisha and many more. Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom, judah, we encounter a few bright spots. Two kings in particular stand out for their faithfulness Hezekiah and Josiah.

Jacqui: 12:04

Hezekiah we can read about him in 2 Kings, 18 through 20. He was a rare gem among the kings of Judah. I remember the first time I carefully read the book of Kings I was on a cruise ship traveling to Cuba. I don't know why, specifically I was reading 1 and 2 Kings, but I remember being completely blown away by the story of King Hezekiah. There is so much to learn from his story. He trusted God wholeheartedly, removed the worship of false gods from the land and even destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the people were worshiping it as an idol. But Hezekiah's greatest moment came when the mighty Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem. Instead of panicking, he turned to God in prayer. He turned to God in prayer. No-transcript. This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding Hezekiah.

Jacqui: 13:25

Read all of Hezekiah's story in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and Isaiah. He's also mentioned in several other books, including Proverbs Jeremiah, Hosea and Micah. Now there's also King Josiah. Now there's also King Josiah. After a long line of unfaithful kings, josiah becomes king at just eight years old. As he grew, he discovered the book of the law during temple renovations. When he heard it read, he was deeply moved and realized how far the people had strayed from God. Josiah tore his clothes in sorrow and immediately set out to reform the nation, tearing down idols and renewing the covenant God made with Israel and Moses. His story is a powerful reminder of the impact that one person dedicated to following God can have on an entire nation.

Jacqui: 14:32

Now think of King Hezekiah as the one who tried to clean up the mess others left behind, and young King Josiah who found the Bible in a dusty old corner and realized Wow, we've been doing this all wrong. Sadly, despite the faithfulness of these kings, both Israel and Judah fell into patterns of sin. It becomes clear that even the best human leaders cannot fully rescue the people from their rebellion. And the last section we'll talk about is the fall of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Finally, we reach one of the most tragic parts of Second Kings the fall of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms kings, the fall of both the northern and southern kingdoms.

Jacqui: 15:30

Despite repeated warnings from prophets, the northern kingdom drifts away from God by continuing to worship idols and reject God. This results in the consequences that follow drifting away from God. The Assyrians conquer Israel and the people are forced to leave their land. It's like ignoring warning signs over and over again until finally the consequences catch up with you. In this case, israel's refusal to listen led to their downfall. This moment is a sobering reminder that ignoring God's call to repentance has serious consequences, and we can read about this in 2 Kings 16.1-17.41.

Jacqui: 16:17

About 136 years later, the southern kingdom meets a similar fate. The southern kingdom meets a similar fate. Despite the reforms of kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, judah drifts back into chasing other gods and rebellion. The Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, invade, destroy Jerusalem and burn down the temple. And burn down the temple, the people are taken from their homeland and forced to live in a foreign land, marking the end of the kingdom of Judah. 2 Kings 23:31-25: 23.31-25.21. Once again, it's a story of ignoring those warning signs until there's no turning back, showing that even when we're given multiple chances, the consequences of turning away from God's guidance are inevitable.

Jacqui: 17:14

Now let's talk a bit about how 2 Kings fit into the bigger story of the Bible. I titled this section God's Love Isn't limited. In a sermon I recently heard the pastor pointed out how 2 Kings is referenced in the New Testament, specifically in Luke 4: 25 and 27. I thought it was important enough to share with you here. Jesus is speaking in the temple and he says quote I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.

Jacqui: 17:56

Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian". In this passage, jesus is referring to two stories from the books of Kings the widow of Zarephath from 1 Kings 17, and Naaman's healing in 2 Kings 5. In 2 Kings, Naaman, a commander from Syria, an enemy nation, was healed of leprosy when he obeyed Elisha's instructions. By highlighting this healing, Elisha's instructions, by highlighting this healing, as well as the experience of the widow, who was not an Israelite either, Jesus reminds us that God's love and mercy are for anyone who seeks him with a humble and obedient heart, not just for one group, and isn't that an encouraging thought.

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Let's also look at how we see Christ in 2 Kings. Unlike the nine different family lines in the northern kingdom, the kings of Judah reign as one continuous line, despite Queen Athaliah's attempt to destroy the house of David, god remains faithful to his special promise, his covenant with David, by preserving his lineage, see 2 Samuel 7. Understand that, even though many kings failed, God kept the royal line going because he had a bigger plan based on his commitment to promise keeping, one that would eventually lead to Jesus, who is from the same family line. So, as we conclude today's episode, let's recap the main points we've covered. This book, second Kings, offers us a powerful look at the consequences of disobedience, the role of the prophets and God's promise-keeping. We've seen how it connects to the larger story of the Bible, reminding us that God's love and mercy is for all people and points us toward Jesus, our ultimate King.

Jacqui: 20:25

Thank you for joining us today as we journey through 2 Kings. There's so much we can learn from the faithfulness of a few, the failures of many and the power and possibilities of redemption and restoration, and the unchanging nature of God. We hope this episode encouraged you to dig deeper into the Bible and discover the richness of its stories for yourself. In the meantime, keep reading, keep seeking and keep growing in your faith. Thank you so much for listening. So that we spread God's Word further, please share, like, follow and subscribe.