2 Kings 15 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Kings 15:8-22

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for six months. 9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: ‘Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.’

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria for one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria for ten years. 18 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

A. Find Out:

1. How was Zechariah summarised? v.9
2. What happened to him and why? v.10,12
3. What happened to Shallum? v.13,14
4. What did Menahem do? v.16
5. How was Menahem summarised? v.18
6. What happened to him and what did he do? v.19,20

B. Think:

1. How were these 3 kings the same?
2. What sort of men were the latter two shown to be?
3. What was the effect of Assyria’s presence?

C. Comment:

       The pace speeds up and it is not good news! Zechariah who succeeds his father, Jeroboam, is now the fourth generation from Jehu and the Lord had said that Jehu’s descendant would sit on the throne to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30). Whether the Lord brought it about specifically or He simply knew how things would work out is not made clear. He had clearly blessed Jeroboam and that had largely been a reign with freedom from attack from Aram, but once Jeroboam dies it seems the blessing is removed. Within 6 months there is a palace coup and Zechariah is assassinated by Shallum. Shallum lasts only a month before Menahem comes from the north of the land (Tirzah) and attacks Samaria and kills him.

       Perhaps it is that the Lord uses the sinfulness of an ungodly man (Shallum) to bring an end to an ungodly dynasty (from Jehu), but then brings judgement on the executioner (Shallum) through Menahem who seems an even more violent character. When the Lord puts pressure on him through Assyria, he simply puts pressure on the people. The result should be that the people cry out to the Lord – but they don’t! It seems that the nation has sunk to an all-time low and still they rely on their substitute religion with idols at Dan and Bethel and their substitute priesthood. This is far from the dynamic two-way relationship that the Lord had intended for His people. How tragic.

D. Application:

1. Be careful how you bring correction – see Gal 6:1.
2. We are answerable to the Lord. Take responsibility seriously.

Passage: 2 Kings 15:23-31

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

A. Find Out:

1. How was Pekahiah summarised? v.24
2. How long did he reign and what happened to him? v.23,25
3. How was Pekah summarised? v.28
4. Who came and did what? v.29
5. What long did Pekah reign and what happened to him? v.27,30

B. Think:

1. How does kingly succession here differ from the early days of Israel?
2. What was happening gradually to the northern kingdom?
3. Why do you think this was happening?

C. Comment:

      Zechariah, the fourth son down from Jehu, had been the last king of that dynasty to inherit the throne when his father died naturally. He was killed by Shallum who was killed by Menahem, who died naturally and was succeeded by his son Pekahiah but who is now killed by Pekah, who in turn is killed by Hoshea, who we will see will be the last king of the northern kingdom, Israel. In the earlier days the Lord was very much ‘with’ Israel but with the increasing refusal of the kings of Israel to heed God’s calls to them, it seems that the blessing and protection and restraint by the hand of the Lord was removed. It comes to a point now where virtually every king is assassinated, and the transfer of kingship is harsh and unstable. For the people of Israel this must have been a fearful and worrying time because of this.

      To add to that, in this last reign the king of Assyria returns and is not content simply to take tribute, he takes land, and the northern kingdom is reduced to half it’s original size. Does the latest king of Israel call out to the Lord? No! That seems something far in the past. They seem to have come to an ungodly place where the Lord seems to have little place in their lives. They are now far from the original called-out people who were holy and in direct relationship with the Lord. The Lord has given them opportunity after opportunity to turn back to him but those opportunities have been spurned. The end is near!

D. Application:

1. Do we recognise God’s opportunities, calling us closer to Him?
2. Are we spurning opportunities to seek the Lord and know Him more?