2 Kings - Outline:
Key Places in 2 Kings

The history of both Israel and Judah was much affected by the prophet Elijah's ministry. He served Israel for 50 years, fighting the idolatry of its kings and calling its people back to God.

1 Jericho
Elijah's ministry had come to an end. He touched his cloak to the Jordan River, and he and Elisha crossed on dry ground. Elijah was taken by God in a whirlwind, and Elisha returned alone with the cloak. The prophets in Jericho realized that Elisha was Elijah's replacement (2 Kings 1:1-2:25)

2 Desert of Edom
The king of Moab rebelled against Israel, so the nations of Israel, Judah, and Edom decided to attack from the Desert of Edom, but ran out of water. The kings consulted Elisha who said God would send both water and victory (2 Kings 3:1-27).

3 Shunem
Elisha cared for individuals and their needs. He helped a woman clear a debt by giving her a supply of oil to sell. For another family in Shunem, he raised a son from the dead (2 Kings 4:1-37).

4 Gilgal
Elisha cared for the young prophets in Gilgal--he removed poison from a stew, made a small amount of food feed everyone, and even caused an axhead to float so it could be retrieved. It was to Elisha that Naaman, a commander in the Aramean army, came to be healed of leprosy (2 Kings 4:38-6:7)

5 Dothan
Although he cured an Aramean commander's leprosy, Elisha was loyal to Israel. He knew the Aramean army's battle plans and kept Israel's king informed. The Aramean king tracked Elisha down in Dothan and surrounded the city, hoping to kill him. But Elisha prayed that the Arameans would be blinded, then he led the blinded army into Samaria, Israel's capital city (2 Kings 6:8-23).

6 Samaria
But the Arameans didn't learn their lesson. They later besieged Samaria. Ironically, Israel's king thought it was Elisha's fault, but Elisha said food would be available in abundance the next day. True to Elisha's word, the Lord caused panic in the Aramean camp, and the enemy ran, leaving their supplies to Samaria's starving people (2 Kings 6:24-7:20).

7 Damascus
Despite Elisha's loyalty to Israel, he obeyed God and traveled to Damascus, the capital of Aram. King Ben-Hadad was sick, and he sent Hazael to ask Elisha if he would recover. Elisha knew the king would die, and told this to Hazael. But Hazael then murdered Ben-Hadad, making himself king. Later, Israel and Judah joined forces to fight this new Aramean threat (2 Kings 8:1-29).

8 Ramoth Gilead
As Israel and Judah warred with Aram, Elisha sent a young prophet to Ramoth Gilead to anoint Jehu as Israel's next king. Jehu set out to destroy the wicked dynasties of Israel and Judah, killing kings Joram and Ahaziah, and wicked Queen Jezebel. He then destroyed King Ahab's family, and all the Baal worshipers in Israel (2 Kings 9:1-11:1).

9 Jerusalem
Power-hungry Athaliah became queen of Judah when her son Ahaziah was killed. She had all her grandsons killed except Joash who was hidden by his aunt. Joash was crowned king at the age of seven and overthrew Athaliah. Meanwhile in Samaria, the Arameans continued to harass Israel. Israel's new king met with Elisha and was told that he would be victorious over Aram three times (2 Kings 11:2-13:19).
Following Elisha's death came a series of evil kings in Israel. Their idolatry and rejection of God caused their downfall. The Assyrian empire captured Samaria and took most of the Israelites into captivity (2 Kings 13:20-17:41). Judah had a short reprieve because of a few good kings who destroyed idols and worshiped God. But many strayed from God. So Jerusalem fell to the next world power, Babylon (2 Kings 18:1-25:30). §
Kings, The Books of

1. The two books of Kings formed originally but one book in the Hebrew Scriptures. The present division into two books was first made by the LXX., which now, with the Vulgate, numbers them as the third and fourth books of Kings, the two books of Samuel being the first and second books of Kings.

2. They contain the annals of the Jewish commonwealth from the accession of Solomon till the subjugation of the kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (apparently a period of about four hundred and fifty-three years). The books of Chronicles (q.v.) are more comprehensive in their contents than those of Kings. The latter synchronize with #1Ch 28:1-2Ch 36:21 While in the Chronicles greater prominence is given to the priestly or Levitical office, in the Kings greater prominence is given to the kingly.

3. The authorship of these books is uncertain. There are some portions of them and of Jeremiah that are almost identical, e.g., #2Ki 24:18-25:30 Jer 52:1-34 39:1-10 40:7-16 41:1-10 There are also many undesigned coincidences between Jeremiah and Kings #2Ki 21:1-26 and #Jer 7:15 15:4 19:3 etc., and events recorded in Kings of which Jeremiah had personal knowledge. These facts countenance in some degree the tradition that Jeremiah was the author of the books of Kings. But the more probable supposition is that Ezra, after the Captivity, compiled them from documents written perhaps by David, Solomon, Nathan, Gad, and Iddo, and that he arranged them in the order in which they now exist.

4. In the threefold division of the Scriptures by the Jews, these books are ranked among the "Prophets." They are frequently quoted or alluded to by our Lord and his apostles #Mt 6:29 12:42 #Lu 4:25,26 10:4 comp. #2Ki 4:29 Mr 1:6 comp. #2Ki 1:8 #Mt 3:4 etc..

5. The sources of the narrative are referred to

a. "the book of the acts of Solomon" #1Ki 11:41

b. the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah" #1Ki 14:29 15:7,23 etc.;

c. the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" #1Ki 14:19 15:31 16:14,20,27 etc.

6. The date of its composition was some time between B.C. 561 the date of the last chapter #2Ki 25:1ff. when Jehoiachin was released from captivity by Evil-merodach, and B.C. 538 the date of the decree of deliverance by Cyrus.

 
King

Is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited.

1. There were thirty-one kings in Canaan #Jos 12:9,24 whom Joshua subdued.

2. Adonibezek subdued seventy kings #Jud 1:7

3. In the New Testament the Roman emperor is spoken of as a king #1Pe 2:13,17

4. Herod Antipas, who was only a tetrarch, is also called a king #Mt 14:9 Mr 6:22

5. This title is applied to God #1Ti 1:17

6. And to Christ, the Son of God #1Ti 6:15,16 Mt 27:11

7. The people of God are also called "kings" #Da 7:22,27 Mt 19:28 #Re 1:6 etc.

8. Death is called the "king of terrors" #Job 18:14

Jehovah was the sole King of the Jewish nation #1Sa 8:7 Isa 33:22 But there came a time in the history of that people when a king was demanded, that they might be like other nations #1Sa 8:5 The prophet Samuel remonstrated with them, but the people cried out, "Nay, but we will have a king over us." The misconduct of Samuel’s sons was the immediate cause of this demand. The Hebrew kings did not rule in their own right, nor in name of the people who had chosen them, but partly as servants and partly as representatives of Jehovah, the true King of Israel #1Sa 10:1 The limits of the king’s power were prescribed #1Sa 10:25 The officers of his court were,

1. the recorder or remembrancer #2Sa 8:16 1Ki 4:3

2. the scribe #2Sa 8:17 20:25

3. the officer over the house, the chief steward #Isa 22:15

4. the "king’s friend," a confidential companion #1Ki 4:5

5. the keeper of the wardrobe #2Ki 22:14

6. captain of the bodyguard #2Sa 20:23

7. officers over the king’s treasures, etc. #1Ch 27:25-31

8. commander-in-chief of the army #1Ch 27:34

9. the royal counsellor #1Ch 27:32 2Sa 16:20-23

 
2 Kings - Outline:

I. The divided kingdom (1:1-17:41)
   A. The Lord's judgment on Ahaziah (1:1-18)
   B. Elisha's ministry (2:1-8:15)
       1. Elijah taken up to heaven (2:1-18)
       2. Healing of the water (2:19-22)
       3. Elisha is jeered (2:23-25)
       4. Moab revolts (3:1-27)
       5. The widow's oil (4:1-7)
       6. The Shunammite's son restored to life (4:8-37)
       7. Death in the pot (4:38-41)
       8. Feeding of a hundred (4:42-44)
       9. Naaman healed of leprosy (5:1-27)
       10. An axhead floats (6:1-7)
       11. Elisha traps blinded Arameans (6:8-23)
       12. Famine in besieged Samaria (6:24-7:2)
       13. The siege lifted (7:3-20)
       14. The Shunammite's land restored (8:1-6)
       15. Hazael murders Ben-Hadad (8:7-15)
   C. Kings of Israel and Judah (8:16-16:20)
       1. Jehoram king of Judah (8:16-24)
       2. Ahaziah king of Judah (8:25-29)
       3. Jehu anointed king of Israel (9:1-13)
       4. Jehu kills Joram and Ahaziah (9:14-29)
       5. Jezebel killed (9:30-37)
       6. Ahab's family killed (10:1-17)
       7. Ministers of Baal killed (10:18-36)
       8. Athaliah and Joash (11:1-21)
       9. Joash repairs the temple (12:1-21)
       10. Jehoahaz king of Israel (13:1-9)
       11. Jehoash king of Israel (13:10-25)
       12. Amaziah king of Judah (14:1-22)
       13. Jeroboam II king of Israel (14:23-29)
       14. Azariah king of Judah (15:1-7)
       15. Zechariah king of Israel (15:8-12)
       16. Shallum king of Israel (15:13-16)
       17. Menahem king of Israel (15:17-22)
       18. Pekahiah king of Israel (15:23-26)
       19. Pekah king of Israel (15:27-31)
       20. Jotham king of Judah (15:32-38)
       21. Ahaz king of Judah (16:1-20)
   D. Israel is exiled to Assyria (17:1-41)
       1. Hoshea last king of Israel (17:1-6)
       2. Israel exiled because of sin (17:7-23)
       3. Samaria resettled (17:24-41)

II. The surviving kingdom (18:1-25:30)
   A. Kings of Judah (18:1-23:35)
       1. Hezekiah king of Judah (18:1-16)
       2. Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem (18:17-37)
       3. Jerusalem's deliverance foretold (19:1-13)
       4. Hezekiah's prayer (19:14-19)
       5. Isaiah prophesies Sennacherib's fall (19:20-37)
       6. Hezekiah's illness (20:1-11)
       7. Envoys from Babylon (20:12-21)
       8. Manasseh king of Judah (21:1-18)
       9. Amon king of Judah (21:19-26)
       10. The book of the law found (22:1-20)
       11. Josiah renews the covenant (23:1-30)
       12. Jehoahaz king of Judah (23:31-35)
   B. Judah is exiled to Babylon (23:36-25:30)
       1. Jehoiakim king of Judah (23:36-24:7)
       2. Jehoiachin king of Judah (24:8-17)
       3. Zedekiah king of Judah (24:18-20)
       4. The fall of Jerusalem (25:1-26)
       5. Jehoiachin released (25:27-30)