Content

The six books from Joshua to 2 Kings make up the history of Israel. The books of Kings record history from the death of David to the release of Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, spanning a 400-year history, 960 B.C. to 560 B.C.

Theme

The author and editors of the two books were particularly interested in tracing Israel’s and Judah’s faith, especially as it related to their king. It is obvious they went to great lengths to show Yahweh as the ultimate Controller of the universe. They show Yahweh not as the flashy God of immediate power, but as the God who plants His will in the universe like seed in the form of His word, letting it grow to fulfillment. His word did not always grasp immediate control, but it always possessed ultimate control; once His word was spoken, no force of nature could stop it.

Purpose

In the books of Kings, one will notice each king is evaluated by his relationship to Yahweh’s covenant. Usually, it was a prophet who would challenge the king in both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah. The godly character of a king was demonstrated by his claim of Yahweh as the true King and the king’s earthly rule as a servant of Yahweh. The litmus test was whether or not he “did what was evil” or “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” living before the Lord as a king in covenant with Yahweh, to allow Him to ultimately rule through the king.

The sad conclusion of 2 Kings is watching the nations’ demise. First, the Israelite nation ended (chapter 17), and then Judah was taken into captivity (chapters 23-25). All the way through the book of 2 Kings, we see the remnant of Israel being saved by Yahweh (Romans 9:27). Yahweh’s power to save a remnant of people, all who claimed they were His, has ever been and still is one of His great acts of grace (Romans 11:5).