Kings
Israel was never supposed to have kings, but God allowed them when they persisted in asking Samuel. It was during this period that Israel was split in two. There were three kings of the united kingdom, then a period when the divided kingdom was ruled by separate kings, before each part was invaded and overtaken.
United Israel |
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Northern Kingdom (Israel) |
Southern Kingdom (Judah) |
Saul
- Found: 1 Samuel 8 - 31
Saul Made King (1 Samuel 8-10)
The children of Israel wanted a king. They saw the people round about had kings and they wanted one for themselves. God wanted them to be different, but they insisted, and God relented. Samuel explained to the people that a king would cost them dearly, would take their young men for soldiers and servants, and would tax them of their riches, but the people said they were willing to pay this price.
God led Samuel to a man called Saul, son of Kish, a benjamite. Saul was a strong young man, and a good man, one whom the people would take to. Kish had lost his donkeys and sent Saul out to find them. They can't find the donkeys, and decide to go see the man of God in a nearby town to ask his advice. God had spoken to Samuel the day before that He would bring the man who was to be king, and spoke again when Saul arrived - this was the man.
Samuel anointed Saul and sent him on his way. He went, and the Spirit of God came upon him and he prophecied. The people wondered at this and asked if Saul was also a prophet. Meanwhile, Samuel called the people together to choose their king at Mizpeh. He had each of the tribes walk before him, and Benjamin was chosen. He had the families of Benjamin walk before him and the family of Matri was chosen. He had this family walk before him and Saul was chosen. He couldn't be found, though because he had hidden himself. When they found him they brought him forth and the people all shouted "God save the king" Saul started off well as a king. He listened to God's leading, he won great battles, but then he made a mistake:
Saul's Big Mistake (1 Samuel 13 v 8-14)
The Philistines were ready to fight Isreal, and the Israelites were afraid. Many were hiding away, but Saul and his army waited at Gilgal. They were waiting for Samuel to come and make a burnt offering to the Lord to bless their battle, but they waited and waited. After seven days, Saul decided to take maters into his own hands and made the offering himself. Immediately Samuel was spotted approaching. Saul went out to meet him. Samuel accused him of making the offering and Saul began to make excuses. Samuel said he had done wrong, and as punishment the kingdom would be taken from him and given to a man after God's own heart.
He Spares Agag (1 Samuel 15)
In chapter 15 Saul makes another mistake. Samuel told him the people of Amalek were to be slain. Every last one of them, and all their livestock were to be killed. Saul went out and defeated the Amalekites, but let their king, Agag, live, along with some of the sheep, and cows. The next day, Samuel came to Saul and saw with anger that he had disobeyed the Lord. He said again that the kingdom would be taken out of Saul's hands and given to another. He had Agag brought before him, and Samuel slew Agag with a sword, cutting him into pieces.
A Troubled King (1 Samuel 31)
Saul's wrongdoings had turned God against him. From this time on, God left him and an evil spirit troubled him. Instead of his son taking over, he would be replaced by a young man called David when he died. Saul brought David into his house not knowing this, but David's fame grew until he had to flee from Saul, and Saul spent much of the rest of his reign hunting down David.
One day Saul was fighting against the Philistines. The battle had not gone well, and Saul's sons were killed. He was wounded by an arrow, and rather than be taken and killed by the Philistines, he fell on his own sword and died.
David
- Found: 1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 2
David was Jesse's son, and Ruth's great grandson.
Annointing of Samuel (1 Samuel 16)
God spoke to Samuel the prophet. Saul had been His chosen king, but Saul had turned away from obedience, and God had chosen another to succeed Saul. Samuel had to go to Bethlehem, to Jesse's house, to annoint the next king.
Samuel told Jesse this story, and the eldest son was brought in. He was big and strong, but not God's chosen one. One by one, the sons were brought before Samuel and each time God told Samuel this was not the one. "Are these all the sons you have?" asked Samuel. There was one more, but he was the youngest, out tending the sheep. When David was called in, God told Samuel he was the one. Samuel poured the oil on his head.
Meanwhile Saul was having a troubled time. An evil spirit was tormenting him. His attendents suggested that music would help, and one of them knew a son of Jesse who could play the harp. So David was brought into the house of Saul, and his music soothed Saul's troubled spirit.
Fighting Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
The Israelites were at war with the Philistines, and they met at the valley of Elah, the Israelites on one hill and the Philistines on another. Each day, the Philistine champion, a giant of a man called Goliath, came out and challenged the Israelites. If someone could beat him the Philistines would surrender; but if he beat the Israelite, the all had to surrender to the Philistines.
David came to the camp to bring some food to his three oldest brothers, who were in the King's army. He heard the Philistine's challenge, and couldn't believe that no one was responding. He went in to Saul and asked to fight, but Saul said he was only a boy. David told him of how he had defended his sheep against a lion and a bear, and God would defend him against Goliath.
Saul put his armour on David, but it was far too heavy. So David approached Goliath with no armour, five stones from the stream and his sling in his hand. Goiath looked down on him a cursed him, but David ran towards him, took out a stone and slung it at the giant. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead, and he fell to the ground. David took Goliath's sword and cut off his head. The Philistines fled, and the Isrealites chased them down, winning the victory.
Friendship of Jonathan (1 Samuel 18v1-5)
Saul took David in to stay in the palace, and was pleased with his progress. David became firm friends with Jonathan, Saul's son, and they vowed to look after each other. David did everything so well that he quickly gained rank in Saul's army, and he was liked by the officers and all the people.
Fleeing Saul (1 Samuel 18v6 - 20v42)
When they returned from defeating the Philistines, the women were singing and dancing. They sang "Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands". Saul was incensed at this, and hatred grew in his heart towards David. The next day, while David was playing his harp, Saul threw a javelin at him, but missed. He sent David out on campaigns, hoping he'd be killed, but the Lord was with David and he did very well. Saul married his daughter Michal off to David, hoping to trap him, but failed again.
Jonathan managed to make some peace between his father and David, but only for a short while. Soon after, Saul tried again to kill David, this time with a spear. He missed again. David fled to his house, and persuaded Michal to let him down out of the window. Michal put an idol in David's bed and told Saul's men he was ill. That delayed them enough for David to make his escape.
Jonathan couldn't believe his father wanted to kill David, so he arranged to find out, and let David know by a signal the next day while he was shooting arrows. Sure enough he found out his father did intend David harm, and he and David had to part company. They made a covenant, to look after each other's families, and David left.
Pretending to be Mad (1 Samuel 21)
David ran from Saul, and found his way to a place called Nob. He asked the priest there for bread, but the only bread he had was the shewbread offered to the Lord. David happily took it. The priest also had Goliath's sword, taken from his body when David killed him. David took the sword as well. He went to the land of Gath, but the king there recognised him. David pretended he was mad, foaming at the mouth, but the king didn't want anything to do with him and had him sent out.
Hiding in Caves (1 Samuel 22-24)
And so David came the the cave of Adullam. His family went to join him, and others who were in various types of trouble, until David had charge of 400 men. He took his parents to Moab, asking the king there to keep them safe. At one point Saul was searching for David, and went into a cave to rest for a while. It was the very cave that David was hiding in. David's men told him this was what he was waiting for - a chance to kill Saul. But David respected Saul as God's anointed and only cut the hem of Saul's robe. When Saul got up and left, David hailed him, and showed him the hem he had cut, asking why Saul sought to kill him. Saul was sorrowful, and went home with his army.
He Becomes King (2 Samuel 2 v1-6, 2 Samuel 5 v1-5)
Some time later Dvaid heard of Saul's death in battle, along with Jonathan, his son and David's friend. He was very sad, both for Janathan and for Saul. When David was 30, he went to Hebron, with his men, and there the people crowned him king over Judah. It was seven years later that the rest of Israel accepted him as king, and he moved to Jerusalem to reign over all Israel for 33 more years.
Return of the Ark (2 Samuel 6)
David wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, so he took 30,000 men to go and collect it. They put the ark on a cart drawn by oxen, though God's way was for the Levites to carry it. When the oxen stumbled, a man named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. God killed him on the spot for his irreverence. The rest were afraid, and left the ark at the house of a man called Obed-Edom. Three months later they came and tried again, this time carrying the ark. David danced before the Lord, and made sacrifices, and the people rejoiced. However, Michal, David's wife and Saul's daughter, was angry at David for making such a display of himself. She had no children from then on.
Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9)
David remembered his vow to Jonathan, to look after his family, and asked if any of Jonathan's family remained. There was one, called Mephibosheth, who was crippled from when his nurse had dropped him. David sent for him, gave him all of Saul's former possessions and land, and had him eat at the king's table for the rest of his days.
David's Great Sin (2 Samuel 11-12)
As king, David should have gone out with his armies to fight their battles with them. However, one spring he decided to stay home. While he was on the palace roof, he spotted a woman bathing, was pleased with her and sent for her. She was the wife of one of Dvaid's soldiers, Uriah, but David got Bathsheba pregnant. He sent for Uriah to return from the battlefield, hoping that he would spend time with his wife and that could explain the baby away, but Uriah insisted he wouldn't relax at home while his fellow-soldiers were out fighting. David sent Uriah back to the battle, with a note for the commander to put him in the fiercest part of the battle.
A message came back to David: some of the Israelites had been killed in battle, including Uriah. Once Bathsheba had mourned for her husband she was brought into the palace and had her child.
God sent the prophet Nathan to David. He told a story about a rich man who stole a poor man's lamb. David was angry at the story and said the rich man should be punished. Nathan pointed to him and said "You are the man". David was sorry for his sin, and the Lord forgave him, but he still had to face consequences. His son died, and David's family qould always have problems. Soon after though, Bathsheba had another child. They called him Solomon, and he was to take over after David as the king.
A Troubled Family (2 Samuel 15, 2 Samuel 18)
Absalom was David's son, yet wanted his father's power for himself. He set himself up at the city gates in Jerusalem, and gained the trust and support of many who came by. He then went to Hebron and claimed kingship there. David heard that the people were in favour of Absalom and not himself, so he gathered his supporters and left Israel to go into hiding.
David gathered his people together and sent them out to win back Israel. They were commanded by Joab, Abishai and Ittai. He wanted to go with them but they persuaded him not to, since the Israelites would be so keen to kill him. He asked them to be merciful to his son Absalom.
David's men fought against the Israelite army, and many died. Absalom's mule ran through the forest, and Absalom was caught in a tree, left hanging by his head. A soldier saw him and reported to Joab, who killed Absalom with his javelins. When the news got to David he was very sad that his son had been killed, and mourned for him.
He Desires to Build the Temple (1 Chronicles 17 v 1-12, 1 Chronicles 28)
When David sat in his palace one day, he looked around and realised how much he had, and yet the house of the Lord was still just a tent. Now that the Israelites were settled in one land, it seemed sensible to build a temple for the Lord. He enquired of Nathan the prophet, but God told him he would not build the temple, but his son would.
So David gathered all the people together and explained to them. He was a man of war, and so not fit to build the house of the Lord; but his son Solomon would be a peaceful king, and he would construct the temple. David prepared as much as he could, and donated much gold and silver, along with plans for the temple building. He encouraged his son to carry out the task, and trust in God to be with him.
David's Death (1 Kings 2 v10-12)
Finally, David's reign was over. He died after 40 years as the king over Judah, 33 of those over the whole of Israel. When he died, his son Solomon became king in his place.
Solomon
- Found: 1 Kings 1-11
Solomon Becomes King (1 Kings 1)
Solomon was David's son by Bathsheba. David loved this son, and promised he would be king after him. When David was old, though, Solomon's older son, Adonijah, decided he would set himself up as king. He gathered the people together and they partied and hailed him as king. David got to hear about this and sent Nathan the prophet out with Solomon to anoint him and declare him king. Adonijah heard, and was afraid, so he went to the altar and held on to the horns for safety. Solomon said he would let Adonijah live if he would be a worthy man, so Adonijah came and bowed before Solomon.
Enemies Removed (1 Kings 2)
King David died from his old age, but before he died he urged Solomon to keep on for the Lord. Adonijah approached Solomon and asked if he could marry Abishag, the girl who had been David's companion in his old age. Solomon realised he was trying to gain power again, and had him killed. He took Abiathar, who had supported Adonijah, out of the priesthood and replaced him with Zadok, and he had Joab, who had also supported Adonijah, killed. He told Shimei, who had cursed David, that if he stayed in the city he would be safe, but Shimei left the city to retrieve his slaves one day, so Solomon had him killed. He now had a firm grasp on the kingdom.
What to Choose (1 Kings 3)
Solomon started building. He built up the walls of Jerusalem, finished the royal palace and of course built the temple for the Lord. God appeared to him in a dream and asked him what he wanted. Solomon replied that he needed wisdom to rule the country, because he was still young. God was pleased with this, and gave Solomon wisdom, also promising him riches and long life, since he had been selfless in his request.
Two women came to Solomon with a problem: they lived together, both had babies, but one of the babies had died in the night. Both claimed the living one was their's. Solomon suggested they cut the living one in two so they could both have half. One woman cried out and said she would rather the baby went to the other woman than be killed, and Solomon said this was the mother, give her the child.
Building the Temple (1 Kings 5-8)
Solomon began to build the temple, as his father had prepared. He had the assistance of Hiram, the king of Tyre, who supplied him with a lot of wood, and the stone was cut at the quarry. No stone was cut at the temple site, so that a reverent silence was kept as the temple was built. It took seven years, but finally the house of God was built. Solomon also built himself a palace, which took 13 years to build.
When the temple was built, the various items of furniture were brought into it, and lastly the ark of the covenant. Solomon prayed before the temple and offered sacrifices as a dedication.
Horses, Money and Women (Deuteronomy 17 v 14-17, 1 Kings 10 v 23 - 11 v 13)
Back when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, the Lord had told them they would inevitably want to have a king, He specified three things the king should not do: he should not acquire a lot of horses, a lot of women or a lot of silver and gold.
Solomon did acquire riches though, more than any of the kings around him. And he accumulated horses, brought from Egypt as the Lord had warned against. And he married many women: 700, with 300 concubines, and these women turned Solomon's heart away from the Lord.
Because of this, the Lord spoke to Solomon and told him he would take the kingdom away from him, and pass it on to one of his people. Solomon's son would be left with just one tribe from all the land.
He Dies (1 Kings 11 v 41-43)
Solomon died after ruling for 40 years, like his father. Unlike his father, though, he had turned away from God in his later years, and after his death the kingdom of Israel would be divided in two.
Rehoboam
- Found: 1 Kings 12-14, 2 Chronicles 10-12
Losing a Kingdom (1Kings 12 v 1-24)
Rehoboam was Solomon's son. He took over the kingdom when Solomon died. Solomon's taxes had been hard on the people, and they came to him, led by Jeroboam, to ask that he give them a lighter burden. Rehoboam consulted with two groups of advisors. The older ones, his father's advisors said he should gain the people's confidence by agreeing with their demand. Be their servant today and they will be your servants forever. He asked his younger advisors as well, and they said he should be even harsher than his father.
Rehoboam listened to the young advisors, and placed a harsh tax burden on the people. They rebelled, and 10 tribes left him for Jeroboam. He fled back to Jerusalem, where the people were still loyal to him. He was going to fight against Jeroboam to try and win his kingdom back, but the prophet Shemaiah, prompted by God, persuaded him to hold back.
Rehoboam was left with two tribes from the original 12, Judah and benjamin.
A Poor Reign (1 Kings 14 v 21-31, 2 Chronicles 11-12)
The people of the southern kingdom, now called Judah, didn't do well under Rehoboam's reign. They started off quite well. Jeroboam was putting an alternative religion in place, so many of the Levites and devout Israelites came and joined Rehoboam. For three years they followed God. But as the nation grew strong, Rehoboam and all the people turned from God, and God sent the Egyptian king Shishak against Judah. Shishak raided the temple and the palace, taking away all the precious things that were there. In all, Rehoboam reigned for 17 years.
Jeroboam
- Found: 1 Kings 11-15, 2 Chronicles 10-13
The Torn Cloak (1Kings 11 v 26-40)
Jeroboam was a mighty man, and Solomon made him ruler over the house of Joseph. One day the prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam, and tore up his new cloak, into twelve pieces. He gave ten to Jeroboam, and told him that because of Solomon's sin, God was taking the kingdom out of his hands. Ten tribes would be given to Jeroboam, and Rehoboam would just be left with Judah and Benjamin. God promised Jeroboam a blessing if he followed the Lord. Solomon heard about this, and tried to kill Jeroboam, so he fled to Egypt.
Made a King (1Kings 12)
When Solomon died, the people sent for Jeroboam. He took their case to Rehoboam, asking for more lenient taxes, but Reheboam taxed them more heavily. The people rebelled, ten tribes broke away from Rehoboam's rule, and set up Jeroboam as their king. Jeroboam worried that if the people still went to worship at Jerusalem every year, they would return to their former ruler, so he made two golden calves, and set them up in Bethel and Dan, making a new religion for his people to follow.
A Bad Prophecy (1Kings 13 v 1-6)
A prophet appeared at the altar in Bethel, while Jeroboam was burning incense. He prophecied that a king called Josiah would come and restore worship of the true God, burning the false priests on this very altar. As a sign that his prophecy was true, the altar would crack. Jeroboam held out his hand and ordered the prophet arrested, but his hand froze in that position, the altar cracked and its ashes spilled out. Jeroboam begged the prophet to pray that God restore his hand. He did, and God restored the king's hand to what it had been. Jeroboam didn't turn from his sin, though, or his false religion.
His Family are Doomed (1Kings 14 v 1-20)
Jeroboam's son Abijah became sick. He wanted to know from Ahijah the prophet what would become of him, but didn't want Ahijah to know it was the king's child. So he made his wife go to Ahijah, disguised and with presents. Ahijah was almost blind, but the Lord told him who was coming. He gave the Lord's message to Jeroboam's wife: God had made Jeroboam king, but Jeroboam had not followed God, but made other gods. All of Jeroboam's family would be killed, and the minute his wife returned to their city, the child would die. Eventually, the whole nation of Israel would be taken away and scattered.
Sure enough, when Jeroboam's wife returned home, the child died. Jeroboam reigned for a total of 22 years, and when he died, his son Nadab took the throne. But it wasn't long before the prophecy came true and Jeroboam's family were wiped out by the next king, Baasha.
Minor Kings
Northern Kingdom
Jeroboam
Nadab
(1 Kings 14 v 20,
15 v 25)
Nadab was the son of Jeroboam. He only reigned for 2 years before he was killed by Baasha
Baasha
(1 Kings 15 v 16-22,
15v27-16v6)
Baasha was a warring person. He took over kingship of Israel by killing Nadab and all the family of Jeroboam, and spent all his time warring against Asa, king of Judah. He reigned for 24 years, during which the prophet Jehu spoke out against him. He died and was succeeded by his son Elah.
Elah
(1 Kings 16 v 8-10)
The prophet had prophecied against Baashah's house, for their evil deeds, and it wasn't long into Elah's reign that he suffered the fate prophecied. He had been reigning for two years, and was drunk in the house of his steward, when his servant, Zimri, came in and killed him, taking over as king.
Zimri
(1 Kings 16 v 9-20)
Zimri had conspired against his king, and murdered him. He immediately sought out the rest of the family of Baasha, and killed them as well. He didn't last long, though, in fact just 7 days. When the armies of Israel heard that Zimri had killed Elah, they went to Tirzah, where he was, and laid siege to the city. Zimri saw what was happening, got himself into the palace, and burnt it down, killing himself.
Omri
(1 Kings 16 v 16-30)
Omri had been the captain of the Israelite army, and when the people heard Zimri has set himself up as king they voted Omri in as king. He then went to defeat Zimri. Omri reigned for 12 years, but was a worse king than all the previous ones.
Ahab
(1 Kings 16 v 28 - 22 v 40)
Ahab took over from his father Omri, and was a worse king than any before him. He took a wife from a foreign tribe, named Jezebel, and took on her religion, worshipping Baal. He was so bad, that God sent a drought on the land, heralded by the prophet Elijah. The drought lasted for three and a half years, ending when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, and slaughtered them. Ahab told his wife what had happened, and she was enraged against Elijah.
The king of Syria, Benhadad, decided to bully Israel, and demand its treasures. Ahab agreed because he was outnumbered, but Benhadad wanted more. He wanted his people to come into the cities and take what they liked. Ahab denied him this, so Benhadad got 32 kings and their armies together to fight Israel. The Hebrew army was tiny, but a prophet of the Lord assured Ahab they would win, so he took them into battle and they had a great victory. Benhadad thought the Israelites gods must be gods of the hills, so came against them again, this time on the plains. Again, God gave the Israelites victory, and Benhadad came to Ahab, promising to restore all the cities he had taken. Later, a prophet came to Ahab, disguised. When he revealed himself he gave the Lord's message: because Ahab had let Benhadad live, his own life was forfeit.
Outside Ahab's palace was a vineyard, owned by a man named Naboth. Ahab took a fancy to the vineyard and offered to buy it from Naboth, which he refused. This made Ahab unhappy and he went back to the palace. On hearing his problem, Jezebel forged a proclamation from the king, ordering Naboth killed, and it was done. Ahab took over the vineyard, but Elijah came to him with the word of the Lord. Ahab would die, along with all his family. The dogs would lick his blood and eat the flesh of Jezebel. Ahab was very sorry for what he had done, and the Lord allowed him to live for now, but his family would still be cut off after his death.
Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah asked Ahab to join him in winning back the city of Ramoth Gilead from the Syrians. Ahab enquired of his prophets, and 400 of them said he would be victorious. Jehshaphat asked if there were any more prophets, and Ahab said there was one, Micaiah, but he always prophecied bad things for Ahab. They called Micaiah. At first he said Ahab would return victorious, but then said he would be killed, and all the other prophets had been made to lie by God. Ahab sent him to prison and went to the battle.
Ahab hoped to avoid being targeted by disguising himself, while Jehoshaphat kept his kingly robes. The Syrians were after Ahab, though, and he was wounded by a spear. He died that evening, and was taken back to Samaria. His chariot was washed of his blood, and the dogs licked it up.
After Ahab's death, Ahaziah, his son, took over as king.
Ahaziah
(1 Kings 22 v 51-53,
2 Kings 1)
Ahaziah took over when his father, Ahab, died. He reigned for two years, and didn't follow the Lord. During his reign he fell through a lattice, injuring himself badly. He sent his servants to enquire of the god Baalzebub whether or not he would live. They met Elijah on their way and he was angry that Ahaziah hadn't enquired of the Lord. He sent message that Ahaziah would die of his injuries. Ahaziah did die, and Joram (Jehoram) reigned afterwards, because Ahaziah didn't have a son.
Joram
(2 Kings 3,
2 Kings 8 v 28 - 9 v 37)
Joram is sometimes called Jehoram, and likewise the king of Judah, Jehoram, is also called Joram, which makes things a bit confusing. Joram reigned in Israel after Ahaziah. He was Ahab's son, Ahaziah's brother, and reigned because Ahaziah had no son.
While Ahab was alive, the king of Moab had been friendly, but after Ahab's death he rebelled against Israel. Joram joined with Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, and the king of Edom to fight the Moabites. They were lacking in water, and looked to Elisha for advice: he wasn't going to give them any, except he respected Jehoshaphat. Elisha told them to dig ditches, and they would be filled even though it didn't rain. Sure enough, this happened. When the sun rose, the Moabites thought the valley was full of the blood of their enemies, who had quarrelled with each other. As they ran to get the spoils, they were surprised by the Israelites and heavily defeated.
Some time later, Joram joined Ahaziah, the king of Judah, in a battle against Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead. Joram was wounded in the battle, and taken back to Jezreel. While he was there some soldiers approached. He sent out messengers to find out who it was, but they didn't come back. It looked like Jehu, his captain, was coming, so Joram went out with Ahaziah, who was visiting him, in their chariots. Jehu said he was here to kill Joram, who fled, but Jehu killed him with an arrow. Ahaziah also fled, but was injured, and died soon after. Joram's body was cast down on Naboth's vineyard, and his mother, Jezebel, was also killed.
Jehu
(2 Kings 9 - 10)
Jehu was Joram's captain, and was fighting at Ramoth Gilead. While he was there, and the king was injured in Jezreel, a prophet came to visit him. He poured oil on Jehu's head and proclaimed him king of Israel, saying he was to destroy all of Ahab's family. The other captains readily took him on as their king, and he rode back to Jezreel. He slew Joram, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, and when he came into the city, Jezebel was thrown down from her window and killed, and the dogs ate her flesh, as prophecied.
Jehu waged a campaign of destruction against the house of Ahab. He had Ahab's sons, his relatives and his priests killed. He tricked the prophets of Baal into coming to him in Samaria and had them all killed, destroying the images of Baal as well. However he still worshipped the golden calves set up by Jeroboam, instead of the Lord. He reigned for 28 years, and his son, Jehoahaz, became king when he died.
Jehoahaz
(2 Kings 13 v 1-9)
Jehoahaz took over as king when his father, Jehu, died. He continued to worship the false idols set up by Jeroboam, and God let the Syrians conquer Israel. He turned to the Lord for help, and the Lord freed them from the Syrians, but Jehoahaz continued in his evil ways. His son Joash took over when he died.
Joash
(2 Kings 13 v 10 - 14 v 16)
Joash, also known as Jehoash, took over from his father Jehoahaz. He reigned for 16 years. When Elisha was dying, Joash visited him. Elisha told him to fire an arrow out of the window, and said that he would defeat the Syrians. He then told him to hit the rest of the arrows off the ground. Joash did this three times, but Elisha told him that was not enough. He would defeat the Syrians three times but not destroy them. After his battles with the Syrians, Joash also fought against Judah. He broke down the walls of Jerusalem, and raided the temple and the palace.
Jeroboam
(2 Kings 14 v 23-29)
Joash's son Jeroboam reigned after he died, and reigned for 41 years. We don't read much about him, but Hosea and Amos were prophets during his reign.
Zachariah
(2 Kings 15 v 8-11)
Zachariah was Jeroboam's son, and took over when he died. He only reigned for six months before Shallum conspired against him and killed him.
Shallum
(2 Kings 15 v 13-15)
Shallum killed Zachariah to become king, but wasn't there for long. He reigned for a month before Menahem killed him and took over the throne.
Menahem
(2 Kings 15 v 14-22)
Menahem, the son of Gadi, reigned for 10 years. He was not a pleasant character. He defeated some port towns, and killed the women who were pregnant. He was nearly overtaken by the Assyrians, but paid them in silver to leave his country alone. He made the rich men of the country pay him the silver back.
Pekahiah
(2 Kings 15 v 23-26)
Pekahiah, Manahem's son, reigned after him for two years. One of his captains, Pekah, conspired against him, and killed him.
Pekah
(2 Kings 15 v 25-31)
Pekah was Pekahiah's captain, but rebelled and killed his king, taking over his throne. He reigned for 20 years. He too was conspired against, and was killed by Hoshea.
Hoshea
(2 Kings 17 v 1-6)
Hoshea killed Pekah and reigned in his stead. Like all the kings of the northern kingdom, he did evil in God's eyes. He gave gifts to the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser, when he threatened Israel, but changed his allegiance after some years by allying with So, the king of Egypt, so Shalmaneser had him taken captive. The Assyrians besieged Israel for three years, then set up their own king over the land and took the jews there into captivity. Hoshea had been king for nine years, and was the last king of Israel. God had finally let them be taken because they refused to follow Him.
Southern Kingdom
Rehoboam
Abijah
(1 Kings 15 v 1-8,
2 Chronicles 13)
Also called Abijam, Abijah was Rehoboam's son, and took over when he died. He reigned over Judah for three years. He fought against Jeroboam, and even though he was ambushed, the Lord brought him the victory, subduing Israel for a time.
Asa
(1 Kings 15 v
8-24, 2
Chronicles 14-16)
Asa took over from his father, Abijah, and he reigned for 41
years. He removed a lot of the idols in Judah, and even removed his
mother from being queen because she worshipped an idol. There was peace
in Judah for thirty five years, apart from a single battle with the
Ethiopians, and Asa built protection around his cities. He had trouble
from Baasha, the Israelite king at the time, so sent a tribute of gold
and silver to the king of Syria, Benhadad, asking him to switch
allegiance, which he did. The Lord chided him for relying on Syria
instead of God. In his old age, Asa had problems with his feet, but
didn't seek the Lord's help, trusting in his doctors instead.
Jehoshaphat
(1 Kings 22 v
41-50, 2
Chronicles 17-20)
Jehoshaphat became king when his father died, and reigned over Judah for twenty five years. He was a good king, and sent out teachers from the Levites to teach his people God's law. He made a mistake by teaming up with Ahab, and going to fight at Ramoth Gilead, but the Lord protected him there, while Ahab was killed. Jehu the prophet rebuked him when he returned for joining with the ungodly king.
News came to Jehoshaphat that the Moabites and Ammonites were marching upon Judah, and he was afraid. He declared a fast, and sought the Lord, and the whole nation did likewise. A Levite named Jahaziel stood up and spoke for the Lord. They were to go to the battle the next day, but wouldn't have to fight. The battle would be the Lord's. The next day they went out, and singers went before the army praising God. God turned their enemies against one another, and when Jehoshaphat got to the battlefield there were only bodies. They returned to Jerusalem praising God, and God gave the nation peace.
Near the end of his reign, Jehoshaphat again joined with the Israelite king, Ahaziah this time. They built ships to go and collect gold. However, the ships were destroyed, because Jehoshaphat had worked together with an ungodly king.
Jehoram
(2 Kings 8 v
16-24, 2
Chronicles 21)
Jehoram was Jehoshaphat's son, and became king when Jehoshaphat died. He didn't seem to learn much from his father though. He married Ahab's daughter, and followed the wicked ways of the kings of Israel. He even murdered his own brothers, and some of the princes of Israel. Elijah the prophet spoke out against him, and told him he would contract a terrible disease. Sure enough Jehoram got this disease of the bowels, and it was the cause of his death. He reigned for eight years, during which several of the neighbouring countries revolted against Judah, and then he died.
Ahaziah
(2 Kings 8 v
24 - 9 v 29, 2
Chronicles 22 v 1-10)
Ahaziah was also known as Jehoahaz, and was Jehoram's youngest son. All the other princes were taken away by Judah's enemies, along with Jehoram's wife and all his treasures. He became viceroy when his father fell ill, and a year later became king when his father died. He only reigned for a year but still managed to be an evil king. He got caught up with Joram of Israel in his battle against Jehu, and was slain by Jehu because of it.
Athaliah
(2 Kings 11 v
1-20, 2
Chronicles 22 v 10 - 23 v 21)
Athaliah was Ahaziah's mother, and when he died she took over. She sought out all of Ahaziah's sons, her grandsons, and had them killed. But the one-year old Joash was hidden away by his aunt, Jehosheba. They stayed hidden in the house of the Lord for six years. Then the priest Jehoiada arranged for the royal guard to protect him as they revealed him to the queen. He was crowned, and when the queen discovered she shouted "Treason". However she was taken out of the house of the Lord and was killed.
Joash
(2 Kings 11 v
2 - 12 v 21, 2
Chronicles 22 v 11 - 24 v 27)
Joash, also known as Jehoash, had to be hidden from his grandmother Athaliah, as she sought to kill all her son's children. His aunt, Jehosheba, hid him for six years in the house of the Lord, before he was brough out in public and hailed as king, while Athaliah was killed.
He reigned in Judah for 40 years, and was generally a good king. He got rid of some, though not all, of the places of idol worship, and restored the temple. The priests put in charge of this weren't very good at managing the money they were given, so Jehoiada instituted an offering box, and all the money given to the temple was put in the box, and given to the workmen restoring the temple.
The king of Syria, Hazael, marched towards Jerusalem with the intention of taking the city. Instead of trusting in God to help him, Joash gave Hazael all the riches of the temple and the palace to persuade him to leave them alone.
Joash died when his own servants conspired against him. They killed him, and his son Amaziah was made king after him.
Amaziah
(2 Kings 14 v
1-20, 2
Chronicles 25 v 1-28)
Amaziah was 25 when his father was killed, and he was made king. The first thing he did was to put to death his father's servants who had killed him. He was a good king, but didn't abolish idolatry as he should have. He organised the people of Judah into a great army, with 300,000 men. He also hired some of the Israelites to join his army, but was warned by a prophet this wasn't a good idea, and so sent them home angry. He went to fight and defeat the land of Edom, but while he did this, the Israelites he had sent home were sacking his own towns. He also brought back idols from Edom, and worshipped them, which angered the Lord.
The king of Israel, Joash, fought against Amaziah, and defeated him. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and took the precious vessels from the temple.
Amaziah reigned for 29 years in Judah. After he turned away from God, his people conspired against him. He ran away, but was found and killed, and his son made king in his stead.
Uzziah
(2 Kings 15 v
1-17, 2
Chronicles 26 v 1-23)
Uzziah, or Azariah, was Amaziah's son, and became king when he was 16, when his father was killed by his own people. He was a good king, and had a long reign, for 52 years. The Lord was with him in battle and he won many victories, also strengthening Jerusalem with great machines for firing arrows and throwing stones. He became proud though, and was discovered in the temple, burning incense at the altar. Because of this sin he was smitten with leprosy, and had to go and live in isolation. His son Jotham took over his affairs until he died
Jotham
(2 Kings 15 v
32-38, 2
Chronicles 27 v 1-9)
When his father died, Jotham took over as king. He was 25, and reigned for 16 years, building up the cities in Judah and defeating the Ammonites. He followed his father's early example and was a good king, but still didn't remove the high places where the people practised idolatry. When he died, his son Ahaz took over.
Ahaz
(2 Kings 16 v
1-20, 2
Chronicles 28 v 1-27)
Ahaz took over as king when his father Jotham died, but he was a far worse king. He worshipped idols, and even sacrificed his own children in the valley of Hinnom. The Lord left him to be defeated by both the Syrians and Israel. When Israel defeated Judah they took many of the children of Judah captive, but a prophet persuaded them to let them go. When Edom invaded, Ahaz sent to Assyria for help, giving him gold from the palace and from the temple. But the Assyrian king didn't come to his aid. Ahaz desecrated the temple and worshipped the Gods of other countries. He died after 16 years of reign, and his son Hezekiah took over.
Hezekiah
(2
Kings 16 v 20, 18 v 1 - 20 v 21, 2
Chronicles 29 v 1 - 32 v 33)
Hezekiah became king at the age of 25, and reigned for 29 years. From the start he reversed the trends of his father. He had the idols and pagan altars taken down, and removed the bronze serpent put up by Moses, which had become a focus of idol worship. He set the priests and Levites to cleaning out the temple, and reinstated the forms of worship prescribed by God. They had a special passover feast, a month later than usual because it took time to get the priests sanctified. He also reintroduced tithes, so the priests could focus on their duties before the Lord. He followed God and tried to obey Him, and the Lord made him prosper. He also stopped paying tribute to the king of Assyria.
In Hezekiah's fourth year, the king of Assyria rose up against the northern kingdom of Israel. It took 3 years to take Samaria, but Shalmanessar conquered and took all the people captive to his own land.
In his 14th year, another king of Assyria, Sennacherib decided to take over Judah. He took the cities of Judah, and his army camped outside Jerusalem. Hezekiah offered him a tribute of silver and gold taken from his palace and from the temple, but Sennacherib wasn't interested. His envoys came to Jerusalem and told the people they had no chance against Assyria, that their God wouldn't help them just as all the other countries' gods hadn't helped them. Isaiah told Hezekiah not to worry. The Assyrians would not set foot in Jerusalem. Sure enough, one night the angel of the Lord swept through the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 of their people. They fled, and when Sennacherib returned to his capital of Nineveh, he was killed by his own sons.
Around his time, Hezekiah fell ill. He sent for Isaiah, who told him that he would soon die. Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed to God. Before Isaiah had left the palace grounds, the Lord told him to turn back and speak to Hezekiah. He would live for 15 more years. As a sign of this, the shadow on the sundial turned back 10 degrees.
Having heard Hezekiah was sick and recovered, the prince of Babylon visited him. Hezekiah was prideful, and showed this prince all the treasures he had in the palace and in the temple of the Lord. When Isaiah heard this he prophecied that all these treasures would one day be taken away to Babylon, along with Hezekiah's descendents.
Manasseh
(2 Kings 21 v
1-18, 2
Chronicles 33 v 1-20)
Manasseh was only 12 when he became king, and he reigned for 55 years in Judah. He rebuilt the altars and idols that Hezekiah had removed, and even sacrificed one of his own sons. He was involved in black magic and fortune telling, and had so many people killed that the country seemed strewn with bodies. A prophet of God prophecied that, because of all this evil, Judah would be punished.
God sent the Assyrian army to punish Manasseh. They captured him with hooks and chains and took him to Babylon. There he came to his senses. He realised he had done evil, and prayed to the Lord for rescue. He was released and taken back to Jerusalem. After this he was a changed man, taking down the altars again, and commanded the people to worship the true God.
Amon
(2 Kings 21 v
18-26, 2
Chronicles 33 v 20-25)
Amon took over from his father when he was 22 years old, and reigned for only two years. He followed in the evil things his father had done, but didn't have the same change of heart. After he had ruled for two years, his aides conspired against him and killed him. A posse was put together to bring these assassins to justice. They were killed, and the people put Amon's son, Josiah, on the throne, at just 8 years old.
Josiah
(2 Kings 21
v 26 - 23 v 30, 2
Chronicles 33 v 25 - 35 v 27)
Josiah was only 8 years old when he was made king, after his father was killed. But though he was young he was determined to do good. In his eighth year as king he started trying to seek the Lord God of David. In his 12th year he started a campaign of destruction of the altars, idols, high places and worship of false gods. This was to take a long time, but he was exhaustive in removing idolatry from Judah, and even removed altars from the cities of Samaria as well.
In his 18th year, Josiah ordered that the house of he Lord be repaired. They used the money collected at the gates of the temple by the priests. As they were cleaning out the temple, the priests made a discovery: the book of the law, which hadn't been read for generations. They took it to Josiah and read it to him.
When Josiah heard what was written in the book of the law, he was shocked at how much his people were in disobedience. He tore his clothes, and humbled himself before God. He sent to the prophetess, Huldah, to ask what the Lord would do. Huldah told him that God would judge the kingdom for their disobedience, but because of Josiah's humility, He wouldn't do it in Josiah's lifetime.
The king gathered the people together in Jerusalem, where he read them the book of the law that had been found. He urged them to join him in a covenant with the Lord to turn from their sins and follow His commandments. They all stood in agreement. Josiah continued his campaign of destruction and desecration of altars to false gods. He burned the bones of the priests on the altar set up by Jeroboam, just as had been prophecied.
In his 31st year, Josiah decided to go and fight against Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt. Necho warned him that he shouldn't come out and fight, but Josiah did anyway, and was slain by an arrow. He was takn back to Jerusalem in his chariot, and buried there.
Jehoahaz
(2 Kings 23 v
30-34, 2
Chronicles 36 v 1-4)
When his father was slain, Jehoahaz became king, at 23 years old. However, he was only king for 3 months. King Necho of Egypt captured him and took him to Egypt where he died. He put Jehoahaz's brother, Eliakim, in his place, renaming him Jehoiakim.
Jehoiakim
(2 Kings 23
v 34 - 24 v 6, 2
Chronicles 36 v 5-8)
Jehoiakim was made king of Judah at 25 by Necho of Egypt, and paid him tribute which he extracted as a tax from the people. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took over Egypt, and hence Judah, and Jehoiakim served him for 3 years, before rebelling against him. The Lord sent all the Jews' enemies against Judah, and Nebuchadnezzar came to capture Jehoiakim and take him away to Babylon, but he died. Jehoiakim had reigned for 11 years in all.
Jehoiachin
(2
Kings 24 v 6-15, 25 v 27-30, 2
Chronicles 36 v 8-10)
Jehoiachin took over when his father died. He was 18 when he became king, and only lasted 3 months. Also called Jeconiah, he was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, who took him, all the treasures of the palace and temple, and many of the people off to Babylon. We hear about him 37 years later, when a new king of Babylon takes pity on him, and takes him out of jail, treating him a bit more like a king.
Zedekiah
(2 Kings 24
v 17 - 25 v 21, 2
Chronicles 36 v 10-21)
Zedekiah was Jehoiachin' uncle. Nebuchadnezzar put him in charge after he removed Jehoiachin, changing his name from Mattaniah. He was 21, and reigned for 11 years in the depleted Judah. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who besieged Jerusalem in his 9th year. After 3 years of siege, the city was suffering from famine, the soldiers fled, and Zedekiah was captured. His sons were killed in front of him, he was blinded and bound and taken to Babylon. His 11 year reign was the last of the kings of Judah. After Nebuchadnezzar had removed him, he destroyed Jerusalem, burning the buildings and knocking down the walls.