Today’s passage: 2 Kings 14:1-29
Helpful thoughts:
- This chapter contains yet another civil war where the king of Israel defeats the king of Judah, destroys part of Jerusalem and plunders the Temple. Such a sad reality.
- Azariah began to reign when his father was a hostage in Samaria. They remained coregents until the death of Amaziah.
- Elath is a strategic location…one that could easily be forgotten about given the geography of the nation.
- During Jeroboam II’s reign, Israel and Judah combined covered the same land area that had been ruled over during Solomon’s reign.
- The prophet Jonah is the same Jonah who had the pleasure of riding through the sea in the belly of a big fish. (Jonah 1:1-3)
Questions to consider:
- Why didn’t Judah capture Israel? Why did Israel grow and flourish? Who was (and still is) in control?
- Are you starting to feel a bit of monotony reading through the accounts of these kings? What are we learning about Israel/Judah and their ability to keep God’s Law and follow Him on their own? What is the monotony teaching us?
- What does the world look to in order to make things “better?” Who do we truly need? To whom does the world need us to point them?