In 2 Kings 9, Jehu is anointed the next king of Israel. He travels to Jezreel and kills Jehoram (Joram), the king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah. Afterwards, he ordered Jezebel, Ahab’s wicked wife, to be killed by being thrown out of her window. Her body was eaten by dogs, just as the Elisha had prophesied in 1 Kings 21:23.

2 Kings chapter 8 is best summarized in 4 sections. First, the Shunammite woman received her property back after a 7-year famine in Israel. Second, Hazael murdered Ben-hadad to become the king of Syria. Third, Jehoram (Joram) became king of Judah. Fourth, Ahaziah replaces Jehoram in Judah but only reigns for 1 year.

Starvation plagued Samaria, the capital city of the kingdom of Israel, as a result of the Syrian siege against them. Elisha prophesied that God would bring deliverance to the city. The prophesy was fulfilled the next day. When 4 men with leprosy tried to surrender themselves at the Syrian camp, they found the camp deserted. God had miraculously caused the Syrian army to retreat, sparing the residents of Samaria from starvation.

2 Kings 6 can be broken down into 3 sections, the first documents a miracle performed by Elisha where he made an iron axe head float in the water. The second documents God thwarting the Syrian army as they tried to capture Elisha in Dothan. Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded by horses and chariots of fire that outnumbered the Syrian aggressors. The third section discusses a period of terrible starvation in Samaria when the Syrian’s besieged the city during the reign of King Jehoram.

Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, sought out the prophet Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha told him to wash himself in the Jordan River 7 times and he would be healed. He did as Elisha instructed and was healed. The end of the chapter documents the greed of Elisha’s servant, Gehazi. Gehazi took money from Naaman and lied to Elisha about it. God punished him by giving him the leprosy which once belonged to Naaman.

2 Kings 4 is primarily about the prophet Elisha helping two women. The first woman was a widow with two sons. Her husband died and the creditors were after her. Elisha helped her by miraculously refilling a jar of oil in her house. She was able to sell the oil and pay back her debts. The second woman is commonly called the Shunammite woman. Her son died of a sudden illness, but Elisha raised him from the dead.  

The nation of Moab rebelled against Judah and stopped paying their taxes after the death of Ahab. Jehoram, Ahab’s son, rallied an allied force of Israel, Judah, and Edom to bring them back into subjection. They marched against Moab but ran out of water on the way. After meeting with the prophet Elisha, God miraculously provided the army with water, and they went on to defeat the Moabites in battle.

The second chapter of 2 Kings describes the departure of the prophet Elijah as he was taken to heaven on a chariot of fire. In his place, Elisha took over as the prophet of the Lord. The end of the chapter describes a few events in Elisha’s ministry. On one occasion, he cleansed a spring of water with a bowl of salt, and on another day, God sent two bears to attack of group of boys who were mocking him.

Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room, got injured, and then became very sick. He sent servants to ask Baal-zebub, a false god, for help. This made God mad, and God sent the prophet Elijah to tell Ahaziah he would die of his sickness. When Ahaziah tried to have Elijah arrested, the prophet called down fire from heaven and destroyed around 100 of Ahaziah’s soldiers.

The last chapter of 1 Kings record a battle between Ahab of Israel and the king of Syria over the city of Ramoth-gilead. Against the advice of the prophet Micaiah, Ahab allied with Jehoshaphat of Judah to try to reclaim Ramoth-gilead. Despite disguising himself for the battle, Ahad was killed by an arrow during the fighting, just as Micaiah predicted. After Ahab’s death, Ahaziah, his son, ruled in his place over Israel.

1 Kings 21 records a terrible story about greed and covetousness. When a vineyard owner named Naboth refused to sell his vineyard to Ahab king of Israel, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, hired false witnesses to accuse him of a crime he didn’t commit. Naboth was falsely convicted and killed, allowing Ahab to take the vineyard. For this evil, God sent Elijah the prophet to curse the house of Ahab and Jezebel.  

In 1 Kings 20, Ben-hadad king of Syria brought his army to Israel and fought against Samaria. God gave King Ahab victory, and his men routed the Syrians. The next spring, Ben-hadad returned with a new army, but once again, God gave Israel victory, and they killed over 125,000 Syrians. Unfortunately, Ahab let Ben-hadad return home after the battle. God sent a prophet to Ahab to tell him his life would be required of him because he failed to destroy Ben-hadad.

After Elijah killed the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Jezebel resolved to kill him. He fled south the mountain of God, Mount Horeb. God spoke to him there, showing him a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire, before speaking to him through a low whisper. Elijah returned to Israel and anointed Elisha to be his student and successor.

1 Kings 18 is a famous chapter in the Old Testament, and it contains the story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God sent fire down from Heaven to prove He was superior to Baal, the false God King Ahab promoted. After the showdown on Mount Carmel, God brought an end to the draught in Israel, by sending rain for the first time in 3.5 years.

God sent His prophet Elijah to Ahab, king of Israel, to tell him God was going to prevent rain from falling on Israel. This was due to Israel’s disobedience. God sent Elijah to the Cherith Brook, were ravens brought him bread and meat each day. Then Elijah travelled to Zarephath, where he met a poor widow and raised her son from the dead.

1 Kings 16 follows the line of kings who assumed the throne of Israel after Jeroboam and his son Nadab. Their names were Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab. All of them were wicked and under their leadership, the nation of Israel moved further and further away from God and His commandments.

1 Kings 15 begins by documenting the key details of the reigns of Abijam and Asa, Judah’s second and third king after the nation split in half. The second half of chapter 15 records key details about Israel’s second and third king, Nadab and Baasha. These kings were successors to Rehoboam (Judah) and Jeroboam (Israel).

King Jeroboam’s son fell sick. He sent his wife to the prophet Ahijah to ask whether his son would recover. Ahijah prophesied a curse against the house of Jeroboam and the nation of Israel, and he told him his son would die. The second part of the chapter documents Jeroboam’s death and the rising wickedness of Rehoboam’s kingdom in Judah.

God sent a prophet to Jeroboam to rebuke him for instituting false worship in Israel after he erected two golden calves and appointed priests at the high places. After rebuking Jeroboam, the prophet was tricked into disobeying God by an older prophet from Bethel. As judgement God had a lion kill him as he journeyed home. The prophet’s rebuke of Jeroboam did little to change the king, as we’re told he continued in his wicked ways.

Rehoboam’s first move as Israel and Judah’s new king severed the nation. He heeded the advice of his peers rather than the sage advisors of his father. This resulted in the nation of Israel breaking away and appointing Jeroboam as their king. But Jeroboam was not the king Israel needed. He disobeyed the Lord by creating two golden calves in Bethel and Dan to divert the people from worshipping in Jerusalem.