In 2 Chronicles 4, Solomon commissions the construction of the furniture which was to sit within the Temple grounds. The chapter briefly describes the altar of burnt offerings, the altar of incense, the bronze sea, the washing basins, the golden lampstands, and other furniture Solomon’s craftsmen designed for the magnificent temple in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 3 documents the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The building project took 7.5 years to complete, and the final design is described in chapter 6. The length, height, width, interior, and exterior of the Temple are detailed by the writer. It was a magnificent structure which was meant to honor God.

In 2 Chronicles 2, Solomon prepared for the construction of the Temple and his palace in Jerusalem by sending a message to Hiram, king of Tyre. Solomon agreed to send Hiram barley, wine, and oil, in exchange for timber and skilled workers. Hiram agreed to help, telling him he would send him all the timber he needed. He also sent Solomon a skilled craftsman named Huram-abi to assist with the project.

Solomon becomes king of Israel after the death of his father, David. While Solomon was offering sacrifices at the Tabernacle in Gibeon, God appeared to him and told him He would grant him a request. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom to lead the nation. God granted Solomon wisdom superior to any man on earth.

2 Kings 25 records the fate of Judah after years of disobedience to God. God allowed the Babylonian Empire, under the command of Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy Jerusalem and strip the Temple of almost everything that made it significant. Zedekiah and the people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon, where they would remain for several decades of God-ordained exile.

Judah was in complete decline. King Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, leading to the conquest of Jerusalem. His son Jehoiachin inherited the throne, only to be exiled to Babylon with the rest of Jerusalem’s elite and skilled workers. Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah (Mattaniah) as a puppet king, but he later rebelled against his master.

2 Kings 23 documents King Josiah’s reforms in Judah and the former Kingdom of Israel. Josiah purged the land of all idolatry and destroyed the high places where people offered unauthorized sacrifices. He commanded all the people to keep the Passover Feast, which had been neglected during the time of the kings. The rest of the chapter records the reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and how they were oppressed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt.

2 Kings 22 begins with Josiah becoming king of Judah at just 8 years old. In Josiah’s 18th year as king, he determined to renovate the Temple of God in Jerusalem. During the renovation process, Hilkiah found a book containing the laws God had given to Moses. Josiah was distraught over the people of Judah’s neglect for the law. He sent servants to the Huldah, the prophetess, to hear a word from the Lord. Huldah told Josiah that God would punish Judah, but He would delay the punishment until after Josiah’s death.

2 Kings 21 gives us details about the reign of 2 wicked kings of Judah. Manasseh, the son of righteous Hezekiah, departed from the example of his father and welcomed all forms of evil into Judah. He established places of idol worship, brought idols into the Jerusalem Temple, and sacrificed his children to pagan gods. God was so angry He foretold of a day when Judah would be conquered by the enemies and decimated. After Manasseh’s death, Amon became king. He continued the policies of Manasseh but was assassinated after just 2 years on the throne.

King Hezekiah of Judah fell sick and was at the point of death. While on his bed, he prayed to God to extend his life. God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him his life would be extended 15 years. The second part of the chapter documents how Hezekiah showed off all the treasures of Jerusalem to a Babylonian envoy. Isaiah, by the Spirit of God, prophesied that one day, all the precious things in Jerusalem would be carried away captive to Babylon.  

After the Rabshakeh of Assyria threatened King Hezekiah and Jerusalem, Hezekiah went to Isaiah the prophet for council. Isaiah prophesied that God would save the city and humble the king of Assyria for mocking the “Holy One of Israel.” God sent an angel into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army. Their humbled king returned to Nineveh, where he was assassinated by his sons while worshiping in a pagan temple.  

Hezekiah was a godly king, in fact, we are told he was the godliest king since David led the nation. 2 Kings 18 documents his early days on the throne, followed by his difficult days fighting with the king of Assyria. He tried to pay the king of Assyria to leave Jerusalem alone, but the Assyrians sent their army to the city. This chapter recounts how the Rabshakeh, an Assyrian official, mocked Judah and their God, and tried to scare them into surrendering.

2 Kings 17 is a very important chapter in the Old Testament because it tells us about the expulsion of the people of Israel from their land by the Assyrians during the days of king Hoshea. After decades of disregarding and disrespecting God’s commands, God allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel and relocate most of the people to distant portions of the Assyrian Empire.

2 Kings 16 is about Ahaz, King of Judah. He was not a very godly king. He promoted idol worship and even sacrificed his own son to a pagan god. After the kings of Syria and Israel attacked Jerusalem, Ahaz sent an SOS to Tiglath-Pilesar of Assyria who eventually saved him by defeating the Syrians. The end of the chapter documents Ahaz’s new altar in the Jerusalem Temple. It was based on an altar he saw when in Damascus, and he replaced God’s bronze altar with his new altar without God’s permission. Ahaz ruled Judah 16 years. His son Hezekiah followed him on the throne.

This chapter is a list of kings who reigned over Judah and Israel. The text moves through several decade very quickly. The kings of Judah highlighted in this chapter are Azariah, also known as Uzziah, and Jotham. The kings of Israel highlighted in 2 Kings 15 are Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah.

2 Kings 14 briefly documents the reigns of Joash of Judah, Joash of Israel, Amaziah of Judah, and Jerobaom II of Israel. The nation of Judah was weakened significantly when Amaziah declared war on Israel and was defeated by Joash of Israel. Joash’s son, Jeroboam II, led the nation of Israel for more than 4 decades and reclaimed much of the land Israel had lost to enemies in previous years.

2 Kings 13 briefly documents the reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash (Jehoash) in Israel. They were wicked kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord. The end of the chapter records the death of Elisha, the prophet of God who served the Lord in Israel for many years.

Joash became the king of Judah when he was just 7 years old. He was faithful to God all the days Jehoiada the priest was by his side. He reformed the nation of Judah from most of its ungodly worship practices and he repaired the Temple of God in Jerusalem. He reigned for 40 years before being assassinated by his servants.

In 2 Kings 11, the evil queen Athaliah murders the royal family of Judah and seizes power for herself. But unknown to her, one of the heirs to the throne survives, a young baby named Joash. Athaliah reigns for 7 years before Jehoiada, a priest in Jerusalem, organizes an overthrow and reveals Joash to the citizens of Judah. The people of Judah accept Joash as the true king and Athaliah is dethroned and executed.

In 2 Kings 10, after killing the previous king and claiming the throne of Israel for himself, Jehu proceeded to exterminate all the relatives of wicked king Ahab. This purge was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken against the house of Ahab by the prophet Elijah. Jehu then cleansed Israel of Baal worship by destroying all the worshipers of Baal along with the house of Baal.