2 Kings - Introduction

Surely 2 Kings is one of the saddest books in the entire Bible. Here we read that God’s elect people, who could have enjoyed His unlimited blessings and who were chosen for the very purpose of passing those blessings on to other nations (Genesis 12:3)-this people, through persistent and willful disobedience, forfeited those blessings and ended up being driven from the very land that God had given them. In 2 Kings, the Old Testament nation of ISRAEL comes to an end.

One of the great themes of this book-and indeed of the entire Old Testament-is God’s faithfulness in preserving the line of DAVID, from which the Savior Christ would one day arise. The kings of Israel (the northern kingdom) were made up of many dynasties, but the kings of Judah were from but one dynasty-the line of David. In this way, God remained faithful to His COVENANT even while His people were breaking it. Above the human and national tragedy recounted in this book stands the eternal God working out His purposes and showing forth His grace and love to all people.

For further information about the authorship and historical background of 2 Kings, see 1 Kings: Introduction.