1. Dynasties of the Northern Kingdom. Key events in the history of the Northern Kingdom until its fall in
    722 B.C. We noted that the Northern Kingdom was made up of   successive dynasties. We will look
    at the history of the Northern Kingdom in dynastic terms.
    A. Dynasty of Omri.
         1. In 1 Kings we noted the extensive section dealing with Ahab, Jezebel, Elijah and Elisha.
            a. Ahab was in the Omri Dynasty, which ends with the death of Ahab in 2 Kings.
            b. Unfortunately, 1, 2 Kings are not neatly divided the way we would prefer.  Therefore, we pick up
                with the reign of Ahab.
         2. Whatever we may say about the evil of Ahab, one of his political and military accomplishments was
             that he was able to form alliances with the surrounding nations and even with Judah itself (1 Kings
             22:44).
             a. The reason for this was the rise of a new threat in the north, the Assyrian Empire. Assyria would
                 pose a serious threat to all of Palestine, but it was of special concern to Ahab because the Northern
                 Kingdom stood between Assyria and the rest of Palestine.
             b. When Ahab made an alliance with Syria and Judah, fifty years of hostility were brought to an end.
             c. This peace alliance brought about intermarriage between the royal houses and thus, idolatry was
                 introduced into the Southern Kingdom.
        3. 1 Kings closes with the death of Ahab in battle at Ramoth Gilead and his son,  Ahaziah, coming to the
            throne.
            a. Ahaziah was evil like his father Ahab.
            b. 1 Kings closes with Ahaziah on the throne and Israel involved in idolatry.
       4.  2 Kings 1-8 records events to the end of the Omri dynasty.
            a.  Ahaziah wanted to have Elijah brought to him to see after Elijah said he would  never recover from
                 his injury (2 Kings 1:1-9).
            b. Ahaziah sends a captain with fifty men to bring Elijah back, but Elijah calls down fire from heaven
                which kills them (1:10).
                1. Ahaziah sent another captain and fifty men. They too were struck dead (1:11, 12).
                2. Ahaziah sent a third group, but the captain pleaded for his life.
                     a. Lord told Elijah to go to Ahaziah.
                     b. Pronounced judgment upon him and he died.
       5. Jehoram is the next king. Ahaziah had no son, so Jehoram, his brother, became king (1 Kings 1:17b).
           a. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.
               1. He put away the Baal idols.
               2. Not as bad as Ahab and Jezebel, but not faithful either.
           b. During the reign of Jehoram there is an extensive section dealing with the ministries of Elijah and
               Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-9:13).
            1. Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind riding in a chariot of fire pulled
               by horses of fire.
               a. Some prophets ask Elisha if he knows that the Lord is going to take
                  Elijah away on this day (2:5).
               b. As the company of fifty prophets watched, Elijah and Elisha crossed the
                  Jordan River.
                  1. Elijah rolled up his cloak, struck the river, and they crossed on
                     dry ground (2:7, 8).
                  2. Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before he left. Elisha
                     asked for a double portion of your spirit (2:9).
                  3. Elijah says that if Elisha sees him depart, his request is granted.
                     If not, then no.
               c. As they were walking along, a chariot of fire came and separated them. It
                  was pulled by horses of fire and Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind.
               d. Elisha took Elijah's garment, struck the river, and it once again parted
                  (2:14).
               e. The fifty prophets spent three days searching the mountains and valleys
                  for the body of Elijah, but it was not found.
            2. We may note several significant details about the ministry of Elisha.
               a. His ministry is marked by a number of miracles.
                  1. 2 Kings 4:1-7 is a parallel miracle to that of Elijah in 1 Kings
                     17:8-16.
                     a. Shunammite woman feeding Elisha.
                     b. Elisha raises her son from the dead.
                     c. Lays on the boy mouth to mouth, face to face, eyes to eyes, hands
                        to hands, boy comes back to life (4:34).
                  2. A number of other miracles as well recorded in 2 Kings 2-7).
               b. He had a ministry as head of the school of the prophets.
                  1. The incident in 2:23-25 may be a mockery not of Elisha personally, but
                     as head of the school of the prophets.
                  2. Some youths were jeering Elisha as he went up. "Go up you bald head."
                  3. He called down a curse on them and two bears came out of the woods
                     and mauled forty-two of the youths.
               c. He was involved directly in political and military affairs.
                  1. He was instrumental in the campaigns of three kings against Moab
                     (2 Kings 3:1-27)
                  2. Very important to note that he anointed Jehu to be king of Israel and commanded him to
                      destroy the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:1-7).
   B. Dynasty of Jehu (2 Kings 9:30-15:12)
      1. Elisha's anointing of Jehu begins a new dynasty which would have a total of five  kings: Jehoahaz (2 Kings             13:1-9); Jehoash (2 Kings 13:10-14:16); Jeroboam 2  (2 Kings 14:23-29); Zachariah (2 Kings 15:8-12).
      2. Though Jehu eradicated the worship of Baal, he was not faithful to God and walked in the ways of
           Jeroboam. Every one of the kings in his dynasty also did evil in  the eyes of the Lord.
      3. The house of Ahab perished as Jehu put them to death.
         a. Killed Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30-37).
         b. Killed seventy sons of Ahab (10:1-17).
         c. Killed 42 relatives of Ahaziah (10:12-14).
         d. Killed the prophets of Baal (10:18-25).
      4. Note that while the reign of Jehu's sons was one of financial prosperity for
         the Northern Kingdom, it was also a time of moral degeneration.
         a. God raised up the prophet Amos for the Northern Kingdom. But, he was driven
            out of the land.
         b. God then raised up Hosea, who was the prophet who announced the destruction
            of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians.
   C. Dynasty of Shallum (2 Kings 15:13-15).
      1. Began when Shallum assassinated Zachariah, the last king of the Jehu dynasty.
      2. Only reigned one month before he and his "dynasty" came to an end.
   D. Dynasty of Menahem (2 Kings 15:16-20)
      1. Began when Menahem assassinated Shallum.
      2. Reigned ten years (15:15).
   E. Dynasty of Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:23-26).
   F. Dynasty of Pekah (2 Kings 15:27-31). Began when he assassinated Pekahiah.
      1. Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus formed an alliance to ward off Assyrian
         aggression.
      2. They wanted to force Judah to join the alliance, but Judah refused.
      3. Afterwards, they attacked Judah and took thousands of Jews captive. Other nations
         also took advantage of the situation and attacked Judah: Edomites (2 Kings
         16:6; 2 Chron. 28:17); Philistines (2 Chron. 28:18).
      4. Faced with this threat, Ahaz, king of Judah, asked Assyria for help, against the
         advice of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:1-12).
      5. Assyrians came and attacked the Northern Kingdom and put Hoshea on the throne.
      6. Hoshea paid tribute money to the Assyrians.
   G. Dynasty of Hoshea (2 Kings 17:1-41).
      1. The last dynasty of the Northern Kingdom before it fell to the Assyrians in 722
         B.C.
      2. During the reign of Hoshea, he decided to call on Egypt for help so he could
         stop paying tribute money to the Assyrians.
         a. Egypt failed to come through with the expected help.
         b. Assyrians attacked Samaria.
         c. The Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. when they conquered
            the capital, Samaria, under the leadership of Sargon II.
            1. 27,290 were taken captive.
            2. Assyrians were brutal.
               a. men alive on stakes.
               b. take them away with fishhooks in their noses.
               c. See 2 Kings 17
   H. Factors Which Contributed to the fall of the Northern Kingdom.
      1. Idolatry which began with the first king, Jeroboam.
      2. They rejected the prophets. (E.g., Amos, Hosea).
      3. They rejected God's law and lived immoral lives.
2. Key Events in the History of the Southern Kingdom Until its Fall in 586 B.C.
   A. The Southern Kingdom was headed for a fall not unlike that of the Northern Kingdom.
      1. Judah lasted one-hundred thirty-six years longer than Israel.
      2. Like Israel, Judah also had a problem with idolatry, which led to its downfall.
      3. God's judgment upon Israel at the hands of the Assyrians should have served as
         a warning to Judah. However, Judah did not learn the lesson and was finally
         taken captive by the Babylonians.
   B. We don't speak of dynasties because the line of David continued. Can only look at
      the key people and events.
      1. King Hezekiah.
         a. The First Great Reformer of the Southern Kingdom was King Hezekiah.
            1. There are problems with chronology and scholars are not sure exactly
               when Hezekiah came to the throne. Some put the date at 701 B.C. Other
               scholars have dated the beginning of his reign as sole monarch beginning
               in 716 B.C.
            2. Hezekiah was the most faithful king since David (2 Kings 18:5-7).
               a. Reaffirmed the Covenant (2 Chronicles 29-32).
               b. Reestablished True Worship in the Temple (2 Chronicles 29).
               c. Reestablished the Passover Feast (2 Chronicles 30).
               d. Destroyed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the
                  Asherah poles. He destroyed the Bronze Snake Moses had made because
                  people were worshipping it (2 Kings 18:4).
            3. Miraculously Survives Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah in 701 B.C.
               a. Sennacherib invades Judah in 701 B.C.
               b. There was an alliance formed against the Assyrians which was led by
                  Hezekiah.
               c. Sennacherib marched down to Palestine and destroyed forty-six walled
                  towns of Judah.
                  1. 200,150 people taken captive.
                  2. Palace reliefs which have been unearthed depict this siege of Lachish
                     in graphic detail.
               d. Sieged Jerusalem while Hezekiah was king.
                  1. Isaiah foretold how God would miraculously deliver the city if
                     Hezekiah would trust in God.
                  2. Story found in 2 Kings 19:32-36.
            4. Reforms were undone by his heir.
      2. King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-18).
         a. Manasseh undid all the reforms of his father Hezekiah by reinstituting idolatry
            in Judah (2 Kings 21:1-22).
            1. Rebuilt the high places his father destroyed.
            2. Erected altars to Baal (2 Kings 21:3).
            3. Made Asherah poles (2 Kings 21:3).
            4. Worshipped the heavenly hosts (2 Kings 21:3).
            5. Built pagan altars in the temple (2 Kings 21:5).
            6. He sacrificed his own son in the fire (21:6).
            7. Practiced sorcery (21:7).
            8. Shed much innocent blood (21:16).
         b. God announces judgment upon Judah (2 Kings 21:10-15).
            1. Assyrians come against Judah (2 Chronicles 33:11).
            2. Manasseh taken captive: put a hook in his nose, bronze shackles on his
               feet, and took him to Babylon.
         c. Manasseh repents, is brought back to Jerusalem, and in his later life got rid
            of the idolatry he had instituted.
      3. King Amon (2 Kings 33:21-25). After the death of Manasseh, Amon did evil put
         idolatry back into Judah. He undid Manasseh's reforms.
      4. Josiah
         A. The Second Great Reformer of the Southern Kingdom was King Josiah.
            1. Josiah came to the throne in the year 621 B.C. at the age of eight.
            2. Reforms.
               a. Did away with idolatry (2 Kings 23:16-20). See the prophesy of 1 Kings
                  13:1, 2).
               b. Found the Book of the Law in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8-18).
               c. Kept the Passover (2 Kings 23:21).
         B. The reforms of Josiah were undone by his heirs.
            1. Jehoahaz, Josiah's son reigned after him, but only for three months before
               being taken captive by the Egyptians (2 Kings 23:31-34; 2 Chron. 36:1-5).
            2. Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, undid all the reforms of his father.
            3. Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, also did evil.
               a. Jeremiah prophesied during this time and warned of the impending doom
                  by the new rising empire, Babylonians.
               b. Jeremiah speaks of the idolatry (Jeremiah 2:8-13, 27, 28, et al.).
            4. Zedekiah. The last king of Judah.
               a. Babylonians made three invasions of Judah. The dates are different in 
                  different reference materials. (Perhaps some attribute to beginning of
                  campaign and others to the end of campaign?)
                  1. Some date: 606, 598, 586
                  2. Others: 605, 597, 586 (Schultz, The Old Testament Speaks, 225).
               b. First Incursion. The Babylonians routed the Egyptians at Carchemish in
                  605 B.C.
                  1. By August the Babylonians had advanced far enough into Palestine to
                     claim treasures and take captives.
                  2. Daniel was one of the more notable captives
               c. Second Incursion. A clash between the Babylonians and Egyptians at the
                  border of Egypt in 601 was indecisive.
                  1. This encouraged Jehoiakim to revolt in 601 B.C., against the advice
                     of Jeremiah (2 Kings 24:1).
                  2. For a few years the Babylonians led raids on Judah.
                  3. In 597 they surrounded the city of Jerusalem(2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles
                     36).
                     a. Johoiachin surrendered and Babylonians put Zedekiah on the throne.
                     b. Captives were taken.
                     c. Temple stripped of and royal treasuries taken.
                     d. Ezekiel was one of the notable captives.
               d. Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
                  1. In 594 B.C. there was an opportunity to revolt when Babylon was
                     involved putting down a local revolt (New Bible Dictionary,
                     "Zedekiah," 1277).
                  2. Zedekiah, king of Judah, joined an alliance to revolt (2 Kings 24:20).
                  3. This led to the attack by Nebuchadnezzar. In 586 Jerusalem was
                     destroyed and the Jews were carried into captivity (2 Kings 25;
                     2 Chronicles 36).
                  4. Judah had been warned by prophets like Jeremiah, but she would not
                     listen, partially because they had been miraculously saved during
                     the invasion by Sennacherib.
                  5. Lamentations is the lament of Jeremiah over the fall of Judah.