2 Kings 2 Esv (2024)

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What is the message of 2 Kings 2? ›

Commentary on 2 Kings 2:1-8

The removal of Elijah was a type and figure of the ascension of Christ, and the opening of the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Elisha had long followed Elijah, and he would not leave him now when he hoped for the parting blessing.

2 Kings 18 Short Summary:

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.

Elisha's first major act is to cleanse the polluted well of the city of Jericho. The chief concern in the passage is agricultural productivity. Without a wholesome well, “the land is unfruitful" (2 Kings 2:19).

In our devotional text we see a disobedient Israel worshiping idols; totally ignoring God's command to worship only Him. God had sent prophet after prophet and punishment after punishment to try and turn Israel away from sin and back to Himself, but the people would not listen.

Why study this book? The book of 2 Kings describes the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, focusing on the spiritual successes and failures of each kingdom. The book also explains why Israel and Judah lost the Lord's protection and were conquered.

2 Kings 2 Short Summary:

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.

In today's text, when Hezekiah learned that he was going to die, he turned his face to the wall and prayed. God heard him and answered by extending his life and also promising to deliver Judah from the Assyrians. Each of us can have this same knowledge that God hears our prayers and sees our tears.

2 Kings 19 Short Summary:

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.

We read in 2 Kings 21:1–8 about how King Hezekiah's son Manasseh influenced the people of Judah. He reintroduced idolatry to Judah by rebuilding heathen places of worship and placing altars for false gods within the walls of the temple.

By repeatedly granting Elisha permission to remain behind (v. 2, et al.), Elijah was testing Elisha's commitment to himself and to his calling as Elijah's successor (see also Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 22:31-62; John 21:15-25).

What is God's purpose according to 2 Kings 19 19? ›

God Wants His Name To Be Known Amongst Nations And Kingdoms

So this is exactly what 2 Kings 19:19 says. “So now, O Lord our God save us please from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord are God alone.” Obviously, they want God to save them for their own good.

The city's water source was polluted and harmful, bringing sickness, death, and barrenness. In this context, Elisha performs a miracle. God tells him to throw salt in the water. God, in His mercy, then uses the salt to heal the water so that it becomes wholesome and life giving.

In 2 Kings 18 we read about Hezekiah taking the throne in Judah. Verse 3 tells us that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

2 Kings 17:33 Reminds Us to Commit Our Devotion to God

God to help us to worship and serve you only. We confess in prayer right now that you alone are worthy of our worship.

In this verse, the recurrence of themes from the Mosaic Covenant highlights the grave consequences of Israel's disobedience and the serious nature of God's judgment.

), we move decades into the future and are introduced to Ezra, a leader among the exiled Israelites in Babylon. He's a Torah scholar and teacher and is appointed by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, to lead another wave of people back to Jerusalem. He wants to bring about social and spiritual renewal among the people.

For the King 2 continues the story where the first one left off. The once peaceful Queen Rosomon who ruled the prospering land for many years has now turned against her subjects. She cast the kingdom, Fahrul, into darkness as she built alliances with sinister forces. But resistance is building.

It says in 2 Kings 2:23 that Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel, and while he was on the road the youths came “out of the city” and taunted him. But the youths are “behind him”—he has to turn around to see them (v. 24). So it may be that we are meant to understand that they followed him out of Jericho.