2 Chronicles Chapter 28 & 2 Kings 16 - 17
Opening Prayer:
Heavenly Father, as we open Your Word today to study 2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 15 and 16, we thank You for Your faithfulness across generations. Open our hearts and minds to understand the lessons from the kings of Judah and Israel. Help us to seek You wholeheartedly, learn from both their successes and failures, and apply Your truths to our lives. Guide our discussion and draw us closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Recalling 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 14:
In 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 14, we see the reigns of Amaziah in Judah and Asa in Judah respectively. Amaziah began well by executing justice on his father’s assassins but later turned to pride, challenging Israel’s King Jehoash and suffering a humiliating defeat that weakened Judah. Meanwhile, in 2 Chronicles 14, King Asa of Judah did what was good and right in the Lord’s eyes, removing idols, seeking God, and experiencing ten years of peace; when faced with a massive Ethiopian army, he cried out to the Lord and received a great victory, demonstrating the blessing that comes from trusting in God.
Introduction to today’s reading:
Today we turn to 2 Kings 15, which covers the long reign of Azariah (Uzziah) in Judah alongside a rapid succession of mostly wicked and short-lived kings in Israel, and 2 Chronicles 15 & 16, which continue Asa’s story with a powerful prophetic call to seek the Lord, a covenant renewal, followed by his later reliance on foreign alliances instead of God.
Scripture NKJV
II Chronicles 28
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done. 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. 3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Syria and Israel Defeat Judah
5 Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. 7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
Israel Returns the Captives
9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. 10 And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”
12 Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the Lord. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. 15 Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
Assyria Refuses to Help Judah
16 At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19 For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord. 20 Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the Lord, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.
Apostasy and Death of Ahaz
22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord. This is that King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.
26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
II Kings 16
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13 So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He also brought the bronze altar which was before the Lord, from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the house of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17 And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18 Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer entrance from the house of the Lord, on account of the king of Assyria.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
II Kings 17
Hoshea Reigns in Israel
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria
5 Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, 8 and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, 12 for they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” 14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. 16 So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. 21 For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.
Assyria Resettles Samaria
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.” 28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel, 35 with whom the Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying: “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; 36 but the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. 41 So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.
Deeper Meaning of 2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 15 & 16
These chapters paint a vivid contrast between the two kingdoms of God’s people and reveal profound truths about the human heart, God’s character, and the consequences of choices.
In 2 Kings 15, we see the northern kingdom of Israel in free-fall: five kings (Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah) in rapid, bloody succession—most reigning only months or a few years, all doing evil, and nearly all dying by assassination. This is the fruit of generations of idolatry (the “sins of Jeroboam”). Political chaos, brutality, and eventual subjugation to Assyria are not random history—they are the natural outworking of a nation that had long forsaken the Lord. Meanwhile, in Judah, Azariah (Uzziah) reigns 52 years and “does what is right,” yet the high places remain. His long, prosperous reign ends in pride: when he becomes strong, he enters the temple to burn incense (a priestly role forbidden to kings), and God strikes him with leprosy. The deeper message is that incomplete obedience and unchecked success can destroy even a “good” king. God is patient, but sin’s consequences compound, and pride before a fall is a timeless spiritual law.
In 2 Chronicles 15, after Asa’s miraculous victory over a million-man Ethiopian army (chapter 14), the prophet Azariah delivers a life-changing word: “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” Asa responds with courageous reform—tearing down idols, restoring the altar, gathering the people (including faithful ones from the northern tribes), and leading the nation into a joyful covenant to seek God with all their heart and soul. Peace follows. The deeper meaning is revival: God’s presence is conditional on wholehearted seeking; past victory does not guarantee future faithfulness; and corporate, public, accountable commitment brings national rest and joy.
In 2 Chronicles 16, the same Asa who once trusted God completely later faces a threat from Israel’s king Baasha and instead bribes Syria with temple treasures. The seer Hanani rebukes him: the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. Asa reacts with rage, imprisons the prophet, and oppresses the people. He ends his life diseased in his feet, still seeking physicians rather than the Lord. The deeper tragedy is that a life of early faithfulness can end in unbelief, hardness, and isolation if we stop relying on God. Finishing well requires ongoing trust.
Together, these chapters declare:
God is longsuffering yet just.
Partial obedience and pride sabotage blessing.
Seeking the Lord wholeheartedly brings His presence and rest.
Reliance on human strength or alliances instead of God always costs more than it saves.
Leadership (personal or national) shapes destiny—for good or ruin.
What Do They Mean to Us Today?
These are not ancient history lessons; they are mirrors for our hearts and our culture.
Seek the Lord wholeheartedly or drift. Like Asa, many of us start strong after a “victory” (a answered prayer, a spiritual high, a deliverance). But the moment of testing comes when the next crisis hits. Do we still cry out to God, or do we immediately reach for human solutions—money, influence, alliances, “physicians”? The promise still stands: if we seek Him, He will be found by us.
Guard against pride after success. Uzziah prospered for decades because “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” Then strength produced a lifted-up heart. Prosperity is often a greater spiritual danger than adversity. When God blesses our work, family, ministry, or health, we must intentionally stay humble and stay in our God-given lane.
Finish well. Asa’s story is a sober warning for every season of life—especially middle age and later years. Early faithfulness does not guarantee a strong finish. We can grow hard, angry at correction, and self-reliant. The remedy is daily, continual loyalty of heart.
God’s patience and judgment still operate. Israel’s long slide into chaos shows both God’s incredible patience with a rebellious people and the inevitable fruit of unrepented sin. In our personal lives, families, churches, and nations, the same principles hold: persistent idolatry (whatever we put first) eventually produces instability; wholehearted seeking produces peace.
Corporate revival is still possible. When Asa and the people entered a public covenant with joy and accountability, God gave rest. Our Bible study, our homes, and our churches can still experience that same seeking and finding.
These chapters call us to examine: Am I still seeking the Lord with my whole heart? Am I finishing well? Am I relying on Him or on the “arm of flesh”?
Where Are the Twelve Tribes of Israel Today?
The Bible records that after the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom (722 BC), the ten northern tribes were deported and largely “lost” to history as distinct political entities (2 Kings 17). Many were assimilated into surrounding peoples. However, Scripture never presents them as permanently erased from God’s knowledge or plan.
Many from the northern tribes (Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, etc.) had already migrated south to Judah before the fall of Samaria when they saw God’s hand with righteous kings like Asa (2 Chronicles 15:9). The southern kingdom of Judah therefore already contained representatives of all twelve tribes.
After the Babylonian exile and later the Roman dispersion, Jewish people (primarily from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, but mixed with remnants of the others) were scattered worldwide.
Today, the vast majority of identifiable Jewish people trace primarily to the southern kingdom, yet genetic, historical, and cultural studies show remnants and claimants in many places: Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel, often linked to Dan), the Lemba of southern Africa (possible Levitical ties), Bnei Menashe of India (claiming Manasseh), and others. Mainstream scholarship views most of the northern tribes as largely absorbed, while certain Christian traditions (British-Israelism, some messianic groups) identify them with Western nations—views that remain minority and debated.
The consistent biblical answer is clearer and more hopeful: the tribes are not lost to God. He knows exactly who and where every descendant is. Prophets repeatedly promise a future regathering of all Israel—both Judah and the house of Joseph/Ephraim—under one Shepherd-King (Ezekiel 37:15-28; Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 31:10; Hosea 1–3). Jesus spoke of the apostles judging the twelve tribes in the regeneration (Matthew 19:28). Revelation 7 still lists 12,000 sealed from each of the tribes. In the end, God will restore, regenerate, and reunite His people.
For us today, the “lost tribes” remind us that no one is truly lost to the God who seeks and finds. Whether physical descendants or spiritual children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:29), the call remains the same: return, seek the Lord, and be found by Him.
Affirmations
2 Chronicles 15:2 “The Lord is with me while I am with Him. If I seek Him, He will be found by me; but if I forsake Him, He will forsake me.” This truth changes lives today by anchoring my daily choices in the reality of God’s responsive presence.
2 Chronicles 15:7 “I take courage and do not let my hands be weak, for my work for the Lord shall be rewarded.” This empowers me to persevere in obedience and reform, knowing no faithful effort is wasted.
2 Chronicles 15:12 “I have entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of my fathers, with all my heart and with all my soul.” This covenant mindset transforms half-hearted faith into passionate, whole-life devotion that brings joy and rest.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of my heart that is loyal to Him.” This promise changes how I face every battle — I rely on God’s searching eyes and mighty strength rather than human alliances.
2 Kings 15:3 (with insight from 2 Chronicles 26) “I purpose to do what is right in the sight of the Lord, just as my spiritual fathers did — yet I guard against leaving any ‘high places’ of compromise in my life.” This calls me to complete obedience, protecting me from the subtle drift that weakens even long seasons of faithfulness.
2 Chronicles 26:16 (Uzziah’s warning, tied to 2 Kings 15:5) “When I become strong, I humble my heart so it is not lifted up to my own destruction; I stay faithful in the place God has assigned me.” This guards me against pride in success, helping me finish well instead of falling in later years.
2 Chronicles 15:15 “The Lord is found by me, and He gives me rest all around because I have sought Him with my whole heart.” This affirmation brings peace into my chaos — wholehearted seeking always leads to the rest only God provides.
Closing:
As we close our time in 2 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 15 & 16, may we carry away the powerful reminders that wholehearted seeking of the Lord brings His presence and rest, while pride, compromise, and misplaced trust lead to heartache. God’s faithfulness shines even amid the failures of kings, pointing us to the perfect King, Jesus Christ. Thank you to every woman who joined in today’s reading and discussion — your hearts and insights bless this group richly. We thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for saving us from the evil that lurks on earth to turn us away from our God. May we remember always that Jesus is our Savior. God is always here for us and will never fail us. Tomorrow we will be reading Isaiah 13–17. I love you.
Amen. God bless you all until we gather again!
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Special thanks are given to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for the gift of writing and the privilege of sharing this Bible Study. His guidance and blessings have made this work possible, and it is with a grateful heart that can share my study with you. I hope you find it informational and helpful in your spiritual journey. I am asking that you open your hearts and minds to accept the word of Christ into your hearts and accept His word to transform your life in positive ways. This is the first part of my online Christian Bookstore Fellowship and I do accept donations that will further my mission to have a Bookstore in our community, a place where we can sit down face to face and enjoy this Bible Study over open and honest conversation. I will continue this online Study as well to complete the entire year. Thank you for following The Mustard Seed Christian Bookstore Fellowship & Café online Bible Study.
This Bible study is written with inspiration and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, Scripture from the Holy Bible (NIV), NKJV Life Application Study Bible, analytical support and help in organizing and presentation from Grok AI (which examines multiple sources online) and writing assistance with drafting and editing from Microsoft Co-Pilot.
