Good Kings

1. Asa (1 Kings 15: 11)

Asa was a descendant of David and the third king of the southern kingdom of Judah. He ruled
for forty-one years (1 Kings 10: 15) and “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord
his God” (2 Chronicles 14: 2). Asa became king of Judah in the twentieth year
of Jeroboam of Israel’s reign. King Asa founded reform; he removed the male shrine
prostitutes, cut down Asherah poles, and even deposed his grandmother from her position as
queen mother because of her involvement with Asherah worship (1 Kings 15:12–13; 2
Chronicles 14:3, 16). Asa also commanded his people to follow the Lord (2 Chronicles
14:4). 1 Kings 15:14 says, “Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was
fully committed to the Lord all his life.”

In the thirty-ninth year of Asa’s reign, he got a severe foot disease, but he looked only to the
physicians for help and not God (2 Chronicles 16:12). In the forty-first year of his reign, Asa
died and was buried with great honor. Despite a less-than-ideal end to his reign, Asa is
considered a Godly and good king.

The life of King Asa is an example to all of us of how easy it is to drift away from the Lord.
Asa began his reign with a strong commitment to God, but as years went by his dedication
faltered, bringing unnecessary trouble.

2. Jehoshapat ( 2 Chronicles 17: 3, 4)

King Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah under the divided monarchy, the son
of Asa. He was 35 years old when he began his reign and that he reigned 25 years (1 Kings
22: 42). 

Jehoshaphat began his reign in a positive way. In 2 Chronicles 17: 3-6, it says “The Lord was
with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not
consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the
practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought
gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways
of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the idols pole from Judah.” In
addition, Jehoshaphat sent men throughout the kingdom to teach the people the Law of God
(2 Chronicles 17: 7-9).
Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord and asks all Judah to fast (V 3). Through a man named Jahaziel,
the Lord tells Jehoshaphat that He will deliver Judah without a fight (V 14–17). Jehoshaphat
goes out to battle with singers leading the way, singing praise to the Lord. Although
Jehoshaphat started his reign by removing the idolatrous high places, at the end of his reign,
there were still high places that had not been taken away (1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 20).

Jehoshaphat is considered a good and Godly king. Jehoshaphat worshiped the Lord and led
his people in seeking the Lord, but the hearts of the people were never fully changed.

3. Joash or Jehoash (2 Kings 12: 1, 2)

Second Kings records another of Joash of Israel’s military victories. When Joash’s
father, Jehoahaz, was reigning, King Hazael of oppressed Israel (2 Kings 13:22). “But the
Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

When the prophet Elisha was sick and near to death, King Joash of Israel visited the prophet,
apparently disconcerted over the military situation in Israel (2 Kings 13:14). Elisha instructed
Joash to shoot arrows out of the open window. Elisha next instructed Joash to strike the
ground with the arrows. Joash did so but stopped after three strikes. “The man of God was
angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you
would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three
times’” (2 Kings 13:19). When Hazael died and his son, Ben-hadad, took over, Joash did
defeat him three times. Israel was able to recover cities that previously had been taken from
them (2 Kings 13:24–25).

King Joash of Israel ruled for sixteen years and “did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not
turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to
commit; he continued in them” (2 Kings 13:11). After he died, Joash of Israel was succeeded
by his son Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:16).

4. Amaziah (2 Kings 14: 1-3)

Amaziah was a king of the southern kingdom of Judah. The Bible says Amaziah’s reign thus:
“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done” (2
Kings 14:3). Amaziah conquered the Edomites and foolishly brought back their gods and
sacrificed to them. This idolatry resulted in an unnamed prophet coming to Amaziah and
rebuking him. Amaziah rudely resisted the prophet’s words (2 Chronicles 25:16). The
prophet was not to be scared, however. He told King Amaziah, “I know that God has
determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel”
(V 16).

Amaziah’s defeat of the Edomites had made him overconfident, so he sent a challenge to

King Jehoash of Israel to meet him in battle (2 Kings 14:8; 2 Chronicles 25:17). Jehoash
recognized Amaziah’s arrogance and refused the challenge, knowing that he could easily
defeat the smaller territory of Judah Amaziah could have had a long, successful reign had he
continued following the Lord, but his story became another cautionary tale of the fate of the
kings who turned aside to idolatry.

5. Azariah or Uzziah (2 Kings 15: 1, 2, 3)

King Uzziah is one of the good kings of Judah. His father was King Amaziah, and his mother
was a woman named Jecoliah, from Jerusalem. Uzziah was the father of King Jotham.
Ministering during Uzziah’s reign were the prophets Hosea, Isaiah, Amos, and Jonah.

King Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 52 years in
Judah. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” as his father, Amaziah had done (2
Chronicles 26:4). King Uzziah sought the Lord “during the days of Zechariah, who instructed
him in the fear of God.” This Zechariah is most likely a godly prophet to whom Uzziah
listened. As long as Uzziah made a point to seek God, God made him prosperous (2
Chronicles 26:5).

King Uzziah in the Bible is shown as a wonderfully intelligent and innovative king, under
whom the state of Judah prospered (2 Chronicles 26:6–15). He was used by God to defeat the
Philistines and Arabs (V 7), he built towers and strengthened the armies of Judah (V 9 and
14), and he hired skilled men to create devices that could shoot arrows and large stones at
enemies from the city walls (V 15).

6. Jotham (2 Kings 15: 32, 33, 34)

Jotham became king of Judah at age twenty-five and reigned for sixteen years (2 Kings15:
33; 2 Chronicles 27: 1). King Uzziah had been faithful to the Lord but then became prideful
and attempted to burn incense on the altar of the Lord, something only priests were permitted
to do (2 Chronicles 26: 16-20). As a result, God troubled Uzziah with leprosy. Uzziah lived
out the rest of his days in a separate house, while his son Jotham oversaw the palace and
governed the people (2 Chronicles 26: 21). Jotham did not repeat his father’s mistake of
rudely entering the temple.
“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God” (2
Chronicles 27: 6). He rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple and did work on the wall at the hill
of Ophel and built towns, forts, and towers (2 Chronicles 27: 3-4). However, King Jotham
failed to remove the high places, so the people continued to make sacrifices (2 Kings 15: 35).
Jotham waged a successful war against the Ammonites, resulting in their paying him tribute
for three years (2 Chronicles 27: 5). Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah all prophesied during Jotham’s
reign.

7. Hezekiah (2 Kings 18: 1-3)

Hezekiah, a son of the wicked King Ahaz, reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah for
twenty-nine years, from C. 715 to 686 BC. He began his reign at age 25 (2 Kings 18: 2). He
was more zealous for the Lord than any of his ancestors (2 Kings 18: 5). During his reign, the
prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah.

Hezekiah boldly cleaned house, pagan altars, idols, and temples were destroyed. Because
King Hezekiah put God first in everything he did, God prospered him. Judah faced with the
Assyrian threat, Hezekiah sent word to the prophet Isaiah (2 Kings 19: 2). The Lord, through
Isaiah, reassured the king that Assyria would never enter Jerusalem. Rather, the invaders
would be sent home, and the city of Jerusalem would be spared (2 Kings 19: 32-34).

Hezekiah became very sick and Isaiah told him to set things in order and prepare to die (2
Kings 20: 1). But Hezekiah prayed, begging God to be merciful and to remember all the good
he had done. Before Isaiah had even left the king’s house, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah
that his prayer had been heard and that his life would be extended fifteen years. Isaiah applied
a dressing, and Hezekiah was healed (2 Kings 20: 5-7).

Hezekiah’s life is a model of faithfulness and trust in the Lord. Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord
was rewarded with answered prayer, successful endeavors, and miraculous victory over his
enemies. When faced with an impossible situation, surrounded by the dreadful and
determined Assyrian army, Hezekiah did exactly the right thing, he prayed. And God
answered.

8. Josiah (2 Kings 22: 1, 2)

Josiah was the king of Judah from approximately 640 to 609 B.C. His reign in Jerusalem is
discussed in (2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35). Josiah was the son of King Amon and the
grandson of King Manasseh, both of them wicked kings of Judah. Yet Josiah was a Godly
king; he began his reign at age 8 after his father was murdered. In the eighteenth year of his
reign, he raised money to repair the temple, and during the repairs, the high
priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law. When Hilkiah read it to Josiah, the king tore his
clothes, a sign of mourning and repentance (V 11).

King Josiah called for a time of national repentance. And all the people joined in the
covenant” (2 Kings 23: 3). The temple was cleansed from all objects of pagan worship, and
the idolatrous high places in the land were destroyed. Josiah restored the observance of the
Passover (2 Kings 23:2-23) and removed channels and witches from the land.  Josiah died in
battle against the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo. King Josiah was buried in Jerusalem
in his own tomb, and his son Jehoahaz took the role of king.

Josiah shows the influence a person can have from a very young age. Even children have
enormous potential to live for God and to have great impact. Second, Josiah lived a life fully
committed and obedient to God and was blessed for it. Third, Josiah properly responded to
God’s Word. By the time, he became king, the Scriptures had long been neglected, and
Josiah’s heart was hooked by the failure of his people to honor God’s Word. Josiah had
Scripture read to the people and made a commitment to live by it. “‘Because your heart was
responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken, I
also have heard you,’ declares the Lord” (2 Kings 22: 19).

Bad Kings

1. Rehoboam (1 Kings 14: 21, 22)

Rehoboam was the son of King Solomon and king of Judah for seventeen years (931–913
BC). Solomon had turned away from God, and God told Solomon that He would tear the
kingdom from him. God also promised, for the sake of David, not to tear the kingdom away
during Solomon’s lifetime but during that of his son (1 Kings 11:9–13). After becoming,
Rehoboam king, a rebellion placed the ten northern tribes under the rule of Jeroboam and left
Rehoboam with his own tribe (Judah) and the tribe of Benjamin.

Rehoboam took the young men’s advice, and the people rebelled, abandoning the house of
David and ultimately making Jeroboam their king (1 Kings 12:8–20; 2 Chronicles 10:8–19).
Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:18; 2 Chronicles 10:18), where he gathered 180,000
warriors from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to mount an attack. But Shemaiah, a prophet
of God, delivered God’s message to Rehoboam: the troops should go home because the
divided kingdom had come from the Lord. The people of Judah wisely listened and did not
invade Israel (1 Kings 12:21–24; 2 Chronicles 11:1–4). However, there continued to be
warfare between Jeroboam and Rehoboam throughout Rehoboam’s reign (1 Kings 14:30; 2
Chronicles 12:15).

Unfortunately, after King Rehoboam became established in the southern kingdom, he

abandoned the ways of God (2 Chronicles 12:1). In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign,
Shishak king of Egypt captured the fortified cities in Judah and set out against Jerusalem. The
Pharaoh attacked Jerusalem and removed all the treasures from the temple and the palace (1
Kings 14:26; 2 Chronicles 12:9). Second Chronicles 12:12 says, “Because Rehoboam
humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed,
there was some good in Judah.” “Some good in Judah” seems a fitting way to characterize the
reign of Rehoboam. He was unwise and perhaps brash in his treatment of the forced laborers,
thus leading to his loss of the kingdom. However, that loss was God-ordained, and Rehoboam
proceeded to follow the ways of the Lord for some time. But then he turned from God, and
the nation slid into moral and spiritual decay. “Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD.

2. Abijam (1Kings 15: 1, 2, 3)

King Abijah, also called King Abiah or King Abijam, was the son of King Rehoboam and
father of King Asa. Abijah reigned for only three years (913–911 BC) in Judah before he
died. Abijah was a wicked king: “He committed all the sins his father had done before him;
his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had
been” (1 Kings 15:3).

King Abijah had some victories over Israel to the north. Second Chronicles 13 describes a
battle in which Abijah and his 400,000 men triumphed over Jeroboam with his 800,000 men.
The troops of Israel had come behind those of Judah to ambush them, intending to attack
them from both front and rear. But the men from Judah cried out to God, the priests blew
their trumpets, and “at the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before
Abijah and Judah” (2 Chronicles 13:15). Abijah also took the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah,
Ephron, and their surrounding villages from Jeroboam. From that time, King Jeroboam’s
strength lessened: “Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord
struck him down and he died. But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and
had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters” (Chronicles 13:20–21).

Abijah’s short reign was unfortunately marked by doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. Even
though God had granted him victory over Israel, Abijah continued the same error as his
father, Rehoboam-not being fully devoted to God (2 Chronicles 12:14; 1 Kings 15:3).

3. Jehoram (2 Kings 8: 16-18)

Among two kings carrying same name, the first was the son of King Jehoshaphat, and he
ruled in the southern kingdom of Judah from 853 to 841 BC. The other King Jehoram was the
son of the wicked King Ahab, and he ruled in the northern kingdom of Israel from 852 to 841
BC.

Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat was 32 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for four
years with his father and another eight years on his own in Judah (2 Kings 8:16–17), a total of
twelve years. Although Jehoshaphat had been a good and godly king, Jehoram did not follow
in his father’s footsteps. He married Athaliah, daughter of King Ahab and he became an evil
ruler. But, in spite of King Jehoram’s wickedness, God kept his covenant with David and
refrained from destroying Judah (2 Kings 8:19).

Sadly, God’s mercy had no effect on Jehoram’s behavior. He led his kingdom into idolatry
and lewdness, and he caused both Edom and Libnah to revolt against Judah (2 Chronicles
21:8, 11). So God sent word through the prophet Elijah that, because Jehoram had led the
people into sin, there would be a devastating attack on Jehoram’s house and Jehoram himself
would be struck with an incurable bowel disease (verses 14-15). As part of God’s judgment,
the Philistines and Arabs “attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in
the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah,
the youngest” (V 17). The disease killed Jehoram in a gruesome and agonizing manner at the
age of 40. The people did not mourn this wicked king (V 18-20).

4. Ahaziah (2 Kings 8: 26, 27)

Ahaziah, King Ahaziah of Judah, was the nephew of King Ahaziah of Israel and the son of
Jehoram, the evil son of the righteous king Jehoshaphat. Judah’s King Ahaziah was related to
King Ahaziah of Israel through his mother, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.
Ahaziah of Judah walked in the ways of his father, and because of this the Lord allowed him
to reign less than one year in 841 BC. He was only 22 years old (2 Kings 8:26–27).

King Ahaziah immediately allied with his other uncle, King Joram, in a war against the king
of Aram. During this time, a man named Jehu was anointed by the Lord as king of Israel with
the command to destroy the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:1–10). Jehu knew King Joram of Israel
and King Ahaziah of Judah were in Jezreel, and so he rode to that city (V 16). Jehu, however,
shot Joram with an arrow and killed him instantly (V 24). Ahaziah tried to run as well, but
Jehu’s company pursued him, mortally wounding him. Ahaziah made it to Megiddo but died
there (V27). Jehu continued his campaign, killing Jezebel and eventually destroying all of
Ahab’s family.

5. Athaliah (2 Kings 11: 1-20)

Athaliah was queen of Judah from 841–835 BC and the only female monarch to sit on
David’s throne in biblical history. Athaliah was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen
Jezebel of Israel, and she married Jehoram, the eldest son of Judah’s King Jehoshophat.

When Athaliah received word that her son was dead, she seized the opportunity to usurp the
throne by murdering Ahaziah’s sons, her own grandsons. Jehosheba, the baby’s aunt and the
wife of the high priest Jehoiada. Joash was later smuggled out of the castle and taken to the
temple, where he remained hidden for six years while Queen Athaliah reigned over the land
(2 Kings 11:1–3).

Athaliah followed the footsteps of her mother, Jezebel. After Athaliah had reigned six years,
the high priest Jehoiada set guards around the temple and publicly crowned the
young Joash as the rightful king. As the new king was anointed, “the people clapped their
hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king’ (2 Kings 11:12). Athaliah heard the commotion,
realized what was happening, and ran out of the palace shouting, “Treason, Treason” (V 13).
Jehoiada commanded the troops to capture Athaliah and execute her, and so they killed the
queen “where the horses enter the palace grounds” (V 16).

6. Ahaz (2 Kings 16: 1,2)

Ahaz was an evil king of Judah who became king at the age of 20 and reigned for 4 years
with his father, Jotham, from 735 to 731 BC, and 16 years on his own, from 731 to 715 BC. 2
Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 record King Ahaz’s destructive practices, such as idol worship
and sacrilege against the temple of the Lord.

His deeds included sacrificing his own children, which was a great evil the kingdom of Israel
had already been practicing (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:3). King Ahaz also desecrated the
temple as a result of his alliance with the king of Assyria, which came about in response to
punishment God sent on Ahaz in the form of attacks on Ahaz’s land.

King Ahaz made sacrifices on the altar to the gods of Damascus. He moved the altar of the
Lord, and, although he still planned to use it for “guidance” (verse 15), Ahaz offered all the
sacrifices on the new altar.

To impress the king of Assyria, he removed the royal entryway of the temple as well as the
Sabbath canopy, and cut the temple furnishings into pieces (2 Kings 16:17–18; 2 Chronicles
28:24). The Bible is not clear on how Ahaz died, but it does say that, although he was buried
with his ancestors in Jerusalem, he did not earn a place in the tombs of the kings of Israel (2
Kings 16:20; 2 Chronicles 28:27). His son Hezekiah reigned after him, and, fortunately, King
Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 29:2). He reversed
what his father had done to the temple, purifying it and again consecrating it for worship of
the Lord (verses 3–36).

7. Manasseh (2 Kings 21: 1, 2)

The story of King Manasseh is told in 2 Kings 21:1–18 and 2 Chronicles 32:33–33:20, and he
is also mentioned briefly in Jeremiah 15:4. Manasseh was king of the southern kingdom of
Judah and the son of the Godly king Hezekiah. Manasseh, a wicked king, reversed these
reforms and did much worse.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five
years, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the
Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had
destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel
had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He sacrificed his own
son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He
did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.” Not only did Manasseh sin
personally, but as king he led Judah in forsaking the LORD and worshiping idols.
Even though Manasseh had a personal conversion, he was never able to lead Judah out of the
sin that he had previously led them into. They did not follow him in his reforms. The people
continued in their idolatry (2 Chronicles 33:17).

8. Amon (2 Kings 21: 19, 26)

Second Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33 tell us about King Amon of Judah. He was an evil king,
the son of Manasseh and father of Josiah. Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to
rule and was king for only two years (642–640 BC) before he was assassinated.

Second Chronicles 33:22–23 says, “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father
Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had
made. The prophet Zephaniah wrote against the sins of Jerusalem that had been established
during the reign of Amon (Zephaniah 3:4).

The people of Judah struck down those who had conspired against King Amon. They
installed Amon’s eight-year-old son, Josiah, as king. Josiah was responsible for widespread
reform in Judah.
It is interesting to see that Amon followed in the evil ways of his father, failing to humble
himself as his father had eventually done, yet he had a godly son.

Each of us is accountable to God. We are not destined to walk in the footsteps of our
ancestors’ examples, whether good or bad. The story of Amon serves as a warning to us as
well as an encouragement. Judah would eventually receive God’s punishment because of
what they had done in Manasseh’s days (2 Kings 23:26–27), but, during Josiah’s reign, they
walked in God’s ways. Josiah was not bound to repeat his father’s mistakes. Rather, “Neither
before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all
his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of
Moses” (2 Kings 23:25).

9. Johoahaz (2 Kings 23: 31, 32)

Jehoahaz son of Josiah, king of Judah (609 BC). Although he was the fourth son of Josiah,
Jehoahaz was made king over Judah once his father died (2 Kings 23:31; 2 Chronicles 36:1).
Also known as Shallum (1 Chronicles 3:15), Jehoahaz only reigned for three months in
Jerusalem before being deposed by Pharaoh Necho. Jehoahaz did “did evil in the eyes of the
LORD, just as his predecessors has done” (2 Kings 23:32).
The sins of the last Jehoahaz are especially tragic because his father, Josiah, had been an
exceptionally good king. Josiah had found the Book of the Law, renewed the covenant, torn
down the high places of idol worship, destroyed the priests of false gods, reinstituted the
Passover, and turned to the Lord “with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his
strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25). But his son Jehoahaz did
not follow in his steps.

10. Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23: 36, 37)

Jehoiakim was one of the last kings of Judah before the Babylonian Captivity. Jehoiakim was
a son of good King Josiah (Jeremiah 26:1) of Judah. After Josiah’s death, his
son Jehoahaz was chosen king by the people. But, as often happened in those days, Jehoahaz
did not follow in the footsteps of his father but “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings
23:32). Jehoahaz only reigned three months before he was taken into captivity by the king of
Egypt, who replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Eliakim (2 Kings 23:26; 2 Chronicles 36:5).
The Egyptian king renamed the 25-year-old Eliakim “Jehoiakim.”

Jehoiakim also did evil in the Lord’s sight (2 Kings 23:37). Because of the ongoing,
unrepentant sin of the nation of Judah, God sent invading armies to capture and enslave them.
Jehoiakim was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar, who put him in chains and carted him
off to Babylon (2 Kings 24:1; 2 Chronicles 36:6;). It was at this time that Daniel and his three
friends were also taken to Babylon (Daniel 1:1–2). Jehoiakim was later returned to Jerusalem,
although he had to act as Nebuchadnezzar’s servant for three years and pay tribute to him.

Jehoiakim reigned eleven years (2 Kings 23:36; 2 Chronicles 36:5). Jeremiah rewrote the
scroll that Jehoiakim had burned, and God pronounced judgment on the king: “Therefore this
is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the
throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by
night” (Jeremiah 36:30). “He will be buried like a dead donkey—dragged out of Jerusalem
and dumped outside the gates!” (Jeremiah 22:19) This prophecy was fulfilled when, in the
eleventh year of Jehoiakim’s reign, he stopped paying tribute to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar
responded by besieging Jerusalem. According to Josephus, Jehoiakim was killed during the
siege, and his body was thrown over the city wall.

11. Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24: 8, 9)

King Jehoiachin ruled in Judah for three months and ten days (2 Chronicles 36:9) in 597 BC
before he was taken captive to Babylon. He was eighteen years old when he began to rule and
did evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chronicles 36:9; 2 Kings 24:8–9).

During Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Jerusalem. Jehoiakim

became Nebuchadnezzar’s vassal for three years, but then he rebelled. In response, the
Babylonians proceeded to attack Judah, and God sent Aramean, Moabite, and Amonite
raiders against Judah as well (2 Kings 24:2). Babylon took over, and Egypt stood down (2
Kings 24:7).
Jehoiachin succeeded his father, Jehoiakim, in Jerusalem, but his rule was short-lived as King
Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem and the young king along with the queen
mother and the royal officials surrendered to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10–12). Nebuchadnezzar
also took ten thousand others into exile, leaving only the poorest behind, and he raided the
temple (2 Kings 24:13–14; 2 Chronicles 36:10).

Thirty-seven years after his deportation, Jehoiachin was given some freedom in Babylon.
Evil-Merodach had become king of Babylon (2 Kings 25:27; Jeremiah 52:31), and he “spoke
kindly” to Jehoiachin and gave the imprisoned king a seat of honor at his table and a daily
allowance (2 Kings 25:28–30; Jeremiah 52:32–34). “So Jehoiachin put aside his prison
clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table” (2 Kings 25:29).

The prophet Jeremiah predicted the tragedy that befell Jehoiachin. God said that Jehoiachin
would be removed from the throne (Jeremiah 22:24) and be taken to Babylon, where he
would die (verses 26–27). But the curse upon Jehoiachin went deeper than just his deposition
and exile. Thus, the line of kings from David’s family ended with Jehoiachin.

12. Zedekiah (2 Kings 24: 18, 19)

Zedekiah was the last king of Judah and was king when Jerusalem and the temple were
destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC and the majority of the people were carried into exile. The
story of Zedekiah is told in 2 Kings 24–25, 2 Chronicles 36, and the book of Jeremiah.

Zedekiah’s original name was Mattaniah. He was the son of King Josiah and the brother
of King Jehoahaz and King Jehoiakim. Zedekiah would not normally have been included in
the line to the throne, but the kings preceding him made bad decisions, both spiritually and
politically, and were removed in succession.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, meaning he would have only been about 10
when his father, Josiah, died and his brother Jehoahaz became king. Zedekiah ruled for 11
years but continued on all the evil of his brothers and nephew Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24: 18–
20). In his ninth year on the throne, Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and, as a
result, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Zedekiah was confident of Egypt’s help,
which never materialized. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the city fell to Babylon.

Zedekiah heard God’s definitive answer, but he did not like it. False prophets contradicted
Jeremiah and preached a more favorable message (Jeremiah 23), but God reiterated His
message to Jeremiah (chapters 24–25). There is a “showdown” in Jeremiah 27–28.

In chapter 34, Jeremiah assures Zedekiah that he (Zedekiah) will die peacefully in Babylon,
but that the city of Jerusalem will not escape.

Finally, during the siege, Zedekiah fled the city by night but was captured. Zedekiah’s sons
were killed before him, and then he was blinded and taken to Babylon in chains (Jeremiah 52,
see also 2 Kings 25 and 2 Chronicles 36).

13. Jeroboam I (2 Kings 13: 33, 34; 1 Kings 14: 8, 9)

14. Nadab (1 Kings 15: 25, 26)

Nadab was the son of King Jeroboam I of Israel (1 Kings 14:20; 15:25). Jeroboam had been
chosen by God to lead Israel after God divided the kingdom due to Solomon’s sin (1 Kings
11:11, 38). Jeroboam could have handed a great dynasty to his son Nadab, but he turned
away from God and led Israel into deeper wickedness. Because of this, God pronounced
judgment rather than blessing on the house of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:10–11). When his father
died, Nadab took his place on Israel’s throne while Asa reigned as king in Judah. Nadab only
reigned for two years, but he followed in the footsteps of his wicked father, Jeroboam, and
led Israel into deeper sin (1 Kings 15:26).

Jeroboam’s sin had been idolatry, and when Nadab reigned over Israel, he continued in his
father’s footsteps. King Nadab was one failure in a long list of men who tried to rule God’s
people without God. King Nadab and other kings had a chance to rid the land of idolatry and
lead the nation in worshiping the Lord. But they failed. If Nadab had turned away from his
father’s evil and torn down the idol shrines and the high places, God may have relented and
allowed Nadab the dynasty his father had forfeited (see Jeremiah 15:19). But Nadab had
watched his father lead while seeking help from false gods, and he continued that wicked
practice. Therefore, King Nadab is simply another example of wasted potential because of his
rejection of God.

15. Baasha (1Kings 15: 33, 34)

Baasha was king of Israel from 909–886 BC. His contemporary in Judah was King Asa, the
great-grandson of King Solomon. The two kings were polar opposites—while Asa “did what
was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done” (1 Kings 15:11), King
Baasha was an evil ruler and followed idolatrous practices.

Baasha took the throne after assassinating King Nadab son of Jeroboam while Nadab was
attacking a Philistine town (1 Kings 15:27). Baasha then killed Jeroboam’s entire family.
Although Baasha may not have known it, his actions to secure his throne were actually a part
of God’s will. Years earlier, through Ahijah the prophet, God had pronounced judgment on
Jeroboam and his descendants for their evil practices (1 Kings 14:1–16). It could be that
Baasha had heard of the prophecy against Jeroboam, but he did not learn any lessons from
Jeroboam’s fate; instead, he continued in Jeroboam’s wickedness. Because of Baasha’s
rebellion against God’s Law, God spoke to the prophet Jehu and proclaimed the same
judgment on Baasha’s house that Jeroboam’s family had received: complete destruction (1
Kings 16:1–4).

It seems that Baasha died of natural causes (1 Kings 16:6), but, when his son Elah succeeded
him, the Lord’s judgment was swift in coming. After King Elah had reigned only two years,
one of his commanders, Zimri, assassinated him while he was getting drunk at the house of
one of his administrators (verses 9–10). Zimri then did as Baasha had done to Jeroboam’s
household and killed Baasha’s entire family, not sparing “a single male, whether relative or
friend” (verse 11).

16. Elah (1Kings 16: 12, 13)

Elah was the fourth king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He reigned only from 886 to 885
BC. King Elah was doomed from the very beginning of his reign, for before he took the
throne the Lord had sent word through the prophet Jehu against Elah’s father, King Baasha,
promising to destroy Baasha’s family for his sin of leading the people into idolatry. God’s
judgment on Baasha’s house was severe (1 Kings 16:3–4).

King Elah ruled Israel from the city of Tirzah. The years of his reign fell within the reign
of King Asa of Judah. Elah followed in his father’s footsteps, continuing the practice of idol
worship (1 Kings 16:13). For one reason or another, one of Elah’s own military
officials, Zimri, decided to assassinate King Elah.

Sadly, the idolatry that was now common throughout the kingdom of Israel did not stop with
the death of Baasha’s family. Zimri was as idolatrous as Elah before him (1 Kings 16:19),
and so were many kings after him. God gave the people of Israel many chances to repent by
sending word through His prophets, including Elijah and Elisha, but the wickedness of idol
worship continued and eventually resulted in God’s complete destruction of the kingdom by
the Assyrians.

17. Zimri (1 Kings 16: 18, 19)

Zimri became the fifth king in the northern kingdom of Israel, ruling while Asa was king over
Judah. After doing murder of Elah, he became King. Queen Jezebel used Zimri’s name as a
taunt against Jehu when she learned that he had been anointed the next king over Israel in
place of her husband, Ahab (2 Kings 9:31). She falsely compared Jehu’s rightful claim to the
throne to treasonous Zimri’s seizure of it. However, God was not deterred by her
protestations and brought her to an unsavory demise. Jehu ordered her servants to throw her
out of a window, and they did. She died in the fall, and the dogs ate her body (verses 32–37).
King Zimri had the reputation in Israel of being a traitor, much in the same way that
Americans think of Benedict Arnold. Even though Baasha and his son Elah were wicked
kings and led Israel into sin, Zimri was equally wicked and took matters into his own hands
rather than waiting on God. 

18. Omri (1 Kings 16: 25)

King Omri was the sixth king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Despite his precarious
ascension to the throne, Omri ruled for twelve years (885–874 BC) before his son, King
Ahab, succeeded him. As the others before him, Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, but
Omri is noted in the Bible for being the worst of the kings to that point (1 Kings 16:25).
Omri’s reign began amidst turmoil. King Elah had reigned for two years before he was
assassinated by one of his officials, Zimri (1 Kings 16:8–14). Omri took undisputed control
of Israel during the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in the southern kingdom of Judah (1
Kings 16:23). Omri died in the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign, which accounts for only
eight years of the twelve that Omri ruled.

As did the kings of the ten northern tribes of Israel before him, Omri committed the same sins
as Jeroboam, and increasingly so. First Kings 16:25–26 says, “Omri did evil in the eyes of the
Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He followed completely the ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so
that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.”

19. Ahab (1 Kings 16: 30)

Ahab was one in a line of increasingly evil kings in Israel’s history, starting with the reign of
Jeroboam. King Ahab “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him”
(1 Kings 16:30). Among the events chronicled in Ahab’s life that led to his downfall was his
marriage to an evil woman named Jezebel who had a particular hatred for God’s people (1
Kings 18:4). Because of his marriage to a pagan woman, Ahab devoted himself to the
worship of the false gods Baal and Asherah in Israel (1 Kings 16:31–33).

The evil of King Ahab was countered by the prophet Elijah who warned Ahab of coming
judgment if he did not obey the Lord. Ahab blamed Elijah for bringing trouble on Israel (1
Kings 18:17), but it was Ahab’s promotion of idolatry that was the true cause of the three-
and-a-half-year famine (verse 18).

The event that sealed Ahab’s doom was his murder of an innocent man (1 Kings 21). Ahab
coveted a vineyard belonging to a man named Naboth. The king offered to buy the vineyard,
but Naboth refused, because the Law forbade him to sell it (1 Kings 21:2–3; cf. Leviticus
25:23). While Ahab sulked about it in his palace, his wife arranged Naboth’s murder. Once
the vineyard’s owner was out of the way, King Ahab took the vineyard for himself. Elijah
came to Ahab and told him the Lord would deal with him by cutting off all his descendants In
response to Ahab’s repentance, God mercifully postponed the destruction of Ahab’s dynasty
until after Ahab was dead (verse 29).
King Ahab was justly judged by God because he disobeyed the Lord’s direct commands, he
abused his responsibility as Israel’s king, and he led God’s people right into idolatry. In the
end, “there was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord,
urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols” (1 Kings
21:25–26).
20. Ahaziah (1 Kings 22: 51, 52)

Ahaziah of Israel was king from 853—852 BC. He was the son of Ahab and Jezebel, who
were among the most wicked rulers Israel ever had. Ahaziah’s parents brought Baal
worship into the land and turned God’s people away from Him; although Ahaziah reigned for
only two years, he was just as evil as his parents. He “aroused the anger of the LORD” (1
Kings 22:53) due to his own worship of Baal, which continued to lead the people into sin and
idolatry.
When the messengers returned to King Ahaziah and relayed what Elijah had told them,
Ahaziah was angry and sent his captain and 50 soldiers to fetch Elijah. The captain demanded
that Elijah come down from the hill he was sitting on, but the prophet refused; instead, he
announced, “May fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” (2
Kings 1:10). The Lord allowed this miracle, and all King Ahaziah’s men were consumed by
fire. Ahaziah sent men to Elijah twice more. In the second instance, the same thing happened
as in the first: Elijah called down fire to kill the soldiers. However, the third captain begged
for his life, and the Lord spared the company. Elijah came to the king. God’s Word had not
changed: Elijah repeated God’s message of judgment directly to Ahaziah, and soon Ahaziah
died. As Ahaziah had no sons, he was succeeded by his brother Joram, who was also a sinful
ruler—although not as evil as his brother and parents before him (verse 17).

21. Jehoram (2 Kings 3: 1, 2)

The other Jehoram (or Joram), son of Ahab, took the throne of Israel in the second year of his
brother-in-law’s reign in Judah, and he was just as corrupt. He certainly had a poor example
in his father. Ahab had turned the people to idolatry, leading them away from the true God of
their fathers to the worship of his wife Jezebel’s god, Baal. Ahab had famously clashed with
the Elijah on many occasions, and his wicked rule had led to God’s punishment over the
whole land in the form of a years-long drought. The consequences of Ahab’s choices carried
into his son’s reign. Ahab had previously taken control of Moab and forced the people to pay
tribute, but, when Joram took the throne, Moab rebelled, forcing Joram into war (2 Kings
3:4–5).

King Joram called for help in the battle from King Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of
Edom, and the combined armies set out on a march through the wilderness toward Moab (2
Kings 3:8).
In spite of this miracle and the victories in subsequent battles God granted, King Joram
continued in his evil ways. Although he had brought Baal worship to an end in Israel, “he
clung to the sins of Jeroboam” (2 Kings 3:3), and his demise was sure. Joram was injured in a
battle with the Aramians (2 Kings 9:15). God charged Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu to destroy the
entire house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:6–10). Jehu obeyed, and, after confronting Joram, he shot
Joram between the shoulders with an arrow (verse 24). Unfortunately, Jehu stopped obeying
God after he had wiped out Ahab’s family.

22. Jehu (2 Kings 10: 31)

Before his reign as king, Jehu functioned as a commander in the army of Ahab (2 Kings
9:5, 25) in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jehu was the son of Jehoshaphat, although he is
more commonly mentioned as son of Nimshi, his grandfather, perhaps because Nimshi was
more well-known. Jehu’s name, meaning “Yahweh is he,” portrays well his future, God-
given task: to obliterate the house of Ahab along with the worship of Baal that pervaded
Israel at the time.

Jehu was a reformer of sorts who was used by God to clean up the mess that Ahab had made.
God chose Jehu as one of three men who would enact His judgment upon Ahab’s family.
God also chose Jehu to be the king of Israel. Jehu made haste to Jezreel and killed two of
Ahab’s progeny-Joram, king of northern Israel; and Ahaziah, king of Judah (2 Kings 9:14–
29). Jehu then proceeded to Jezebel’s palace in Jezreel, where the queen stood watching for
him at her window. At Jehu’s command, eunuchs surrounding Jezebel threw her down from
the window. Jezebel’s blood splattered over the pavement, and her body was eaten by dogs (2
Kings 9:30–37).
The Lord blessed Jehu for his obedience, granting him a dynasty that would last to the fourth
generation (2 Kings 10:30). However, because Jehu continued to hold on to the idolatrous
worship of King Jeroboam (2 Kings 10:29, 31; 12:26–30), God began to reduce the size of
Israel, gradually giving them over to the power of even Hazael of Syria (2 Kings 10:32–33).

23. Jehoahaz ( 2 Kings 13: 1, 2)

Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel (814—798 BC). This Jehoahaz reigned for seventeen
years over the northern kingdom Israel. “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD by following
the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit” (2 Kings 13:2).
Interestingly, Jehoahaz’s father, Jehu, had destroyed the worship of Baal in Israel. But he did
not keep God’s law with all his heart or turn away from the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kings 10:28–
31). Still, for destroying the house of Ahab, God promised Jehu that his sons would rule to
the fourth generation. Jehoahaz was the second in that dynasty.

Because Jehoahaz worshipped idols and caused Israel to continue in the idolatry of Jeroboam,
God began to reduce the size of Israel, allowing Hazael and Ben-Hadad of Aram to
overpower them (2 Kings 13:3, 32).

24. Johoash (2 Kings 13: 10, 11)

When Joash’s father, Jehoahaz, was reigning, King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel (2 Kings
13:22). The prophet Elisha was sick and near to death, King Joash of Israel visited the
prophet, apparently disconcerted over the military situation in Israel (2 Kings 13:14). Elisha
instructed Joash to shoot arrows out of the open window. The prophet then proclaimed, “The
Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram,You will completely destroy the
Arameans at Aphek” (2 Kings 13:17). Elisha next instructed Joash to strike the ground with
the arrows. Joash did so but stopped after three strikes. “The man of God was angry with him
and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated
Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times’” (2 Kings
13:19). When Hazael died and his son, Ben-hadad, took over, Joash did defeat him three
times. Israel was able to recover cities that previously had been taken from them (2 Kings
13:24–25).

King Joash of Israel ruled for sixteen years and “did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not
turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to
commit; he continued in them” (2 Kings 13:11). After he died, Joash of Israel was succeeded
by his son Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:16).

25. Jerohoam II (2 Kings 14: 23, 24)

26. Zechariah (2 Kings 15: 8, 9)

Not much is known about King Zechariah, as he only reigned in Israel for six months in 753
BC. He was the son of Jeroboam and the contemporary of King Azariah in Judah, who was in
the 38th year of his reign when Zechariah took the throne in Israel (2 Kings 15:8).

We find that he was simply another evil ruler in a line of wicked kings. When God’s people
first asked for an earthly king, rejecting Him as their King, God had warned them that earthly
kings would bring them trouble (1 Samuel 8:10–18). This was indeed the case in King
Zechariah and his predecessors. The sin the evil kings brought into Israel would eventually
result in God’s judgment.

King Zechariah’s short reign came to an end when he was assassinated by Shallum son of
Jabesh right in front of the people (2 Kings 15:10). It is possible that Zechariah had been such
a poor king that his assassination was a welcome one—which would explain why no one
arrested Shallum for regicide. In any case, Shallum took over as king. His rule turned out to
be even shorter than Zechariah’s, however, as he was himself assassinated just one month
later (verses 13–14).

27. Shallum (2 Kings 15: 13, 14, 15)

According to the prophecy, the Jehu dynasty should end during the reign of King Zachariah.
Since every word of God should be fulfilled, at the right time, during the reign of King
Zachariah, the instrument of the destruction of the Jehu dynasty emerged. He is called
Shallum. Shallum conspired against King Zachariah, and killed him in Samaria, and usurp the
throne for himself and reigned. King Zechariah, whom Shallum assassinated, had only
reigned six months himself. Zechariah had done evil in God’s sight as many other kings had
done. Shallum’s murder of Zechariah was a fulfillment of God’s prophecy spoken to Jehu:
“Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation” (2 Kings
15:12; 10:30). That blessing of God had been a reward for Jehu’s wiping out the house of
Ahab and killing the prophets of Baal in Israel. With the death of Zechariah, God’s promise
was completed. The last of Jehu’s descendants had had his time on the throne. Shallum’s
actions brought an end to Jehu’s dynasty and remind us that God can use the evil actions of
evil people to accomplish what He has planned.

As Jesus said, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), and
Shallum’s fate came quickly. After one month as king, Shallum was also assassinated. A man
named Menahem killed Shallum and ruled Israel for the next ten years (2 Kings 15:14). The
story of Shallum ends with a historical footnote: “The other events of Shallum’s reign, and
the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel” (2 Kings
15:15).

Reflection

I learned that Godly parents do not necessarily guarantee Godly children. Many times in
Israel’s and Judah’s history, the Bible records that the children of good kings and prophets
“did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:1–2; 1 Samuel 8:3) and did not follow the
paths of their fathers. God holds each individual responsible for his or her obedience to His
direction (Deuteronomy 24:16). “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will
suddenly be destroyed without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).

It is true that God blesses and grants success to those who seek to obey Him, God also can
and will pull away His blessing from one who willfully chooses to live in sin. As Jesus says
in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the
other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” We cannot serve God while
continuing to hold on to false gods. I learned the importance of wise counselors and
maintaining faithfulness to God. When Rehoboam went his own way, things did not go well
for his kingdom. When he listened to God, Judah was secure. Our life will be secure when we
starts to trust in God alone.