Bible Study Notes 8/26/2025
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Zechariah
(2 Kings 15:8-11)
After the death of Jeroboam, his son Zechariah rules on the throne in 753 BC, although for only six months.
He does that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, following after idols, as Jeroboam I had done (2 Kgs. 15:9).
You may recall that God told Jehu that his sons would remain on the throne until the fourth generation because he had executed God’s judgment against the household of Ahab (2 Kgs 10:30; 15:12).
- God had also announced through the prophet Hosea that he would judge the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel (Hos. 1:4).
- The four kings after Jehu (Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah) are his descendants, but since Zechariah is the fourth generation, he will fall under judgment.
- This takes place when a man named Shallum kills Zechariah and sets himself up as king.
Shallum
(2 Kgs. 15:10-15)
After murdering Zechariah, Shallum sets himself up as king.
He reigns only for one month in 752 BC, at which time he is murdered by Menahem.
Menahem
(2 Kgs. 15:14-22)
Menahem assumes the throne by killing the previous king, Shallum.
He reigns for ten years in Samaria, from 752-742 BC.
He does evil in God’s sight by continuing in the sins of Jeroboam I (2 Kgs. 15:18).
During his reign, an Assyrian king named Tiglath-Pileser III (also called Pul in the Bible) wages war against the northern kingdom.
- Pul revives Assyrian strength after a period of decline and will prove to be one of the most successful military commanders in world history, conquering most of the world known to the ancient Assyrians before his death.
As an aside, as we learn about the final years of the northern kingdom, it is important for you to become familiar with the three major empires that dominate during the next three hundred years of Old Testament history:
- Assyrian Empire; Babylonian Empire; Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire.
- Assyrian and Babylonian Empires occur during the KINGS section of the timeline.
- Persian Empire occurs during the TEMPLE section of the timeline under the name Cyrus.
We will encounter the Assyrian Empire in the northern and southern kingdom, beginning with Tiglath-Pileser III (745-732 BC).
The Assyrians will defeat the northern kingdom in 722 BC under the leadership of kings Shalmaneser V and Sargon II.
Menahem is forced to pay one thousand talents of silver in tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III, with the hope that the Assyrian king might not destroy the northern kingdom.
Remember that God told the Israelites that He would fight for them and win over their enemies if they followed the law of God, and God would have defeated the Assyrians on Menahem’s behalf, if only he had followed those laws.
Instead of trusting in God for protection, Menahem pays the Assyrians an enormous amount of money to gain Assyrian support, a fact that is also mentioned outside the Bible in Assyrian royal annals.
Menahem’s own status is thereby reduced to that of a vassal king in the service of a greater suzerain king.
This keeps the Assyrian king away for a few years, but it will not be long before the northern kingdom comes to an end during the reign of Hoshea.
Menahem dies and his son, Pekahiah becomes king.
Pekahiah
Pekehiah reigns over Israel for two years and also continues in the sins of Jeroboam.
An officer named Pekah kills him and takes the throne (2 Kgs 15:23-26).
Pekah – Sole Reign
(2 Kgs 15:25-31; 15:37, 16:5, 2 Chr 28:5-15, and Isa 7-8)
Pekah had risen to power during the earlier reign of Menahem, but he becomes the sole king after murdering Pekahiah.
His sole reign is from 740-732 BC and he continues to follow the ways of Jeroboam, doing that which is evil in God’s sight.
Under the rule of Tiglath-Pileser III, the Assyrians continue to exert pressure on Israel during this period.
Hoping to strengthen his own position against the Assyrians, Pekah forms an alliance with Rezin, king of Aram (Syria).
- Together, Pekah and Rezin attack the southern kingdom of Judah (during the reign of King Ahaz) and kill thousands of people (2 Chr 28:6-7).
- The prophet Oded warns Pekah not to kill his own relatives (2 Chr 28:8-15).
- King Ahaz appeals to the Assyrians for help, against advice of Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 7-8).
- The Assyrians then defeat a number of northern cities and take some of their inhabitants away into exile (2 Kgs 15:29; 16:9).
A man named Hoshea conspires against Pekah, kills him, and then sets himself up as king (2 Kgs 15:30).
Hoshea
(read about Hoshea in 2 Kings 17:1-6 and about the last days of the northern kingdom in 2 Kings 17)
After Hoshea kills Pekah, he takes the throne.
He is a vassal king who gives his allegiance to the Assyrians by paying tribute, first to Tiglath-Pileser III and then to his successor, Shalmaneser V (2 Kgs. 17:3).
Hoshea pays his tribute each year but rebels and withholds his yearly payment to Shalmaneser.
- Hoshea seeks help from Egypt, sending messengers to So, the king (2 Kgs. 17:4).
- Shalmaneser imprisons Hoshea for his rebellious actions (2 Kgs 17:4) and besieges Samaria for three years (725-722 BC).
In 722 BC, Shalmaneser finally captures the city of Samaria, and the inhabitants of the northern kingdom are sent into exile and brought into Assyrian cities in eastern Mesopotamia (2 Kgs 17:5-6).
Shalmaneser dies in 722 BC, and his successor, Sargon II, completes the deportation.
- Then the Assyrians bring people from the surrounding nations to settle in the northern region of Israel (2 Kings 17:24-41).
Samaria becomes an Assyrian province with a mixed population.
- The mixing of foreigners with the people living in Samaria fostered syncretism (which already existed in the north), for foreigners bring their gods with them.
- These are the Samaritans we will encounter later in Luke 10:33; 17:16; John 4:9; 8:48; Acts 8:25).
- At the same time, we need to remember that God’s plan of redemption through history has ALL PEOPLES in view.
When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well many years later, he reveals to her that he was the Messiah, and that he has “living water” to give her (John 4:1-38).
- She believes and her testimony results in many other Samaritans believing in Jesus (John 4:39-42).
A few years later through the ministry of Philip, the Messiah is proclaimed in the city of Samaria and many are healed (Acts 8:4-8).
- There is much joy in the city and even a well-known magician believes and is baptized!
- Upon hearing that “Samaria had received the word of God (Acts 8:14), the Apostles in Jerusalem send Peter and John to the city.
- They lay hands on the Samaritan believers and pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
Samaria is the same city where idols have been worshiped for 200 years during the period of KINGS.
God’s plan of redemption, which begins with His promise to Abraham, will continue to be accomplished by followers of Jesus in the power of his Spirit.
Why Does the Northern Kingdom Come to an End?
(Summary of the northern kingdom is in 2 Kings 17)
The reasons for the end of the north are explained as follows: “And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt” (2 Kgs 17:7).
The sins of Israel are described in great detail, including fearing other gods (v 7), walking in the customs of the nations (v 8), building high places (v 9), and worshiping idols in every place (vv 10-12).
- God repeatedly warned Israel through His prophets, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets” (v 13).
- Instead of listening to the prophets, the people “would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God” (v 14).
- They not only stiffen their necks but despise “his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them” (v 15).
- Instead, they follow after the customs of the nations: READ 2 Kgs. 17:16-18).
YET! Hope for the northern tribes is not entirely lost, for God’s vision for the restoration of Israel includes all the tribes.
Throughout the story of the southern kingdom, and even after the exile, glimmers of hope are seen when northerners join with Judah to become the one people of God.
Before starting the southern kingdom, let’s backtrack a few years to the beginning of the southern kingdom history . . .
To recall the events taking place in the southern kingdom after the division in 930 BC.
God had promised David that his descendants would rule on the throne in Jerusalem.
David’s son, Solomon, becomes king.
- God told Solomon that he would tear his kingdom away from him because he had married foreign women and worshiped their gods – this happens during the days of Rehoboam with civil way breaks out..
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, now becomes king over the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.
- Jerusalem is where the temple is built so there are priests, Levites, who remain in Jerusalem, but there are also Levites who are scattered around Israel, as not all Levites are priests, but priests must be Levites.
- Note that when the northern kingdom ends, many Levites relocate from the north to the southern kingdom to be near Jerusalem.
(Much gratitude is given to Dr. Carol Kaminski for her Old Testament Survey course at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the study materials that accompany and inform this teaching.)