Bible Study Notes 10/7/2025

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(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.)

 

Hezekiah (729-686 BC; Co-Regency with Ahaz, 729-715 BC)

2 Kgs. 18-20, 2 Chr. 29-32, and Isa. 36-39

 

Hezekiah’s story is told in 2 Kings 16:20—20:21; 2 Chronicles 28:27—32:33; and Isaiah 36:1—39:8. He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18–19; Hosea 1:1; and Micah 1:1.

 

Ahaz’s son Hezekiah becomes sole monarch in 715 BC after the death of his father and becomes a high point in the southern kingdom.

Hezekiah establishes major religious reforms in Judah (2 Kgs. 18:1-6; 2 Chr. 29-31).

In the first year of his sole reign, he opens the doors of the temple, which his father closed.

- He gathers together the priests and Levites, and assembles all the people to tell them that the temple needs to be cleansed; this is what he says: READ 2 Chr. 29:6-9.

Hezekiah resolves to make a covenant with God so that his anger might turn away from Judah (2 Chr. 29:10-11).

            - Hezekiah knows that if the people return to God, those who have been taken captive will be restored.

- H. reminds the people: “For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him” (2 Chr. 30:9).

- H. sends messengers through Israel and Judah, calling the people “to return to the LORD that he may return to you” and announcing that “if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him” (2 Chr. 30:6, 9).

- Some people mock these words, while other northerners humble themselves and gather at the temple in Jerusalem; the temple is cleansed and sacrifices are offered, and is a time of great rejoicing.

- H. reestablishes the Passover festival and asks God to pardon those who seek him (2 Chr. 30:18-20) and READ 2 CHR. 30:26.

- After this celebration, the high places, sacred pillars, and altars are destroyed; tithes are given to the priests and Levites so that they can devote themselves to God’s law.

We are told that Hezekiah “did what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God, and that every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chr. 31:20-21).

Hezekiah’s reign is an example of how Judah is meant to be living in the presence of a holy God, and what God’s kingdom is meant to look like – people worshiping the LORD God and obeying his law.

 

The Assyrian Attack of 701 BC

 

Now, after all these major religious reforms, a potentially devastating crisis confronts King Hezekiah.

The Assyrian Empire has been gaining power throughout the ancient world and experiences the height of its military strength in this period.

(Remember that the Assyrian kings Shalmaneser V and Sargon II defeated the northern kingdom in 722 BC.)

But at this point in time, Assyrian King Sennacherib besieges cities of Judah.

- Hezekiah knows that Sennacherib will soon come against Jerusalem, so he pays him tribute, giving him three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold (2 Kgs. 18:14-16).

- This buys time so that Hezekiah can prepare the city for an Assyrian attack, starting with protecting Jerusalem’s water supply, and commanding his men to dig out a tunnel to bring water from the Gihon Spring into the city (2 Kgs. 20:20; 2 Chr. 32:1-4).

- Then H gathers his military officers and says to them: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him” (2 Chr. 32:7).

- He tells them to trust in God, for He is far greater than the might of the Assyrians (2 Kgs. 18-19; 2 Chr. 32:1-23; Isa. 36-37).

The Assyrians had been besieging the Judean city of Lachish, not far from Jerusalem, at which time Sennacherib sends messengers to Jerusalem to tell the people not to believe Hezekiah, who has been encouraging them to trust in God.

- The messengers warn the people that their God will not be able to deliver them from the Assyrian army; letters that mock the God of Israel are sent to Jerusalem.

- Upon hearing this, Hezekiah is devastated and tears his clothes and covers himself with sackcloth, then turns to God for help, praying fervently, asking that God might deliver his people from the Assyrian.

- He takes the letters that the Assyrians sent him and spreads them out before the LORD, praying, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth” (Isa. 37:16).

- H. continues to pray, “Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God” (Isa. 37:17).

- In his prayer, H acknowledges that the gods of the nations are not gods, but merely the work of man’s hands, made from wood and stone (2 Kgs. 19:14-19; Isa. 37:19; 2 Kgs. 19:11-13).

- H knows that the LROD God is Creator and that he is sovereign over all the nations; he prays to God for deliverance, that “all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD” (Isa. 37:20).

God answers H’s prayer (2 Kgs. 19:20), as Isaiah assures the king that God will defeat the Assyrians, which is exactly what happens.

- Assyrian historical records tell us that the Assyrians were able to defeat several cities of Judah at this time, but surprisingly (because of the size of their army) they are unable to defeat Jerusalem.

- Unlike Ahaz, H “trusted in the LORD, the God if Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses: (2 Kgs 18:5-6).

- H trusts God and lives by faith.

We learn at this time that Hezekiah becomes extremely ill. He prays to God, and Isaiah the prophet tells him that God has extended his life for 15 years (2 Kgs. 20:1-11; 2 Chr. 32:24-26; Isa. 38).

- Initially he does not give thanks to God for his healing because his heart is proud, but he humbles his heart before the LORD, and Isaiah responds to him with God’s word.

- BUT while H is recovering from his illness, he unwisely shows the king of Babylon all the temple treasures, which Isaiah questions.

- Isaiah prophesies that one day, these treasures will be taken to Babylon (2 Kgs. 20:12-18; Isa. 39), which foreshadows the defeat of the so. Kingdom in 586 BC, when the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar not only destroys the temple, but takes its vessels to Babylon (2 Chr. 36:18).

Hezekiah’s religious reforms will soon be undone by his son, Manasseh, who is the next king – Manasseh’s reign ushers in the worst period in the so. Kingdom, one that will have horrible consequences for Judah.

 So far we have covered over 200 years of the southern kingdom, which began in 930 BC with the reign of Rehoboam.

The spiritual state of the kingdom plummets when Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, becomes king – and becomes a turning point in the history of the so. Kingdom.

We are fairly close to seeing the 586 BC demise of the so. Kingdom.

 

Manasseh (697-642 BC; Co-Regency with Hezekiah, 697-686)

2 Kgs. 21:1-18 and 2 Chr. 33:1-20

 

Manasseh assumes the throne as sole monarch after his father dies in 686 BC.

Manasseh does “evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kgs. 21:2).

- Manasseh rebuilds the high places that Hezekiah had destroyed, builds altars for Baal, and institutes worship of the goddess Asherah, just as King Ahab of Israel had done previously.

- He also builds idolatrous altars for the host of heaven – for the sun, moon, and stars, which he places inside the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem!

- He even puts a carved image of the goddess Asherah in the temple (2 Kgs. 21:3-7), the very place where God’s presence dwells (2 Kgs. 21:7; cf. Deut. 12:11), even though God commanded that there shall be no other gods before him (Ex. 20:2), and even though God will not share his glory with another, as spoken earlier through Isaiah: “I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isa. 42:8).

- Manasseh also sacrifices his own children to those idols (2 Kgs. 21:6; cf. Lev. 20:2; Deut. 12:31), and practices witchcraft, uses divination, and consults mediums and spiritists (2 Chr. 33:6; cf. Lev. 19:31; 20:6). Thus, Jerusalem is filled with innocent blood.

- He seduces God’s people to do even more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed (2 Kgs. 21:9-11; 2 Chr. 33:9).

Manasseh’s sins are one of the main reasons why God judges the so. Kingdom (2 Kgs. 23:26-27; 24:3-4; Jer. 15:4). READ 2 Kgs. 21:10-15.

God’s judgment against Jerusalem and Judah will not take place immediately, but it is surely coming.

- Until then, God raises up the Assyrian army to wage war against Jerusalem and Manasseh is captured and brought to Babylon.

- While in Babylon, Manasseh, the worst so. king, prays to God and humbles himself and God was “moved by his entreaty and heard his plea” (2 Chr. 33:13). Here we see the character of the LORD God, as gracious and compassionate, listening to a repentant sinner.

- God brings Manasseh back to Jerusalem – No sinner is beyond God’s mercy.

Through this experience, Manasseh has now come to know the LORD God and removes the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD (2 Chr. 33:15) – all competing objects of worship are to be destroyed, as the LORD God has become his God.

- This is a foreshadowing of what will ultimately happen to Judah: they will go into exile because of their idolatry, but God will bring them back to Jerusalem when they humble themselves, repent, and seek the LORD, as Moses told his people many years ago (Deut. 30:1-4).

            - God’s plan throughout history will not be thwarted by human sin.

 

Amon (642-640 BC)

2 Kgs. 21:19-26 and 2 Chr. 33:21-25

 

Manasseh’s son, Amon, becomes king at age 21 and reigns for about 2 years.

He does evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done (2 Chr. 33:22).

            - Amon sacrifices to the carved images that his father had made and serves them.

            - He does not humble himself as Manasseh had done, but “incurred guilt more and more” (2 Chr. 33:23).

            - His servants conspire against him and murder him.

            - The people of Judah then kill the conspirators and appoint Amon’s son, Josiah, as king.

 

Josiah (640-609 BC)

2 Kgs. 22:1-23:30 and 2 Chr. 34-35

 

Josiah, at 8 years of age, ushers in one of the greatest periods of the southern kingdom.

There are major religious reforms under the leadership of a king who seeks the LORD.

He “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father” (2 Chr. 34:2).

In the 8th year of his reign he begins to seek the LORD; in the 12th year (628 BC) he begins his religious reforms, eliminating idolatry from Judah.

            - He destroys the altars of Baal, the Asherim, and carved images.

- Molten images are ground down to a fine powder and scattered on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them (2 Chr. 34:4).

            - He burns the bones of the idolatrous priests on their altars, purging Jerusalem and Judah.

The year 628 BC marks the beginning of major religious reforms; Jeremiah begins his ministry in the following year, in 627 BC (Jer. 1:2; 25:3).

Before addressing Jeremiah, we need to visit a few years later in 622 BC.