This week we will finish reading I Kings, read all of II Kings and a couple of chapters into I Chronicles.
By the 2nd chapter of II Kings, the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven to be with God and the story continues through his successor Elisha as he ministers to the northern kingdom of Israel. Chapter 5 includes the fascinating story of Naaman's healing. In II Kings chapters 11-12, the focus shifts to a young boy-king in Judah named Joash who spends significant time trying to restore the temple. Elisha dies in chapter 13 and here you also have a rather interesting account of what happens when someone is thrown into his grave months after his death. Talk about the power of the Lord! The downward spiral continues though in the kingdom of Israel as king after king fail to follow the Lord and by chapter 17 we see that the northern kingdom of Israel has fallen to the Assyrians, with many of the people being carried away into exile. We finish up with the narrative of the lives of the kings from Judah. A few more wicked kings are described before we get to the interesting story of the boy-king Josiah and all of his reforms (chapters 22-23). But even he isn't enough to turn the tide of sin and false idol worship. After him, three more evil kings follow before Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians (chapters 24-25).
Then our attention turns to another of the history books, I Chronicles. In many ways it should sound familiar because it is largely a retelling of the material found in I and II Samuel as well as I and II Kings. The book of I Chronicles really falls into two broad segments. The first, in chapters 1-10, contains mostly genealogical lists, concluding with the house of Saul and Saul's rejection by God.
Here is the schedule:
24 (Su) - I Kings 22; II Kings 1-3
25 (M) -II Kings 4-7
26 (Tu)-II Kings 8-11
27 (W)-II Kings 12-15
28 (Th) - II Kings 16-19
29 (F) -II Kings 20-23
30 (Sa) -II Kings 24-25; I Chronicles 1-2
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.
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