2 Kings 15 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

In this chapter, the author continues to tell what the kings were like who ruled over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. 1. King Azariah of Judah (1–7) 2. King Zechariah of Israel (8–12) 3. King Shallum of Israel (13–15) 4. King Menahem of Israel (6–22) 5. King Shallum of Israel (23–26) 6. King Pekah of Israel (27–31) 7. King Jotham of Judah (32–38)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Why did Yahweh cause Azariah to become a leper?

Yahweh caused Azariah to become a leper because he unlawfully entered the temple to burn incense. That was something that only priests were allowed to do. This incident is explained in detail in [2 Chronicles 26:16–21](../../2ch/26/16.md), where Azariah is called by his other name Uzziah and where the text says specifically that pride led him to want to have more power and privileges than the law of Moses allowed kings to have. The priests confronted him in the temple, and leprosy broke out on his forehead. They immediately forced him out of the temple, and he had to live in isolation until he died.

Why did Yahweh “send” enemy armies to invade Judah?

The author says in 15:37 that during the reign of Jotham, “Yahweh began to send Rezin, the king of Aram, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, against Judah.” He means that Yahweh allowed those kings, whose kingdoms had previously been enemies, to form an alliance and make plans to invade Judah together. Yahweh did this because he knew that the next king, Jotham’s son Ahaz, would be unfaithful to him. Ahaz would make an alliance with the king of Assyria and worship the false gods of other nations. Yahweh wanted to make Ahaz realize that he must trust in him alone for help and protection, not in idols or in foreign rulers. The prophet Isaiah told Ahaz this specifically, as [Isaiah 7:1–17](../isa/07/01.md) describes.