Lesson
101: 2 Kings 21–25
Sign
Hezekiah was given: 2 Kings 20:8-11
I.
2 Kings
21:1–23:25 After
Manasseh and Amon reign in wickedness, Josiah helps the people of Judah return
to the Lord
---Invite
students to write in their class notebooks or scripture study journals a list
of five to ten people they spend the most time with.
---Invite
them to consider ways the people on their lists may influence them. Also ask
students to ponder what influence they may have on the people they listed.
---Look
for principles that can help you understand how your choices can impact the
lives of others.
--Ch
21 chapter heading then vs 1 & 6
---Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, did
what?
---In
verse 6 the statement
that Manasseh “made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used
enchantments” likely means that Manasseh offered one of his own children as a
sacrifice to one of the false gods he worshipped, and he sought and heeded
false prophets and prophecies.
---What principles can we learn
from Manasseh’s unrighteous influence upon the people of Judah?
If we make wicked choices, then our
actions can lead others to sin.
---Summarize
the remainder of 2 Kings 21 by explaining
that Manasseh died and his son Amon became the king. Amon followed his father’s
example by ruling in wickedness. He was killed by his servants two years after
he became king. The people then appointed Amon’s son Josiah as the next king.
---What kinds of choices did
Josiah make as king?
2 Kings
22–23,
show the video “Josiah
and the Book of the Law” (12:25), look for ways Josiah influenced his people
identify principles from these chapters.
A
prophetess named Huldah recounted the scriptural prophecy of judgment against
the wicked. She also prophesied that Josiah would be blessed because of his
faithfulness to the Lord. Huldah was a prophetess in the sense that she had the
gift of prophecy. This gift is available to all members of the Lord’s Church.
---Take
turns reading aloud from 2 Kings
23:1–4, 21–23
and look for the kind of influence Josiah’s leadership and scripture reading
had on his people.
---What do you think it means
that “all the people stood to the covenant”? (2 Kings
23:3).
(The people promised to live according to the covenant recorded in the book of
the law.)
---How would you summarize the
influence Josiah had on his people?
---What principles can we learn
from Josiah’s example?
If we make righteous choices, then
our actions can lead others to turn to the Lord.
---
For the Strength of Youth:
“As
you strive to live the gospel, you will encourage your friends to do likewise.
Set an example of keeping the commandments, participating in Church activities,
preparing to serve the Lord throughout your life, and remaining worthy to
attend the temple.
“Invite
your friends of other faiths to your Church meetings and activities. Help them
feel welcome and included. Many people have joined the Church through the
example and fellowship of their friends. Also make a special effort to reach
out to new converts and to those who are less active” (For the Strength of
Youth [booklet, 2011], 17).
---What can the account of
Josiah teach us about the importance of studying the scriptures?
Studying the scriptures can help us
turn to the Lord with all our heart and
put away evil influences.
---Write
the following questions on the board:
What can you do or have you done to make
scripture study a meaningful experience?
What impact does studying the scriptures
have on you?
---Invite
students to work in pairs and discuss their answers to these questions.
Alternatively, you could invite a panel of three or four students to the front
of the class and ask them to share their answers to the questions with the
entire class.
---Invite
students to continue to prayerfully study the scriptures daily.
---Summary
of 2 Kings
23:26–37:
After King Josiah had ruled for 31 years, he was killed in a battle. After his
death, two of his sons, Jehoahaz and then Jehoiakim, ruled in wickedness and
led the people again into idolatry. In 2 Kings 24, we learn that
Jehoaikim’s son Jehoiachin became king of Judah. During Jehoiachin’s reign
Jerusalem is taken captive by Nebuchadnessar of Babylon. After about 3 years,
Jehoiachim died. The Babylonian king installed Zedekiah, of Judah, as a local
king to rule his people but pay tribute to the Babylonians.
---Scan
2 Kings
24:19
to see whether Zedekiah promoted righteousness or wickedness during his reign
as king.
---Summarize
2 Kings
25:1–8
by explaining that Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, and the Babylonians again
attacked Jerusalem.
---Read
2 Kings
25:7, 9-10
and look for what happened to Zedekiah, his sons, and the city of Jerusalem.
---What did the Babylonians do
to Zedekiah and his sons?
---One
of Zedekiah’s sons, named Mulek, escaped the destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord
directed Mulek and others to the promised land in the Americas sometime after
Lehi and his family had left
Jerusalem. Some of Lehi’s descendants found the descendants of Mulek and joined
with them in Zarahemla. (See Omni
1:12–19;
Mosiah
25:2;
Helaman
8:21.)
---Most
of the people of Judah were carried away captive into Babylon.
---From the account of Zedekiah
and his people, what principle can we learn about the consequences of disobeying
the Lord’s commandments?
If we disobey the Lord’s
commandments, then we may lose His protection.
2 Kings
21–25. Video presentation—“Eyewitness News at Six (600 B.C.)”
---Look
for the way the people responded to the prophets’ warnings.
Lesson 102:
1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles
Use
the graphic “The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at a Glance” found at the end of
this lesson to write these titles on the board in chronological order.
---Invite
students to open their Bibles to the table of contents. Ask students to find
the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles.
---The
books of 1 and 2 Chronicles
present a genealogy and condensed history from Adam to about 537 B.C.
These books, along with the books of Ezra
and Nehemiah, mention a number of the prophets whose writings make up the
last portions of the Old Testament. However,
the books in the latter part of the Old Testament are not in chronological
order.
---1 Chronicles
provides a genealogy of the Lord’s people from the time of Adam to the time of
the Babylonian captivity as well as a brief account of the reign of King David.
---Ask
students to report what they find.
---Explain that a
psalm is a poem of praise, worship, or lamentation, often set to music.
---You may want to
invite students to read the portion of David’s psalm recorded in 1 Chronicles
16:8–12.
---Point out that
David wrote some of the psalms contained in the book of Psalms.
---2 Chronicles
provides a history of events from the
time of King Solomon until the time when King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Jews
to return to Jerusalem. The beginning of 2 Chronicles recounts when
the Lord appeared to Solomon and asked what gift Solomon would desire.
---Explain that
some of Solomon’s wise sayings are recorded in the book of Proverbs.
---Psalms and Proverbs, along with Job,
Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, are collectively known as the wisdom
literature or the poetry books. We do not know for certain who wrote Job,
Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon or when they were written, but for this
lesson, we will group them together with the other wisdom books.
---The
Lord called prophets to minister to the people in both kingdoms.
If
there’s time, do the italicized part:
---Read 2 Chronicles
36:14–15 aloud, and ask
the class to look for what the Lord did to help His people.
---The messengers
referred to in these verses were prophets of the Lord.
---From what you have learned in
these verses, why does the Lord send prophets to warn us of sin in our day?
(Because of the
Lord’s compassion for us, He sends prophets to warn us of the consequences of
sin.)
---How can the prophets’
warnings about the consequences of sin help us understand the Lord’s compassion
for us?
---Read 2 Chronicles
36:16 aloud, and ask
the class to look for how the people in the Southern Kingdom treated the Lord’s
prophets and what happened as a result.
---How did the people in the
Southern Kingdom treat the prophets?
---What happened to them because
they rejected the prophets?
---What principle can we learn
from their experience?
Those
who reject the words of the prophets will eventually experience the judgments
of God.
---According to 2 Chronicles
36:20, what happened to
most of the Jews in Jerusalem who were not killed?
If
not enough time, jump to this:
---Even
after the Jews were conquered and carried into captivity, the Lord continued to
call prophets.
---After
some time, the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire and allowed the Jews
from the former Kingdom of Judah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple
(see 2 Chronicles
36:22–23).
---The
Lord called Haggai and Zechariah to minister to the Jews who returned to
Jerusalem.
---Some
years later, a Jew named Esther became the queen of Persia.
---Later,
Ezra led most of the Jews back to Jerusalem and sought to reestablish the law of
Moses among the people.
Nehemiah also came to Jerusalem and led the Jews in rebuilding the walls of the
city.
---The
last prophet we have record of in the Old Testament is Malachi.
---Testify
of the love and compassion the Lord has for us and of the value of prophets who
can speak for God.
---Consider
making copies of the graphic “The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at a Glance” for
students to use as they study the remaining books of the Old Testament.
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