Come, Follow Me
Old Testament Lesson 29:
July 11–17
“He Trusted in the Lord God of Israel”
2 Kings 17–25
The Flight of the Prisoners, by James Tissot and others
When Josiah heard the words from the book of the law, he responded in faith. How can you respond in faith to what you read in 2 Kings 17–25?
2 Kings 17: Hoshea reigns in Israel and is subject to the Assyrians—The Israelites forsake the Lord, worship idols, serve Baal, and reject all that the Lord has given them—The ten tribes are carried away captive by the kings of Assyria—The land of Israel (Samaria) is repopulated by other people—Many forms of false worship are found among the Samaritans.
2 Kings 18: Hezekiah reigns in righteousness in Judah—He destroys idolatry and breaks the brazen serpent made by Moses because the children of Israel burn incense to it—Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah—In a blasphemous speech, Rabshakeh asks Jerusalem to surrender to the Assyrians.
2 Kings 19: Hezekiah seeks counsel from Isaiah to save Jerusalem—Isaiah prophesies the defeat of the Assyrians and the death of Sennacherib—Hezekiah prays for deliverance—Sennacherib sends a blasphemous letter—Isaiah prophesies that the Assyrians will be destroyed and that a remnant of Judah will flourish—An angel slays 185,000 Assyrians—Sennacherib is slain by his sons.
2 Kings 20: Hezekiah is told he will die and pleads with the Lord; his life is lengthened fifteen years—The shadow goes back ten degrees on the sundial of Ahaz—Isaiah prophesies the Babylonian captivity of Judah.
2 Kings 21: Manasseh turns Judah to idolatry, even sacrificing a son to a heathen god—Prophets foretell the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem—Wickedness continues under Amon.
2 Kings 22: Josiah reigns in righteousness in Judah—Hilkiah repairs the temple and finds the book of the law—Josiah sorrows because of the wickedness of his fathers—Huldah prophesies wrath upon the people but blessings upon Josiah.
2 Kings 23: Josiah reads the book of the covenant to the people—They covenant to keep the commandments—Josiah overturns the worship of false gods, removes the sodomites, and puts down idolatry—Idolatrous priests are slain—Judah holds a solemn Passover—Egypt subjects the land of Judah.
2 Kings 24: Jerusalem is besieged and taken by Nebuchadnezzar—Many of the people of Judah are carried captive into Babylon—Zedekiah becomes king in Jerusalem—He rebels against Babylon.
2 Kings 25: Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem—Zedekiah is captured, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed, and most of the people of Judah are carried into Babylon—Gedaliah, left to govern the remnant, is slain—The remnant flee to Egypt—Jehoiachin is shown favor in Babylon.
Resources on ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Come, Follow Me—For Primary (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
“As I Search the Holy Scriptures,” Hymns, no. 277.
Thoughts to Keep in Mind: “Jesus Will Say to All Israel, ‘Come Home’”
Additional Material on ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Chapter 39: The Israelites Are Captured
One Voice (2 Kings 22-23)
- Old Testament Seminary Student Material: Lesson 104: 2 Kings 14–20
- Old Testament Seminary Student Material: Lesson 105: 2 Kings 21–25
- Old Testament Seminary Student Material: Lesson 106: 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles
- Old Testament Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students: Unit 20: Day 3, 2 Kings 14–17
- Old Testament Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students: Unit 20: Day 4, 2 Kings 18–20
- Old Testament Institute Student Manual Kings-Malachi: 2 Kings 3–13: Hearkening unto the Counsel of God
- Old Testament Institute Student Manual Kings-Malachi: The Fall of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 14–20)
Resources on Interpreter Foundation
Additional Posts & Roundtables on the Interpreter Foundation Website
- KnoWhy OTL30A — What New Archaeological Discoveries in Jerusalem Relate to Hezekiah?, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, August 15, 2018
Articles in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
- Light and Perspective: Essays from the Mormon Theology Seminar on 1 Nephi 1 and Jacob 7, Kevin Christensen, January 11, 2019
- Why Did Northern Israel Fall to the Assyrians? A Weberian Proposal, Taylor Halverson, October 2, 2018
Resources on Other Sites
BYU Studies Recommended Reading
- Amos through Malachi: Major Teachings of the Twelve Prophets, Blair G. Van Dyke and D. Kelly Ogden, Religious Educator 4, no. 3 (2003): 61–88
- The Restoration as Covenant Renewal, David Rolph Seely, Sperry Symposium Classics: The Old Testament, (2005): 311–336
- Josiah’s Reform: An Introduction, Benjamin L. McGuire, Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 4 (2013): 161–163