2 Kings 20:1-21:18: One Giant Step Backward

For more context before you begin studying, read this introduction to the book of 2 Kings.

My friends Bob and Dottie and their children are missionaries to a primitive tribe of Indians in South America. After some initial awkwardness, they were well received. They donned the long white tunics of the tribal people, carried their woven handbags and wore tiny beaded necklaces. They ate native food. The Indians helped Bob and Dottie learn the language. God seemed ready to use them to help bring these people into his kingdom. Then drug traffic swept the area. Speculators bought the land or simply massacred Indians reluctant to sell. Twentieth-century viruses decimated the tribe. Only two-thirds of the Indians remained alive. And some who were left looked at my friends with hostile eyes. Can we still trust God when all the trends point counter to what we know of his purposes? One of the advantages of studying the Old Testament is seeing, in a few pages, God moving through hundreds of years of history. It may help us trust God's unseen purposes for our own small page.

Warming Up to God

When in your life has it been hard to understand God's purposes?

Read 2 Kings 20:1-21:18

Discovering the Word

• What do the details in the communication between God and Hezekiah reveal about their relationship (20:1-11)?
• Why do you think Hezekiah treated the messengers from Babylon the way he did (20:15)?
• What explanation can you offer for Hezekiah's response to Isaiah's prophecy (20:16-19)?
• When you try to imagine life in Judah under Manasseh's reign, what pictures come to your mind?
• Find as many references to the people of Judah as you can in 21:7-15. How do these help explain why Manasseh was able to make such a total reversal of his father's reforms?
• Look back at Hezekiah's situation in 20:1-11. If Hezekiah could have known the future, including the birth of his son, do you think he would have wanted God to add fifteen years to his life? Why or why not?

Applying the Word

• What do you know about God that helps you to stand against popular trends that go against what you know is right?
• How can you serve God in your response to these trends?

Responding in Prayer

Ask God to teach you how to trust in him even during times when the world only seems to be getting worse.