On the birthday of “The King” Elvis Presley, I am grateful to have you join me for a study of royalty.
Some people think that America may have never known “President” George Washington had he had a desire to be King George I. George Washington is our nation’s first military hero because he scratched together a victory during Revolutionary War where there was certain defeat. The military commander of the continental forces from 1775 onward, he led the small army through the hardships of Valley Forge through the perilous crossing of the Delaware to eventual triumph at Yorktown. A man of tremendous character and few people have been the leaders that the husband of Martha provided our fledging nation. It’s no wonder that 7 months after his decisive victory at Yorktown that the war itself turned, there were soon calls for Washington to become America’s first king. Years later, Washington stepped down from his second term as President where the nation saw the peaceful transfer of power to President John Adams.
Since we have no monarchy, Americans love the British monarchy. The American actress, Meghan Markle, recently married Prince Harry. And many people have watched the Emmy-awarded TV show, The Crown. My wife, Traci, and me enjoyed the show and learned so much that we didn’t know. Really, Americans see the British royalty as a tax-funded soap opera. We wake up in the middle of the night to watch the wedding of Prince William or years before the wedding of Princess Diana. In 2011, close to 23 million Americans woke up early to watch the wedding of Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, according to Nielsen. In 1981, before cable TV, the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most-watched televised events of the 1980s in the United States. I think my wife still has the wedding on VHS to this day somewhere! Another 30 million people watched Diana’s funeral in 1997.
Long before the British royalty, the Bible tells the story of Israel’s royalty. Yet, many of us know so much less about Israel’s royal line than England’s royal line. Wouldn’t it be a shame for a believer to appear before the Lord in Heaven knowing more about the royal family of Windsor than the royal family of Israel?
The Significance of Israel’s Royal Family
To understand the significance of the Israel’s royalty, you need parts of their story fill the pages of your future. To know more about the King you will bow down to, you need to understand something about the kings of the past (Philippians 2:10). Yes, to understand your future, you need to understand the kings in Israel’s past. Even better, to understand Christmas, you have to know something about the royal line of Israel. Yes, Christmas grew out of the royalty of Israel. Find with me 1 Samuel 8 and place a bookmark at Deuteronomy 17 also, if you will.
1. The People Demand a King
Samuel is the last of Israel’s judges. He is a priest and prophet right before the period of monarchy in Israel. In fact, he was the last of the judges but is considered the first of the prophets. Now, he’s in his declining years and the nation rejects his leadership in favor of a king. Remember, Israel is still under threat from the neighboring nations, especially the Philistines. Samuel has lead well as evidenced by the story in chapter 7 but this is still a really unstable time for the nation of Israel.
It’s right here that the elders of Israel approach Samuel with a request: “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him” (1 Samuel 8:4-10).
1.1 Political Stability
You can understand their desire for a king in one sense as a king would offer them a strong, stable political authority for the nation. They had “yo-yoed” back and forth, up and down during the period of the Judges before this. This political and military uncertainty was fraught with many dangers. So they came to Samuel at his home in Ramah to confront him with the failures of the existing form of government and to propose an alternative. Yet, a call for a king was a rejection of God’s rule plain and simple: “And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them’” (1 Samuel 8:7). The people of Israel had been remarkably consistent generation and generation. Instead of turning to the Lord, they constantly sought to forsake the Lord for other gods.
1.2 Samuel Speaks to the Lord
Samuel takes their request before the Lord in prayer. The LORD gives three answers wrapped into one reply. First, they have rejected God as their king. Second, this rejection is a continuation of their disobedience and unfaithfulness which began all the way back in the days of the wilderness. And third, God tells Samuel to grant their request but also to warn them of the consequences of their choice (1 Samuel 8:6-9). God tells Samuel to give the people what they wanted.
Years later, the prophet Hosea says that God gave Israel a king in anger (Hoses 13:11).
1.3 Samuel Warns the People
Despite the acquiescence to the people’s demand, Samuel warned Israel of the dangers of their decision. If you want a monarchy, you will get forced labor, seizure of property, taxation: He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city” (1 Samuel 8:11–22).
Note how many times the words “to take” occur here - I count six times in verses 11-17. Samuel says in effect, “If you want a king, all he’ll do is take, take, and take.” Now, the people heard the warning but they persisted in pressing for a king.
Years ago, I heard the story of a rural county in Georgia electing a known criminal for sheriff over a man known to be an upright, solid pillar of the community. When asked why they would elect a known crook, the locals responded with, “Well, we didn’t want to ruin a good man.”
Back to our story…
Samuel anoints Saul as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10:1). Note carefully the failure here when they asked for “a king to judge us.” Samuel had judged the people (1 Samuel 7:15–17), as had numerous judges before him. When they proposed that a king should judge them, they were asking for an arrangement “like all the nations” in verse 20.
This was a rejection of Israel’s calling to be the Lord’s “treasured possession among all peoples,” “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” “separated … from the peoples,” a “great nation,” “in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations,” and “a people for himself” (Exodus 19:5, 6; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 4:6; 26:19; 1 Samuel 12:22).
Samuel explains all the abuses that will happen once you appoint a king over you. He states: 1) the people will become his slaves; 2) the king will be a harsh taskmaster; 3) the king will take the best of their crops; 4) the king will press their children into his service; 5) the king will place heavy burdens upon the people and take away their freedom; and lastly, 6) the people will groan for relief.
The king would own many fields and the burden of providing a permanent food supply for this institution would fall on the population at large. The people would have to hand over a “tithe” of their grain, vintage, and flocks (vv. 15, 17). In addition to food, the royal institution would need a sustained supply of beasts of burden (v. 16), the engines of field labor and commerce. They came thinking the king would deliver them but God tells them, “You will not experience deliverance but even greater oppression.”
Question to Consider
1. Name five Old Testament kings from memory other than Saul and David.
2. Knowing God gave into the demands of the people, what sort of implications does 1 Samuel 8 have for American people heading into the voting booth during elections?
1. The People Demand a King
2. God Saw This Coming
Now that you know God opposed the idea of a royal family in Israel, you may find it surprising that He gave guidance for choosing a king many years before. In Genesis 17:16, God promises Abraham that he would bless his seed and that “kings will come from you” (see also Genesis 35:11). It is important to realize that God is not opposed to the idea of kingship. God allows for kingship, and Deuteronomy 17 gives us the regulations for the king: “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
We should remember that Moses grew up in a king’s palace in Egypt, and he would have seen firsthand all the dangers associated with being a monarch.
2.1 God is Pro-King
Surprisingly, God isn’t anti-monarchy. In fact, it was His privilege to choose a king for Israel. What God objects to is the kind of kingship that the Israelites demanded, specifically, a king like the nations around them. When they demanded a king from Samuel, the Israelites fail to bring their request to God and to cry out to him as envisioned in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. They have made up their mind on the kind of king they want without letting Yahweh choose one for them. In Judges 8:22-23, we find the first recorded attempt by Israel to have a king rule over her. Following Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, the men of Israel offer to him the hereditary leadership, but he declines to be king and says this: “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you” (Judges 8:23b).
Back to Moses’ words, Chris Wright says of this section, “[It] is permissive rather than prescriptive legislation. It does not command monarchy but allows for it.” First, Moses says, the king had to be the person “you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose” (17:15a). When you select a leader, your first through is to find out who the Lord chooses for the job.
2.2 God is Our King
Remember, ultimately God is our king: “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever” (Psalm 29:10).
At the end of Psalm 24 we are told: “Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah” (Psalm 24:7-10).
2.3 The Character of a Great King
The conditions set out in Deuteronomy 17:14–20 included:
1) the king must be the Lord’s choice;
2) he must be a brother, that is, a fellow Israelite under the same covenant with the Lord;
3) he must live in obedience to the law of the Lord.
In effect, the king must not accumulate a great military force, or great wealth, or many wives. The king chosen by God must be careful about the three big symbols of power among kings at that time: war power, women, and wealth. Remember the words of power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. You may wonder why God prohibited too many horses and I remind you of the words of King David: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7). Concerning the number of wives, we need to only remember Solomon. Though there may be political advantages to such marriages, the sad case of Solomon’s wives introducing the worship of other gods shows the peril of this course of action for Jewish kings (1 Kings 11:4–8). He must not enjoy all the perks of power. Rather, he must be a leader in keeping the people humble before God.
After presenting three things that the king should not do, Moses gives two positive things that he must do. The first has to do with the Word of God: “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them” (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). The original scroll of the Law was kept in the sanctuary under the care of the priests. God commands that the king himself was to write a copy of the Law for himself.
We so often hear about the first 100 days of a President’s term. What would it be like for us to hear this kind of news report, “President Trump will unavailable for the first five days of his presidency as he is sequestered away at Camp David writing out by hand all the biblical commands of God. How might this impact possible extramarital affairs of the nation’s leader? How might writing out the commands of God impact our nation?
Lincoln said, “In regard to this great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man.… But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.” George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
Back to the king writing out the copy of the law, the king’s copy was to be made from the “official” version, that was retained by the priests. This is most likely the “book of the law” found by Josiah’s priests and scribes in the days of Judah’s reformation (2 Kings 22:8–13).
But with Josiah’s story (circa 622 BC), the king’s own copy had long since been repressed or destroyed, and the monarchy had functioned without its God-given guidelines.
Question to Consider
1. What impact would it have on your life if you copied God’s laws into your handwriting?
2. How do think the three conditions God set forth for the king in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 would impact leaders today?
1. The People Demand a King
2. God Saw This Coming
3. An Overview of the Kings of the Old Testament
Let me offer you an overview of the kings of the Old Testament for the next few minutes. You’re going to need this to keep yourself oriented in the upcoming weeks. The first three kings led a united Israel while the rest of the kings led a divided Israel. So the first three kings led one nation comprised of the twelve tribes. While the remainder of the kings led two nations – Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
3.1 Saul (c. 1020-1000 BC)
Note: All dates refer to the reign of the individual king and they are approximate.
Saul was the first king of Israel. He was a tall and handsome young man and he was from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:1–2, 21). He was chosen by God (1 Samuel 9:15–17) and secretly anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1), Saul was later selected publicly by lot (1 Samuel 10:17–24). Despite some people’s skepticism (1 Samuel 10:27), he proved himself an able leader by delivering the city of Jabesh-Gilead and was acclaimed king at Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:1–15).
3.2 David (c. 1005-970 BC)
When Saul failed to meet God’s standards for kingship (1 Samuel 15:23, 35; 16:1), God sent Samuel to anoint a replacement from among the sons of Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1). God showed Samuel He had chosen the youngest, who still tended sheep for his father (1 Samuel 16:11–12). The Bible tells us that David’s good looks didn’t hurt him any.. David’s musical talent, combined with his reputation as a fighter, led one of Saul’s servants to recommend David as the person to play the harp for Saul when the evil spirit from God troubled him (1 Samuel 16:18). Saul grew to love David and made him armor bearer for the king (1 Samuel 16:21–22). The two books in the Old Testament devoted to David’s reign are 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. His earlier years are recorded in 1 Samuel, beginning at chapter 16. Almost half of the biblical psalms are ascribed to David. His importance extends into the New Testament, where he is identified as an ancestor of Jesus Christ and as a forerunner of the messianic king.
3.3 Solomon (c. 970- 930 BC)
Solomon was remembered as having 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs in his repertoire (1 Kings 4:32). Thus, it is not surprising that Proverbs and Song of Songs are attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 1:1; Song of Solomon 1:1). His wisdom is also illustrated in the Bible by the accounts of the two harlots who claimed the single surviving child (1 Kings 3:16) and by the visit of the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). The Bible clearly notes that Solomon had faults as well as elements of greatness. The “seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” came from many of the kingdoms with which Solomon had treaties (1 Kings 11:1, 3). He apparently allowed his wives to worship their native gods and even had altars to those gods constructed in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7–8).
3.4 Divided Kingdom
“Two political states of Judah and Israel that came into existence shortly after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:43) and survived together until the fall of Israel in 722 B.C. The Northern Kingdom, known as Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, known as Judah, were operated as separate countries from approximately 924 B.C. until 722 B.C. (1 Kings 12). At times, the two countries were at war with one another. At other times, they cooperated in a friendly alliance. The Northern Kingdom came to an end in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians destroyed the capital city, Samaria. The Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 587 B.C.”
The Northern Kingdom survived for 210 years after Solomon’s death (931 to 722 B.C.), while the Southern Kingdom of Judah went on for another 135 years, for a total of 345 years.
Judah (924-587 B.C.)
King Years Short Description Scripture
1. Rehoboam 931-913 Son of Solomon who did evil in the eyes of the Lord. His oppressive ways and arrogance caused the Northern Kingdom to split away into its own nation. 1 Kings 12–14; 2 Chronicles 10–12
2. Abijah/Abijam 913-911 Son of Rehoboam who did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 1 Kings 14:31–15:8; 2 Chronicles 13:1–14:1
3. Asa 911-870 Son of Abijah.
He did what was right in the eyes or the Lord 1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chronicles 14-16
4. Jehoshaphat 873-848 Son of Asa. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 17-20
5. Jehoram/ Joram 848-841 Son of Jehoshaphat. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. The prophet Obadiah is active during this time. 2 Kings 8
6. Ahaziah 841 Son of Jehoram. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Kings 8:25–29, 9:16; 2 Chronicles 22:1–9
7. Queen Athaliah 841-835 Wife of Joram & Mother of Ahaziah and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. She is not seen as a legitimate ruler over Judah. 2 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 22-23
8. Jehoash/Joash 835-796 Son of Ahaziah. He did right in eyes of the Lord as long as he was advised by Jehoida, the priest. But he would not listen to others after this. The prophet Joel is active during this time. 2 Kings 11–12; 2 Chronicles 22:10–24:27
10. Amaziah 796-767 Son of Joash. He respected the law in the beginning but he failed to remove the pagan shrines in Judah. 2 Kings 14:1–20; 2 Chronicles 25
11. Uzziah/ Azariah 792-740 Son of Amaziah. He began as a good king under Zechariah but contracted a skin disease because of his pride in his old age. 2 Kings 14:21, 22, 15:1–7; 2 Chronicles 26:1–23
12. Jotham 750-731 Son of Uzziah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The prophets Micah and Isaiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 15:32–38; 2 Chronicles 27:1–9
13. Ahaz 735-715 Son of Jotham. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord and was one of the worst kings of Judah. The prophets Micah and Isaiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 7)
14. Hezekiah 729-642 Son of Ahaz Did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The prophets Micah and Isaiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 17–20; Isaiah 36–39; 2 Chronicles 29–32
15. Manasseh 969-642 Son of Hezekiah. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. The prophets Nahum and Isaiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 21:1–26; 2 Chronicles 33:1–20
16. Amon 642-640 Son of Manasseh. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Kings 21:19–26; 2 Chronicles 33:21–25
17. Josiah 640-609 Son of Amon and responded in fear when the law of the Lord was read to him. The prophets Zephaniah and Jeremiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 21:24 –25:1; 2 Chronicles 33:25–34:1
18. Jehoahaz 609 Son of Josiah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He reigned only 3 months. The prophet Jeremiah is active during this time. 2 Kings 23:31; 1 Chronicle 3:15; Jeremiah 22:11-12
19. Jehoiakim 608-598 Son of Josiah & brother to Jehoahaz. He was renamed by Pharaoh. He would not listen to the prophet Jeremiah & burned the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecy. In Jehoiakim’s fourth year (605 BC), Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish and won control of Palestine as far as the Egypt border (Jeremiah 25:1; 46:2). The prophets Habakkuk and Jeremiah are active during this time. 2 Kings 23:34–24:6; 2 Chronicles 36:4–8
20. Jehoiachin 598-597 Son of Jehoiakim. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He surrendered and was taken captive to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah is active during this time. 2 Kgs 24–25 and 2 Chronicles 36
21. Zedekiah/Mattaniah 597-586 Son of Josiah & the last king of Judah. His name was changed by Nebuchadnezzar and Jerusalem was destroyed. The prophet Jeremiah is active during this time. 2 Kings 24:17-25:7; 2 Chronicles 36:10-13
Israel (924-722 B.C.)
King Years Short Description Scripture
1. Jeroboam 931-310 Managed the workforce under Solomon. He later led 10 of the 12 tribes in rebellion again Rehoboam. He made Israel sin and was later killed by Baasha. 1 Kings 11:26–40, 12:1–14:20; 2 Chronicles 10:1–11:4, 11:14–16, 12:15, 13:3–20.
2. Nadab 910-909 Son of Jeroboam. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He was killed by Baasha. 1 Kings 14:20; 15:25–28
3. Baasha 908-886 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He was killed by Zimri. 1 Kings 15:16-16:7
4. Elah 886-885 Son of Baasha. He was assassinated by Zimri when he was drunk. 1 Kings 16:6-14
5. Zimri 885 King only for 7 days. He committed suicide when he could not remain as king. 1 Kings 16:8-20
6. Tibni 885-880 Half the people followed Tibni while the other half followed Omri. 1 Kings 16:21-22
7. Omri 885-874 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 1 Kings 16:15-28
8. Ahab 874-853 Son of Omri. Known as the most wicked king of the Norther Kingdom. Married to Jezebel and introduced Baal worship to Israel. He murdered Naboth to steal his vineyard. The prophet Elijah is active during this time.
1 Kings 16:29-22:40
9. Ahaziah 853-852 Son of Ahab. He did evil and was killed by the Lord. The prophet Elijah is active during this time. 1 Kings 22:51 – 2 Kings 1:18
10. Joram/ Jehoram 852-841 Son of Ahab. He did evil but not like Ahab. He was killed by Jehu. The prophet Elijah is active during this time. 2 Kings 1-9
11. Jehu 841-814 Commissioned as king by Elijah. He killed Jehoram and Ahaziah of Judah. He also killed Jezebel and all of Ahab’s house including 70 sons. He was careful to walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart. The prophet Elisha is active during this time. 2 Kings 9-10
12. Jehoahaz 814-798 Son of Jehu. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. The prophet Elisha is active during this time.
2 Kings 13:1-9
13. Jehoash/ Joash 798-782 Son of Jehoahaz. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He defeated Amaziah, king of Judah. The prophet Elisha is active during this time. Easily confused with the king of Judah by the same name who ruled at the same time. 2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 25:17-24
14. Jeroboam II 793 - 753 Son of Jehoahaz. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. The prophets Jonah and Amos are active during this time. 2 Kings 14:23-29
15. Zechariah 753-752 Son of Jeroboam II. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. God had promised Jehu 4 generations on the throne. He was killed by Shallum after about a 6-month rule. 2 Kings 14:29, 15:8-11
16. Shallum 752 He ruled about 1 month and was killed by Menahem. 2 Kings 15:10-15
17. Menahem 752-742 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Kings 15:14–23
18. Pekahiah 742-740 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Killed by Pekah. 2 Kings 15:22–26
19. Pekah 752-732 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Killed by Hoshea. 2 Kings 15–16; 2 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 7–8
20. Hoshea 732-722 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. He was a vassal-king of Assyria.
2 Kings 17:1–6; Isaiah 7:1-6
