2 Kings Introduction

I've recently discovered a Constable's Notes, a commentary by Dr. Thomas Constable who is Department Chairman and Senior Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. His notes are available through Bible.org's NET Bible among other places. His expository notes were written over a twenty-year period and are quite comprehensive--twice as voluminous as Matthew Henry's. I find them very readable in contrast to Henry's meandering prose. Don't get me wrong, I love Matthew Henry, but it's also nice to have clear, thorough 20th century prose as a counterpoint.

As an example, here's an excerpt from his introduction on 2 Kings:

"Second Kings is a sequel to 1 Kings. First Kings covers about one and a half centuries 

and 2 Kings about three centuries. In both books the two thrones are in view: the earthly 

and the heavenly. 

First Kings emphasizes the facts of these thrones. The earthly throne consistently failed, 

but the heavenly throne consistently prevailed. Second Kings emphasizes the 

consequences that result from each of these situations. Its major value is its revelation of 

the failure of man and the victory of God. 

The failure of man comes through the content of this book, but the victory of God comes 

through the pre-exilic prophets who wrote during the three centuries covered in 2 Kings. 

These prophets were Hosea, Amos, and Jonah in Israel. In Judah they were Isaiah, 

Jeremiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah." -Thomas Constable

and later an application and charge:

"The evidence of God's victory is the continued existence of the physical seed of 

Abraham. The Jews still exist today. Arnold Toynbe, the historian, called the Jews a 

fossil race. God has preserved them to fulfill His purposes on the earth. So even though 

they failed Him, He has not failed them. 

I would summarize the message of 2 Kings, therefore, as follows. Though people fail 

God, God will not fail people. This is foundational to the doctrine of eternal security that 

the New Testament expounds more fully. 

The main reason the Israelites failed God was they lost sight of Him. Proverbs 29:18 

says, "Where there is no vision (of God) the people cast off restraint." When people lose 

sight of God their ideals deteriorate. They turn to idolatry to fill the vacuum left by God's 

absence. Also, their purposes suffer defeat. They do not achieve fulfillment or realize 

their destiny. Furthermore their consciences become dead. They become unresponsive to 

the Word of God. You have a high calling. Point people to God." -Thomas Constable