2 Kings 15-25, 2 Chronicles 29-36, and the prophets: Jonah, Amos, Hosea. Micah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Daniel 1-3 and Obadiah
Again, and again, the LORD warned Israel and Judah through His prophets: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe My commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through My servants the prophets.” But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God.” 2 Kings 17:13-14
This study begins with the final days of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as seen from God’s perspective. God’s prophets Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea and Isaiah warned the people of Israel about the consequences of their rebellion. In addition to the prophets to Israel, in 753 B.C. God sent a very reluctant prophet named Jonah to the Assyrian enemy, warning them to turn from their evil ways or they would experience God’s judgment.
God continued to send prophets, yet Israel refused to listen, to repent and turn back to Him. So it was that in the year 722 B.C., after 20 kings and over 200 years in the land, God’s judgment was carried out on the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Israel was conquered and the people dispersed throughout the Assyrian Empire. Now, only the Southern Kingdom of Judah remained. Would Judah follow in the ways of Israel, or heed God’s warnings to repent, turn back to Him and remain in the land?
For the next 136 years, God continued to send prophets to the people of Judah warning them to repent and turn back to Him, or they too would be taken into captivity. In God’s extreme patience, even though Judah refused to listen and obey, God gave three more opportunities to repent by not taking them into captivity all at once. In 605 B.C., the best and brightest of Judah’s youth were taken captive to Babylon. Still Judah refused to repent. In 597 B.C, a second deportation took place, this time thousands of Judahites were taken to Babylon, including military officers and soldiers, craftsmen, artisans, and a young man named Ezekiel. And still Judah did not repent and turn to the LORD God. God’s patience ran out, and on July 18, 586 B.C., the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Just as God had forewarned, Judah was taken into captivity.