In an effort to gain the favor of the king of Assyria, the king of Judah, Ahaz, gave him gold and silver from the temple and the royal treasury. Although Ahaz reigned in wickedness, his son Hezekiah was a righteous king and removed idolatry from Judah. Meanwhile, the rulers of the Northern Kingdom of Israel perpetuated wickedness. Eventually the Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel and carried its people away into captivity in 721 BC. They are often referred to as the lost ten tribes. When the Assyrians later invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Hezekiah asked the prophet Isaiah to pray for the people. The Lord, through Isaiah, told the people to not be afraid; He would defend the city. An angel sent by the Lord smote the Assyrian camp, killing 185,000 Assyrians.
King Ahaz defiles the temple, and the kingdom of Israel is conquered
Ask students how they would define the word protect.
What are some protections the gospel offers us?
As students study 2 Kings 14–17, invite them to look for how our actions can influence whether we receive protection from the Lord.
Summarize 2 Kings 14–16 by explaining that these chapters describe the reigns of various rulers of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The kings of Israel reigned wickedly. Most of Judah’s kings were personally righteous but allowed their people to continue to worship idols. Eventually, a very wicked man named Ahaz became king of Judah. He not only worshipped idols but sacrificed one of his sons to one of these idols, and he completely rejected the counsel of the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 7:3–9). He sought an alliance with the kingdom of Assyria, giving the king of Assyria silver and gold from the temple in Jerusalem as a present. He also made unauthorized changes to temple ordinances.
Explain that the kings of Israel were much like King Ahaz of Judah. Invite a student to read 2 Kings 17:3 aloud. Ask students to follow along, looking for what King Hoshea of Israel did to appease a different king of Assyria.
Explain that 2 Kings 17:4–5 describes how Hoshea offended the Assyrian king and was put in prison, while his people were under siege from the Assyrians for three years. Ask students to read 2 Kings 17:6 silently, looking for what the king of Assyria did to the people of Israel after conquering Samaria (you may need to explain that Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and that the name Samaria is sometimes used to refer to the entire Northern Kingdom). Invite students to report what they find. You may want to explain that 2 Kings 17:6 describes the beginning of the scattering of the ten tribes of Israel.
Explain that 2 Kings 17:7–23 describes why the Israelites lost the Lord’s protection and were taken captive and scattered. Write the following incomplete statement on the board: We lose the Lord’s protection when …
Divide students into pairs. Invite them to read 2 Kings 17:9–18 aloud in their partnerships, looking for why the Israelites lost the Lord’s protection. Ask them to report what they find.
According to verses 13–14, how did the Israelites respond to the warnings and commandments the Lord gave them through prophets?
According to verse 15, what did the Israelites reject? What did they follow?
Refer to the incomplete statement on the board.
Using what you have learned from these verses, how would you complete the statement on the board? (Help students identify the following principle: We lose the promise of the Lord’s protection when we, through vanity and hardened hearts, reject His commandments and follow the ways of the world. Using students’ words, complete the statement on the board.)
In what ways do you think rejecting the Lord’s commandments and following the ways of the world can cause us to lose His protection?
When have you or someone you know been protected by obeying the Lord’s commandments?
Summarize 2 Kings 17:24–41 by explaining that after the Assyrians carried away the Israelites from the Northern Kingdom, the king of Assyria relocated people from other places in the Assyrian Empire to Samaria. Upon arriving in their new homeland, many of these relocated people were attacked by lions sent by the God of Israel. The people didn’t know much about the God of Israel, and they attempted to placate or pacify Him by offering sacrifices to Jehovah. However, they did not stop worshipping or sacrificing to their own gods.
Assyria threatens Hezekiah and the people of Judah
Invite students to respond to the following questions:
What concerns or fears do you have about the next five years of your life?
How might those challenges or fears test your faith in the Lord?
Explain that 2 Kings 18–20 records the challenges and fears of Hezekiah, who became the king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah after Ahaz died. Invite students to look for principles as they study these chapters that can help them with their challenges and fears.
Ask a few students to take turns reading aloud from 2 Kings 18:3–8. Invite the class to follow along, looking for the good things Hezekiah did as king.
What words or phrases in verses 3–8 describe Hezekiah’s righteousness?
Given that Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, was very wicked, does it surprise you that Hezekiah chose to be righteous? Why or why not?
According to verse 7, what blessing did Hezekiah receive for trusting in the Lord and keeping His commandments?
What principle can we identify from these verses? (Students may use different words but should identify the following principle: If we trust in the Lord and keep His commandments, then He will be with us.)
In what ways do we benefit from having the Lord with us?
Explain that about eight years after the Assyrian king conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and carried the people away into captivity, Sennacherib, the new Assyrian king, invaded Judah (see 2 Kings 18:9–13). The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Assyria would conquer numerous cities in Judah but would not conquer Jerusalem (see Isaiah 10:24–34).
Point out that the book of 2 Chronicles preserves important details about how Hezekiah led his people during this time. Invite a student to read 2 Chronicles 32:6–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Hezekiah told the people of Jerusalem.
How did Hezekiah act in faith at this time?
How do Hezekiah’s words of faith strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ?
What does Hezekiah’s example inspire you to do?
Explain that, just as Isaiah prophesied, the Assyrian army arrived outside of Jerusalem after conquering the cities along the way. Rab-shakeh, an Assyrian negotiator, spoke with Hezekiah’s representatives outside the city walls. Rab-shakeh scoffed at Judah’s alliance with Egypt and mocked the Lord. Hezekiah’s representatives asked Rab-shakeh to speak in a different language so the people who were listening from atop the city walls could not understand him. However, wanting to create fear in the hearts of the people, Rab-shakeh refused and addressed the people “with a loud voice in the Jews’ language” (verse 28) so they could hear and understand his threats. (See 2 Kings 18:17–35.)
Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from 2 Kings 18:28–36. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Rab-shakeh said to try to convince the people of Jerusalem to surrender.
What did Rab-shakeh say to try to convince the people of Jerusalem to surrender?
How might Rab-shakeh’s words have persuaded some people in Jerusalem to not trust in the Lord?
Hezekiah asks the Lord to save Jerusalem, and an angel destroys the Assyrian army
Write the following heading on the board: Ways Hezekiah turned to the Lord.
Ask a student to read 2 Kings 19:1 aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking for how Hezekiah turned to the Lord when he received news of Rab-shakeh’s threats.
How did Hezekiah turn to the Lord? Where did Hezekiah go?
Add the words went to the temple under the heading on the board.
Divide the class into two groups. Ask one group to read 2 Kings 19:2–7 and the other group to read 2 Kings 19:14–19. Ask both groups to look for what else Hezekiah did to turn to the Lord when faced with the threat of the Assyrians.
According to 2 Kings 19:2–7, what else did Hezekiah do to turn to the Lord? (Write the words sought the counsel of the prophet under the heading on the board.)
How did Isaiah respond?
According to 2 Kings 19:14–19, what else did Hezekiah do to turn to the Lord? (Write the words prayed to God under the heading on the board.)
Summarize 2 Kings 19:20–34 by explaining that Isaiah reassured Hezekiah that the Lord would defend Jerusalem against the Assyrian army.
Ask a student to read 2 Kings 19:35–37 aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking for what happened to the Assyrian army and their king, Sennacherib.
What happened to the army during the night? What happened to Sennacherib?
What principles can we identify from this account? (Students may identify several principles, including the following: If we turn to the Lord in faith, then He can help us overcome our fears and challenges.)
Erase the heading Ways Hezekiah turned to the Lord and replace it with Ways we can turn to the Lord.
In addition to what Hezekiah did, what are some other ways we can turn to the Lord? (Write students’ responses under the heading on the board.)
When have you turned to the Lord for help with a fear or challenge? How did the Lord help you? (You may want to share one of your own experiences.)
Invite students to write in their study journals some ways they can better turn to the Lord. Encourage students to act on what they have written.
Summarize 2 Kings 20 by explaining that Hezekiah fell ill, and the Lord told him, through Isaiah, that he would die. After Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord, Isaiah told him that the Lord would lengthen his life by 15 years. Later, Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would conquer the kingdom of Judah.
Invite students to ponder how they can apply the principles identified in this lesson when they face their challenges or fears. Testify of these principles, and invite students to apply them in their lives.
You may want to refer to the “Bible Chronology” tables in the Bible appendix, on LDS.org, or in the Gospel Library app on your mobile device. This chronology lists the kings of Judah and Israel and their concurrent reigns.
Assyria practiced a policy of deporting and relocating conquered peoples. Thus, they moved Israelites to foreign lands and brought other foreign captives into the land Israel had possessed. The foreign peoples that the Assyrians moved into the land of Israel after the conquest were the ancestors of the people who became the Samaritans. (See Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 127.)
2 Kings 17:18. “There was none left but the tribe of Judah only”
“The statement that ‘there was none left but the tribe of Judah only’ can be understood correctly only if one realizes that at this time Benjamin, Levi, and all other Israelites who had left the nation of Israel and joined Judah were included under the title of Judah [for Judah was the chief tribe in the south]. The ten tribes carried into captivity at this time were Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulon, Gad, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Ephraim, and Manasseh. [Ephraim was the chief tribe in this northern kingdom and as such the northern tribes or the tribes of Israel were often collectively called Ephraim.] The three remaining tribes were Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Some of the tribe of Levi were still with Israel (the ten tribes), however, and some of Ephraim, Manasseh, and other tribes were with Judah [such as Lehi, who was descended from Manasseh (see Alma 10:3)]. So, the division is not as clear as a superficial reading might indicate” (Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 127).
The Assyrians had a reputation for extreme brutality and used terror to subdue their enemies. After they conquered a city or village, they would destroy much of it and torture or kill its people. The Assyrians hoped these punishments would convince other cities to submit to them without a struggle. Before they attacked a city, they generally sent negotiators to tell the people to surrender or suffer the consequences. (See Marc Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000–323 BC, 2nd ed. [2007], 231.) Many people chose to surrender.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the importance of seeking the counsel of prophets:
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Neil L. Andersen
“Why are we so willing to follow the voice of our prophet? For those diligently seeking eternal life, the prophet’s voice brings spiritual safety in very turbulent times.
“We live on a planet clamoring with a million voices. The internet, our smartphones, our bloated boxes of entertainment all plead for our attention and thrust their influence upon us, hoping we will buy their products and adopt their standards.
“The seemingly endless array of information and opinion remind us of the scriptural warnings of being ‘tossed to and fro’ [Ephesians 4:14], ‘driven with the wind’ [James 1:6], and overcome by the ‘cunning craftiness’ of those who ‘lie in wait to deceive’ [Ephesians 4:14].
“Anchoring our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ requires listening to those He sends. Following the prophet in a world of commotion is like being wrapped in a soothing, warm blanket on a freezing cold day” (Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 26).