Key Verse: I KIngs Chapter 17 verses 13 and 14
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13 The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:“Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”
14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God."
Purpose:
To demonstrate the fate that awaits all who refuse to make God their leader.
Author:
Unknown. Possibly Jeremiah or a group of prophets.
Original Audience:
The people of Israel.
Special Feature:
The 17 prophetic books at the end of the Old Testament give great insight into the time period of II Kings.
Setting:
The once-united nation of Israel has been divided into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, for over a century.
Key People:
Elijah, Elisha, the woman from Shunem, Naaman, Jezebel, Jehu, Joash, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Isaiah, Manasseh, Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar.