II Kings 15: You Can't Tell The Players Without A Scorecard!

If you haven't yet experienced confusion with the multitude of rulers mentioned leading up to II Kings 15, along with some of them sharing names and overlapping reigns and changing dynasties, this chapter will probably do it!  They are coming fast and furious now.

No less than nine kings of Israel and Judah are mentioned in this chapter!

We have Azariah (also known as Uzziah), king over Judah for 52 years.  Although he was generally righteous, he suffered from leprosy and had to live in a separate house.  Consequently, his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and responsible for governing the people (vs. 5).

In the northern kingdom, Zechariah takes over after his father Jeroboam II.  This is the end of Jehu's line, as that dynasty is ended when Zechariah is assassinated by Shallum after reigning only six months.

The reign of Shallum didn't even last that long!  He only ruled for a month in Samaria.  A particularly brutal man named Menahem killed Shallum and took over the throne of Israel.

Menahem was king for ten years.  After that, his son Pekahiah took over.  (Getting lost yet?)  Pekahiah ruled for two years before his captain, Pekah, conspired against him and overthrew him.

Pekah lasted twenty years, and Israel began suffering heavy blows from the Assyrians during his reign.  King Tiglath-pileser conquered much of Pekah's territory and exported the people in captivity to Assyria.

The last king of Israel, Hoshea, came to the throne by way of another conspiracy, striking down Pekah.  (I guess what goes around comes around.)

The final verses of this chapter switch back to Judah (after all, Azariah maintained a fifty-two year reign while all these kings of Israel were coming and going!)  Jotham takes over the throne completely when his father dies, and rules for sixteen years in Jerusalem.  When he died, Jotham's son Ahaz became king.

You may have heard the old expression, "You can't tell the players without a scorecard!"  It may be just as true when it comes to the genealogy and reigns of kings in the Old Testament.  Fortunately, there are many Bible tools and charts to help us.  Especially with the advent of the internet, you can get a free "scorecard" to keep everyone straight.  Here are a couple of charts you may find helpful for reference.

http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/xian/bible/timeline.html
http://calvaryphx.com/media/kings-and-prophets-timeline.pdf