What is the meaning of 2 Kings 15:23? In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah “In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah…” • Scripture records Azariah (also called Uzziah) enjoying a remarkably long rule of fifty-two years (2 Kings 15:1–2; 2 Chronicles 26:3). • The Spirit-directed historian dates Israel’s events by Judah’s king, confirming the accuracy of the divided-kingdom chronology (1 Kings 15:1; 2 Kings 8:16). • God’s Word anchors history in real time, showing He works through actual rulers and years, not myth or legend. Isaiah’s call “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1) rests on the same timeline. Pekahiah son of Menahem “…Pekahiah son of Menahem…” • Pekahiah inherits the throne because his father, Menahem, had seized power violently yet secured it by paying tribute to Assyria (2 Kings 15:14–20). • The name change from Menahem to Pekahiah signals a new but still troubled chapter, echoing earlier father-son successions that kept Israel on an ungodly path (1 Kings 15:25–26; 2 Kings 13:10–11). • Deuteronomy 17:18–20 calls each king to copy and obey God’s Law; Pekahiah shows how rarely that charge was taken seriously in the northern kingdom. became king of Israel “…became king of Israel…” • Though the throne is his, authority belongs to the Lord alone (Psalm 75:6-7); Pekahiah answers to the covenant God his nation has spurned (Hosea 8:4). • His accession underlines the political fragmentation that followed Jeroboam I’s rebellion (1 Kings 12:16-20). The northern kingdom never achieves lasting stability because it refuses David’s line and, more importantly, David’s God (2 Kings 17:21-23). • Even so, the Lord faithfully tracks each reign, proving He rules over all—even disobedient Israel (Proverbs 21:1). and reigned in Samaria two years “…and reigned in Samaria two years.” • Samaria, founded by Omri (1 Kings 16:24), stands as a symbol of idolatry (Micah 1:5). Pekahiah’s brief two-year tenure shows the fragility that sin breeds (Proverbs 14:34). • His assassination by Pekah son of Remaliah after such a short reign (2 Kings 15:25) highlights God’s judgment on persistent rebellion, just as earlier coups did (1 Kings 16:9-10; 2 Kings 10:9-10). • The fleeting rule underscores a biblical lesson: kingdoms rise and fall, but “the word of the Lord stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). summary 2 Kings 15:23 fixes Pekahiah’s reign precisely, displays the lineage of a turbulent throne, reminds us that every king answers to God, and illustrates how sin shortens stability. The verse is a sober marker on Israel’s downward spiral, yet it also testifies that the Lord chronicles history with perfect precision, guiding events toward His unshakable purposes. |
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