This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 2 Kings 15, with leader notes for each one. The chapter moves quickly through the reigns of several kings of Israel and Judah, and it asks a steady question: did each king walk in the Lord’s ways or not? These questions suit a small group, a Sunday class, or a personal study where you want to read closely and talk through what the text says.
2 Kings 15 at a Glance
The chapter follows a line of kings across roughly four decades. It begins with Azariah (also called Uzziah) of Judah, who does what is right but leaves the high places standing, and who is struck with leprosy late in his reign. Then the scene shifts to Israel, where a rapid run of assassinations and short reigns follows Jeroboam’s death: Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah each do evil and each is eventually overthrown. Assyria looms over the whole story, first extracting tribute and then beginning to take territory.
The chapter ends with Jotham of Judah, who is also mostly faithful, and with Judah’s relationship to a threatening coalition. Read it as a sequence of reigns with one repeated verdict, and the questions below will follow naturally.
Observation Questions
Use this set first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the text and to stay with what is written before moving on. Keep answers short and grounded in the verses.
2 Kings 15:3
He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
(WEB)
Read this verse early to set the standard the chapter uses. It names Azariah’s faithfulness in plain terms, which gives the group a fair picture of a king who was genuinely good. Then ask what it means that the verdict is phrased in terms of God’s eyes rather than the king’s achievements.
2 Kings 15:5
The LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and lived in a separate house. Jotham, the king’s son was over the household, judging the people of the land.
(WEB)
This verse records the affliction that set Azariah apart for the rest of his life. Reading it aloud slows the group down and invites reflection on how God’s discipline can come even to a faithful leader. It also introduces Jotham’s rise to responsibility over the household.
2 Kings 15:12
This was the LORD’s word which he spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” So it came to pass.
(WEB)
Reading the promise to Jehu gives the group a sense of God’s faithfulness across generations. Pair it with the rapid turnover of kings in the surrounding verses to show how fulfillment can arrive in unexpected ways. The verse is short, so it works well as a pause in a fast-moving chapter.
2 Kings 15:19-20
19 Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and didn’t stay there in the land.
(WEB)
These verses show the financial cost of Menahem’s dependence on Assyria. Read them together to let the group hear how heavily the burden fell on ordinary wealthy men. This is a good moment to discuss what it costs a community when its leaders trust foreign powers instead of God.
2 Kings 15:35
However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the LORD’s house.
(WEB)
Reading this verse alongside verse 4 helps the group see the repeated pattern of incomplete reform. Jotham does right and builds the upper gate, yet the high places remain. Ask the group what this tension teaches about faithfulness that is real but not yet whole.
Memory Verse for 2 Kings 15
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as kings and nations come before you in this chapter, aware that our hearts are divided and our loyalties are often mixed. Thank you that your word stands even when the lives of people around us seem brief and unstable. Help us to read Scripture honestly, to notice where we have left high places standing in our own lives, and to trust you rather than the shortcuts that promise security. Give us the courage to walk in what is right in your sight, and the patience to keep going when our obedience feels unfinished. Keep our group rooted in your faithfulness, and let what we have read shape how we live this week. Amen.
