2 Kings 21

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.  And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.  For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; " vv.1-3

Read chapter 21
How can one of the worst kings of Judah come from one of the best kings of Judah?  Manasseh wasn't born till after Hezekiah's illness leading to death when he was granted fifteen more years of life; perhaps this is another reason why Hezekiah didn't want to die in that he didn't have a son to succeed him as king.  Manasseh's reign was the longest of any of the kings of Judah.  He co-reigned with his father over Judah for ten years and also included in his 55 years as king was during his captivity in Babylon (2 Chronicles 33).  He rebuilt everything his father had destroyed that were abominations to the Lord and caused the people to sin more and more.  Through all this info of his wickedness, he's a king I'm intrigued and inspired by.  Not because of his wicked ways but because of how we know of a change of heart that man can't see but God can.  We read of this in 2 Chronicles 33, which is written not from man's point of view (the book of 1 & 2 Kings) but from God's point of view (1 & 2 Chronicles).  So can a king that had a horrible wicked life the majority of his reign end up right before God?  Compare the two accounts and think as God would...

2 Kings 20

"“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.  And I will add to your days fifteen years...So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz."  vv.5-6,11

Read chapter 20
A pretty interesting chapter in the life of Hezekiah here.  First we see him about to die and then the Lord hears his prayer and adds 15 years of life to him.  Then the sign that this would be true is causing the shadow of the sun to go backwards ten degrees.  As we look at the first miracle of fifteen added years of life we must think more deeply about this.  Hezekiah was a good king doing right in the eyes of the Lord, so if the "typical" view of you go to heaven when you die is true then why wouldn't Hezekiah be happy and ready to depart and go there?  Perhaps this view of heaven when you die isn't exactly true...
But even if so, what a sweet gift and answer to prayer to have fifteen years of added life.  If you knew you had 15 years of life to live, how would you spend it?
How the shadow was brought backwards ten degrees we do not know.  By the shadow moving backwards it gave more time in the day just as God had just given more years of life to Hezekiah.  It seems to just have been in the land than across the whole world from 2 Chron. 32:31, "the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land."  Oh how I often ask for signs like this in answer to prayer request I have.  How do you see, feel, understand the sign of the Lord's response to prayer?

2 Kings 19

"Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.’" v.20

Read chapter 19

This is the first we hear of Isaiah the prophet in scripture.  The book of Isaiah is well later in the Old Testament, but he prophesied over many years and among many kings. We know from the book of Isaiah of the time he prophesied,  "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (1:1).    Isaiah is not present here, and may not have known of the prayer, but "in a sentence, Hezekiah’s prayer is answered, and then the prophet, in Jehovah’s name, bursts into a wonderful song of triumph over the defeated invader. ‘I have heard.’ That is enough. Hezekiah’s prayer has, as it were, fired the fuse or pulled the trigger, and the explosion follows, and the shot is sped. ‘Whereas thou hast prayed, . . . I have heard,’ is ever true, and God’s hearing is God’s acting in answer" (MacLaren's Exposition).  Recall a time you have prayed and it's been answered by someone that didn't even know your prayer? 

2 Kings 18

"Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust?"  v.19

Read chapter 18
I love when a good king comes on the scene, but hate how evil and deceitful enemies can be.  Hezekiah is a king of Judah that does right in the eyes of the Lord in the ways of his father David.  We see that during Hezekiah's time he (Judah) was under Assyria rule but then frees from in (v.7).  The gift that Hezekiah offered and gave to the king of Assyria when still fearful of them as Judah's enemy didn't seem to do any help, which compromise seldom does in the long run.  The king of Assyria sends his officers to turn the people of Jerusalem against Hezekiah.  Rabshakeh is a title (not a name) for chief of the captains, possibly a political officer.  He talks in a way so that all men of Judah can hear him and tries to get them to go against their king Hezekiah by saying what he'll say to them.  It even seems like the Rabshakeh worships the Lord.  We don't see the response of the people other than they stay quiet but listen.  We'll have to wait till the next chapter to see Hezekiah's response and the people's.  How have you felt challenged in what you trust and believe?  How do you discern between the two?

2 Kings 17

"Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." vv.5-6

Read chapter 17
There are a couple different deportations and captivities till all of Judah and Israel are in captivity.  Here we read of the a siege around Samaria for three years.  Samaria was the capitol of the Northern Kingdom (Israel).  A siege is "the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place insuch a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose oflessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible" (dictionary.com).  So after the siege of weakening Israel, Assryria takes them way captive and places them into another land and takes over Samaria as their own.  Not only those in the capitol but those also of the surrounding 10 tribes that made up the Northern Kingdom.  This no doubt took a couple deportations as to the strongest ones first leaving the weaker ones till later as we'll continue to read about through Kings.  Reading through the rest of the chapter is this from the Lord and why/why not?

2 Kings 16

"But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel.  And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree." vv.3-4

Read chapter 16
Ahaz king of Judah is said to have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, not just of his father or grandfather.  Ahaz was the worst king of Judah and seem to follow after Ahab and Ahaziah, if not worse then they.  He made his son "pass through fire."  Sick.  This passing through fire could have been like a sacrifice.  It most likely wasn't sacrifice of love, but one out of dire need, not enjoying it, and last resort to try to win approval of a foreign god. Ahaz appears to be the first Israelite king to do this.  Also it mentions that he sacrificed in high places and under trees, where other kings are just said not to have taken them down or destroy them. All from the influence of the surrounding nations.  It's hard not to be infected by your neighbors sickness if you're not doing anything to protect against it.  How have you personally seen the influence of others affect someone for the worse?

2 Kings 15

"And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done,  except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.  Then the Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land." vv.3-5

Read chapter 15
This section can be a bit confusing and helps to map it out on a time line.  One to map the time line of the kings of Israel verses the kings of Judah, but you'll also see kings that overlap.  Here we see that Azariah, the father, and Jotham, his son, co-reign at the same time and that for about ten years.  It also gets a little confusing when some kings have multiple names.  Azariah here is also called Uzziah (cp. 15:1-5 with 15:32).  Also comparing the book of Kings with the book of Chronicles we can learn more details behind a matter.  Here in kings it says Azariah did what was right in the sight of the Lord and then the Lord strikes him with leprosy.  What's that all about?  But if we read in  2 Chronicles 26:16-19  we then understand the why.  
"But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.  So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men.  And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.” Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar."

Take time right now and map out the kings in this chapter that you read about and make a smily or frowning face next to each one.