提要
在讀了這麼多倒行逆施的以色列王後，看到猶大國中還有遵行主道的王，不禁令人為之一振。在猶大的好王中有約阿施，他七歲就執政，並帶給猶大宗教上的復興（11：21；12：2）。接下來還有約阿施之子亞瑪謝、亞瑪謝之子亞撒利雅、和亞撒利雅之子約坦。他們都行上帝眼中看為正的事，但都比不上他們的祖宗大衛。
可惜的是，在連續幾代的好王謝世後，約坦之子亞哈斯「不像他祖大衛行耶和華他神眼中看為正的事」。從那時起，猶大也開始遭受亞蘭和以色列聯軍的威脅。亞哈斯作惡到極點，竟然使他的兒子經火。這表示他將自己的孩子當作祭物獻給神──可能是迦南的神祇──企圖要得到神助，與亞蘭和以色列作戰。這種可憎的習俗正是上帝所以審判迦南人的原因之一，也是上帝一再吩咐以色列人要滅絕的惡習。亞哈斯甚至在聖殿裡摻雜偶像敬拜的習俗，污穢了對真神上帝的敬拜。他任意剔除聖殿內的聖物，還仿製了一個大馬士革的異教祭壇取代原來的銅祭壇。
以色列王皆為拜偶像的邪惡之輩。大衛的王朝如上帝所應許的，屹立在猶大國。但以色列卻更換了好多不同的朝代，歷經許多謀殺、篡位。以色列的政治情勢一直動盪不安，內憂外患也從未間斷。在南北國分裂時，上帝曾經告訴以色列國的第一位國王耶羅波安，如果他順服上帝，上帝就要為他建立永久的王朝（11：38）。不幸的是，耶羅波安故意悖逆上帝，種下了以色列的紛亂之根。他是以色列犯罪的禍首，也是以色列王被用來比較的對象（15：9、18、24、28）。
在第十五章，我們看到了上帝預言的應驗：耶戶徹底執行了上帝審判亞哈家的計畫。他雖然從以色列中驅逐了巴力敬拜，但並沒有順服上帝的律法，還繼續容許耶羅波安的金牛犢存在以色列。因此上帝只讓他的王朝維持四代。正如上帝所說，耶戶王朝到了他的曾孫撒迦利亞時就殞落了，因為他只是作了六個月的王位就被謀殺。
上帝為了審判以色列的罪，就使亞述的勢力日漸強大。他們征服了以色列的北疆，甚至將一些以色列人擄回亞述──正如摩西警告以色列人悖逆的後果（申28：64）。但更糟的還在後頭呢，因為以色列即使到了這個地步仍不悔改。
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Overview
While reading of the many Israelite kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord, it is refreshing to read of the kings of Judah that did right in His sight. Among those was Joash, who began to reign when he was only seven and brought a revival to the Southern Kingdom (11:21; 12:2). Then there was his son Amaziah, Amaziah's son Azariah (15:3; alternate name is "Uzziah"), and Azariah's son Jotham (15:34). They did what was right, yet still fell short of the righteousness of their forefather David, with whom the kings of Judah are often compared. (14:3).
Sadly, after so many generations of doing right in the sight of the Lord, Jotham's son Ahaz "did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done" (16:2). It was at that time that Judah was threatened by the alliance of Syria and Israel. Ahaz reached the epitome of wickedness when he "made his son pass through the fire". This means he sacrificed his son to a god, probably a Canaanite deity, in an attempt to gain the help of this god in his warfare with Syria and Israel (like Mesha of Moab, 13:1). This abomination was one of the reasons God has judged the Canaanites and ordered them exterminated. Ahaz corrupted the worship of God through syncretism — combining it with idolatrous practices — even within the Temple of the Lord. He mutilated the sacred objects of the Temple and replaced the bronze altar with a new one patterned after an impressive pagan altar he had seen in Damascus while visiting the powerful Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser.
The kings of Israel were all wicked and idolatrous. Judah had a lasting dynasty of the house of David, just as the Lord had promised. But Israel had a number of different dynasties, many assassinations, and constant usurpers of the throne. The political situation was always in turmoil with much civil strife and external problems. The Lord had told Jeroboam, the first king of Israel after the kingdom was divided, that if he was obedient to Him, He would create for him a lasting dynasty (11:38). Unfortunately, he deliberately and presumptuously disobeyed God and started making problems for Israel. This same Jeroboam is the one with whom the kings of Israel are compared (15:9, 18, 24, 28). He was the first in a line of many that sinned and caused Israel to sin.
In chapter 15, we see a fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lord: Jehu had thoroughly executed God's plan of judgment upon Ahab's family. He eradicated Baalism from Israel but did not obey God's laws, continuing to allow the calf-worship of Jeroboam. God therefore told him that his dynasty would only continue to the fourth generation (10:30). Just as God had spoken, Zachariah, Jehu's great-grandson, was the last of his line to sit on the throne of Israel, for he was conspired against and murdered after a reign of only six months (15:8-12).
In the judgment of God for Israel's sins, the rising superpower of Assyria began to exert itself in the world. They conquered the northern part of Israel and even took some Israelites away as captives (15:29), just as Moses had warned would happen for Israel's disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:64). But the worst was yet to come, for Israel was unrepentant.
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