1 and 2 Kings

Some chose to follow God. Others followed only fame and fortune. They lived through times of difficulty and times of triumph, through political and emotional turmoil, through popularity and through discontent. This ten-session LifeGuide® Bible Study focuses on the character of the kings of the Old Testament and what we can learn from them. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 120 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.



Carolyn Nystrom (MA, Wheaton College) has written more than eighty books, Bible study guides, and children's titles. She coauthored Praying with theologian J. I. Packer and Is the Reformation Over with scholar Mark Noll. She is also the author of the LifeGuide Bible Studies 1 & 2 Peter and Jude, Money and Work, Friendship, Listening to God and more. In addition to actively serving in her church, she has been a foster parent, an elementary schoolteacher, the stated clerk of her EPC presbytery, and a book editor. Carolyn lives in northern Illinois with her husband, and they have four grown children.

Getting the Most Out of 1 and 2 Kings


1. Solomon: Praying with God's Values (1 Kings 3)


2. Solomon: Faithless in Love (1 Kings 11)


3. Jeroboam/Rehoboam: Internal Conflict (1 Kings 12)


4. Ahab: Deaf to God (1 Kings 22:1-40)


5. Ahaz: Faithless in Trouble (2 Kings 16)


6. Hoshea: Idolatry's Reward (2 Kings 17)


7. Hezekiah: King in Crisis (2 Kings 18:1–20:21)


8. Manasseh: One Giant Step Backward (2 Kings 20:1–21:18)


9. Josiah: Following God's Law (2 Kings 22:1–23:30)


10. Zedekiah: End of the Line (2 Kings 24:1–25:21)


Leader's Notes