Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 14
You can turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 14. 2 Kings chapter 14, last week we saw the reign of Jehoahaz in Israel, and then Jehoash in Israel, the death of Elisha, and then the promise that Elisha had made comes to fruition in terms of the defeat of Syria on three occasions. Tonight we'll look at the reign of... Amaziah, rather, in Judah, and then Jeroboam II in Israel. And it's kind of like being on the top of a building, watching city streets, and seeing a particular car on its way to a crash.
That's sort of like the position we're in here in Second Kings. The north is closer to that crash, but the south is on its way to a crash as well. And so from this particular vantage point, we're starting to see the disintegration or the beginning of the end for the northern kingdom. But then certainly we're going to see at least a foreshadowing here in chapter 14 concerning the southern kingdom and their eventual fate at the hands of the Babylonians.
But beginning in chapter 14 at verse 1. In the second year of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoadan of Jerusalem, and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David.
He did everything as his father Joash had done. However, the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father, the king. But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord commanded, saying, Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers, but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.
He killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Selah by war, and called its name Jokhtiel to this day. Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us face one another in battle. And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon. The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife.
And a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home. For why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?
But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash, king of Israel, went out. So he and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.
Then Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. And he went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, 400 cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash, which he did, his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam, his son, reigned in his place. Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived 15 years after the death of Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. Now, the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. They sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Anaziah.
He built Eilath and restored it to Judah after the king rested with his fathers. In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Ereba, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-Hefer. But the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. The rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel from Damascus and Hamath what had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah, his son, reigned in his place. Amen.
Introduction
So there's a few more names for us to try and get our minds wrapped around. And of course, they rhyme more often than not. So you not only have an Amaziah, you have an Azariah and all these different things. Now, the Jeroboam that is listed here as the king of Israel is Jeroboam II.
He's Jeroboam II, not Jeroboam the son of Nebat, sort of that benchmark or that standard for wickedness in the northern kingdom. So, as I said, two main thoughts or two main sections in this passage, the reign of Amaziah in Judah in verses 1 to 22, and the time frame here is 796 to 767 BC. And then secondly, the reign of Jeroboam II, in Israel or the Northern Kingdom versus 23 to 29. His reign was about 793 to 753 BC.
Again, in terms of the numbers, I would suggest that any disparities or discrepancies would best be explained by co-regencies. Oftentimes, fathers and their sons would reign for a bit or for a time, and so some of the numbers would be explained that way. Well,
Reign of Amaziah in Judah
as we look at the reign of Amaziah in the first place,
Regnal Formula and Religious Policy
we note first the regnal formula. That's simply a sort of a repetition of the facts concerning this man's reign. We see that in verses 1 to 4. We see his family connections, the second year of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king.
So we're dealing with the southern kingdom of Judah and this particular man is Amaziah. And note his religious policy in verses 3 and 4. It says, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David. He did everything as his father Joash had done.
However, the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Now, the general rightness of his reign, it's not like David, it's not consistently godly. The parallel in 2 Chronicles 25.2 tells us that he had or did not do it with a loyal heart. Remember that as Jeroboam the son of Nebat is sort of the benchmark or the standard or the measuring rod for wickedness in the kingdom, we have David as the standard of righteousness and uprightness and godliness.
And so kings are held in terms of comparison with reference to David. Now that he is compared with his father Joash is a bit ominous, because both men start off doing what is right, but both men end up in gross idolatry. We saw that when we considered that Joash, king of Judah, We looked at the parallel in 2 Chronicles chapter 24, and we saw that he was indeed led astray. He had gone after strange gods, and we'll see the very same thing with Amaziah tonight.
And then as well, notice in verse 4, however, the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. That's becoming a recurring theme in the indication of these particular kings. Now it's often the case that sort of wickedness or evil or custom or tradition gets into place and it doesn't even surprise or shock us anymore. This was an absolute violation of God's law.
God commanded that there be no such competitors, there be no other sites where where he or other deities obviously were worshiped. And so this is always a bad indicator concerning life in the kingdom of God at this particular time. Matthew Henry made this observation. He says, it is hard to get clear of those corruptions which by long usage have gained both prescription and a favorable opinion.
It just caused me to reflect upon how many things the modern church has sort of inherited, or we do, according to tradition that isn't necessarily godly and upright. Now, I'm not against tradition. If tradition is consistent with scripture, tradition's okay. The apostles speak of tradition in a positive way.
We oftentimes, as Protestants, recoil against the notion of tradition because it smacks of Roman Catholicism. But not all tradition is bad. Tradition that departs from the Word of God is obviously bad. But those things that are consistent with Scripture, that are traditions that we operate according to, or that we observe in the life and the context of the church, that's perfectly appropriate.
But I think at times we ought to survey our practice and ask the question, have we inherited traditions or customs or things within the context of the local church that have just sort of become old hat that are actually contrary to the word of the living God? I mean, we see that in doctrine, to be sure. Imagine if we were a church that didn't have a robust confession of faith. We didn't hold to the doctrines of grace.
Traditionally, we were Arminians. Well, it would be good for us to examine such things and throw out that which is false and only hold on to that which is true. But with reference to practices in the life and the context of the church, it's not always unwise to examine those traditions. He says, it is hard to get clear of those corruptions which by long usage have gained both prescription and a favorable opinion.
We often hear it said this way. Well, we've always done it that way. Well, if it's right, that's okay. But if we've always done it that way, and it's worship at high places, then we need to jettison that.
We need to get rid of that. We need to stop engaging in the sorts of things that that at one time we say, but we always did it that way. If it is consistent with the Word of God, we want to continue to do it that way. If it is not consistent with the Word of God, we want to reject it.
So that's the formula concerning his overall origin as a king.
Execution of Conspirators
Notice, secondly, the execution of conspirators. Notice in verse 5, it happened as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand. This is a wise move on the part of Amaziah. He makes sure the kingdom is stable before he starts rooting out those corrupting influences.
He wants to make sure that he has the support of the people. He wants to make sure that everything is, you know, kosher, and then he engages in this particular activity. If you go back to chapter 12, specifically at verse 20, you'll see where his father had been murdered. 1220, and his servants arose and formed a conspiracy and killed Joash in the house of the Melo, which goes down to Silah. And so he is exacting vengeance for that particular activity, and he does so with some sense of obedience to the law of God and that's verse six but the children of the murderers he did not execute according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses in which the Lord commanded saying father shall not be put to death for their children nor shall children be put to death for their fathers but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.
I think this is a good nod to his particular conduct. He does execute those men involved in the conspiracy against his father, but he does obey the law of Moses, and the specific law in view here is Deuteronomy 24, verse 16. Now, I think at times, persons perceive a bit of a discrepancy. Go back to Deuteronomy 24, 16 for just a moment.
Deuteronomy 24, 16, where the principle is clearly stated, fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers. A person shall be put to death for his own sin. Going back, however, to Deuteronomy chapter 5, If you go to Deuteronomy chapter 5, specifically the second commandment, persons at times, I think, see something of a discrepancy or perhaps a contradiction. If you look at Deuteronomy 5.8, you shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments. So you see the rub. On the one hand, fathers and children are held responsible for their own particular sin, and here God says it will be visited upon the fathers, upon the children, of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. would suggest that Deuteronomy 5, God deals with sin.
Deuteronomy 24, within criminal justice, within the law courts, a man is held responsible for his conduct. His children are not held responsible for his conduct, neither is he held responsible for the conduct of his children. There's a difference between God's dealings with sin and the criminal court's dealings with crime. And that's where in the difference lies.
And even then, with reference to the second commandment, there's some hokey teaching out there that teaches sort of a transgenerational curse and that somehow because of what someone does, the remaining or subsequent generations are under this curse. That's not the way we're supposed to understand this. I think Calvin explains it well when he deals with Ezekiel Chapter 18, where this whole concept comes out in a very conspicuous way. Essentially, what he says is that children learn idolatry from their parents.
It's not a transgenerational curse. It's not hardwired into the children. Their father was an idolater, they're hardwired to be an idolater. You see it in the history of the kings themselves.
You'll see that sometimes good kings end up having terrible human beings for sons. And sometimes you see terrible kings that end up having decent human beings for sons. So it's not genetic. It's not some sort of a, that's the way it's going to be, and as a result you're going to be cursed.
No, it's typically the sense wherein a father engages in idolatry, the sons, the children follow suit, and as a result they are held culpable for that sin and rebellion. But in terms of criminal justice, what Amaziah does is he respects the law of Moses here. And I think it suggests not only an obedient heart with reference to that particular law, but some degree of courage. I mean, you got to remember, if he doesn't take out all these kids or all these children, they might want to avenge the death of their fathers and exact it on Amaziah for having killed their fathers.
So there's a degree of courage that he expresses here. In fact, Matthew Poole says, wherein he showed some faith and courage that he would obey this command of God, though it was very hazardous to himself, such persons being likely to seek revenge for their father's death. It's very likely that if he left heirs, they were going to want to exact vengeance upon him. And the text is probably there at verse 6, indicating that he was pressured to do so.
In other words, Amaziah, don't only kill those conspirators, but kill their kids also, so that they won't rise up in vengeance against you. And so the fact that he obeys this particular law from Deuteronomy 24, 16 does say something concerning his integrity and the rightness of his conduct. Certainly it wasn't the rightness of his father David, but it was nevertheless a rightness that is commended by God at this particular place. Now
Victory over Edom
notice thirdly, with reference to the reign of Amaziah, his victory over Edom. If you go back to 2 Samuel 8 for just a moment, You see these sort of persons or people groups, these nations around Israel, at one time subdued by David, and then they come back onto the scene. 2 Samuel 8.13, David made himself a name when he returned from killing 18,000 Syrians in the Valley of Salt, or Edomites. He also put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he put garrisons. and all the Edomites became David's servants, and the Lord preserved David wherever he went." You go to 2 Kings, specifically chapter 8, and you see the revolt of Edom. 2 Kings 8, verse 20.
In his days, Edom revolted against Judah's authority and made a king over themselves. So Joram went to Zareh and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him. And the captains of the chariots and the troops fled to their tents.
Thus, Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day, and Libna revolted at that time. So you see, as the kingdom of Israel disintegrates, the enemies of Israel become more emboldened, and they now want to engage in sort of throwing off Israelite oppression, as they perceive it. So back in 2 Kings 14.7, we only have one verse that tells us what Amaziah does in Edom. It says, he killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt, took Salem by war, and called its name Doctile to this day.
Now the parallel in 2 Chronicles chapter 25 verses 5 to 16 provides much more detail for us, and it's information that will help us with the rest of 2 Kings chapter 14. Not that we couldn't understand 2 Kings 14 without 2 Chronicles 25, but 2 Chronicles 25 does help us answer the question, Why in the world does Amaziah want to go to war against Judah? I mean, notice what happens in verse 8. After victory over the Edomites, in 14.8, it says, then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, come, let us face one another in battle.
And if you were reading that today, or tonight, or you were reading that next week, wouldn't you be inclined to ask the question, why in the world would Amaziah want to tangle it up with Judah? Why in the world would he want to face this king in battle? Well, 2 Chronicles 25, 5-16 provides the details. Now, with reference to the why, here's what I would suggest.
In fact, you can turn to 2 Chronicles 25. 2 Chronicles 25 explains a lot concerning the why they go into battle one with another, and it gives us the theological rationale for the judgment that falls upon Amaziah. Notice, specifically, Amaziah gathers Judah together to go against Edom. Verse 5, Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers' houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield.
So he's gonna go to Edom. What is covered in one verse in 2 Kings 14 is covered here in a lot more detail. So he gathers up, he musters up the tribe, the armies of Judah, but notice in verse six, he also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver. So he got his own troops from Judah and he hires 100,000 mercenaries from the Northern kingdom.
They're going to aid and assist him as they go into Edom to decimate Edom. Notice, however, a man of God comes to him in verse 7 and says, O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, not with any of the children of Ephraim. But if you go, be gone, be strong in battle, even so God shall make you fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to overthrow. Then Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?
The man of God answered, The Lord is able to give you much more than this. So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim to go back home. You got this? He's got his troops from Judah.
He hires these 100,000 mercenaries from the north. The man of God says, we don't want, or God doesn't want you to take those 100,000 men. You need to cut them loose, and you need to go against Judah, or go against Edom with Judahites alone. So he does that, he discharges them.
Now notice at the end of verse 10, Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. Why do you think that might have been? I'm going to submit that it might have been because when they went to Edom, there was a lot more money in store for them than just the payment made to them by Amaziah. In other words, when they went on sort of invading campaigns or incursions like this, they got to collect booty.
They got to collect spoil. They got to get the victories of the spoils of war. So they're upset. They have been contracted to do a particular job.
A man of God comes to Amaziah and says, you need to cut them loose. So Amaziah cuts them loose. Another sort of plus for Amaziah. He obeys the man of God here.
But then notice they're very angry. But look at what happens according to verse 13. But as for the soldiers of the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, killed 3,000 in them, and took much spoil. So when we are in 2 Kings 14, verse 8, and we ask the question, why does Amaziah want to go to war with the south?
It's because of this. The southern men, as they're returning home, they're angry and they're upset. So they are, I'm sorry, the northern men, as they're returning home, are angry and upset. And they go on this raiding campaign in the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon.
They kill 3,000 in them and they take much spoil. So going back now to 2 Kings chapter 14, that is why Amaziah wants to face Jehoash in battle. Jehoash tries to shut him down. Notice, specifically at verse 9, Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife.
And a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. In other words, you are the thistle that is coming up against the cedar. Jehoash is saying to Amaziah, you are out of your league. You cannot engage this battle successfully.
You are going to lose, and you are going to lose big. A lowly thistle making pretentious demands against a great Lebanese cedar, only to be trampled underfoot by a passing animal, how empty the boasting of such a puny antagonist. That's essentially what Jehoash is saying to Amaziah at this particular time. He then underscores this in verse 10 by essentially quoting the Proverbs to him.
Pride goes before a fall. Verse 10, you have indeed defeated Edom and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that and stay at home for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you. In other words, don't Tangle with us, because the cedar is going to crush the thistle.
You're not going to win. Amaziah, don't even engage in the battle that you have sought here. So that's the situation. Now
Defeat of Judah by Israel
notice, with reference to the defeat of Judah, verses 11 to 16. Amaziah would not heed. It's an unfortunate reality. Thus far, he's been doing okay.
He obeys the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 24, 16. He obeys the man of God in terms of cutting loose those 100,000 mercenaries from the north. But at this particular point, he gets good horse sense or good counsel from Jehoash, but he would not heed. Therefore, Jehoash, king of Israel, went out, so he and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent." So you see, he loses. It's over. It's not a good thing. He is defeated by Jehoash.
Now, the text here doesn't give us any further explanation. Go back to 2 Chronicles 25. 2 Chronicles chapter 25. There is a theological rationale for why Amaziah loses. There is a theological reason for why Judah loses in this war with Israel.
Notice in 2 Chronicles 25 20, But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. So now you need to go back to verse 14. 2 Chronicles 25. Not trying to confuse, trying to explain. Give me a nod if you see the rationale here.
We're using 2 Chronicles 25 to help illustrate or shine light on 2 Kings chapter 14. But when Amaziah goes into Edom and they are victorious, notice what Amaziah does in verse 14. Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them, and burned incense to them. So you see, he's just like his father, Joash.
Joash started off right. Amaziah started off right. But later on in their careers, both men ended up engaged in idolatry. So the theological rationale for the defeat of Judah by Israel in 2 Kings 14 is that it was of God.
God does not look favorably upon idolatry. If the kings of Judah are going to worship the gods of Edom, then the kings of Judah are going to lose in battle against the Israelites. Now you might say, well, the Israelites were full of idolatry and they were full of wickedness and full of sin. Yeah, they sure were.
But at this particular juncture, God wants to bring judgment to bear upon Judah. because they sought the gods of Edom. That is precisely why this took place. Matthew Poole says, because God blinded and hardened him to his destruction for his abominable and ridiculous idolatry. Now just stepping back for a moment into the realm of practical application, something we have seen over and over and over again throughout the study in 1st and 2nd Kings, throughout our studies in 1st and 2nd Samuel, is that theology matters.
When a king, when a leader, when a man does not obey the living God, when he rejects that God and he turns away to idols, that does affect everything in his life. I think we can take that principle from kingdom, from government, and bring it right into our homes and families. When we operate as idolaters, we are going to bring the wrath and judgment of God upon our homes. It's never going to go well for us when we despise the living and the true God.
It is never going to go well for us when we turn our backs on the living and true God. We need to learn the lesson of Amaziah. Don't bow to the gods of Edom after you win Edom in battle. Rather, serve and glorify the living and true God and give honor and praise to Him and to Him alone.
So the reason why they lose in battle is because of the sovereignty and the power of God Most High. So
Death of Jehoash and End of Amaziah
going back to 2 Kings 14, we see the record concerning the death of Jehoash. This is repeated. It's already been told us in chapter 13, verses 10 to 13, but it fits in here well also. It gives us the end of Jehoash, and then it gives us the end of Amaziah.
And if you look at verse 17, I didn't skip verses 13 to 14. We're going to look at that in a bit more detail at the end of the study tonight. But at verse 17, it says, Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived 15 years after the death of Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. We don't know where.
He was taken hostage or captive, but at this point, verse 17, we have really no inkling where he is at this particular time. It simply tells us that he lived 15 years after the death of Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. It tells us the standard formula of the Acts of Amaziah, written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Now note verse 19, and they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. is probably self-explanatory.
He was not a good leader. He was not a good king. I mean, he's victorious over Edom to be sure, but then he bows to Edom's gods, and then he loses to the Northern Kingdom. So the fact is, they form a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem.
He flees to Lachish. They sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. Now, this was no animosity toward the house of David.
This was not the end of the Davidic dynasty, because they took his son Azariah, who was 16 years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. So it wasn't an attack upon the Davidic dynasty. It was an attack upon a foolish king within the Davidic dynasty to oust him, to get him off the scene, because he lost to the northern kingdom. So Amaziah is gone.
He is buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. And then
Reign of Jeroboam II in Israel
we shift directions, or we shift focus to the northern kingdom, the reign of Jeroboam II. Now, this is the fulfillment of God's promise to Jehu. Again, I don't want to confuse you with all these names, but it's important to get those names in your head because biblical promise or God's faithfulness is seen. Remember, according to chapter 10 and verse 30, because of what Jehu did do that was good, God said that there would be four generations. within his family or of his dynasty that would sit upon the throne.
And we see that coming to pass. We have Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and then his son Zechariah. Now Zechariah ends it, of course, but God's promise to Jehu is fulfilled right before our eyes. So this particular man, his religious policy is given us in verse 24.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. So Jeroboam II was just like Jeroboam I. The tedium of evil continues in the report of the kings of Israel and Judah.
It's a constant refrain. They just continue to perpetuate evil. They just continue to perpetuate wickedness. And so, Jeroboam II is like Jeroboam I.
However, notice that Jeroboam II reigns 41 years, the longest of the kings of Israel. Now, certainly Manasseh reigned longer than him, but Manasseh was in Judah, the southern kingdom. 41 years. Now, he did exercise some military might, and he did engage in some good things. One of those good things is told us here in verse 25.
He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah. Now, the entrance of Hamath speaks to the north, and the sea of Arabah, or the Dead Sea, speaks to the south. And essentially what the author is telling us is that Jeroboam II restored Israel's borders to a Solomonic proportion. In other words, the last time that Israel possessed this part of Hamath was when Solomon was the king.
So this was a great feat on the part of Jeroboam I. And some would ask, well, how in the world was he able to do that? The non-theological interpreters of history would ascribe Israel's expansion here due to several factors. Egypt was basically an effective excuse me, in the 8th century, weak and ineffective.
Assyria is the growing power at this particular time, but is preoccupied for the first 50 years of that century. Damascus had been softened up by Assyria and suffered a crushing defeat from Zakir of Hamath. So in other words, all the enemy forces around Israel are basically not a threat to Israel at this particular time. All this made a nice sort of power vacuum for Jeroboam II to flex his muscles, his military muscles, and he does that according to verse 25a.
He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Amath to the Sea of Arabah, or the Dead Sea. That would be the non-theological way to interpret history. But we need to appreciate that the bulk of the description of Jeroboam's reign here is a theological explanation for 25a. In other words, he restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah.
The biblical author, this theological interpreter, does not say because Assyria is preoccupied elsewhere, because Egypt is weak and ineffective, or because Syria has basically been crushed from other forces. That's not the rationale that the biblical author ascribes this expansion to, but rather it is to God Most High, 25b.
Expansion by Prophetic Promise
This happened according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-Hefer. Now this is the Jonah of the great fish. This is that same Jonah that was indeed a prophet. Matthew Henry makes a beautiful observation concerning Jonah here.
The Jonah episode that we are most familiar with probably happened before this particular episode, probably when Jonah was a younger man. In other words, go to Nineveh and preach to that great city. It would take some vigor, would take some vim, would take some strength, and it would most likely be a young man that went to do that. How does Jonah end?
Jonah 4. We don't typically end with a great sort of view of Jonah, do we? I mean, we don't all, you know, rah-rah Jonah because he's such an awesome guy. We end Jonah saying, what's the matter with Jonah?
I mean, he's upset because God's merciful? He's upset because God has shown mercy to Nineveh? Well, on the one hand, there's a nationalistic pride. You know, on the one hand, an Israelite would probably not look too favorably upon Israel's God being nice to Ninevites.
I mean, the people of Nineveh were a notoriously wretched people, and Jonah probably didn't think they deserved mercy. Well, Jonah didn't realize none of us deserve mercy. That's precisely why it's mercy. None of us deserve grace.
That's precisely why it's grace. But when you read Jonah 4, don't you ever just go, man, he's the only gospel preacher I've ever seen that got upset because God blessed his ministry. Most gospel preachers wake up on a Monday morning and they say, God, why didn't anybody get saved? Jonah says, God, why'd you save everybody?
It's just perplexing and mind-blowing. Again, I don't want to get into the psychoanalysis of what's going on in the prophet Jonah, but you don't end Jonah 4 going, Man, this guy's just such a champion, such a gracious individual. So Matthew Henry points out that that happened earlier in his career, and here we see John of the Prophet having prophesied concerning this expansion, concerning the fact that Solomonic proportions are going to be restored with reference to Israel. They're going to get that land of Hamath back all the way down to the Dead Sea.
So Matthew Henry says, of this Jonah, we read much in that little book of Scripture that bears his name. It is probable that it was when he was a young man and fit for such an expedition that God sent him to Nineveh, and that it was when he had yet been but a little conversant with the visions of God that he flew off and fretted as he did. I think that's a good description. He flew off and he fretted.
He gets upset. He gets mad. He fretted. And if so, this is an undoubted evidence of the forgiveness of his faults and follies.
In other words, if that happened earlier in his career, the fact that he appears here in 2 Kings 14, having prophesied expansion in Israel, we're told here that it's not because Assyria was preoccupied, it's not because Egypt was weak, it's not because Syria had been crushed, but it's because God promised through the prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai, that he would expand Israel. And so he says, and if so, this is an undoubted evidence of the forgiveness of his faults and follies that he was afterwards employed as a messenger of mercy to Israel. A commission amounts to a pardon. And he that had himself found mercy, notwithstanding his provocations, could the better encourage them with the hope of mercy, notwithstanding theirs.
Some that have been foolish and passionate and have gone about their work very awkwardly at first, yet afterwards have proved useful and eminent. He says, men must not be thrown away for every fault. I think that's what I like the most about this. Men must not be thrown away for every fault.
Guys mess up. Now, certainly a moral disqualification from the ministry. A guy shouldn't be in the ministry. But, you know, a lapse in judgment, an error, faults.
Not everybody needs to be thrown away for every fault. Also, if you're remembering 752 in the Gospel of John. Religious leaders, when they hear that Jesus is a prophet from Galilee. No prophet has ever come from Galilee.
Jonah the son of Amittai. I mean, they didn't even know their own history and they're trying to, you know, reject or repudiate the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this expansion came as a result of the prophetic word of God through Jonah the prophet. And then
Expansion According to God's Mercy
notice it's according to God's mercy in verses 26 and 27. For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. We considered that last week. Notice in 2 Kings 13, 4. 2 Kings 13, 4.
So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel. God sees the oppression of Israel, He sees the affliction of Israel, He sees the pain of His people, and He comes and He blesses. And remember that He grounds this in His covenant. Notice in chapter 13, verse 23.
But the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence." So the same idea is working here. The North is a mess. Jeroboam II is like Jeroboam I. They aren't going to ultimately come to that collision that you on the building are watching from that vantage point.
But here, right now, God is being merciful to them and God is giving them expansion, which ought to cause us to reflect on this key point. Prosperity in a nation doesn't necessarily mean God's salvific favor upon that nation. In other words, a good GDP doesn't mean God smiles on a country. A low unemployment rate doesn't necessarily mean everything is hunky-dory in terms of the religion in that particular society.
God does give external blessing, there is expansion, there is that sort of nod to their affliction, but they are not in terms of a good spiritual relationship with Yahweh. Prosperity, according to Davis, may be a sign of God's compassions, but not of His commendation. So the Lord did not say, verse 27, that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. So the non-theological interpreter would see those other factors as the reason for Israelite expansion in the 8th century.
But the sacred author tells us specifically he saved Israel by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. And then we have the final formula concerning Jeroboam and his successor, which is a man by the name of Zechariah. So that's the reign of Amaziah and Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel.
Application
We ought to close with this consideration. First, the persistence of deviant worship. It's hard to get rid of those high places in Israel. hard to get rid of things that get firmly entrenched among us. As I suggested earlier, it's good for us to consider our traditions and to make sure that they are indeed rooted in Scripture.
Secondly, the persistence of idolatry. Idolatry both in the south and in the north. Jeroboam II continues the calf worship of Jeroboam I. Amaziah and Judah goes in and defeats Edom, and the next thing we know, instead of giving praise to God, he's bowing to the gods of Edom.
Idolatry dies hard as well. It's one of those sins that's difficult to identify, not so much in this instance, but in our own lives, and difficult to root out. We often associate with those things that provide comfort to us. And typically, that's why we engage in idolatry.
It affords some degree of comfort. We need to find our comfort, our hope, our stability in God Almighty. It is intriguing because the prophets Amos and Hosea, they were the ones who prophesied, and a little later on Isaiah, but they were the ones prophesying in the northern kingdom at the time of Jeroboam II. And I think House sort of encapsulates the sorts of sins that are going on in Jeroboam II's Israel.
What sins do the people commit during these years? Hosea says they are spiritual adulterers, thieves, and ungrateful children. In short, there is no acknowledgment of God in the land. God desired mercy and monotheism, but receives only meaningless sacrifice and idolatry.
Likewise, Amos finds oppression of the poor, injustice, and immorality. The people love wealth more than kindness, ease more than righteous character. I think that's an apt description. Read Hosea or Amos and Hosea, that's just their chronological order.
I know that Hosea comes first, but read those prophets and this is the particular timeframe that they are operating in. This is the timeframe that they are preaching in. These are the sorts of sins that they are addressing in the kingdom. And then as well, we ought to appreciate the persistence of the mercy of God. the expansion of the Northern Kingdom, even in spite of Jeroboam II, and the preservation of the Southern Kingdom, even in spite of Amaziah.
And I think this quote from Davis is really good. He says, I'm interested in what happens in the wake of these royal deaths. There's two obituaries in our chapter, Amaziah and Jeroboam II. He said, things remain stable.
In Israel, whose throne was no stranger to conspiracies and assassinations, the kingdom moved smoothly from Jehoash to Jeroboam II. In Judah, even with the upheaval of a conspiracy against Amaziah, it never seemed to cross anyone's mind to bring on a non-Davidic king. Azariah may be the hated Amaziah's son, but he has been confirmed as king. And of course we know that this political stability rests on divine promises.
That's what you need to appreciate. Again, some of this stuff may seem routine and it may seem somewhat repetitive because we've been here done that in so many ways in terms of high places and idols, but God is the one behind the scenes keeping everything in place. And this is Davis's point. He says, God had promised Jehu a four-generation dynasty, but God had promised David an unending dynasty.
And in spite of a Judean conspiracy, Azariah is the current proof that that promise holds true. Just because obituaries seem dull, we should not miss the point. God's promises direct history. And if there is order and stability in the early 8th century Israel and Judah, it is because God's promises rule.
That's the strength behind the scenes that keeps everything together. And as I said, there is a foreshadowing here concerning the end of Judah. What happens with Amaziah? He is taken captive.
It's going to be Jehoiachin's lot when Babylon comes. We see the wall broken down. Not the entirety, but we see a portion of the wall broken down. What's going to happen when Babylon comes?
It's going to break down the wall. We see the treasures, the royal treasures, are carted off. What's happening right here? It's going to happen in 2 Kings chapter 24.
So everything that is going to happen later is given to us in a bit of a snapshot here. There's a foreshadowing of the Babylonian invasion and the captivity that is going to occur. So we're on the building. We're watching the cars.
We see the northern kingdom getting very close. I mean, once we get into chapter 15, It's just boom, boom, boom, boom in terms of kings. 17 is when that kingdom collapses, and then in 24-25 is when Judah collapses. So we're watching from that vantage point, they're about to collide, and then we see this sort of foreshadow that this southern kingdom is going to collide as well. So all of this to suggest to us or to encourage us that God's plan is being worked out even in terms of judgment.
We often see God's hand of blessing. We need to appreciate God's hand of judgment as well. He brought Amaziah to ruin because Amaziah bowed to Edom's gods.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us close in a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, we thank You that You keep it all together, that You are the Sovereign One, that You hold the Kingdom together, You bring judgment, You bring blessing, all these things are according to Your purpose and Your plan. Thank You for bringing us to the Kingdom of Christ by grace through faith. Thank You for His rule and His reign.
Thank You that He protects us, that He rules over us, that He defends us, and give us willing hearts to obey our King in all that He calls us to. Go with us now, we pray. Continue to watch over all the brethren in our church, we pray. And may you bring us together to worship and to praise you on the Lord's day.
And we ask in Jesus' name, amen.