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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. 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, as we look at the 
reign of Amaziah in the first place, 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. 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 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 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 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 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. 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 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. 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. 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.