2 Kings 14:23-27 Mercy!

 “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 Arabah, 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 Hepher. For 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.” II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He did evil in the sight of the LORD: Jeroboam II was a wicked king, who continued the politically-motivated idolatry of his namesake Jeroboam the son of Nebat. During his reign the prophets Jonah and Amos spoke for God.

b. He restored the territory of Israel… for the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter: Out of great mercy, God showed kindness to a disobedient Israel ruled by an evil king.

i. “It seems to suggest amazement in his mind as he contemplated the patience of Jehovah with the sinning nation.” (Morgan)

c. According to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet: This is almost certainly the same Jonah who is famous for his missionary trip to Nineveh. Apparently he also had a ministry among his own people, not only among the people of Nineveh. (Guzik)

i. “God sent them Jonah to encourage them, and to assure them of better days.” (Clarke)

Mercy!

“Out of great mercy, God showed kindness to a disobedient Israel ruled by an evil king.” (Guzik)

“(for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Throughout the Bible there are examples of our merciful God! 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Is He your Father of mercies and God of all comfort?

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:15-22 Idolatries!

 “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 fifteen 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; but 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 Amaziah. He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.” II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. They formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: The embarrassing loss against Israel undermined Amaziah’s support among the leaders of Judah.

i. He lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash (which probably prompted his release from imprisonment in Israel). “But it was a kind of a lifeless life… He lay all the while under the hatred and contempt of his subjects.” (Trapp)

b. He fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there: Amaziah tried but was unable to escape the conspirators. He was assassinated, just like his father was (2 Kings 12:20-21).

i. “Lachish was the first of the cities of Judah to adopt the idolatries of the kingdom of Israel (‘the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee,’ Micah 1:13), and it was natural for the idolatrous Amaziah to seek an asylum there.” (Knapp)

ii. “Some commentators believe the assassins who put Amaziah to death in verse 19 may have been the very children whom Amaziah had spared. They, in turn, were exacting vengeance for Amaziah’s executions.” (Dilday)

c. And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father: This was the start of the illustrious reign of Azariah(also known as Uzziah). He was the greatest king of Judah after David.

i. “The election of Amaziah’s son Azariah may refer to an earlier time when ‘all the people had taken Azariah, when he was sixteen years old, and made him king while Amaziah had been a prisoner.” (Wiseman)

(Guzik)

Idolatries!

When nations stray from God they will fall from grace! 

“Lachish was the first of the cities of Judah to adopt the idolatries of the kingdom of Israel (‘the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee,’……) (Knapp)

What idolatries has our nation adopted?

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:13-14 Rebuke!

 “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—four hundred 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.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah: Because of his foolish attack against Israel, Amaziah lost his freedom and for a time became a prisoner of the king of Israel.

i. Amaziah had a mighty army and Jehoash had a weak army. Yet God gave Israel the victory over Judah to rebuke the idolatry of Amaziah. It came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom.(2 Chronicles 25:20)

ii. “His name means ‘strength of Jah’; but we read, ‘he strengthened himself’’ (2 Chronicles 25:11); his character of self-sufficiency thus belying his name – a thing not uncommon in our day.” (Knapp)

b. He went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem: Because of his foolish attack against Israel, Amaziah saw the defenses of Jerusalem broken down. Not only did they lose the battle at Beth Shemesh, but they were also in a weaker position to face future attacks.

c. And he took all the gold and silver: Because of his foolish attack against Israel, Amaziah lost the treasure of the people of God. It wasn’t just a loss of his personalwealth (the treasuries of the king’s house), but also of the gold and silver of God’s people. Amaziah didn’t have the wisdom to see how losing this battle would hurt others as well as himself.

i. This even extended to hostages who were taken from Jerusalem to Samaria. The decision to attack Israel was his alone, but the price paid for the foolish attack was paid by the whole kingdom of Judah. It is a sober warning to all leaders, to consider how their foolish decisions affect many other people.

ii. “The quarrel of Amaziah was certainly just, yet he was put to the rout; he did meddle to his hurt; he fell, and Judah fell with him, as Jehoash had said.” (Clarke) (Guzik)

Rebuke!

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If we sense we are being disciplined we should pray and ask the Lord to reveal to us what we are doing that displeases Him.

I am reminded of what king David said: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever been rebuked by the Lord?

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:8-12 Pride cometh before a fall!

 “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, 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.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Come, let us face one another in battle: Proud from his success against Edom, Amaziah decided to make war against the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

i. Again, 2 Chronicles 25:5-16 gives more background to this event. When Amaziah sent away the Israelite mercenaries, they were not happy – even though he paid them for not fighting against Edom (they probably counted on receiving much more from the spoil of battle). As they returned to Israel, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil(2 Chronicles 25:13). This was the political motivation for Amaziah’s attack against Israel.

ii. He had reason to believe he would be successful. He had recently assembled a 300,000 man army that killed 20,000 Edomites in a victory over Edom (2 Chronicles 25:5, 11-12). Jehoahaz seemed very weak, having only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers after being defeated by the Syrians (2 Kings 13:7).

b. The thistle that was in Lebanon: The reply of Jehoash king of Israel was both wise and diplomatic. With this little story and its application, he counseled Amaziah to glory in his previous victory over Edom but then to stay at home.

i. “The thistle, imagining himself to be equal with the cedar, presumptuously suggested a marriage alliance between them. The difference between the two was made obvious when a wild beast passed through and crushed the thistle underfoot. Of course the beast was powerless to injure the cedar.” (Dilday)

c. Why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall – you and Judah with you: Amaziah should have listened to this word from Jehoash, but he didn’t. He provoked a fight he should have avoided, and did not consider both the likelihood of success and the effect his defeat would have on the whole kingdom of Judah. (Guzik)

Pride cometh before a fall!

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬ ‭BSB‬‬

All our talents, gifts and skills are given to us by God. Therefore God deserves the credit for everything that we do and accomplish! When we become prideful we dishonor God!

Years ago when I converted my father’s 8mm film to DVD I had noticed from several films of Christmas, gifts given to my older brother and I were toys which later represented our adult professions. I asked my father jokingly if he was brain washing us. He said no, that the gifts were what we wanted. So our parents encouraged our skills!

I believe that these were skills were given to us by God before we were born because the Bible says:

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We need to give God all the glory for everything we do and accomplish. Don’t let Satan whisper in your ear any prideful thoughts because if we do the Lord God will remind us how lowly we really are without Him!

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:7 His gods!

 “He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He killed ten thousand Edomites: This shows the military might of Amaziah, and that he successfully subdued the weaker nations surrounding Judah.

b. And took Sela by war: Some believe this was the ancient rock city in the desert also known as Petra; others believe it was a different place. One way or another, this was a significant victory for Amaziah.

i. 2 Chronicles 25:5-16 gives more background to this event. Amaziah gathered a huge army in Judah to go against Edom – three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. He also hired 100,000 mercenary soldiers from Israel. But a prophet came and warned him not to use the soldiers from Israel, because God was not with that rebellious and idolatrous kingdom. Amaziah was convinced to trust God, send the mercenaries from Israel away, and accept the loss of the money used to hire them. God blessed this step of faith, and gave them a convincing victory over the Edomites.

ii. Amaziah trusted God for the victory over Edom; but immediately after the victory his heart turned from God: 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. (2 Chronicles 25:14) (Guzik)

His gods!

After trusting God his heart turned from God! “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.”(Guzik)

But we are no different! We leave church renewed and refreshed in Jesus and when we get home our hearts turn from God and we turn to our gods and idols! Television, smartphones, news, sports, social media and the like! 

Oh, when we meet Jesus face to face will we see how much time we wasted instead of using it wisely for His kingdom!

I confess that I spend too much time with my gods, my smartphone and with television!

What have become your gods?

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:5-6 Faith and Courage!

 “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.””

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He executed his servants who had murdered his father the king: This was both just and in the best interest of Amaziah. It was good for him to eliminate those who found the assassination of the king a reasonable way to change the kingdom.

i. It also fulfilled God’s command to punish murderers with execution, first given in Genesis 9:5-7.

b. But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: It was the standard practice of the ancient world to execute not only the guilty party in such a murder, but also his family. Amaziah went against the conventional practice of his day and obeyed the word of God instead (Deuteronomy 24:16). (Guzik)

i. “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.” (Poole)

Faith and Courage!

Like king Amaziah when were called by the Lord to adoption we had the faith and courage to follow through with the Lords plan for our lives and our son whom we adopted. It wasn’t easy but the Lord provided the support we needed!

Has Jesus ever called you to do something that required faith and courage?

Blessings 

2 Kings 14:1-4 Limitation in Loyalty!

 “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 twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan 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.” II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He did what was right in the sight of the LORD: Amaziah, son of the great reformer Joash, continued the generally godly reign began by his father.

i. “He made a good beginning in thus adhering closely to the law. Happy would it have been for him and for his kingdom had he continued as he began.” (Knapp)

b. Yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done: Compared to Joash, Amaziah faithfully continued his policies. Yet some of those policies allowed compromises, such as the allowing of continued sacrifices and incense offerings on the high places. Compared to David – the greatest merely human king to reign over the people of God – Amaziah did not match up favorably.

i. “The constantly repeated story of limitation in loyalty is told again.” (Morgan)

(Guzik)

Limitation in Loyalty!

The Old Testament kings limitation in loyalty to the Lord should be a warning for every Christian! For Jesus said: ““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I pray I finish the race as well as Paul did with loyalty to Jesus!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What about you?

Blessings