2 Kings 15:1-4 Crown of Glory!

 “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He did what was right in the sight of the LORD: The reign of Azariah (also called Uzziah in 2 Kings 15:13 and many other places in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah) was largely characterized by the good he did in the sight of the LORD. His godliness was rewarded with a long reign of 52 years.

i. Azariah came to the throne in a difficult era: “Following the tragic events that brought King Amaziah’s reign to an end, Jerusalem was in disarray, a major section of its protective wall destroyed, its temple and palace emptied of their treasures, and some of its inhabitants taken away to Israel as hostages.” (Dilday)

ii. 2 Chronicles 26 tells us much more about the successful reign of Uzziah (Azariah):

· He began his reign when he was only 16 years old (2 Chronicles 26:3).

· He reigned during the ministry of Zechariah the prophet (2 Chronicles 26:5).

· He defeated the Philistines and took many of their cities, and also kept the Ammonites in tribute (2 Chronicles 26:6-8).

· He was internationally famous as a strong king (2 Chronicles 26:8).

· He was an ambitious builder and skilled in agriculture (2 Chronicles 26:9-10). “He probably gave special attention to the tillage of the soil because of the prophecies of Hosea and Amos concerning the scarcity about to come. (See Hosea 2:9; 4:3; 9:2; Amos 1:2; 4:6-9; 5:16-19).” (Knapp)

· He built up and organized the army, introducing several new items of military technology (2 Chronicles 26:11-15).

iii. Knapp suggests that Azariah became king in an unusual manner: “He seems to have come by the throne, not in the way of ordinary succession, but by the direct choice of the people. The princes had been destroyed by the Syrians toward the close of his grandfather Joash’s reign (2 Chronicles 24:23), leaving the people a free hand.”

b. Except that the high places were not removed: As with Jehoash (2 Kings 12:3) and Amaziah (2 Kings 14:4), the reforms of Azariah did not reach so far as to remove these traditional places of sacrifice to the LORD. (Guzik)

i. “The apparent compromise is indicative of a basic spiritual shallowness that was to surface in the prophecies of the great writing prophets of the eighth century b.c.” (Patterson and Austel)

ii. “This, if it did not loose, yet it lessened his crown of glory.” (Trapp)

Crown of Glory!

Trapp’s comment “yet it lessened his crown of glory.” Is interesting but do you know what the bible says about us that have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior concerning our crowns?

“to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” ‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Irighteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The New Testament says will receive an imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life!

I wonder what they will look like?

Blessings 

Five Heavily Crowns?

2 Kings 14:28-29 Rested With His Father’s!

 “Now 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.” II Kings‬ ‭14‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. His might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belonged to Judah: The reign of Jeroboam II was a time of economic, political, and material prosperity for Israel. Yet it was not because of their own merit or goodness, but because of God’s great mercy to Israel.

i. Archaeology confirms the economic might of Jeroboam II. In the age prior to Jeroboam II, the houses in Israel’s cities were roughly the same size. But archaeologists find a change starting in the eighth century b.c. – ancient cities like Tirzah have a neighborhood of large, expensive houses and another neighborhood of small, crowded structures, smaller than the houses from previous years. The larger houses are filled with the marks of prosperity, and the oppressive rich of Israel thought they could find safety there – but God’s judgment came against those houses as well (Amos 3:13-15).

ii. “The resultant prosperity, however, which ended in the wrong use of power in luxury and the oppression of the poor, was denounced by the contemporary prophets, especially Amos (2:6-7; 8:4-6); Isaiah (3:18-26; 5:8-13) and Micah (2:2).” (Wiseman)

iii. In the days of King Jehoahaz of Israel, God promised to send a deliverer to Israel, one who helped them to escape from under the hand of the Syrians (2 Kings 13:4-5). It is likely that Jeroboam II was this promised deliverer.

b. From Damascus: Though the hand of the LORD was behind these events, God used the strength of the Assyrian Empire to bless Israel. For most of its history, the Northern Kingdom of Israel struggled against Syria, her neighbor to the north. But around the year 800, the mighty Assyrian Empire defeated Syria, and neutralized this power that hindered Israel’s expansion and prosperity. With Syria in check, Israel enjoyed great prosperity during the reign of Jeroboam II.

i. The Book of Amos shows that Israel did not handle this prosperity well, and the wickedness under the prosperity of Jeroboam II heaped judgment up for themselves.

ii. “Israel was blessed with the ministries of both Hosea and Amos during Jeroboam’s reign. From their writings it will readily be seen that though there was political revival under his rule, there was no real moral or spiritual awakening among the people.” (Knapp)

iii. “When Jeroboam II died in 752 b.c., he left behind a strong kingdom but, unfortunately, one whose core foundation was so spiritually rotten that the edifice of state would not long withstand the rising tides of international intrigue and pressure.” (Patterson and Austel)

c. Then Zechariah his son reigned in his place: Zechariah was the fourth generation of the Jehu dynasty, and it was prophesied that the dynasty of Jehu would continue for four generations (2 Kings 10:30).

i. “From the time of Jeroboam’s death, declension set in, ending less than seventy years later in its final overthrow and dissolution. Prophetic ministry was from this time greatly increased. ‘Such is the way of our gracious God,’ an unknown writer says, ‘that when judgment is near to approach, then testimony is multiplied.’” (Knapp)

Rested With His Father’s!

That is the biblical way of saying he died and was buried near his father(s). 

We don’t really grasp death until it stares us in the face! Recently my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer and today is the day after her first chemotherapy treatment. They said it would last 5-1/2 hours but with the pre-meds, visits from the pharmacist, and others the day was more like 7 hours.

But our God is great because she tolerated it extremely well and the care was on the scale of 1-5 was a 5!

My wife knows where her home is and even left a little Jesus behind in the infusion center!

Have you considered your own mortality?

What about your spiritual mortality?

Blessings 

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