Jeroboam’s Evil Reign in Israel
October 22, 2019
Commentary
While Amaziah was being held prisoner in Israel, Jehoash, king of Israel, died. When this happened, Amaziah was released and returned to Judah. Azariah (referred to as Uzziah later), his son, had been acting as king while he was in prison. Now Amaziah resumes his reign over Judah and makes his son vice-regent.Soon Amaziah discovered a conspiracy against him and fled to Lachish, thirty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the southern border of Judah. This conspiracy may have been the result of growing dissatisfaction with his leadership because of the senseless war with Jehoash. He could have fled the country but his enemies caught up with him and he was killed. Amaziah was returned to Jerusalem where he was evidently given a king’s funeral.
Azariah had begun to reign at the age of 16 when his father Amaziah was taken prisoner. Now when his father was killed he began his sole reign. His most significant accomplishment was the rebuilding of Solomon’s important Red Sea naval base (v. 22) (l Kings 9:22-48). Meanwhile, after the death of Jehoash, king of Israel, his son Jeroboam II (who had been co-regent with his father) began to reign for 41 years. Spiritually he followed in the footsteps of his predecessors but politically he was Israel’s strongest king. He restored Israel’s boundaries to approximately the same way in Solomon’s time. This territorial expansion had been prophesied by Jonah, the man who traveled to Nineveh with God’s message of repentance.
Application
Material property is not always an indication of God’s blessing. It can also be a result of self-centeredness as in the case of Jeroboam. I must never forget that God holds me accountable for how I obtain success and how I use my finances.
2 Kings 14:15– 29 (NET)
15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16 Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.
17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him, and they killed him there. 20 His body was carried back by horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David. 21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 22 Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed away.
23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. 24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the rift valley in the south, just as in the message from the Lord God of Israel that he had announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory from under heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.
28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 29 Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah replaced him as king.