2 King 14:1-15:7
Key Verse 14:26-27 26 The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone
in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help
them. 27 And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel
from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
Today’s passage covers the story of three kings: Amaziah (Judah),
Jeroboam II(Israel) (ch 14) and a short summary of Azariah (Judah 15:1-7;
Uzziah ref. 2 Chr 26). The story of Jehoash was finished in Ch 13. But here his
association with Judah King Azariah, an additional story (9-18), is included to
explain what Amaziah did. That is to say that the main focus of this section (9-18)
is not Jehoash’s but Amaziah’s rule. Ch
15:1-7 is included in this study since the story of the kings of Judah
(Azariah/Uzziah) continues to this section.
1.
[1-7] How did Amaziah do as the king of Judah
(3-4)? What did he do with his father’s assassins (5-6)? How did he defeat
Edomites (7; 2 Chr 25:5-12)? Then, what
did he do with the gods of Edom (2 Chr 25:14)? How did he take God’s advice (2
Chr 25:15-16)?
At the death of his father, Joash, by hands of assassins (12:21), Amaziah became king when he was 25 years
old and reigned 29 years (v1; 2 Chr 25:1). His reign was noted with five
accounts: a) he firmly established his
power as king (5a) b) he executed the
officials who assassinated his father (5-6) c)defeated Edomites and recovered
some of the land (Sela in battle,
calling it Joktheel; v7) d) Fought against Jehoash the King of Israel and was
defeated (8-14) e) lastly, he was assassinated (19-20)
His mother’s name was Jehoaddan (“Yahweh is a delight.”); she was
from Jerusalem. This seems to indicate that he grew up with the godly influence of
his mother. This is in line with the assessment of his reign that “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as
his father David had done. In everything, he followed the example of his father
Joash.” He was good but not as good as King David. This is a good
contrast with the phrases ‘He did evil in the eyes of the LORD’ and ‘the
sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat’ used against all of the kings of Israel (1
Kings 16:26; 16:31; 21:22; 22:52; 2 Kings 3:3; 9:9; 10:29; 13:2; 13:11; 14:24;
15:9, 18,24,28). This gives us a clear understanding of the importance of ‘the root” of the kingdom. What Jeroboam
established became the foundation of the northern Kingdom Israel, and all the
dynasties (total nine) after
him did not overcome the evil of this system or platform (WC addressed this in his
comment on Jeroboam II).
In what aspect he did not do well like David? He failed to keep up
with David on one thing: 4a The high places, however, were not removed. His
father Joash (12:1-2) was also considered good except the fact that he did not
remove high places. High places worked as an alternative place for the temple.
Either they were used along with the temple or for an alternative choice of the
temple. This not only gave them an easy access but also conveniences since they
were not required the stringent ‘processes’ to express their will to serve the
Lord. This was almost like building or establishing a new system, similar to
what God established for the temple. To me, this was a form of syncretic belief
where pagan style/beliefs sit along with the system that God gave to Israel. King
Josiah removed the high places (ch 23) and we can discuss more there.
a)
He firmly established his power as king (5a);
The first thing that he did was to establish his position as king.
This implies that after his father’s assassination, there were still opposition
forces within the governing body (officials 12:21). What were the causes that
fermented the opposition forces? There were two possible causes: his conflict
created by taking away a part of the control of the temple treasury or giving all
the treasures of the temple and the palace to Aram King Hazael to buy his favor,
taken as a sign of faithlessness of the king. The faith of the king builds up the nation and
kingship. Lack of or weakened faith brews fears, unbelief, and dissension within
the kingdom. Since no specific reason for such opposition was given, it is
likely that the opposition party chided the king for weakened faith.
b)
He executed the officials who assassinated his
father (5-6)
By taking the rein of the power and authority of the kingdom, Azariah
regained the faith for the kingdom and removed all those opposing forces. And
then he proceeded with killing the assassins of his father. The writer noted
that he did not kill their children in accordance with what is written in the
Book of the Law of Moses where the LORD commanded. This gives us two possible understanding—he
did not kill the assassins of his father out of his revenge—in line with the
teachings of the Law of Moses, and it also serves as a possible allusion that
he was murdered by the remaining oppositions formed by the children of his
father’s assassin. The law demanded that punishment be extended to the children
of criminals (see Exod 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship
them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for
the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me). This was modified in Deut 24:16, Parents
are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for
their parents; each will die for their own sin. Simply the king did the right
thing but their children did wrong/evil things if they did kill the king in
revenge. Though we cannot discern what/who did this. But one thing is clear
that there came an opposition faction within the governing body, strong enough
to challenge the authority of the king of the Davidic dynasty. At the same time,
the power of those who supported the Davidic dynasty was sustained and strong
enough to keep it alive despite of such opposition, unlike the dynasties of the Northern Kingdom Israel.
c)
He defeated Edomites and recovered some of the
land (Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel;
Since he established firmly his kingdom under his belt, he pursued
to recover Edom. Edomites was under Judah but they revolted. It happened during the time of Joram
8:16 In the fifth year of Joram son of
Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of
Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. ….18 He followed the ways of the
kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of
Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 19 Nevertheless, for the sake of his
servant David, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to
maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever. 20 In the time of
Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. (2Ki 8:16 NIV)
So he mustered three hundred thousand men and hired a hundred
thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver (2 Chr 25:6).
But this was not good in the eyes of the Lord
7 But a man of God came to him and
said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel
must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8
Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before
the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.” 9 Amaziah asked the
man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite
troops?” The man of God replied, “The LORD can give you much more than that.”(2
Chr 25)
As he was advised, he dismissed mercenaries from Israel and fought
Edom and won. But there were two undesirable outcomes of this war. First, he
brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,
bowed down to them, and burned sacrifices to them. (2 Chr 25:14) Second, while
he was fighting against Edom, the dismissed troops who had come from Ephraim
became angry with Judah and left for home in a great rage (2 Chr 25:10). On
their way home, they raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth
Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of
plunder (25:13). These two acts in unbelief caused him many troubles.
2.
[8-18] What challenge did he make against
Jehoash (8)? Why (Ref. 2 Chr 25:10-13)? What was Jehoash’s offer (9-10)? How did Amaziah respond(11a)? Why? What was
the outcome of the war between these two kings (11b-14)? How long did Amaziah
outlive Jeroboam (16-18)?
d)
Fought against Jehoash the King of Israel and
was defeated (8-14)
After defeating Edom, Amaziah found what the mercenaries of Israel
did on his people. It was all too upsetting. This must be a recourse for such a savage act.
In his anger, he said to King Jehoash.
“Come, let us face each other in
battle.” (Come, let us face each other.” NAS)
It’s obvious that Ahaziah wanted to settle the matter of Israeli
mercenaries’ raid and killing of three thousand people with Jehoash. According
to the tone of his word, we can understand that Amaziah wanted to settle the
matter in terms of right and just. But Jehoash mocked him as thistle,
challenging against the Cedar of Lebanon.
This provoked him to anger and he fought against Israel. But he was met
with most humiliating defeat.
13 Jehoash king of Israel captured
Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh.
Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the
Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits long. 14 He
took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the
LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and
returned to Samaria.
He was captured by Jehoash and incurred a heavy loss on his people
and damage to the temple. How can we
understand Amaziah’s defeat? Was he
arrogant against Israel King Jehoash? Possible. But more likely because of his
sin. Amaziah was not right in his relationship with the Lord and might be even
worse than Jehoash because he took the idol of Edom and worshipped it. As long
as this sin is left uncorrected, whatever he did would not stand up before the
Lord. Most likely this was the cause of his loss. He had a better heritage than
Jehoash. But he adopted idol worship which was as bad as Jehoash was. I think
it was God’s rebuke to Amaziah for his sin.
Jehoash’ life was cut short in comparison to Amaziah (16-18)
Om the middle of the story of Amaziah, a short summary of the
reign of Jehoash is recorded (15-16) though reginal summary was done at
13:12–13. If it ends as it is without the life of Jehoash, it would be surely
perceived that Jehoash was right and Amaziah was wrong relatively speaking. But
in God’s perspective, it shall not be. It was important to note that even if
Amaziah was defeated by Jehoash, king of Israel, Amaziah outlived Jehoash for
15 years. As the chart shown in the introduction of 2 Kings, Jehoash became king in
798 BC and two years later in 796 Amaziah became king of Judah. Jehoash rule
lasted to BC 782 while Amaziah’s reign lasted to 767 BC. That is to say that
the king of Judah, Amaziah lasted far longer than Jehoash. Their reigns were
concurrent and yet one lasted far longer than the other. We can think two
things: first Amaziah was punished for his sins
through Jehoash and God allowed him to reign longer, indicating that he was
more righteous than Jehoash in the eyes of the Lod. Second, it is
God’s statement that military power does not
translate into the longevity of life/kingship or dynasty. All
along, the powers of northern Israel were far greater throughout the kingdom
period. All the kings took the throne by power. On the other hand, in the southern
kingdom Judah, as far as military forces were concerned, was the weakling
of the two. And yet all the kings reigned far longer time than the kings of
Israel. This truth was highlighted by comparing these two kings’ regnal years.
Is this principle true even now? In this world, such deduction is
an absurd one. “Only those kingdoms with mighty military power last long” so we
perceive. But in God’s perspective, the kingdoms that
fear the Lord endures for it would not be their strength but the strength of
the Lord that they are kept. If the US has pride in the mighty power of military
strength, while committing sins far worse than other nations, then the US cannot
escape God’s punishing hands. Simply it is
the Lord who sustains the kingdom according to His justice (This the theme is well revealed in the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan2).
3.
[19-22] How did Amaziah end his life?
e)
Lastly, he was assassinated (19-20)
This was added after the regnal summary of King Amaziah (16-18).
This implies that his death by assassination was not of his fault but of those
who perpetrated a murder. It looks if he was assassinated during his coregency
with his son Azariah. If this was true, then this further indicates a problem
within the leadership. Or it is to indicate something serious that plagued the
nation.
19 They conspired against him in
Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and
killed him there. 20 He was brought back by horse and was buried in Jerusalem
with his ancestors, in the City of David.
We do not know who ‘they’ were that conspired against the king.
King Amaziah ran from Jerusalem to Lachish to save his life. But there in
Lachish, Judah’s strongly fortified second city and the seat of royal officials,
was not safe and was killed there. This indicates that there was a strong and organized
force against the king within the leadership of the nation. Why did they do? There
are a few possible causes: his loss to King Jehoash that incurred a heavy loss to
Jerusalem and the temple. His sin by worshipping an idol in the temple and the
killing of the assassin of his father while leaving the assassin’s family
untouched. Lastly, his killing of his
father’s assassins might be one.
If this force originated from the priests, then it might be
considered to be their efforts to purify the nation as was the likely cause
of his father’s death. In other words, in Judah, there was a strong force of
priests that would not stand still with the wrongs of the kings. But would that
justify the murder? More likely all these might have served for the assassin to
reason to kill him.
4.
[23-29] How was the reign of Jeroboam II
appraised (23-24)? What did God help Jeroboam through Jonah (25)? Why (26-27)? Discuss the suffering of the
people of Israel at this time (Amos 5:7-11; 8:4-6). Also, find what v27 means
(ref. Amos 7:12-17; 8:1-8). What was Jeroboam’s achievement (28)?
Jeroboam II King of Israel
23 In the fifteenth year of
Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel
became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in
the eyes of the LORD 25 He was the one who restored the boundaries of
Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, I in accordance with the word of
the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai,
the prophet from Gath Hepher.
He followed his father’s path and did not turn away from any of
the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
‘” Causing Israel to commit” is a heavy indictment. This indictment was
attached to all the regnal summary of the kings of Israel (18x). There is only
one such indictment (2 Kings 21:16 against Manasseh) in Judah. God’s concern was not just the king
and his way of administering the kingdom but its effect on the people. No one in the kingdom could be exempt from
King’s influence since he was the highest authority. That concern was addressed most prominently
during the rule of Jeroboam II.
26 The
LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was
suffering; l there was no one to help them. 27 And
since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under
heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam
son of Jehoash.
Until it reaches the threshold of God’s judgment, he sustained
the life of Israel even by his grace; before he goes for final punishment, he
would say or give an ample warning of the final judgment and its coming. God
delivered this warning through Prophet Amos: we can discern three warnings given
to Israel; first warning against the leaders (6:4-6): detailed description of
injustice on the people (5:7-11), third delivery of God’s decision to destroy
the nation (6:7-8; 8:7-8). Especially, this message of final judgment was
delivered directly to King Jeroboam via his high priest, Amaziah (7:16-17).
Amos 6:4-6 1 Woe to you who are
complacent in Zion, and to you who feel
secure on Mount Samaria, you
notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! ..
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on
choice lambs and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David and
improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the
finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Amos 5:7 There are those who turn
justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground. 8 He who made the
Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who
calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land--
the LORD is his name. 9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold and
brings the fortified city to ruin. 10 There are those who hate the one who
upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. 11 You levy a
straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you
have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted
lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. (Amo 5:7 NIV)
Amos 6:7-8: 7 Therefore
you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will
end. 8 The Sovereign LORD has sworn by himself--the LORD God
Almighty declares: "I abhor the pride of
Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in
it." (Amo 6:1-8 NIV)
Amos 8: 7 The LORD has sworn by himself, the Pride
of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. 8 "Will not
the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will
rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of
Egypt. (Amo 8:1 NIV)
Amos 7:12 Then Amaziah said to Amos,
"Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there
and do your prophesying there. 13 Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because
this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom." …16 Now then,
hear the word of the LORD. You say, "'Do not prophesy against Israel, and
stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.' 17 "Therefore this is
what the LORD says: "'Your wife will
become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the
sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in
a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native
land. '" (Amo 7:12 NIV)
We see a glimpse of the suffering of the people of Israel and the extent of the corruption of the leaders in their complacency (6:1).
5.
For what else did God use Jonah (Ref. the book
of Jonah; Wikipedia “Neoassyrian empire” –period of stagnation (2.3))? Discuss what might be God’s purpose for
Israel through Jonah’s life as a prophet for both Israel and Nineveh.
Assyria, during the time of King Shalmaneser IV (783/82–773/72),
Ashur-dan III (772/71–755/54) and Ashur-nirari V (754/53–746/745)went through the troubled times: Several features are
worth noting about this period of Assyrian history. Firstly, there was a marked decrease in the number of campaigns against
foreign nations. Furthermore, there were domestic
rebellions in Ashur (763–762), Arrapkha (761–760), and Calah (746).
These factors clearly indicate the increasing
impotence of the Assyrian monarchs
towards the middle of the eighth-century bc.
Secondly, during the reign of Ashur-dan III there occurred two events which would have been viewed as particularly
ominous: (1) a famine and (2) a solar eclipse. Famine came to the
land in the year 765 and either recurred in 759, or possibly continued for the entire seven-year period. At
the same time, there occurred a total solar eclipse, now reckoned to have taken
place on 15 June 763. Such happenings would certainly have been viewed with
considerable apprehension and fear. As Wiseman suggests, had Jonah appeared in
Nineveh about this time, his message might well have evoked the kind of
response recorded in chapter three.
Prophet Jonah helped King Jeroboam II of Israel as he expanded his
territory (25). The reason for God’s
help through Jonah was not because Jeroboam was doing good but because 26
The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was
suffering; there was no one to help them. 27 And since the LORD had not said he
would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand
of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
Here Jonah knew three things:
First, Jeroboam was not doing right in the
eyes of the Lord and worthy of God’s punishment.
Second, though King Jeroboam deserved God’s
immediate punishment, God helped Israel/Jeroboam for the sake of his promise
(13:5), and for His people who were under great suffering (v26 no one to
help them)
Third, a time is coming soon when he would
bring judgment on Israel. (27 since the LORD had not said he would blot out
the name of Israel from under heaven)
Here is a clear example of why God would help even the evil and
ungodly king. He wanted to use even ungodly king, Jeroboam, to save His people
from suffering at least until the time of God’s judgment comes.
Jonah was commanded to preach Nineveh, the capital city of
Assyria, while she was going through a very tough time. He expressed His care for
the people of Nineveh:
10 But
the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not
tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And
should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are
more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand
from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4)
God was teaching Jonah that as much God had His care for the
people of Israel , so he had His care for the people of Nineveh.
Also, Jonah saw how God rescinded his decision to judge because
the people of Nineveh repented of their sins. If God rescinded His decision to
destroy the ungodly and savage people because of their repentance, how much
more would He be willing to rescind His decision to punish His people
Israel? That is to say that God was
giving Israel a clear message that if she repents of her sin, then He would not
destroy the nation Israel. This understanding called for immediate repentance
of the nation Israel. nevertheless,
Israel did not repent and suffered destruction by Assyria, the nation that
repented of her sins on hearing the message of God’s judgment. In other words, the work of Jonah’s mission to Nineveh served as the
final message from the Lord for the purpose of saving Israel.
If the prophet Jonah’s work on Nineveh was God’s plead for their repentance in a graceful term,
the message of Amos was the outright charge of their sins and wickedness along
with the delivery of God’s decision to destroy the nation because of their
sins; “the time for God’s judgment is at
hand”
6.
[15:1-7; 2 Chr 26] How did Azariah do as King
of Judah (1-4; 2 Chr 26:6-15)? With what did the Lord afflict him (5; 2 Chr
26:16-21? What does this tell us (Cf. 2 Kings 5:11-15)?
Azariah (Uzziah) became king at sixteen years
old and his reign was notable for three things
a.
reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years, the
longest reign among all kings—an indication that God blessed him much. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
b.
Yet he did
not remove the high places and let Israel offer
sacrifices on these places as his father did not. Overall his reign was as
good as his father Amaziah had done.
c.
He was
caught with leprosy and died in segregation.
But the LORD himself afflicted the king with leprosy and his sickness continues until
the day he died. This was God’s rebuke on his particular sin, the pride. This
is noted well in 2 Chr 26.
2 Chr 26 records well of his reign: His reign
marked by two periods; the first period was the time when
he listened to the instruction of Zechariah, the priest, and feared
the Lord. During this time the Lord blessed him and he could achieve many
things: a) he went war against the Philistines, the Arabs, and Ammonites and
conquered them all and recovered the territory of most of the land lost after
King Solomon. He became very powerful
in the region (2 Chr 26:6-7). b) in
prosperity he built towers in Jerusalem to fortify and in the wilderness to protect
much livestock (9-10). c) He built well trained his private army and
as well as the army for the nation. Also, he made devices to be used as armors
and tools for the soldiers (11-15). In this period, he led a very prolific
life. The second period: as he became so powerful, he became arrogant and made attempt to burn incense to the Lord. The
Lord struck him with leprosy and was segregated in a separate house until he
died (16-21).
Though he was good and God was with him and
led him to successes in all that he did, yet as he became so powerful, he thought
that he could override the law of God and made an attempt to burn incense
against the advice of the priests. God saw this to arrogance and punished
him with leprosy. It leads us to compare this with two examples of God’s
punishments.
1)
Its comparison with
Naaman, Syrian general (1 Kings 5:10-11)
Naaman was a successful general of Syria and
sought help from the man of God Israel. But when he was told to wash in
the Jordan river, he became furious and left. Only after the persuasion of his
attendant, he curbed his pride and obeyed the word of the Prophet Elijah.
King Azariah was also a very successful man
as was Naaman. In his success which was afforded by God’s grace, he was about
to take over the role of a priest. He failed to acknowledge God’s grace. For
God gave him all the successes despite his failure to remove the high
places. Now he wanted to stand before the Lord as if he were a priest. But at
this time, the Lord made his true condition revealed, ‘a man covered with
leprosy’, uncleanness of sin. It is significant to note that he died in
leprosy. His name became well known throughout the region as a powerful king.
But when he failed to know his true being a sinner, life sustained by God’s
grace, he became arrogant and died in leprosy, signifying that he did not
repent of his sin. Naaman could be a good
teacher for him. When one’s sin is not fully accounted for and yet he is
blessed by the Lord’s grace, invariably such success leads one to arrogance.
2)
Its comparison with Asa
(1 Kings 15:23)
King Asa was as good as King David (1 Kings
15:11) for his heart was fully committed to the Lord throughout his life.
Nevertheless, he did not remove the high places (15:14). In his old age, his
feet became diseased. Why did the author mention this little thing that could
be considered so trivial? The purpose might be the same reason as in the case
of Azariah. Their reign was good but not up to par with God’s expectation; the
one failure –no doing anything about the high places.
Azariah was as good as his father, Amaziah,
who did not remove the high places. So
was Asa. Consistently it says that the high places caused God’s people to
commit sin. The LORD demands undivided commitments from all of His people. That
commitment must be expressed exactly as He prescribed in the Law. Worship in
High places compromises the very essence of their worship; “He is the one and
only, and the creator of Heaven and earth” must be honored by the spirit of
‘life-offering sacrifice” All other styles and forms of worship are devoid of
this spirit; only in Christ is that spirit upheld high above all.
No comments:
Post a Comment