Thursday
Evening Bible Study
March
7, 2013
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?
After the death
of King Solomon, the
kingdom of Israel split into two nations.
The northern
kingdom would be known as “Israel”.
The southern
kingdom was known as “Judah”.
14:1-22 Amaziah
:1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah
the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king.
:1 Amaziah the son
of Joash
Remember that there have been two kings named “Joash”, one in the north, one in the south.
You can keep them separate by paying attention to their location (Israel or
Judah) and who their fathers were.
Our current king is the son of the boy king who had been rescued as a
baby from wicked queen Athaliah, raised by his uncle Jehoiada the high priest,
and then became king at age 7. As long as Jehoiada was alive, Joash followed
the Lord. But when Jehoiada died, Joash fell away from the Lord, brought
idolatry into Judah, and even killed Jehoiada’s son Zechariah (2Chr.24).
Joash’s life ended when two of his own servants conspired against him and
assassinated him (2Ki.13:20-21). Amaziah was then made king in the place of his
father.
:2 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.
:3 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.
:3 he did what
was right
Amaziah is considered one of the “good kings”. He is a believer. He is a
follower of Yahweh. The writer of Chronicles says:
(2 Ch 25:2 NKJV) And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.
:4 However the high
places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense
on the high places.
:5 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.
Amaziah waited until he was firmly in control, then he brought justice to
the men who assassinated his father.
:6 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.”
:6 the children …
he did not execute
He could have reasoned that these children would one day rise up and kill
him, but instead he chose to follow the Law:
(Dt 24:16 NKJV) “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.
:7 He killed ten
thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its
name Joktheel to this day.
:7 the Valley of Salt
Play Salt and
Petra map clip
The Valley of Salt is the marshy plain at the south end of the Dead Sea.
The city known as “Sela”, or “Petra” is famous to us because of the Indiana
Jones movie (The Last Crusade).
Play Petra 360
clip
:7 Joktheel – “the blessedness of God”
The place was also called “Sela”.
We know it from the Indiana Jones’ movies.
:7 He killed ten
thousand Edomites
2Chronicles 25:5-16
tells the story of Amaziah’s battle.
Before he set out to battle, he tried hiring an extra 100,000 troops from
the northern kingdom of Israel.
But a prophet warned him not to allow the men of the northern kingdom to
help, so he sent them all back home.
These northern mercenary troops weren’t too excited about not getting to
fight.
He did indeed go on to win a great victory, but it’s what happened
afterwards that interests me.
Lesson
Dangers of Victory
(2 Ch 25:14–16 NKJV) —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. 15 Therefore the anger
of the Lord was aroused against
Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the
gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?” 16 So it was, as he
talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s
counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?” Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that
God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not
heeded my advice.”
Perhaps it started simply by thinking that he was going to take home some
prizes for his victory. But the more he toyed around with these Edomite gods,
the more intrigued he became with them. And then he found that he kind of liked
these Edomite gods. And Amaziah went into idolatry.
Remember that he didn’t have a “loyal heart” (2Chr. 25:2)? This is it.
I think that one of the times that we are most vulnerable is after our
greatest victories. We let our guard
down.
Amaziah has just won an incredible battle, and now he does something stupid
like start to worship the gods of the very people he’s just conquered.
:8 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.”
When Amaziah had sent the mercenary northern troops home, they were upset
and did some damage on their way home. They took their anger out on the nation
of Judah, killing 3,000 people and looting some of the cities of Judah.
It would seem that Amaziah is looking for some kind of payback for the
damage the northern troops did.
Note: Though Jehoash’s father and grandfather
(Jehoahaz and Jehu) had been suffering defeats by the Syrian king Hazael,
Jehoash was starting back on the victory trail. Jehoash during his reign beat
Benhadad (Hazael’s son) three times, and so must have been a pretty tough
cookie.
:9 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.
:9 The thistle that
was in Lebanon …
Jehoash sends a
reply back to Amaziah in the form of a parable.
A little, prickly thorn bush
decides it’s going to make the big time and arrange a treaty by marriage with
the huge, majestic cedar tree. But before anything else happens, a wild animal
comes by and tramples the little thorn bush.
The point?
Amaziah is no
bigger than a little thorn bush compared to large, majestic Jehoash.
If Amaziah
doesn’t watch out, he might get trampled to death. Anybody could beat Amaziah blindfolded, with
their hands tied behind their back.
Get away from me kid, you’re
bothering me!
: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?”
:10 why should you
meddle
Webster: med•dle:
to interest oneself in what is not one’s concern : interfere without
right or propriety
Lesson
Where’s your nose?
Sometimes we stick our nose in places it doesn’t belong.
Amaziah has meddled in two ways:
He’s gotten
involved with ungodly things, the Edomite gods.
He’s gotten
involved in a battle with Israel he shouldn’t have.
There are
places that we as believers don’t belong:
We too get involved in ungodly things
Perhaps it’s allowing your heart to be drawn away as you
are becoming to feel attached to someone you shouldn’t be attached to.
Perhaps it’s getting too involved in worldly stuff that
takes you away from the Lord.
(Pr 6:27 NKJV) Can a man
take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
Sometimes we
get involved in battles that aren’t ours.
We can jump into problems between people, thinking we’re
going to try and fix the situation, but in reality we only make things worse.
For a long time I’ve seen myself as a “peacemaker”. But a
problem I have is that I don’t always do things the right way.
Sometimes I listen to what one side says and without
realizing it I make a decision as to who is the “good guy” and who is the “bad
guy”. Then I’ll listen to the other
side, and truly get confused.
(Pr 18:17 NKJV) The first one
to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines
him.
To be a true peacemaker, you have to be careful about
taking sides.
You need to hear both sides. It’s best when you can hear both sides
together.
Sometimes we just need to keep our “nose” out of it.
(Pr 26:17 NKJV) He who
passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who
takes a dog by the ears.
:10 stay at home
Lesson
Listening to advice
Sometimes truth comes from the most unusual, unexpected places.
Balaam was rebuked by a donkey.
Amaziah is being rebuked by his enemy.
(Pr 29:1 NKJV) He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Illustration
This elderly couple was having trouble with forgetfulness, so they went
to their doctor. He said, “Why don’t you try writing down everything so you’ll
remember.” So one evening, Grandma asked Grandpa if he’d like some ice cream.
“Sure, that’s sounds good, but you’d better write it down.” “No,” Grandma said.
“I can remember that. Would you like chocolate syrup on top?” “Yes, but you’d
better write it down.” “I can remember that. How about some nuts on top, too?”
“OK, but I think you’d really better write it all down.” “No, I can remember.”
So she went into the kitchen and she was in there a long time. Finally, Grandpa
went in and asked her what was taking so long. “I made you bacon and eggs,”
Grandma said. “I told you to write it down!” Grandpa said. “I wanted toast,
too!”
Perhaps if God has been speaking to you tonight, you had better write
it down as well!
God doesn’t just want you to hear what He says, He wants you to do it.
(Jas 1:19–25 NLT) —19 Understand this, my dear brothers and
sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
20 Human anger does not
produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the
filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in
your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word.
You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t
obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget
what you look like. 25 But if you look
carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says
and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
:11 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.
:12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.
:13 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.
:14 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.
:13 Beth Shemesh
Play Beth
Shemesh map clip.
Beth Shemesh is about 15 miles west of Jerusalem. After winning the battle at Beth Shemesh,
Jehoash marches up to Jerusalem where he tears down a section of the wall. He takes a boatload of treasures with him
back to Samaria, 36 miles to the north.
:13 broke down the
wall
This was a practice of the victor, as a way of keeping the city
defenseless.
The wall was a protection
around the city from attack, but now there’s this 600 foot gap in the
protection, making them easier to attack the next time.
When Nehemiah came to rebuild Jerusalem, the first thing he did was rebuild
the wall, to again provide protection for the city.
:12 Judah was
defeated
Lesson
Dangerous Pride
Amaziah wouldn’t pay attention to the advice he was given. He was indeed a proud man.
(Pr 16:18 NKJV) Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a
fall.
There is safety in humility.
Cultivate humility.
Jesus was so
different than us. This took place on
the night He was going to be arrested:
(Lk 22:24–27 NKJV) —24
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should
be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to
them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who
exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the
contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who
governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater,
he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the
table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
We are so caught up in things that just aren’t that
important. Our pride takes us down
dangerous paths.
Amaziah lost so much because of his own pride.
:15 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?
:16 So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the
kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
King Jehoash of the north dies, and his son Jeroboam becomes king.
:17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the
death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
Amaziah was defeated by Joash of the north, but he lives fifteen years longer
than him (he may have simply been much younger)
:18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the
book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
:19 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.
:19 they formed a
conspiracy against him
Amaziah’s dad, Joash, was also victim of a conspiracy.
When Joash walked away from the Lord, two of his servants made a conspiracy
(2Kings.12:20-21) against him and killed him, allowing Amaziah to come to the
throne.
Amaziah has now gone in the footsteps of his father, and began to go into
idolatry.
After he conquered the Edomites, he brought their “gods” back with him, and
began to worship these idols!
(2 Ch 25:27 NKJV) After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against
him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish
and killed him there.
This conspiracy to kill Amaziah was linked to his idolatry.
Note:
It’s interesting that with Amaziah
we’re never told who the conspirators were as we were with his father Joash.
Josephus records that he was killed
by his friends.
:19 fled to Lachish
Play Lachish
map clip
Lachish was one of the larger fortified cities of Judah, 27 miles southwest
of Jerusalem.
:20 Then they brought
him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of
David.
Josephus records (pg.207) that he was given a royal funeral.
Odd, isn’t it? These people kill him, then turn around and give him a
king’s burial!
:21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years
old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
:21 Azariah
Azariah is also known by another
name, Uzziah (Is.6). We’ll look at Azariah’s reign more in detail in chapter
15.
:22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his
fathers.
:22 He built Elath
Play Elath map
clip
A port city in Edom, it is one hundred miles south of the Dead Sea.
Elath had been under Israelite control until the time of Jehoram. Amaziah was the one who reconquered it,
Azariah rebuilds it, and Ahaz will lose it.
At the present it is a resort town for Israel.
14:23-29 Jeroboam
II
:23 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.
:23 Jeroboam the
son of Joash
Just in case the names of the kings haven’t been confusing already, now we
have a king named after the first king of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam.
This Jeroboam will have the longest reign of any king in the north, 41
years. He reigns from 793 - 753 b.c.
: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.
He still used the golden calves set
up by the first Jeroboam.
:25 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.
:25 He restored the
territory of Israel
Under this
Jeroboam, the northern kingdom will expand to its greatest point since the time
of Solomon.
Play Hamath map
clip.
Hamath is about 200 miles north of Samaria.
The Sea of the Arabah is the Dead Sea.
:25 His servant
Jonah the son of Amittai
This is the
same guy who tried to run to Tarshish and ended up in the belly of a great
fish. (Jonah 1:1)
This is the same guy that got swallowed by a big fish.
(Jon 1:1 NKJV) Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,
saying,
He’s the first
prophet mentioned, whose written works we still have.
We do not have any written works by any of the other prophets between
Joshua and Jonah (like Elijah and Elisha).
It appears that he had an important prophetic career, possibly even giving
guidance to Jeroboam II.
He at least gave a prophecy concerning the enlargement of Israel, a
prophecy we don’t have recorded.
I wonder which came first, the incident recorded in the book of Jonah, or
the successful career as a prophet?
:25 from Gath Hepher
Play Gath
Hepher map
It’s about 15 miles to the west of the Sea of Galilee, and 3 miles north of
Nazareth in that northern region known as the “Galilee”.
Lesson
Learn your Bible
When the Jews were beginning to figure out what to do with Jesus, they
said:
(Jn 7:52 NKJV) They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search
and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
They were wrong.
Here the first writing prophet mentioned in the Bible is from Galilee.
There were other prophets also at this time who wrote books of the
Bible. The prophets Amos and Hosea were
at this same time.
:26 For the Lord saw that the
affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there
was no helper for Israel.
:26 the Lord saw
It’s kind of interesting as we’ve gone along to see that when Israel was
under affliction, it was as a kind of judgment on their sins, for being so
disobedient to Him.
But even in the kind of affliction that God allows on our lives which might
be a result of our own sin, God sees it.
And He cares
about it. He has a way out of it for us.
:27 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.
:27 He saved them by the hand of
Jeroboam
Could this be the answer to grandpa
Jehoahaz’ prayer?
(2 Ki 13:4–5 NKJV) —4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord
listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria
oppressed them. 5 Then the
Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so
that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of
Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
:28 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?
Damascus is 68 miles northeast of
Galilee and the capital of Syria. It had
been captured and was a tributary under King David. Somewhere along the line the
Syrians took it back. Now Jeroboam takes Damascus again.
:29 So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then
Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
15:1-7 Azariah
:1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son
of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king.
:1 Azariah
He is also known as Uzziah.
Azariah = “Yahweh has helped”
Uzziah = “my strength is Yahweh”
:2 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.
:2 sixteen years
old … fifty-two years
And you thought it was scary when a
seven year old became king! Now it’s a
teenager.
Uzziah’s reign is almost a record. Manasseh (still coming),
who will be the wickedest king of the south will reign the longest at 55 years.
It doesn’t
always figure that good guys last long, while bad guys get cut short.
:3 And he did what
was right in the sight of the Lord,
according to all that his father Amaziah had done,
:4 except that the high places were not removed; the people still
sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
:5 Then the Lord struck the
king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an
isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal
house, judging the people of the land.
:5 he was a leper
Because he was a leper, he had to live apart from the rest of his family,
according to the Law.
(Nu 5:2 NKJV) “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every
leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
:5 Jotham … judging
In other words, there was a “co-regency”, where father and son ruled together, because of the
father’s condition.
Because he was a leper, Uzziah would not have been able to have contact
with other people.
And so he wouldn’t be able to efficiently run a nation, unless he had
someone to do it for him, as his son.
Scholars figure
there must have been about 11 years where this co-regency went on.
Uzziah was struck with leprosy when
he was 57 years old.
:6 Now the rest
of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the
book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
:6 the rest of the
acts of Azariah
Azariah/Uzziah was a great
king. He conquered many cities, enlarged
the kingdom of Judah, and made it stronger.
He was a man of science and dabbled in things like agriculture to make
the nation stronger and more prosperous.
(2 Ch 26:15–16 NKJV) —15
And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be
on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame
spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong. 16 But when he was
strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed
against the Lord his God by
entering the temple of the Lord
to burn incense on the altar of incense.
He went too far,
trying to do something a king was not supposed to do – like offering incense. Only a priest, a descendent from Aaron was
allowed to go into the Holy Place
in the Temple. When the priests showed up and told him to
leave, he got mad at the priests. And
when he got mad, leprosy broke out on his forehead and the priests rushed him out
of the Temple. He lived as a leper until he died.
Lesson
Cultivating humility
It’s not even that we can’t grow stronger in the Lord.
But it’s all relative.
The more we start thinking in our hearts that we’ve “arrived”, and that we
don’t need the Lord anymore, the more dangerous it becomes.
Illustration:
A
stinging letter from the pen of John Wesley dating back to September 20, 1978, has
survived until now. It is a letter addressed to Francis Asbury, a dear acquaintance of Wesley’s.
Here is a rather pointed portion of this strong letter:
But in one point, my dear Brother, I am a little afraid
the Doctor (Coke) and you differ from me. I study to be little, you study to be
great; I creep, you strut along; I found a school, you a college -- nay, and call it after your own names! Oh
beware! Do not seek to be something! Let me be nothing, and Christ be all in
all. One instance of this, your greatness, has given me great concern. How can
you—how dare you suffer yourself to be called a Bishop! I shudder—I start at
the very thought. Men may call me a knave, or a fool, a rascal, a scoundrel,
and I am content, but they shall never, by my consent, call me a Bishop! For my
sake—for Christ’s sake, put a full end to this! ... Thus, my dear Frankie, I
have told you all that is in my heart....”
I am convinced
that humility is something we must learn to cultivate for our entire lives. If we don’t work to cultivate it, God may
from time to time choose to help us out a little. This was Paul’s experience:
(2 Co 12:7–10 NKJV) —7 And lest I
should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in
the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted
above measure. 8 Concerning this
thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to
me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.
We get kind of discouraged when we feel weak and helpless, but at those
times, we can actually be the safest in the Lord.
:7 So Azariah
rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of
David. Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.
:7 Azariah rested
with his fathers
This is a very interesting time in history, something else happened that
year as well.
(Is 6:1 NKJV) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a
throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
This would have taken place very early in the life and ministry of Isaiah.
He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,
being put to death by Manasseh.
Note:
Isaiah dates this vision to the year that Uzziah “died”.
This is kind of unusual, since the common way of dating things was in
the “so-and-so year of a certain king’s reign”.
Not the year they died.
In other words, this isn’t just dating the vision, but it shows us that
this event of Uzziah’s death was a very important factor in understanding this
vision.
At the end of Uzziah’s life, several things would have been on the
minds of the people. One of them would
be the great uncertainty they faced.
Lesson
God reigns in uncertain times
Here was a man who had done great things for the nation, greatly
strengthening it and building it up.
He would be greatly missed.
He had brought great stability to the people, and now that he was gone,
what would happen?
The answer is that God is still on His throne!
God still reigns!
Even when our earthly stability falls apart, God is in control!
(Ps 46:1–2 NKJV) —1 God is
our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore
we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be
carried into the midst of the sea;
15:8-12 Zechariah
:8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of
Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.
:9 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord,
as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
:10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and
killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.
:10 killed him in front of the
people
Either because he felt the people
would support this, or because he wanted to impress the people and show them
who was in charge.
:11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, indeed they are written
in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
:12 This was the word of the Lord
which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to
the fourth generation.” And so it was.
:12 the word … to
Jehu
Jehu was the guy who had overthrown the house of Ahab, and had destroyed
Baal worship from the northern kingdom of Israel.
He had done these because God had instructed him to do them.
As a reward for what he had done, God promised that his sons to the fourth
generation would rule Israel
(2Kings 10:30).
The descendants that reigned were:
Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam, and Zachariah.
Together, they have ruled for 86 years
Jehu ruled for 28 years (2Ki.10:36)
Jehoahaz ruled for 17 years (2Ki.13:1)
Jeroboam II ruled for 41 years (2Ki.14:23)
Zechariah only rules six months.
Lesson
What God promises, happens
You can count on it.
(Ps 33:11 NKJV) The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His
heart to all generations.
(Is 46:9–10 NKJV) —9 Remember
the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I
am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And
from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My
counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
Jesus said,
(Jn 14:3 NKJV) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
It will happen.
15:13-16 Shallum
:13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of
Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.
He didn’t break any records for the longest lasting king. One stinkin’ month.
:14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and
struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and he reigned in
his place.
There have now been four kings
within eight months (Jeroboam II, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem.
:15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the conspiracy which he led,
indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Israel.
:16 Then from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were there,
and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attacked it.
All the women there who were with child he ripped open.
:14 up from Tirzah
Play Tirzah map
Tirzah used to be the capitol of the northern kingdom before Samaria. It was Ahab’s
dad, Omri, who moved the capitol to Samaria.
Tirzah is 8.5 miles east of Samaria.
From Tirzah, he will attack Tiphsah, about ten miles south of Samaria.
:16 he ripped open
Pretty brutal stuff. Apparently
these people didn’t want to recognize him as king and this is how he responded.
15:17-22 Menahem
:17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of
Gadi became king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.
:18 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord;
he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who
had made Israel sin.
:19 Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a
thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the
kingdom under his control.
:19 Pul king of
Assyria
This is the Assyrian king known also as Tiglath-Pileser III (745-742 b.c.)
He was one of Assyria’s strongest rulers.
Assyria was located roughly in the area of
modern day Iraq.
It’s capitol city was Nineveh,
who Jonah went to preach to.
This invasion took place in 743 b.c.
Storm clouds are forming. The
Assyrians are gaining strength. Trouble
is ahead.
:19 a thousand
talents of silver
Menahem was able to buy off Pul 37 tons of silver!
:20 And Menahem
exacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty
shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria
turned back, and did not stay there in the land.
Menahem paid the bill to Assyria by taxing
the wealthy men in Israel.
:21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
:22 So Menahem rested with his fathers. Then Pekahiah his son reigned in
his place.
:20 the king of
Assyria turned back
It all looks good doesn’t it? Like
it all turned out okay?
Hosea was the
prophet in these days, he prophesied during the days of Jeroboam II and Menahem
(Hos. 1:1).
(Ho 1:1 NKJV) The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of
Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of
Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Though Menahem isn’t mentioned, he
comes at the 39th year of Uzziah, before Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,
and so has to be included in this time period.
Here are some interesting scriptures from this time:
The calves of Jeroboam weren’t going to help.
(Ho 8:5 NKJV) Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them—
How long until they attain to innocence?
Making an agreement with Assyria was as good as eating wind.
(Ho 12:1 NKJV) “Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily
increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians,
And oil is carried to Egypt.
Ephraim is another name for the northern kingdom.
Samaria would get what it gave out.
(Ho 13:16 NKJV) Samaria is held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They
shall fall by the sword, Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their
women with child ripped open.
It happened just as Hosea said it would.
Lesson
Don’t mess with God!
(Ga 6:7–8 NKJV) —7 Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who
sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the
Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
It may be that those who live godless lives look like they’re making out
okay, but it’s only extremely temporary.
It’s not a waste of time to live a godly life!!!
15:23-26 Pekahiah
(Menahem’s son reigns for two years before he is overthrown by “Pekah” in a
coup)
:23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of
Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.
Pekahiah = “Jehovah sees”
What an interesting name to give your son, when you are so far from the
Lord!
:24 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
:25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired
against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house,
along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed
him and reigned in his place.
:26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, indeed
they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
Pekahiah is killed by one of his officers, Pekah. Another end of a dynasty.
15:27-31 Pekah
During his twenty year reign, the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser come back
to seize territory.
:27 In the fifty-second year of
Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in
Samaria, and reigned twenty years.
:28 And he did evil in the sight of
the Lord; he did not depart from
the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
:29 In the days of Pekah king of
Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah,
Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he
carried them captive to Assyria.
:29 Tiglath-Pileser … took Ijon
Play Assyrian
campaign map clip.
All the cities are in the north.
Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali are all regions in the north.
This is Tiglath-pileser III, also known as “Pul” in verse 19.
Apparently Pekah had a different
foreign policy than Menahem, and rather than buying off the Assyrians, he
formed an alliance with the Syrian king, Rezin, to fight against the Assyrians.
They lost quite a bit.
Tiglath-pileser would actually make several campaigns against Israel,
Syria, and Judah.
This is the beginning of the end for the northern kingdom.
:30 Then Hoshea
the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck
and killed him; so he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the
son of Uzziah.
:30 Hoshea
Hoshea will be the last king
to rule Israel
before the Assyrians come and take them all away. He will be the one to fall to
the Assyrians when we get to chapter 17.
:31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, indeed they
are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
15:32-38 Jotham
:32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham
the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
As we’ve seen before, he ruled with his dad for quite a while, because his
dad had leprosy. Apparently, this is the beginning of his solo reign.
:33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned
sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter
of Zadok.
:33 Jerusha the daughter of
Zadok
I did a quick peek at “mother’s
name” in 1-2 Kings, and it seems as if the mothers’ names weren’t always given,
and even when they were, the grandfather isn’t always given.
It seems as if the writer only
gives the mother’s name when it’s important, and the grandfather’s name is only
given when it’s important to who the mother was.
Zadok = “righteous”
It’s interesting to note that
“Zadok” is a name often linked with someone of the priesthood. I wonder if
Jotham’s maternal grandfather was a priest? One commentator (Lightfoot) says he
was a high priest.
Some suggest that his mother was the daughter of the high priest, perhaps a
godly mom?
:34 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he did according to all that his
father Uzziah had done.
:34 he did what
was right
At last! Hooray! A good king!
:34 according to
all that his father Uzziah had done
The writer of Chronicles adds something to this comment:
(2 Ch 27:2 NKJV) And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father
Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the Lord)…
His father, Uzziah, had gotten on such a pride trip that he actually
decided he should be able to act as a priest as well as a king, and entered
into the temple to burn incense, a job only priests were allowed to do.
Jotham followed his dad as far as following the Lord, but when it got to
his dad’s pride trip, he didn’t follow him!
:35 However the
high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on
the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord.
:35 the Upper Gate
The “higher gate” was on the north side of the temple (Ryrie)
:36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
:36 the rest of the
acts of Jotham
We don’t have a whole lot of info
on Jotham.
He’s kind of overshadowed at one
end by his father, Uzziah, and on the other by his son, Ahaz.
We are told a little more in 2Chronicles
(2 Ch 27:6 NKJV) So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.
prepared - kuwn
- to fix, make ready, order
ways - derek - way, road, journey, manner
These two words are also found in
(Pr 4:26 NKJV) Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be
established.
Solomon is telling his son to smooth out the path in front of him, so it’s
easier to walk.
Lesson
Strength from a clear path
Jotham’s strength came because he cleared out the way before him.
It’s like cleaning off your desk at work.
When my desk gets all cluttered up, it seems I can’t get a thing done.
But when I go through all the various piles and throw out the trash, I seem
to work much better.
Or like weeding the garden.
When the weeds creep up in the garden, they start choking off the
vegetables, and the garden doesn’t produce very much.
So you have to weed and prune.
:37 In those days
the Lord began to send Rezin king
of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.
:38 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in
the City of David his father. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
:37 Rezin … Pekah …
Isaiah will have a lot to say about these fellows.