2 KINGS LESSON 14
We will begin this lesson in II Kings 14:1 "In the second year of
Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash
king of Judah."
In chapter 12 verse 21, we read of Amaziah reigning in Judah in
the place of his father Joash, who had died. The Joash of Israel and
the Joash of Judah reigned at the same time for a short period of
time. "Amaziah" means strength of Jehovah.
II Kings 14:2 "He was twenty and five years old when he began to
reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his
mother's name [was] Jehoaddan of Jerusalem."
He reigned from the time he was 25, until he was 54 years old.
His mother's name Jehoaddan was, also, thought to be Joadim, or
Jodade. "Jehoaddan" means Jehovah delights. She was the queen with
Joash as king.
II Kings 14:3 "And he did [that which was] right in the sight of
the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all
things as Joash his father did."
He was descended from David, but Joash was his father. He was
attempting to do that which was right in the sight of the LORD. Asa
was the only descendent of David, up until this time, who had lived as
good as David in the sight of the LORD. Amaziah was a good king, but
he did not quite measure up to David. He was zealous for the LORD in
the beginning, but he faltered in the latter part of his reign.
II Kings 14:4 "Howbeit the high places were not taken away: as
yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places."
God wanted them to worship and burn incense in the temple in
Jerusalem. Anything other than what He had established, would be sin.
II Kings 14:5 "And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was
confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the
king his father."
We remember, that Joash had been killed by some of his own men.
Their treachery led to their own death here, when Amaziah killed them.
II Kings 14:6 "But the children of the murderers he slew not:
according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses,
wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to
death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the
fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
The people of this land had been guilty of killing the children
of the offenders, along with their fathers who were the offenders.
Amaziah did not do that. He followed the LORD's teaching, which said
each man should die for his own sin. The children should not be
required to die for the sins of their fathers. At least, in this
action, Amaziah had shown great restraint.
II Kings 14:7 "He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten
thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel
unto this day."
Amaziah battled with Edom at the Dead Sea, or the Salt Sea, and
it appears, he killed ten thousand of them. The valley of salt is
right there by the Salt Sea. Selah, here, is believed to be the same
as Petra. "Joktheel" means subdued of God.
II Kings 14:8 "Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son
of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one
another in the face."
Amaziah of Judah sent word to Joash of Israel, that he would like
to see him and talk to him face to face.
II Kings 14:9 "And Jehoash the 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 thy daughter to my son to
wife: and there passed by a wild beast that [was] in Lebanon, and
trode down the thistle."
A thistle is nothing compared to a cedar. This seems to be
speaking of someone held in low esteem, asking for the hand of the
daughter of someone held in high esteem. When two people marry, it is
as if they are on equal standing. The thistle is saying, he is equal
with the cedar. It appears, the answer is to insult Amaziah. There is
even a threat involved, with the wild beast mentioned.
II Kings 14:10 "Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart
hath lifted thee up: glory [of this], and tarry at home: for why
shouldest thou meddle to [thy] hurt, that thou shouldest fall, [even]
thou, and Judah with thee?"
He thinks that Amaziah is overly proud of destroying Edom. He is,
also, warning Amaziah that he might attack him and Judah. He thinks
that his 3 victories of Syria make him equal, or better, than Judah.
II Kings 14:11 "But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash
king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one
another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which [belongeth] to Judah."
Beth-shemesh was in Judah's land. It appears the two armies met at
this point.
II Kings 14:12 "And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and
they fled every man to their tents."
In this initial battle, Israel won. Judah fled from the front and
went home.
II Kings 14:13 "And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of
Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and
came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate
of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits."
Whether the troops of Amaziah ran, and left him to be captured by
Jehoash, or not, we do not know. We do know, that Amaziah was
captured. He took the king with him to Jerusalem, and tore down 600
feet of the wall of the city. We are not told whether Amaziah's men
did not fight back, because they did not want to get their leader
killed, or whether they just ran in fear.
II Kings 14:14 "And he took all the gold and silver, and all the
vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures
of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria."
There could not have been very much silver and gold, because
about 15 years earlier the silver and gold had all been given to
Hazael to stop warring with them. Whatever had been accumulated in the
meantime, was taken. They, also, took hostages. The first mention of
taking hostages had to do with the Persians taking Lot hostage. This
was not a custom of the Hebrews.
II Kings 14:15 "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he
did, and 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?" II Kings 14:16 "And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son
reigned in his stead."
This is that same record book, that had been kept of the exploits
of all the kings of Israel. That book is not part of the Bible,
however. Jehoash or, Joash, wound up being an evil king. He named his
son after the evil Jeroboam, who brought in the golden calf to be
worshipped.
II Kings 14:17 "And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived
after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen
years."
We see, from this, that Amaziah was not killed in the battle with
Joash of Israel. Joash stole the valuables, but undoubtedly let
Amaziah go.
II Kings 14:18 "And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, [are] they
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?"
As Israel had a record book of their kings, so did Judah. His
exploits were kept in the book of Judah's records.
II Kings 14:19 "Now they made a conspiracy against him in
Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish,
and slew him there."
This is speaking of Amaziah. He was killed by his own people, to
get a new leader in his place.
II Kings 14:20 "And they brought him on horses: and he was buried
at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David."
They did respect him enough to bring his body back to Jerusalem
for burial.
II Kings 14:21 "And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which
[was] sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father
Amaziah."
Azariah is spoken of in other places as Uzziah. "Azariah" means
whom God hath helped. "Uzziah" means might of Jehovah. This is
undoubtedly not the conspirators, who set up Azariah as king of Judah.
This seems to be a people movement. The people feared the conspirators
might try to put someone on the throne, who was not descended from
king David.
II Kings 14:22 "He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after
that the king slept with his fathers."
It seemed as though he was an efficient king, even though he
started so young. Elath had been the headquarters for the fleet of
Solomon. It was located on the northeast end of the Gulf of Aqabah.
It was a place, that swapped back and forth between Judah and Edom.
Perhaps, they had gotten it back in the last war with Edom.
II Kings 14:23 "In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of
Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to
reign in Samaria, [and reigned] forty and one years."
It appears, that now Jeroboam the second is ruling Israel. He was
an evil idolatrous king. He was very powerful, though.
II Kings 14:24 "And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of
the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who made Israel to sin."
Here, again, we see that the worship of the golden calf was
continuing.
II Kings 14:25 "He restored the coast of Israel from the entering
of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD
God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the
son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gath-hepher."
This king will lead Israel as a nation to greatness again, except
that he did not lead them in their spiritual renewal. They still
sinned against God, but on the other hand, we find him listening to
the prophet Jonah. The entering in of Hamoth was thought to be the
northern border of the holy land. The sea of the plain is, possibly,
speaking of the Dead Sea. It appears, Jonah was a prophet at the time
of Amos and Hosea. Gath-hepher is not far from Mount Tabor.
II Kings 14:26 "For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, [that
it was] very bitter: for [there was] not any shut up, nor any left,
nor any helper for Israel."
The Israelites had suffered greatly at the hands of the Syrians.
It is not because Jeroboam the second is a good man, but because of
God's mercy on Israel, that they are blessed through Jeroboam the
second.
II Kings 14:27 "And the LORD said not 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."
They do not deserve God's compassion, and neither does Jeroboam
the second. God loves them, even while they are involved in their
sins. He loved all of us, when we were yet in sin, too. He will not
blot their name out, even though they are still worshipping the golden
calf.
II Kings 14:28 "Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all
that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered
Damascus, and Hamath, [which belonged] to Judah, for Israel, are they
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?"
He was a warrior, who actually recovered much of the land Syria
had taken away. He would have much written in the record books, of how
he regained much of the land for Israel.
II Kings 14:29 "And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, [even] with
the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead."
Jeroboam the second did much for the land of Israel. He was an
evil idolatrous king, however. In Zachariah, we see the fulfillment of
the promise that the LORD made to Jehu. His descendents for 4
generations would sit on the throne of Israel. Zachariah would be
another evil king. "Zachariah" means whom Jehovah remembers.
2 Kings 14 Questions
1. What does "Amaziah" mean?
2. How old was Amaziah, when he began to reign?
3. How old was he, when his reign ended?
4. Who was his mother?
5. What does "Jehoaddan" mean?
6. He did that which was ___________ in the sight of God.
7. He was not like David, but like his ___________.
8. What was one thing that remained, that displeased God?
9. Who did he kill, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his
hands?
10. Why did he not kill their children?
11. How many of Edom did he kill in the valley of salt?
12. Where is the valley of salt?
13. What message did Amaziah send to Jehoash?
14. What is verse 9 really speaking about?
15. What does Jehoash really think about Amaziah?
16. Where did they meet face to face?
17. What was the outcome?
18. What happened to Amaziah?
19. What did the king of Israel do in Jerusalem?
20. What places did he plunder?
21. Who took Jehoash's place in Israel?
22. Who is verse 19 speaking of?
23. Where was he killed?
24. How did they bring him back for burial.
25. Who did the people anoint king of Judah?
26. How old was he, when he was crowned king?
27. What was another name he was called?
28. Elath was famous for what?
29. How long did the second Jeroboam reign in Israel?
30. What kind of king was he?
31. Who was the prophet he listened to?
32. Why were the Israelites blessed of God?
33. What does "Zachariah" mean?
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