2 Kings 14

Amaziah is the son of Joash who was the one who became king as a child and was rescued from death from his grandmother at the hands of his aunt Jehosheba and raised by her and her husband Jehoida the high priest. Joash seemed like he was a man of God until his uncle died then he ran after false idols and worshipped them just as his grandmother who tried to kill him had done. Joash if you remember not only became an idol worshipper but even killed his cousin who was the prophet that God sent to warn Joash to repent and return to Him. Joash was assassinated and now his son Amaziah who would be aware of all of this history has just taken over as king over Judah which is important to know as we follow his short story here in 2 Kings which is told in more detail in 2 Chronicles.

We will unfortunately see many similarities in character between Joash and his some Amaziah including Amaziah eventually being as assassinated.

Verses 5-6

Putting the assassins to death wasn’t just good politics securing Amaziah’s position and showing that anyone who would come against him would be dealt with. It was also just according to the Law. Even before the law given to Moses God spoke to Noah and made a covenant with him as the waters dried up and Noah, his family and all the animals got off the ark.

Genesis 9:5–7 ESV

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

But Amaziah did as the law said regarding the children paying for teh sins of their fathers...

Deuteronomy 24:16 ESV

“Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.

What is interesting about this and shows that Amaziah started well as a king who followed the law of God is that it was common practice in those days for not just the children but really all the males and sometimes the entire family of a king’s enemies to be put to death to avoid any future retaliation.

Verse 7

This doesn’t give us much to go on except to record the military victory. The longer version of this story is found in 2 Chronicles 25.

2 Chronicles 25:5–16 ESV

Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers’ houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield. He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir. The men of Judah captured another 10,000 alive and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces. But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil. After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

So we see that not only did God intervene mightily for Judah and king Amaziah, but that Amaziah then walked away from God like his father Joash and his grandmother Athaliah and her father king Ahab from Israel.

How very sad to see the spiritual condition of Ahab and Jezebel still impacting their great grandchildren.

Verses 8-12

Now that Amaziah has walked away from God and is blinded with pride as an idol worshipper he wants to go to war with another idol worshipping king who is also full of pride. No doubt Amaziah is still excited about his great victory over the Edomites and thinking that this will be an easy battle to win. But he has forgotten the most important aspect of strength. The Lord God of Israel which Amaziah has now walked away from...

How sad to see the nation of Israel divided and now in a civil war all while being led by wicked kings. Remember that this is the chosen people of God, living in the land given to them by God that they should be a nation of people who proclaim the goodness and faithfulness of God to the nations surrounding them. Everything is out of order and it certainly shows.

As we just read from 2 Chronicles 25 the Israelites were very angry with Amaziah for dismissing them after he hired them and they in turn raided the cities of Judah and killed 3,000 people in the process, so tensions were already high between Israel and Judah.

That could have all been avoided if Amaziah would have prayed and sought the Lord before hiring the soldiers from Israel to begin with.

Notice how Jehoash king of Israel replies to Amaziah.

Jehoash actually tried to avoid the conflict and give wise council at the same time but Amaziah was too prideful to listen to his wise response.

Worshipping idols can do that to a person. When a person stops worshipping and fearing (reverencing) the Lord their whole perspective and life becomes foolish...

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 8:13 ESV

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 14:27 ESV

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Proverbs 15:33 ESV

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Verses 13-14

Amaziah’s pride and lack of reliance upon God caused not only his own defeat and arrest as a POW, but far worse he caused horrible destruction to Jerusalem which is the eternal capital of God’s people and the Temple which was the place that God intended as a meeting place for His people to meet with Him and the place that He said His name would dwell.

All of this was brought on by God because of Amaziah’s idolatry according to 2 Chronicles 25:20

2 Chronicles 25:20 ESV

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

Amaziah = Jehovah is mighty

Unfortunately Amaziah had come to the point of thinking that he was mighty, and now he and all Judah must deal with the consequences of his pride.

Verses 15-16

We will look at Jeroboam’s reign in verses 23 the end of the chapter

Verses 17-22

Amaziah fled to Lachish. The Lord spoke through the prophet Micah and said that Lachish was the city known for being the beginning of total idolatry for Judah...

Micah 1:13 ESV

Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.

Just like his father Joash, Amaziah is assassinated by his subjects and his throne was given to his son Azariah.

We are not told who the assassins are exactly which has caused many to wonder over the years if these assassins are the sons of the assassins of Joash that Amaziah spared.

For all the wickedness that king Ahab and Jezebel of Israel inspired throughout their daughter Athaliah’s marriage to king Jehoram of Judah as exhibited through their children and grandchildren, there is now light at the end of the tunnel as Azariah (aka Uzziah) takes the throne.

Azariah aka Uzziah will be known as the greatest king in Jerusalem next to David.

Verses 23-27

Now we switch the focus back to Israel and get a quick look at Jeroboam II reign as king over Israel.

This is the second king of Israel named Jeroboam, the first Jeroboam was the first king of Israel after the division of Israel and Judah that was caused by king Solomon’s son Rehoboam.

Yet again we see that even with a wicked king on the throne God is gracious to the nation because of His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We also have the timing laid out for us for when we eventually get to the books of the prophets Jonah, Hosea and Amos.

Verses 28-29

History as well as the prophets record for us that the nation of Israel was incredibly prosperous during the reign of Jeroboam II. But it also shows that the nation of Israel did not use that period wisely and God soon stripped it all away from them because of their misuse of their money and power. Part of the reason that Israel was so successful in taking back cities like Damascus and Hamath was because the Assyrians at this point in history became very powerful and defeated Syria and other neighboring nations around Israel and left them weak enough for Israel to attack and defeat.

Jereboam II was a very successful king militarily and politically, but he was a huge failure spiritually. All of the military defeats were really because of the grace of God towards his people. Amos and Hosea will write about the horrible spiritual decline during the days of Jeroboam II.

Zechariah - He will be the 4th and last in the dynasty of Jehu just as God promised...

2 Kings 10:30 ESV

And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”