2 Kings 13/14 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Kings 13:1-9

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them. 3 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son.

4 Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favour, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. 5 The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before. 6 But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued in them. Also, the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria.

7 Nothing had been left of the army of Jehoahaz except fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust at threshing time.

8 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoahaz, all he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 9 Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoash his son succeeded him as king.

A. Find Out:

1. How was Jehoahaz summarised? v.1,2
2. So what did Jehoahaz eventually do? v.4
3. So what did the Lord do? v.3
4. So how did the Lord help them? v.5
5. Yet what did Israel continue to do? v.6
6. How had the power of Israel been reduced? v.7

B. Think:

1. What positive move did Jehoahaz make?
2. What 2 things did the Lord do in this passage?
3. What does this tell us?

C. Comment:

     Something of this passage is reminiscent of the days of the judges where, again and again, Israel drifted away from the Lord, the enemy rose against them, Israel cried to the Lord and the Lord sent them a deliverer.

      Here we have a new king, the son of the previous king who has now died. He is no better than any of the previous kings of Israel and so they incur the discipline of the Lord, for that is really the only way to describe what takes place. The Lord again and again uses the king of Aram (Syria) to come and put pressure on Israel. These marauders are God’s way of getting Israel to seek Him. He knows that He has designed them to function best when they are in a living relationship with Him and if the only way to get them to seek His help is to allow them to have pressure in their lives, then that is what He will do. Eventually Jehoahaz gets the point and seeks the Lord.

     Verse 5 is frustratingly simple – “The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel”. The recorder doesn’t tell us who but history suggests that this was in the form of the king of Assyria who attacked Aram who in turn had to desist their action against Israel. How simple: Israel seek the Lord and the Lord delivers them – and they still continue their idolatry. Grace and sin seen so clearly in one short passage!

D. Application:

1. Seek the Lord with all your heart and He WILL be found.
2. God blesses seeking sinners. Amazing!

Passage: 2 Kings 13:10-13 / 14:8-16

13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years. 11 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them.

12 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, all he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 13 Jehoash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: ‘Come, let us face each other in battle.’

9 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: ‘A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, “Give your daughter to my son in marriage.” Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?’

11 Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 12 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 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.[c] 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.

15 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 16 Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.

A. Find Out:

1. How is Jehoash summarised? v.10,11
2. Who made what challenge to Jehoash? 14:8
3. How did Jehoash reply? v.10
4. What was the outcome? v.11,12
5. So what was Jehoash able to do? v.12,14
6. Who succeeded him? v.16

B. Think:

1. What does the order of Scripture tell us here?
2. How many years did Jehoash reign in Israel while Amaziah reigned in Judah?
3. What was the state between the two nations?

C. Comment:

        In our reading in this study we catch something of the existence of the two parts of the original nation of Israel. Jehoash is now the king of the northern kingdom, Israel, and within two years of him succeeding his father, Jehoahaz, in the southern kingdom Amaziah succeed his father, Joash. In neither kingdom was everything right spiritually. In the northern kingdom, with which we are principally concerned in these studies, the new king allows the existence of the idols in Bethel and Dan to remain, together with the substitute priesthood.

     It’s important to note, though, that the new king of Judah didn’t completely clean away the false spiritual practices that were going on there. It’s important to note that because of what follows – an incident where the Lord is patently absent! The king of Judah defeated Edom and then turned his eyes on Israel. The king of Israel basically says, “Don’t be silly, don’t do this!” but the southern king continues to turn towards the north. Israel take the initiative of defeat Judah so that even Jerusalem is damaged and plundered.

      It would appear that a state of war probably existed between the two for the 14 years the two reigned alongside each other. Neither is in a good state and the Lord doesn’t intervene to help either. Such is life without the Lord!

D. Application:

1. A life without the Lord is full of conflict.
2. The Lord allows us to get on by ourselves in such cases.