2 Kings 14

2 Kings 14:1

N. King Amaziah of Judah (14:1-20)Amaziah the son of Joash was king of Judah for twenty-nine years (796-767 B.C.; 2 Chron. 25). 14:1-7 Amaziah’s reign, though good, lacked the excellence of David’s reign. It was more like his father’s (Joash) in that both failed to abolish the high places. One of Amaziah’s first acts was to kill the conspirators who had murdered his father (2Ki_12:20-21). However, he spared the children of these men, in obedience to Deu_24:16. Also, he led a brilliant campaign against Edom, killing ten thousand of its inhabitants and capturing the rock city of Selah (probably the same as Petra). Unfortunately, he brought back Edomite gods and began to worship them (2Ch_25:14). 14:8-14 Inflated with pride, Amaziah foolishly invited Jehoash, king of Israel, to a show of strength. Jehoash answered by a parable in which the thistle (Judah) said to the cedar (Israel), “Give your daughter to my son as wife” (a weed making an impertinent request to a mighty tree). A wild beast (the army of Israel) trampled down the thistle (Judah). Amaziah should be satisfied with his victory over Edom and not invite disaster by antagonizing Israel. When Amaziah refused to listen, Jehoash marched against Judah, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and carried away some of its treasures. 14:15-20 The antagonism between Judah and Israel which began at this time continued until the fall of Israel in 722 B.C. Amaziah . . . fled to Lachish to escape a conspiracy but he was followed and slain there.

2 Kings 14:21

O. King Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah (14:21, 22)Azariah (same as Uzziah) the son of Amaziah was king of Judah for fifty-two years (792/91740/39 B.C.; cf. 2Ki_15:1-7; 2 Chron. 26). The ministry of Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea began at this time in OT history (Isa_1:1; Hos_1:1; Amo_1:1). The books of Amos and Hosea reveal the social and religious conditions prevalent in Israel. Through these prophets the Lord constantly warned of coming disaster while trying to woo His people back from the precipice of judgment. Azariah was coregent with his father for the first twenty-four years. He built Elath, at the north of the Gulf of Aqaba. A fuller record of his reign is given in chapter 15 and in 2 Chronicles 26.

2 Kings 14:23

P. King Jeroboam II of Israel (14:23-29)Jeroboam II the son of Jehoash was king of Israel for forty-one years (793/92753 B.C.). The first twelve years of Jeroboam’s reign overlapped with that of his father, Joash (Jehoash). As to his religious policy, this king followed the idolatry of his namesake, Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Politically, he recovered for Israel the land from the entrance of Hamath (Galilee) to the Sea of the Arabah (Transjordan), as Jonah had prophesied. This particular prophecy is not recorded in the Bible. (Verse 25 pinpoints the time of Jonah’s ministry, which is important in studying the book bearing his name. It is startling to realize that the Assyrians carried Israel into captivity only forty to seventy years after the repentance of Nineveh occasioned by Jonah’s preaching!) Jeroboam II may be the deliverer mentioned in 2Ki_13:5 (cf. 14:26, 27). Verses 26 and 27 give deep insight into the tender love and patience of the LORD. Verse 27 must be understood in context; Israel, and later Judah, were subsequently blotted out for a time, but, according to God’s promise to the Jewish fathers, the nation will be regathered and replanted in the land.