Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the theme from 2 Kings 14:9 and following. Indeed, Amatsia, son of Joah, ascends the throne of Judah at the same time as the other Joah occupies that of Israel. We see once again the good influence of a mother belonging to God’s people. Good things are said about this new king, especially his concern to obey the Word (Dt 24:14-18). “Not, however, like David his father,” it is specified, recalling the example of the beloved king. For believers, the point of comparison is always Jesus, the perfect Model. As john’s 1st epistle invites us, we must return to “what was from the beginning.” These are the first words of this epistle! And what are the last ones? “Children, stay away from idols! ». The 2nd Book of Chronicles (2 Ch 25:14-16) will reveal it: Amatsia, after his victory over the Edomites, establishes himself as gods their idols. What ingratitude to the Lord who had given him victory over them! A crushing defeat before Joah, king of Israel, is the consequence of this idolatry and the pride of Amatsia that Joah himself discerns. If we take credit for a victory, God will allow us to lose the next battle to teach us to rely only on Him.
Amatsia, willing for a moment to employ the troops of Israel whom he took in his pay, to fight Edom, and warned by a prophet that “God is not with Israel”, renounced his plan, which had already received half an execution, and sent this contingent back to his homes. He undertook with his only army, relying on the Lord, the campaign against Edom and won a resounding victory. The troops dismissed from Israel fall upon the cities of Judah, strike three thousand men, and take away a great booty, but as the prophet had told Amatsia, it was up to Jehovah to give him much more than the pay paid to the men of Ephraim, and if he were to incur to some extent the consequence of his infidelity, by enlisting them without consulting Jehovah, on the other hand, he could count on the blessing that follows obedience. This calamity, darkening his victory over Edom, does not push the king towards the Lord. Even his victory becomes for him an opportunity for fall. For he brings to Judah, the gods of the Edomites and prostrates himself before them, without listening to the remonstrances of a new prophet.
Wounded in his pride as a victorious king, outraged by the humiliation inflicted on him by ephraim’s troops, Amatsia will provoke Joas, son of Joakhaz, king of Israel. He comes up against a pride even more haughty than his own. Joakhaz answers him with a transparent parable: Joram of Judah, the gorse of Lebanon, husband of Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, had sent to Joram of Israel, the cedar of Lebanon, asking him for a woman from the house of Ahab for his son Achazia. Jehu, a beast of the fields who is in Lebanon, had walked Achazia, the king of Judah. Now his successor, instead of humiliating himself, boasted of his victory over Edom! Here we see the irritation of Joakhaz, seeing his military forces despised, while Judah alone was enough to conquer Edom. Amatsia does not heed this warning, and “it came from God,” the Chronicles tell us (2 Ch 25:20), “in order to deliver Judah into the hands of his enemies, because he had sought the gods of Edom.” Judah is defeated.
Amatsia taken prisoner, Jerusalem dismantled, all the treasures of the king and the temple removed as booty, with hostages. Amatsia meets his God whom he had made a profession to serve and honor, like a consuming fire, as long as he abandons him to serve other gods. This same infidelity is the cause of Amatsia’s tragic death. Our chapter recounts that a conspiracy was made against him in Jerusalem, that he fled to Lakis, that he was sent after him to put him to death, and that he was transported on horses to bury him with his fathers in the city of David; but the Chronicles give us the solemn reason for this drama: “From the time when Amatsia had turned away from the Lord,” this conspiracy took place against him.
In the meantime, Joah of Israel, son of Joakhaz, had died, so that Amatsia still lived fifteen years after his victor. His son Azaria succeeded him. He covered Elath for Judah and built it. This city, which had once been, with all the territory of Edom to which it belonged, under the dominion of David (2 Sam 8:14), had been part of Solomon’s domain, an important outlet for his maritime power, for it was not far from Etsion-Guéber, on the edge of the Red Sea (1 Kings 9:26; 2 Ch 8:17). After Azaria, it did not remain in the hands of Judah for long. Sixty-eight years later, Retsin, king of Syria, recovered it.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Amaziah defeated by Joash, king of Israel:
- Ambassadors, messengers
Num 20.14 From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying to him, Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the sufferings that we have suffered. 2 Sam 5:11 Hiram king of Tire sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and carpenters, and stonemasons, who built a house for David. 2 Kings 14.8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu king of Israel, saying to him, Come, let us meet face to face. Eze 17.15 But he rebelled against him, sending his messengers into Egypt, to give him horses and many men. Will he who has done such things succeed, will he escape? He broke the covenant, and he would escape!
- Sarcasm
Jg 10.14 Go, call upon your chosen gods; May they deliver you in the time of your distress! 1 Kings 18.27 At noon Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god; he is thinking about something, or he is busy, or he is traveling; perhaps he is sleeping, and he will wake up. Jn 19.3 they said, Hail, King of the Jews! And they slapped him.
- Pride, examples
-Pharaoh Ex 5.2 Pharaoh answered, Who is the LORD, that I obey his voice, in letting Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.
-Naaman 2 Kings 5.11 Naaman was angry, and he went away, saying, Behold, I said unto myself, He shall come out unto me, he shall present himself, he shall call upon the name of the LORD his God, he shall will wave his hand in the square and heal the leper.
– Uzziah 2 Ch 26.16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to destroy him. He sinned against the Lord his God: he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
-Hezekiah 2 Ch 32.25 But Hezekiah did not answer for the blessing he had received, for his heart was lifted up; and the wrath of the LORD was upon him, upon Judah, and upon Jerusalem.
-Haman East 3.5 And Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow his knee or bow down to him. He was filled with fury;
-Nebuchadnezzar Dn 4.27 Therefore, O king, may my advice please you! put an end to your sins by practicing justice, and to your iniquities by showing compassion towards the unfortunate, and your happiness may be prolonged.
-Belschatsar Dn 5.23 You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; the vessels of his house were brought before you, and you drank wine from them, you and your elders, your wives and your concubines; you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone, who do not see, who do not hear, and who know nothing, and you have not glorified the God who has in his hand your breath and all your ways.
Holy utensils, temple objects
Num 3:31 The ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary, with which they do the service, the veil and all that appertains to them, they gave to their care. 1 Kings 7.45 ashtrays, shovels and cups. All these utensils that King Solomon had Hiram make for the house of the Lord were of polished brass. Ezra 1.7 King Cyrus returned the utensils of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his god. Jr 28.3 Two more years, and I will bring back to this place all the utensils of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken out of this place, and carried away to Babylon. Dn 1.2 The Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah and part of the utensils of the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar took the utensils to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, he put them in the treasury of his god.
From all the above, we note that this king responded with a parable. The thorn in Lebanon is Amatsia; the cedar is Joas, king of Israel. The wild beast that was in Lebanon overcoming the thorn (Amatsia) is the army of Joas. And the king of Israel gave him a solemn warning to give up. But the proud Amatsia paid no attention to Joah’s words. God was behind all cela. “He came from God to deliver them into the hands of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom” (2 Ch 25:20). A complete defeat of Amatsia followed and Jerusalem was taken. And Joah “took all the gold and silver, and all the utensils that were in the house of God with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages too, and returned to Samaria. After this humiliating defeat, there was a revolution in Jerusalem and the unfortunate king fled to Lakis, where he was killed. His body was brought back to Jerusalem for burial. The brief account of the reign of Jeroboam II concludes this chapter. The prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai is mentioned here. This same Jonah later made the experience recorded in the book of Jonah and to which our Lord refers as a historical fact. We must always rely on the Lord. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the parabole of the vine and the eagles or the dishonor of the name of the Lord by Zedekiah.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.