2 Kings 13:1 – 13 “In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah over Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria seventeen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.
Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel. So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before. Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria.
Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
As for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And his son Jehoash reigned in his place.
In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.
As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash, along with all his accomplishments and his might, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
And Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.”
SOME PEOPLE NEVER LEARN ANYTHING!!! Jehu’s son Jehoahaz has become king of Israel; however, he has failed to consider the problems the country is facing at the time of his accession. Even though the prophet Elisha is available for counsel, Jehoahaz copies Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Who was Jeroboam?
Remember that when King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king. Things might have been great for Solomon; however, the common people were suffering terribly. When the general populace sent a delegation to Rehoboam begging for relief, Rehoboam could have endeared himself by granting some small concessions. Instead, Rehoboam sent an arrogant message, asserting that he was far greater than his father and that he was going to punish the people far more than his father ever had done.
This ridiculous statement so enraged the Israelites that ten of the tribes split off under the leadership of Jeroboam to form the northern kingdom. God promised Jeroboam that if he would just follow God whole – heartedly, God would establish his family as a dynasty. Fearing that the Israelites would persist in worshiping at Jerusalem and refusing to trust God, Jeroboam set up his own religion, creating two huge altars complete with golden calves at Dan and Bethel. Rather than leading people closer to God, Jeroboam did everything he could to turn them away from God and back to idolatry. Jeroboam’s schemes succeeded in the short run; however, the spiritual standard Jeroboam set was lower than a ditch digger’s boots. Forever after, when a king was evil, he would be compared to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
Jehoahaz reigns in Israel for seventeen years, following in Jeroboam’s spiritual steps. As a result, God allows the Syrians to repeatedly attack Israel. Jehoahaz suddenly wakes up and begs God for relief and God sends a deliverer so that the Israelites can at least live in their own homes. But the Asherah poles are still there, the Israelites are still worshiping idols, and Israel’s army is in tatters. “Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.”
Jehoahaz dies and his son Jehoash succeeds him. Nothing changes in Israel. Jehoash reigns for sixteen years and even makes war with the king of Judah. But the writer summarizes Jehoash this way: “And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.”
APPLICATION: We read these accounts and wonder why anybody would be so stupid and short – sighted. Why wouldn’t the Israelites stop and think about the promises God made in His Law? Why wouldn’t the Israelites turn and worship the One True Living God? Even if a wicked king wanted to pursue idols, the rest of the populace was still free to worship God. But consider the nature of the demons that were being worshiped. The Asherah poles were centers for cult prostitution – free sex!!!
There is an old saying, “You lie down with dogs; you get up with fleas.” Generations of idol worship had weakened the Israelites morally to the point where they were addicted to the rituals of Asherah. The concept of the golden calf originated in Egypt where it was a representation of the god Apis. Apis was a god of fertility of grain and herds and also became associated with sun worship, hence the golden disc between the horns in the painting. (Remember that God had strictly forbidden the Israelites to worship the sun, moon, or stars.) When the Israelites reached Canaan, they learned about the Canaanite fertility god Baal, who was sometimes represented as standing on a golden calf also. The term “ba’al” also meant “owner” or “lord.”
Idolatry was very appealing because it had so few restrictions. By contrast, the Law of Moses laid out a number of requirements and warned of the consequences if these rules were not followed. Jeroboam’s appeal to the Israelites when he was establishing his fake religion still rings down the centuries. 1 Kings 12:28 “After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
The argument that keeping God’s Law is too difficult continues to seduce people; meanwhile, here is what Psalms 19:7 – 10 says:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
What about us? What idols are we worshiping? What pet sins are we covering up by piling up excuses? Israel exchanged the worship of the One True Living God for demonic idols that would only drag them down. We can do the very same thing. Today, while there is still time, worship the Lord in the beauty of His Holiness!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to give up ALL our pet sins and to worship only You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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