2 KINGS 14
Read 2 Kings 14:1-29
In the previous chapter we saw two of the kings of Israel, Jehoahaz and then Jehoash. The assessment of the writer of the Book of Kings was that they both did evil in the eyes of the Lord. We are starting to see a pattern here, aren’t we? Generally, the kings of the Northern kingdom were poor examples of leadership. They followed the founder of the kingdom, Jeroboam, who broke away from the south and set up his own religion (1 Kings 12), and then Ahab who followed the foreign gods and idols of his wife Jezebel. The North gained a reputation for idolatry and for turning their backs on the one true God.
In the southern kingdom of Judah, the kings were generally better. They were descendant of king David and most of them tried to follow in the footsteps of their illustrious ancestor. We read here of Amaziah who is assessed as doing right in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the example of his father Joash, who was a good king and who set about repairing the temple (2 Kings 12). However, Amaziah did fall short of the standard set by David (David was the standard by which the kings were measured, and that sets the bar very high – all kings fell short of that standard). Amaziah’s reign was a mixed bag. He was basically good. But he didn’t address the idolatry going on in the high places. He took the usual retribution on the assassins who killed his father, but was more restrained in not taking revenge on the assassins’ families as was the custom of the time. But the most damning incident was when he challenged Jehoash, king of Israel in the north, and attacked with his army. Amaziah had over-stretched himself and not only was his army defeated, but he was captured by Jehoash and Jerusalem sacked and the temple treasure taken. An ignominious end to someone who we are told, ‘did what was right in the eyes of the Lord’. He was good, but not that good! Like other kings before him he tolerated the evil idolatry going on in the kingdom and the Lord showed his displeasure by allowing him to be defeated in battle. There is perhaps a little bit of Amaziah in all of us. We want to do what is right in God’s eyes but we so often fall short – we continue to sin, and sometimes our own ambition and our own priorities get in the way of discerning what is right in God’s eyes; and that is why we need Jesus.
The chapter ends with the story of the next King of the North, Jeroboam II. As with most of his predecessors he did not do what was right in God’s eyes. In the eyes of human beings, however, he did do well. He made Israel a larger nation, pushing out its boundaries, and making it a political force to be reckoned with and no doubt bringing economic prosperity. We saw this before with King Omri (1 Kings 16). But the writer of Kings makes it clear that God works to a different standard to human beings. Material success in this world does not impress God; it is how we relate to him and how we treat one another that matters. And that is every bit as important today in a world that is obsessed with wealth, fame and materialism.