Text: 2 Kings 14:23-29
Theme: Jeroboam II
Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever.
Introduction:
Observation of the Text:
Jeroboam II son of Jehoash, reigned forty-one years, did evil, did not turn away from sins of Jeroboam I, caused Israel to commit, restored the boundaries in accordance with the word of the Lord, everyone in Israel were bitter and suffering. Lord saved them by the hand of Jeroboam. He recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah.
We began this month with the bible verse, Daniel 2:21: “And he changed the times and the seasons: he removed kings, and sets up kings: ...” This month, we devoted to the King Maker in midst’s of chaos and deteriorating world. We have seen the lives of the Kings namely, David, Saul, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Ahab, Hezekiah, Jeroboam II, and Josiah.
Today, we would see Jeroboam II the King of Israel. I would like to highlight three things from these six verses: Jeroboam II was a magnificent but unspiritual King, Israel was an unsatisfied nation, and Yahweh was all sufficient God.
1. Jeroboam II – An unspiritual King (2 Kings 14:23-25, 28-29)
He was the great-grandson of Jehu, son of Jehoash. His reigned the longest of all the kings of Israel, forty one years. His contemporary Azariah, the king of Judah, reigned longer, even fifty-two years. He was victorious but unspiritual King.
Israelite historians state that Jeroboam II was a gifted commander and an able organiser who succeeded in elevating the kingdom of Israel to a last climax before its fall. However, his loyalty to YHWH can be seen from the name of his son Zechariah ("Remembered by YHWH") but also prophet Jonah(14:25), encouraged Jeroboam in his wars and prophesied his victory.
However, Judahite redactors adjudged him as evil king (2 kings 14:24). The six verses allotted to him in the Bible, recorded his sins and evils. 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 was a wicked king. “We cannot measure men's characters by the length of their lives or by their outward prosperity.” (Matthew Henry).
Jeroboam II might have done hundreds of good things but “He did evil in the sight of the LORD” and, “he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.” He continued the politically-motivated idolatry than the True worship of Yahweh. He kept up the worship of the calves at Dan and Bethel, and never left that, thinking there was no harm in it, because it had been the way of all his ancestors and predecessors (1 Kings 12:28-30).
“He kept up the worship of the calves, and never left that, thinking there was no harm in it, because it had been the way of all his ancestors and predecessors. But a sin is never the less evil in God's sight, whatever it is in ours, for its being an ancient usage” (Matthew Henry).
The Ten Commandments put idolatry as the First SIN against God, God hates the idolaters.
Some sins we never see as sins because it’s habitual, practiced and justified by majority, nothing so disturbing and contextually needed.
We are also given chances, challenges to be different in our days and generation or to swim with the stream for survival and justify nothing is wrong. We know what is right and wrong, we know what is good and evil, we know what to continue and to discontinue yet we prefer to go with the flow of the stream than against.
We mostly seek the good will of men than the will of God. Luke 16:15 says “Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.”
Let’s strive to honour God than men and majority.
2. Israel – An unsatisfied Nation (2 Kings 14:24)
Illustration: Mindless woman! (Adopted and edited)
There was a super market. It is called the Husband Store. It is a place where women can shop for a husband.
The store had 7 floors with each floor having different qualities of a husband. The higher the floor, the better the husband. If the woman wanted better qualities, they would simply go to the next floor. But had a restriction saying that once you pass to another floor, you have to settle with that, you cannot go back down to the previous floor.
One woman came into the first floor. The sign board said that the men on this floor has a job. She was curious to see what the next level held for her, so she decided to go to the 2nd floor.
The second floor sign board said that the men on this floor has a job and loves children. She thought this was even better, but she decided to go to the 3rd floor.
On the 3rd floor, the sign board said the men on this floor has a job, loves children, and is good looking. She thought this is even better! But she could not resist going to the 4th floor.
On the 4th floor the sign board said that ‘The men on this floor has a job, loves children, is good looking, and they like to do housework.’ Wow, she thought, what more could a wife ask for, but she decided to go to the next level.
on the 5th floor read, “The men on this floor has a job, loves children, is good looking, likes to do housework, and they are very romantic.” But instead of selecting a man on this floor, she decided to go to the 6th floor.
The 6th floor sign says, “The men on this floor has a job, loves children, is good looking, likes to do housework, is romantic, and they love to shower their wives with luxurious gifts.” She could not be happy with it. She moved to the final floor.
As the 7th floor elevator opened, the sign board says, “Sorry, nothing can satisfy you. There are no men on this floor.”
During the long reigns of Jeroboam II in the north and Azariah (or Uzziah) in the south, Israel and Judah experienced political stability and economic development such as they had not known since the days of David and Solomon. But never repented and never grateful to the Lord.
The prophets addressed the sins of Israel as three distinct problems. 1) Spiritual Idolatry, 2) Scriptural Heresy, and 3) Social Cruelty. “Israel's flourishing condition during his reign is depicted by Amos, who saw the hollowness underlying the apparent prosperity of his age” (Arthur Peake). Amos, a shepherd-farmer turned prophet, spoke against these evils. In his fiery preaching he condemned the greed, cheating, injustice and luxury of the rich (Amos 2:6-7, 3:10, 3:1, 6:4-6, 8:4-6). Yet, they carried out their worthless religious exercises (Amos 5:21-24, 8:10).
Though there was no signs of their repentance and formation, God saw their bitter affliction and heard the cry of their prayers, it became the object of his compassion (2 Kings 14:26). God gave them a breathing space and time to repent and come back.
Israel’s association with other gods was a spiritual adultery. Hosea remained faithful to his marriage covenant even after his wife became faithless and slave, he bought her back. It was a picture of God and people. (Hosea 2:5-10, 3:1-5).
Today, the face of Christendom is out of joint that it is altogether anomalous that the state of things is inexplicable, and with worst confusion especially in our tall claims. We need to accept the reality that in an evil day the external order is always with the unbelievers, and the true internal order is always found with believers (Kelly Commentary).
3. Yahweh - All sufficient God (2 Kings 14:26-27)
The reign of Jeroboam II was a time of economic, political, and material prosperity for Israel. God’s great mercy to Israel was unmeasurable. During his forty-one years Jerobaom II completely freed Israel from the Syrians, and extended his territory from Hamath to the Dead Sea.
God can use anyone for his purpose whether they are good or bad. He used the Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Artaxerxes, Herod, and many presidents and prime ministers to fulfil his will and purpose. So, here God used this King Jeroboam II to save his people. God wrought deliverance for Israel by the hand of Jeroboam. Prophets were employed as messengers of mercy to Israel. Israel was isolated for its evil but saved for the Divine compassion (Pulpit Commentary).
God showed kindness to Israel. God sent Prophets namely, Amos and Hosea to warn the King and people against idolatry. “God never left himself without witness, but, in the darkest and most degenerate ages of the church, raised up some to be burning and shining lights in it to their own age by their preaching and living, and a few by their writings to reflect light upon us on whom the ends of the world have come.” (Matthew Henry).
Amos, a shepherd-farmer turned prophet, spoke against these evils. He attacked the northern kingdom (Amos 2:6, 4:1, 6:1, 7:10). He condemned the Sins of People but had mercy on them.
Hosea preached late in the reigns of Jeroboam II (Hosea 1:1). Hosea remained faithful to his marriage covenant even after his wife became faithless and slave, he bought her back. It was a picture of God and people. (Hosea 2:5-10, 3:1-5).Israel did not know the character of Yahweh (Hosea 4:1-6, 17-19; 5:4,15; 6:6-10; 7:2-4; 9:15; 13:16; Amos 2:7-8).
Jonah who is famous for his missionary trip to Nineveh (2 Kings 19:13). Jonah successfully predicted Jeroboam II’s victories over a number of enemies (2 Kings 14:25). “God sent Jonah to encourage them, and to assure them of better days.”
Conclusion: God looks for the people who behave differently than their contemporaries in the matters of God and his values. God looks for people who is mindful of the Kingdom of God in the mindless generation.
