Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

KING JEHOASH
Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz and grandson to Jehu. 2 Kings 13:10

Jehoash – or Joash as he is also referred to in the Bible – inherited a depleted army from his father. 2 Kings 13:7

Joash continued in the sins of the kings of Israel and maintained the golden calf worship. verse 11

Joash realized that he needed help from God – not the golden calves – to defeat the Syrians. Just like with his father, the worship of the golden calves was a political stunt to keep the people away from the temple in Jerusalem, and as a result, the masses continued with idolatry.

Joash knew that Elisha was God’s prophet and the king sought him out upon his death bed. He lamented over the man of God as a good politician and hypocrite, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had disregarded Elisha up to this point. 2 Kings 13:14

Elisha received a message from the Lord and told Joash to shoot an arrow from inside the house and out the window. This signified deliverance from Syria. Then Elisha told Joash to smite the ground with his arrows, which he promptly did three times, and was subsequently scolded by the prophet for not striking the ground five or six times. verses 15-20

Despite the sin of the king, God had mercy on Israel and Joash was able retake lost territories before he died. verses 23-25

DIRTY POLITICS
In the second year of Joash’s reign, Amaziah was made king of Judah. 2 Kings 14:1-4

He executed the servants who revolted and murdered his father and then desired to start a war with Edom. verses 5-7

Amaziah decided that he needed a larger army and hired 100,000 mercenaries from the northern kingdom. 2 Chronicles 25:6

This did not set well with God and a prophet was dispatched with the message that Israel was cursed and he should not have any of their men with him. verses 7-8

Amaziah was not pleased with the situation because he had already paid for the mercenaries; nevertheless, he yielded to the prophet and separated the Israelite soldiers from his army. verses 9-11

The 100,000 mercenaries were very angry about being let go. They had been paid in advance, but that was nothing compared to the looting they could have done if they had been part of the Amaziah’s army. As a result, they decided to help themselves and attacked cities in Judah, causing death and destruction, and taking much in the way of spoils. verse 13

AMAZIAH’S BRUTALITY
Amaziah and the people of Judah did not reflect the heart of God; they were brutal, selfish, and cruel.

Amaziah decided to attack the children of Seir.¹ The battle took place in a desert area known as the valley of salt. The Judean army defeated the Edomites, killing 10,000 and capturing an equal number.

These prisoners were force marched to a mountaintop and swiftly tossed over a cliff. Their bodies tumbled down, violently striking the side of the mountain, and landed in a broken heap like ground beef at the bottom. 2 Chronicles 25:11-12

Amaziah was just a political hack seeking to enrich himself and the looting began once his army achieved victory. The king decided to take the idols of the Edomites back to Judah where he had the people worship the demon gods. verse 14

God sent a prophet to rebuke Amaziah, who challenged the prophet and ignored the message. verses 15-16

CHALLENGING JOASH
Amaziah rejected the word of the Lord and his counselors stated it was time to repay Israel for the looting and killing that had taken place in Judah after the mercenaries were sent home. He decided to challenge King Joash. 2 Kings 14:8

King Joash of Israel was not seeking war with Judah because they both were Abraham’s seed and spoke the same language. They were the twelve tribes of Israel and God did not bring them into the Promised Land to fight one another.

Joash called Amaziah a “thistle,” which in Hebrew means a “thorn.” He was aware that Amaziah had been successful in Edom and that he was riding a wave of success. verses 9-10

Amaziah refused to back down, and since Joash did not want a destructive war in his kingdom, his army came to Judah for a showdown. verse 11

God used the occasion to punish Amaziah for his idolatry and the army of Judah lost badly. Amaziah was taken prisoner along with his officers and soldiers and humiliatingly marched to Jerusalem.

The Israeli army tore down 400 feet of the wall of the city, effectively creating a gigantic breach. Joash and his soldiers also looted the temple, Amaziah’s palace, and took hostages which were brought back to Samaria. verses 12-15

THE DEATH OF JOASH
God allowed Joash to rule Israel as king for 16 years. 2 Kings 13:10

During this time the worship of the golden calves continued and the masses refused to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Corruption was rampant in Israel and Joash had nothing to show for his time in power when he died and went to hell. 2 Kings 14:16

1. Seir is another name for the Edomites.