Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+014
2 Kings Chapter 14 (ESV)
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. 26 For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
REFLECTION:
- If time permits, read the whole chapter about Kings Amaziah and Jeroboam
- Jeroboam II was Israel’s most successful and notable ruler. The territory Jeroboam captured rivaled that held in David and Solomon’s day. He gained control of the trade routes which made Israel rich. But Israelite society was disrupted, the rich corrupted the justice system in their favour, and poverty increased. Both Amos and Hosea began to prophesy during this period indicting this king for the worship of other gods and for injustice in the land, despite its wealth.
- In view of the political and social significance of the time of Jeroboam II, it’s striking that the Bible says so little about him. Perhaps the answer is found in perspective. Compared with eternity, worldly accomplishments count for little. God saw fit to give Israel relief from oppression under Jeroboam II. But neither king nor people used this last opportunity to turn to the Lord.
- How do I see the “successful” individuals in my days? How would God see success? At the end of the day, what really matters is how God sees what I have done on earth, whether they are of eternal value or just like “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”(James 4:14).
PRAYER:
Consider: What will God say when I see Him on that day?
Well done!!! Good and faithful servant.
Or, you wicked and lazy servant!
Lord, open my eyes so that I may see the worldly things with Your eternal perspective.
HYMN:
“I’d Rather Have Jesus” – www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1MTLZue3Pk
