Amaziah’s Pride and Jeroboam’s Mercy

14:1 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, Joash’s son Amaziah became king over Judah. 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 14:3 He did what the Lord approved, but not like David his father. He followed the example of his father Joash. 14:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 14:5 When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 14:6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. A man must be put to death only for his own sin.” 14:7 He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.” 14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. 14:10 You thoroughly defeated Edom and it has gone to your head! Gloat over your success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 14:11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning, so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 14:12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 14:13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. 14:14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria. ( 14:15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 14:16 Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.) 14:17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 14:19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him and they killed him there. 14:20 His body was carried back by horses and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David. 14:21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 14:22 Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed away. Jeroboam II’s Reign over Israel 14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty- one years in Samaria. 14:24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 14:25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the Arabah in the south, in accordance with the word of the Lord God of Israel announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 14:26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 14:27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory from under heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash. 14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 14:29 Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah replaced him as king. Azariah’s Reign over Judah

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Amaziah of Judah obeyed God in one important matter, but his pride and refusal to heed warning led him into presumption, defeat, and shame. Later, Jeroboam II of Israel was an evil king, yet the Lord still gave Israel relief and border expansion because he saw their suffering.

This chapter contrasts two kings and shows two truths at once. Amaziah did what was right in the Lord’s eyes in one important matter: he obeyed God’s law by not killing the sons of the men who murdered his father. But he did not follow David fully, and he did not remove the high places, so worship in Judah was still compromised. After a real victory over Edom, he became proud and challenged Jehoash of Israel. Jehoash warned him with a taunt that pictured Amaziah as a small, weak thornbush acting like a cedar. Amaziah refused the warning, and Judah was badly defeated. Jerusalem was damaged, the temple and palace were plundered, and hostages were taken.

Amaziah’s death shows the end of his troubled rule. The story then turns to Jeroboam II of Israel. He was also an evil king, continuing the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Yet the Lord used him to restore Israel’s borders. The text says this happened because the Lord saw Israel’s suffering and had not yet decided to wipe Israel out. That means the expansion was an act of mercy, not approval of Israel’s sin. The chapter teaches that partial obedience is not enough, pride after success can lead to ruin, and God can show mercy even to a sinful people without calling their sin good.

• Partial obedience is not the same as full faithfulness to the Lord.
• God’s law matters for rulers and ordinary people alike.
• A successful victory can become the occasion for pride and presumption.
• A warning should be heeded before conflict grows worse.
• The Lord sees human suffering and can show mercy.
• National success does not prove that a king or nation is righteous.
• God can use even sinful rulers to accomplish part of his purposes without approving their sin.

• Do not trust in partial obedience while leaving other sins untouched.
• Do not let success make you proud, presumptuous, and unteachable.
• Heed wise warning before your choices bring harm on yourself and others.
• The Lord’s mercy should not be mistaken for approval of sin.
• The Lord saw Israel’s suffering and gave relief, showing his patience.
• God’s command against punishing children for their fathers’ sins was honored by Amaziah in one matter.

This passage belongs to the story of the divided kingdom under the Davidic line in Judah and the northern kings of Israel. It shows the effects of the Mosaic covenant in history: obedience is blessed, rebellion brings judgment, and covenant compromise has real consequences. It also shows that the Lord remains sovereign over both kingdoms. He preserves the Davidic line in Judah, and he can give temporary mercy and border restoration to Israel even while its kings continue in sin. The prophetic word through Jonah confirms that God speaks ahead of history and rules events by his word. The chapter moves the Bible story forward by showing both the patience and the holiness of God as the kingdoms continue toward exile.

Read this chapter with humility. Ask whether you are obeying God only where it is easy while leaving other sins in place. Do not assume that one success gives you freedom to ignore correction. When God’s word warns you, listen. Also remember that when God shows mercy, it is a gift, not a sign that sin is harmless. He sees suffering, he rules history, and he calls his people to steady faithfulness.

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