'13:1-25

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2Ki 13:1-17:41 HISTORY TO THE FALL OF ISRAEL

After the anti-Baal revolution (2Ki 13:1-14:22)

Jehu’s son Jehoahaz followed the sins of earlier Israelite kings, and so did his people. The Syrian attacks foreseen by Elisha were so severe that, had God not mercifully intervened, the whole population would have been left homeless and the entire army destroyed (2Ki 13:1-9).

The next king, Jehoash, learnt from Elisha that he would win three battles against Syria. He would have won more, had he not lacked faith in God (2Ki 13:10-19).

During Jehoash’s reign Elisha died, but dramatic events at Elisha’s tomb showed that the God who had worked through him was still alive and powerful (2Ki 13:20-21).

Jehoash won three battles as Elisha had foretold, and thereby regained some of Israel’s lost territory (2Ki 13:22-25).

After the murder of his father Joash, Amaziah came to the throne of Judah. Once firmly in control, he executed his father’s murderers (2Ki 14:1-6).

He planned to attack Edom, but when a census of his army revealed that he had not enough soldiers, he hired trained men from Israel. A prophet told him to send the Israelites back, for God would not give Judah’s army victory while it contained men from the ungodly northern kingdom.

Angry at missing out on the chance to raid the Edomites, the northerners raided the cities of Judah instead. Amaziah, meanwhile, attacked and defeated Edom (2Ki 13:7; 2 Chron 25:5-13).

Foolishly, Amaziah brought back to his palace some idols of the defeated Edomites. His military victory gave him such self-assurance that he thought he could act independently of God and ignore the warnings of God’s prophet (2 Chron 25:14-16).

Confident in his increased military experience, he decided to attack Israel. The Israelite king warned him that Judah would be defeated, but Amaziah persisted.

Judah was defeated, Amaziah was taken captive and Jerusalem was plundered (2Ki 13:8-16; cf. 2Ki 13:12).

Later he was allowed to return to his throne, but apparently he was unpopular and, like his father, was assassinated (2Ki 13:17-22).