II Kings Chapter 14

Please read:  II Kings 14 –

The warning that God gave to the people back when they first declared that they wanted to have a king like all the other nations, keeps coming to mind as we go through the history of these kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.  God had warned that having a king would make life difficult for the people, but they wouldn’t listen. 

In this passage we read that the king of Judah, Amaziah, has it in his mind to fight against the king of Israel, Jehoash.  The explanation is not really given in this chapter, but we can find the history behind it in the book of II Chronicles.  Amaziah had gone to war against the Edomites and won.  Part of his army was to include some mercenaries (“hired guns”) from Israel.  He paid these men to fight with the armies of Judah, but a man of God told Amaziah that he should release them from duty.  The mercenaries were angry because they thought they would be a part of a winning battle and have opportunity to gain a lot of spoils of war.  You can read of their retaliation in the verses below as they were discharged from the army of Judah. 

II Chronicles 25:13-16 But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil. After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them.  Therefore the LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”