Reading: 2 Kings 12-14, Psalm 104
The narrative of Jehu and the eradication of Ahab’s house, followed by a restoration ceremony on the ascension of Joash to the throne of Judah, forms a kind of new beginning for both kingdoms. In the southern kingdom of Judah, there will be some real attempts at reform and return to observance of the covenant law. Sadly, the northern kingdom will do no such thing.
Today we hear about the reforming efforts of Joash and Jehoiada the priest. Under the reigns of the last few kings and of Athaliah, the Temple has fallen into disrepair. The attempts to repair it by the priests have come to nothing, implying that the priesthood was corrupt. The theme of corrupt priests runs through the story of the people of Israel and is no surprise here. It takes outside management of the temple offerings to get the repairs underway. We are told here that Joash is a good king, though not as whole hearted in his resolve to follow the God of Israel as David had been, and he dies by assassination. His son Amaziah is also described the same way, and dies the same way. Though there are now somewhat faithful kings on the throne of Judah, there is a conspiracy and revolt brewing under the surface after so the chaos of Athaliah’s rule and the influence of the house of Ahab on the nation. Amaziah did have some other high points, defeating the Edomites, and some low ones, engaging in a foolish war with the northern kingdom that resulted in the partial destruction of Jerusalem. Even the best kings of Judah in this period are a mixed bag.
In the north, things are different. During the reign of Hazael in Syria, Israel gets thrashed. The army is reduced to less than 10000 men and 50 chariots, we are told. Hazael is able to conquer large chunks of Israelite territory, and he only turns back from invading Judah as well because he is bought off by Joash. The descendants of Jehu who sit on Israel’s throne are described invariably as evil, but God is not yet ready to totally extinguish the kingdom. We are treated to the death narrative of Elisha, who gives one of the northern kings a prophetic sign-act about how the kingdom will not be totally lost to Syria. The lack of follow through by the northern kings is predicted, and though the kingdom will have a resurgence following the death of Hazael, it will not last. Elisha finally dies, though we are told that even his bones work a miracle in raising a man from the dead who falls into his tomb.
Jehu’s house regains a great deal of territory once Hazael dies, as Elisha predicted. They also rebuild the army to the point where they are able to push off the advances of the kingdom of Judah, who first propose alliance, then upon being rebuffed go to war. The third king in Jehu’s line is another Jeroboam, who is one of the most successful kings, and perhaps the most successful, of the northern kingdom. We know from other historical sources that he reconquers the territory lost in the last century, made important alliances, engaged in successful trade agreements, and made the nation fairly prosperous. The author of Kings, though, really doesn’t care much about that, telling us that Jeroboam was an instrument of God’s mercy on the northern kingdom, but that he did great evil, persisting in the worship of foreign gods and the false images set up by the first Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
The opportunity for restoration continues to come up during the reigns of even the worst kings of Israel, but the coffin is closing for the northern kingdom. During times of desperation, as when Hazael nearly destroyed them, they hardly turn to the God of Israel. During times of rescue and prosperity, as during the reign of Jeroboam, they persist in worshiping the gods of the nations around them. The story of the northern kingdom is the story of a slide from bad to worse, with God giving each generation the chance to turn back. He sends prophets of extraordinary power, Elijah and Elisha, to warn them and deliver them, but the prosecution of the covenant curses does not turn them back. Now Elisha has died, and the rest of the prophets to the northern kingdom, who we will meet in their own prophetic writings a little later, pronounce harsh judgment on the king and the people of Israel. Jeroboam will be the last successful king in Israel. The question left to the author of Kings is whether the kingdom of Judah will follow Israel off the cliff.