2 Kings 14:17
Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.
Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah
Amaziah was the ninth king of Judah, succeeding his father Joash. His reign is noted for both his initial faithfulness to God and his later apostasy. He is remembered for his military campaigns, including a significant victory over the Edomites. His rule is a continuation of the Davidic line, which is significant in biblical prophecy concerning the Messiah. The Davidic covenant promised that a descendant of David would always sit on the throne, pointing ultimately to Jesus Christ.

lived for fifteen years
This period of fifteen years after the death of Jehoash marks a time of relative stability in Judah, though it was also a time of spiritual decline. The number fifteen in the Bible can symbolize rest after deliverance, as seen in Hezekiah's life (2 Kings 20:6). Amaziah's reign, however, was marred by his pride and eventual downfall, illustrating the consequences of turning away from God.

after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel
Jehoash, also known as Joash, was the king of Israel who reigned contemporaneously with Amaziah. His reign was characterized by conflict with Judah, including a significant battle where Amaziah was defeated and captured. This historical context highlights the divided kingdom era, where Israel and Judah often found themselves at odds. The division of the kingdom serves as a backdrop for understanding the need for a united kingdom under a righteous king, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Jehoash's death marks a transition in Israel's leadership, which continued to struggle with idolatry and disobedience to God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Amaziah
King of Judah, son of Joash. His reign is marked by both faithfulness and failure. He initially followed the Lord but later turned away, leading to his downfall.

2. Joash (Jehoash) of Judah
Amaziah's father, who was a king of Judah. His reign was characterized by a return to the worship of God, but he also fell into idolatry later in life.

3. Jehoash (Joash) of Israel
King of Israel, son of Jehoahaz. He was a contemporary of Amaziah and engaged in conflict with him, which resulted in Amaziah's defeat.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, where Amaziah reigned. It was often in conflict with the northern kingdom of Israel.

5. Israel
The northern kingdom, ruled by Jehoash during Amaziah's reign. The two kingdoms were frequently at odds, both politically and religiously.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience
Amaziah's life illustrates the necessity of complete obedience to God. Partial obedience can lead to spiritual and physical downfall.

Consequences of Pride
Amaziah's pride led him to challenge Jehoash, resulting in his defeat. Pride can blind us to God's will and lead to our downfall.

God's Sovereignty
Despite human failures, God's plans prevail. Amaziah's reign and its end were within God's sovereign control, reminding us to trust in His ultimate plan.

Learning from History
The accounts of kings like Amaziah serve as lessons for us to learn from past mistakes and seek God's guidance in all things.

The Danger of Idolatry
Amaziah's turn to idolatry after initial faithfulness shows the subtlety of sin and the need for vigilance in our spiritual walk.
Bible Study Questions
1. What can we learn from Amaziah's initial faithfulness and subsequent failure in our own walk with God?

2. How does the conflict between Amaziah and Jehoash illustrate the dangers of pride and self-reliance?

3. In what ways does Amaziah's account reflect the importance of complete obedience to God's commands as outlined in Deuteronomy 17:14-20?

4. How can we apply the lessons from Amaziah's life to avoid the pitfalls of idolatry in our modern context?

5. What does Amaziah's reign teach us about God's sovereignty and how should this influence our trust in Him during challenging times?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Chronicles 25
Provides a parallel account of Amaziah's reign, offering more details about his actions and the consequences of his disobedience.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Outlines the laws for kings in Israel, emphasizing the importance of obedience to God, which Amaziah failed to fully uphold.

Proverbs 16:18
Highlights the theme of pride leading to downfall, which is evident in Amaziah's life when he challenged Jehoash of Israel.
Significant Facts in God's GovernmentD. Thomas 2 Kings 14:1-29
Changes in Two ThronesJ. Orr 2 Kings 14:15-22
People
Ahaziah, Amaziah, Amittai, Azariah, David, Edomites, Hepher, Jehoaddan, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jehu, Jeroboam, Joahaz, Joash, Jonah, Nebat, Zachariah, Zechariah
Places
Beth-shemesh, Corner Gate, Damascus, Edom, Elath, Ephraim Gate, Gath-hepher, Hamath, Israel, Jerusalem, Joktheel, Lachish, Lebanon, Lebo-hamath, Samaria, Sea of the Arabah, Sela, Syria, Valley of Salt
Topics
Amaziah, Amazi'ah, Death, Fifteen, Jehoahaz, Jeho'ahaz, Jehoash, Jeho'ash, Joash, Jo'ash, Judah
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Kings 14:1-22

     5366   king

2 Kings 14:17-19

     5817   conspiracies

Library
The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire from 745 to 722 B. C.
TIGLATH-PILESER III. AND THE ORGANISATION OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM 745 to 722 B.C. FAILURE OF URARTU AND RE-CONQUEST Of SYRIA--EGYPT AGAIN UNITED UNDER ETHIOPIAN AUSPICES--PIONKHI--THE DOWNFALL OF DAMASCUS, OF BABYLON, AND OF ISRAEL. Assyria and its neighbours at the accession of Tiglath-pileser III.: progress of the Aramaeans in the basin of the Middle Tigris--Urartu and its expansion into the north of Syria--Damascus and Israel--Vengeance of Israel on Damascus--Jeroboam II.--Civilisation
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

The Girdle of the City. Nehemiah 3
The beginning of the circumference was from 'the sheep-gate.' That, we suppose, was seated on the south part, yet but little removed from that corner, which looks south-east. Within was the pool of Bethesda, famous for healings. Going forward, on the south part, was the tower Meah: and beyond that, "the tower of Hananeel": in the Chaldee paraphrast it is, 'The tower Piccus,' Zechariah 14:10; Piccus, Jeremiah 31:38.--I should suspect that to be, the Hippic tower, were not that placed on the north
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
1. When the psalmist says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield" (Psa. 84:11), he means that God is to all his creatures the source of life and blessedness, and their almighty protector; but this meaning he conveys under the figure of a sun and a shield. When, again, the apostle James says that Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath-day (Acts 15:21), he signifies the writings of Moses under the figure of his name. In these examples the figure lies in particular words. But it may be embodied
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.),
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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