Topical Bible: Conspiracy: People in Jerusalem, Against Amaziah

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The conspiracy against Amaziah, King of Judah, is a significant event recorded in the biblical narrative, illustrating the political instability and the spiritual decline that characterized the period of the divided monarchy. Amaziah, the son of Joash, reigned as the king of Judah following his father's assassination. His reign is chronicled in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25, where his actions and the subsequent conspiracy against him are detailed.

Amaziah began his reign with a commitment to righteousness, as noted in 2 Kings 14:3 : "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like his father David. He did everything as his father Joash had done." However, his adherence to the ways of the Lord was not wholehearted, as he failed to remove the high places, allowing the people to continue their sacrifices and incense offerings there.

A pivotal moment in Amaziah's reign was his decision to wage war against Edom. He achieved a significant victory, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 25:11-12 : "Amaziah strengthened his position and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down ten thousand Edomites. The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, carried them to the top of a cliff, and threw them down so that they were all dashed to pieces." Despite this military success, Amaziah's subsequent actions sowed the seeds of his downfall.

After his victory over Edom, Amaziah brought back the gods of the Edomites and set them up as his own gods, bowing down to them and burning sacrifices to them. This idolatry provoked the anger of the Lord, leading to a prophetic rebuke. 2 Chronicles 25:15 states: "Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him, who said, 'Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver their own people from your hand?'"

Amaziah's pride and idolatry led him to challenge Jehoash, king of Israel, to battle. This ill-advised confrontation resulted in a humiliating defeat for Judah, as recorded in 2 Kings 14:12-14 : "And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his home. Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, a section of four hundred cubits."

The defeat and subsequent humiliation weakened Amaziah's standing among his people, setting the stage for the conspiracy against him. The biblical account in 2 Kings 14:19 succinctly notes the culmination of this conspiracy: "And they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there." This conspiracy reflects the broader theme of divine retribution and the consequences of turning away from the covenantal obligations to the Lord.

Amaziah's assassination underscores the volatile nature of the Judean monarchy during this period, where political and spiritual failures often led to violent power struggles. His death also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride, idolatry, and the failure to fully commit to the ways of the Lord, as emphasized throughout the biblical narrative.

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2 Kings 14:19
Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
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Library

How Amaziah Made an Expedition against the Edomites and Amalekites ...
... Now these things happened to the people of Jerusalem in the fourteenth year of the
reign of Amaziah, who after this had a conspiracy made against him by his ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 how amaziah made.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... The Nations Round About; And How Simon Beat The People Of Tyre ... CHAPTER 8. How Ten
Men Of The Citizens [Of Jerusalem] Made A Conspiracy Against Herod, For ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/

The Book of Enoch
... where the angels made their impious conspiracy, and on ... the time of the destruction
of Jerusalem the Lord ... continue to oppress the chosen people till overcome by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of enoch.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... ornamented erections like those at Jerusalem, which seem to ... taken by Nathan in the
conspiracy which raised ... but addressed themselves to the people, pointed out ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm