Introduction
In this chapter, the author lets the history of seven kings pass us by at a rapid pace: beginning and ending with a king of Judah – Azariah at the beginning, verses 1-7, and Jotham at the end, verses 32-38 – and five kings of Israel in between (verses 8-31).
1 - 7 Azariah King of Judah
1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5 The LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he lived in a separate house, while Jotham the king’s son was over the household, judging the people of the land. 6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 7 And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.
The reign of Azariah is described in the usual terms, with the exception of verse 5. Azariah ruled for a long time. That indicates a certain stability in Judah. This contrasts sharply with the disorder prevailing in Israel. The five kings mentioned below succeeded each other during his reign.
The spiritual level of Azariah was like that of his father but not like that of David. Also during his life, people still brought their sacrifices to the high places. Only when Hezekiah ruled were these high places removed.
Azariah had also become unfaithful after a good start. How difficult it is to remain faithful while having a lot of power and good deeds. When he was mighty, he became proud (2Chr 26:17-21). He forgot that he owed his power to the LORD. He raised himself to a position that the LORD had not given him. He wanted to sacrifice, something he was not allowed. When he was warned, he became angry. Then he was smitten with leprosy. Azariah then had to live apart from people. That was his destiny until the day of his death. His son was in charge of the royal house.
Leprosy is a picture of sin breaking out. We also saw this with Miriam (Num 12:10) and Gehazi (2Kgs 5:27). Suddenly, others see sin revealing itself in a believer. Primal sin is pride, the sin of Satan (1Tim 3:6b) and of Adam, who both wanted to be like God. This sin is in the heart of each of us. We must remember that we are not too good for sinning (cf. Gal 6:1). We need to question ourselves about how we react when others address us.
8 - 12 Zechariah King Over Israel
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria [for] six months. 9 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him before the people and killed him, and reigned in his place. 11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 This is the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.
After the death of Jeroboam II his son Zechariah became king of Israel. He was the last king of the house of Jehu. Then the reign of the house of Jehu is over. The last king ruled only six months. Yet it was long enough to reveal himself as a king who had not departed from the sins of the first king of Israel.
His reign was so short because he was murdered after only six months. After this the kings follow each other regularly because each reigning king is murdered by his successor. The prophet Hosea spoke about it. Hosea began to prophesy in the days of Jeroboam II (Hos 1:1). In the first chapter of his prophecy the LORD spoke of punishing the house of Jehu for the bloodshed (Hos 1:4). That time had come.
That the kings succeeded each other by killing the ruling king, says Hosea sharply: “bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hos 4:2). This seems to indicate that from Hosea chapter 4 onwards, he describes the situation as it started with Shallum. The statement “they have set up kings, but not by Me; they have appointed princes, but I did not know [it]” (Hos 8:4a) seems to confirm this. They appointed kings, but without the LORD.
That Shallum, by the murder of Zechariah, fulfilled the word of the LORD (2Kgs 10:30; Amos 7:9), did not diminish his own responsibility. Here again we see the two sides: the side of man’s responsibility and the side of God’s counsel. Shallum could have said with a pious appeal to what God had said, that he had done the will of God. But it was not like that. He had acted out of his own will and must bear the punishment for his sin.
At the same time God had fulfilled His counsel through this action. The last part of verse 12 emphasizes that: “And so it was.” It happened exactly as the LORD said and not otherwise. In Hebrew they are the same words as those used in Genesis 1, always after God had spoken, and in that passage translated “and it was so” (Gen 1:7,9,11,15,24,31).
13 - 16 Shallum King Over Israel
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place. 15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open [to him]; therefore he struck [it] and ripped up all its women who were with child.
Shallum had not been in power for long, only one month. His reign was so short that he was unable to lead the people. As the only king of the five mentioned here, his name does not include the refrain that he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. When he had ruled for a one month, he was murdered by Menahem, after which Menahem himself sat on the throne.
What an anti-testimony the people present here of the LORD. As people they should have witnessed the great goodness of the LORD. Instead, they slaughter each other. It is a warning to us that we must be careful not to live dishonorably with other members of God’s people, wherever they may be.
A special atrocity is mentioned of Menahem. Because a gate had not been opened for him, he was severely offended in his pride. He was king! How dare they shut him out instead of receiving him as king with all the honor that a king is worth! He made them pay for that with extra-ordinary cruelty. He cut open the belly of all pregnant women. Menahem lacked all respect for life. This atrocity was committed here by someone who belonged to God’s people (cf. 2Kgs 8:12; Hos 13:16; Amos 1:13).
The barbaric cruelty he committed and the lack of respect for life he showed are today found in cultivated form in the abortion clinics.
17 - 22 Menahem King Over Israel
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel [and reigned] ten years in Samaria. 18 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 19 Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his rule. 20 Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not remain there in the land. 21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.
Menahem, who came to power by murder, was king over Israel for a period of ten years. During his reign, “Pul, king of Assyria” came against him. This is the first time we read of the king of Assyria in the Bible. Menahem prevented a confrontation by paying a large sum of money. He took that money away from a number of wealthy people. It is quite probable that these people became so wealthy in the time of economic prosperity under Jeroboam II. Here, however, they were obliged to cede a considerable part of their fortune to Menahem. Here we see how relative wealth is.
But Menahem did not only buy off an attack by Pul with this money. He gave so much money that he could negotiate an extra advantage. That extra advantage was getting Pul on his side. The king of Assyria was bought over as an ally, someone who would support him when facing an enemy. He sought support from someone who first had sought his downfall and in essence still did. How can anyone be so blind to the real nature of a sworn enemy? This is only possible if there is no trust in the LORD.
Remarkably enough Menahem dies a natural death. He was not killed by the next one who wanted to be king, but is succeeded by his son Pekahiah. Pekahiah was murdered again.
23 - 26 Pekahiah King Over Israel
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] two years. 24 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Pekahiah reigned two years. That relatively short period was long enough to make the refrain sound over the whole of his reign that he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. He is succeeded by the man who, by killing him, put an end to his reign. That man was Pekah, his officer.
Pekah was helped in his murder of Pekahiah by the Gileadites, a people who live on the wilderness side of the Jordan. This may be an indication that political interests played a role in the murder of this king – as may be the case with other murders of kings. We also saw these political interests when kings requested the support of neighboring peoples, sometimes of Assyria and sometimes of Egypt.
The formation of cliques within the present people of God, the church, is unfortunately also now not a strange phenomenon (1Cor 1:11-12). Cliques always bring division and dissatisfaction.
27 - 31 Pekah King Over Israel
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] twenty years. 28 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. 30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death and became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Pekah was in power for a longer period of time. He reigned over Israel for twenty years, doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD, like all the kings of Israel. In his days, Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, came against Israel and conquered a number of cities and territories. He took their inhabitants to Assyria. Thus he broke their power. He took “Gilead” away, the part of Israel on the wilderness side of the Jordan, the area of the two and a half tribes, and “Galilee, all the land of Naphtali”, that is the whole north of Israel; nothing remained of it.
Pekah not only lost a lot of territory and subjects but also his life. He was murdered by Hoshea, who became king in his place. Hoshea was a pro-Assyrian king. There was not much left for him, as king, to rule over. Only in 2 Kings 17 we find out more about king Hoshea.
32 - 38 Jotham King of Judah
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name [was] Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.
With the arrival of Jotham, the son of Uzziah or Azariah, as king of Judah, we are back in the realm of the two tribes. It is said of him, as of eight other kings who ruled after Solomon, that he did what was right in the sight of the LORD. Of those eight, Jotham was the only one of whom it is not said that he became unfaithful at a later age. He followed his father in doing well. He did not follow the evil his father did. However, the people he ruled, continued their pernicious practices (2Chr 27:1-2).
In his days Micah began to prophesy (Mic 1:1). The prophet Isaiah began his service in the last years of his father Uzziah (Isa 1:1). Isaiah described the evil deeds in detail in his book. Kings can be used by the LORD for a revival. Revivals, however, have little real and lasting results because of the fact that under the surface people’s desire for idolatry in whatever form is always present.
In the history of Israel and Judah, all went further and further downhill. In Israel, the last king, Hoshea, was ruling. In Judah it would take a while, but also for that kingdom the curtain was about to fall because of their stubborn departure from the LORD. It was the end-time of God’s people, just as in this day. Where can true love for, and faithfulness to the Lord be found? Church history is often made and written by the great men, but what did it really look like among the people? The masses often follow superficially, while only a few go into the depths.
Jotham was also interested in the temple. This is evident from the only act that was mentioned of him. It is noted of him that he “built the upper gate of the house of the LORD”.
Because of the constant unfaithfulness of the people, the LORD had to send enemies against Judah. The new enemy was “Rezin king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah”. Pekah was the king of Israel who, in an ungodly covenant with Rezin, the wicked king of Syria, stood up against his brothers. The fact that the LORD did this did not diminish the responsibility of Pekah to do this evil work.