Who was Jehoahaz and what kind of king was he?

Jehoahaz was the son of Jehu and became king over the northern kingdom of Israel, ruling from Samaria for seventeen years. The passage says he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight because he followed the sins of Jeroboam. That means he kept the worship of the golden calves that Jeroboam had set up, instead of leading the people back to the true worship of God. He never turned from that path, and his leadership helped keep Israel stuck in the same sin.

What were the “sins of Jeroboam” that Israel would not leave?

The “sins of Jeroboam” were mainly about false worship. Jeroboam set up golden calves for Israel to worship so people would not go to Jerusalem. This broke God’s commands about worshipping only him and not using idols. Jehoahaz and the people went on in this same pattern. They did not pull down the images or stop the false worship. Even after God showed mercy, they kept walking in those sins. The passage shows how deeply this wrong worship had taken root in the nation.

Why did God hand Israel over to Hazael and Ben-hadad of Syria?

God’s anger was stirred because Israel kept to the false worship that Jeroboam started. Instead of turning back to him, they carried on with the calves and the grove in Samaria. So God let Hazael and then Ben-hadad of Syria defeat and crush Israel. Their army was reduced to only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, which is very small for a kingdom. This judgment was not random; it was God’s answer to their long pattern of sin and refusal to give up their idols.

What does it mean that Jehoahaz “besought the Lord,” and how did God answer?

When the text says Jehoahaz “besought the Lord,” it means he cried out to God in distress because Syria was oppressing Israel badly. Instead of calling on the calves, he called on the Lord himself. God listened, not because Jehoahaz was a good man, but because God saw the misery of his people. God then gave Israel a savior, so they were freed from Syrian control and could again live in their tents in peace for a time. It shows that God hears when people call to him, even after much failure.

Who is the “saviour” God gave to Israel in this passage?

The passage says the Lord gave Israel a savior so they came out from under the hand of the Syrians and lived in their tents like before. The wording here has been taken in more than one way, but many understand this savior to be Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Later in the same chapter, Joash defeats Ben-hadad and gets back the cities that had been taken from his father. So God’s answer to Jehoahaz’s prayer likely came through the military success of his son.

If God showed mercy, why did Israel keep living in sin?

Even after God eased their suffering and raised up a savior, the people did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam. The passage says they still walked in those sins and that the grove in Samaria remained. This shows that being rescued from trouble does not always mean a real change of heart. They wanted relief from pain, but they did not want to leave their idols. It is a warning that we can enjoy God’s help yet still cling to habits and loyalties that offend him.

What does this story teach about God’s anger and mercy together?

This story holds both sides together. God is truly angry at sin, and he shows it by letting Israel be beaten down by Syria and stripped of its strength. Yet at the same time, when Jehoahaz cries out, God hears. He sees the oppression of Israel and has pity on them. He gives them a savior and some rest, even though they have not fully turned back. So we see a God who takes sin seriously, but who is also ready to hear prayer and to show kindness because of his own promise and compassion.

How does the thinning of Israel’s army help us understand the passage?

The note about only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen shows how badly Israel had been beaten. Once Israel had been a strong people, but now their forces were tiny, almost wiped out. The text says the king of Syria made them like dust by threshing, which paints a picture of being crushed and broken. This helps us feel how low they had fallen because of their sin. It also makes God’s later help stand out more, since any relief from such weakness clearly came from him.

2Kgs.13.1

2 Kings 13:1

KJV

In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

¶ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.

And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

(And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.

Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)

Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.

Cross References

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