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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second King's Chapter fourteen,
Speaker 1: and today we'll be reading from the Message Bible. In
Speaker 1: the second year of Jehoash, son of Jehoah Has King
Speaker 1: of Israel, Amaziah, son of joe Ash, became King of Judah.
Speaker 1: He was twenty five years old when he became king,
Speaker 1: and he reigned for twenty nine years in Jerusalem. His
Speaker 1: mother's name was Jehoedin. She was from Jerusalem. He lived
Speaker 1: the way God wanted and did the right thing, but
Speaker 1: he didn't come up to the standards of his ancestor David. Instead,
Speaker 1: he lived pretty much as his father, joe Ash had
Speaker 1: the local sex and religion, continued to stay in business
Speaker 1: with people, frequenting them. When he had the affairs of
Speaker 1: the kingdom well in hand, he executed the palace guard
Speaker 1: that had assassinated his father, the king, but he didn't
Speaker 1: kill the sons of the assassins. He was obedient to
Speaker 1: what God commanded written in the Word Revealed to Moses
Speaker 1: that parents shouldn't be executed for their children's sins, nor
Speaker 1: children for those of their parents. We each pay personally
Speaker 1: for our sins. Amaziah roundly defeated Edam in the Valley
Speaker 1: of Salt, to the tune of ten thousand dead. In
Speaker 1: another battle, he took the rock and renamed it jock Thiel,
Speaker 1: the name it still bears. One day, Amaziah sent envoys
Speaker 1: to Jehoash, son of Jehoah has the son of Jehu,
Speaker 1: King of Israel, challenging him to a fight. Come and
Speaker 1: meet with me. Dare you let's have it out face
Speaker 1: to face. Jehoash, King of Israel, replied to Amaziah, King
Speaker 1: of Judah. One day, a thistle in Lebanon sent word
Speaker 1: to a cedar in Lebanon, give your daughter to my
Speaker 1: son in marriage. But then a wild animal of Lebanon
Speaker 1: passed by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it. Just
Speaker 1: because you've defeated Edom in battle, you now think you're
Speaker 1: a big shot. Go ahead and be proud, but stay home.
Speaker 1: Why press your luck? Why bring defeat on yourself and Judah.
Speaker 1: Amaziah wouldn't take no for an answer, so jeho Ash,
Speaker 1: King of Israel, gave in and agreed to a battle
Speaker 1: between him and Amaziah, King of Judah. They met at
Speaker 1: Beth Shamesh, a town of Judah. Judah was thoroughly beaten
Speaker 1: by Israel. All their soldiers ran home in defeat. Jehoash,
Speaker 1: King of Israel, captured Amaziah, King of Judah, the son
Speaker 1: of joe Ash, the son of Ahazia, at Beth Schemesh.
Speaker 1: But jeho Ash didn't stop there. He went on to
Speaker 1: attack Jerusalem. He demolished the wall of Jerusalem all the
Speaker 1: way from the Ephrium gate to the corner gate, a
Speaker 1: stretch of about six hundred feet. He looted the gold, silver,
Speaker 1: and furnishings, anything he found that was worth taking from
Speaker 1: both the Palace and the Temple of God, and for
Speaker 1: good measure he took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Speaker 1: The rest of the life and times of jeho Ash,
Speaker 1: his significant accomplishments, and the fight with Amaziah, King of Judah,
Speaker 1: are all written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Speaker 1: Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria in the Cemetery
Speaker 1: of the Kings of Israel. His son, Jeroboam became the
Speaker 1: next king, Amaziah, son of joe Ash, King of Judah
Speaker 1: continued as king fifteen years after the death of Jehoash,
Speaker 1: son of jehoahaz king of Israel. The rest of the
Speaker 1: life and times of Amaziah is written in the Chronicles
Speaker 1: of the Kings of Judah. At the last they cooked
Speaker 1: up a plot against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he had
Speaker 1: to flee to Lakish, but they tracked him down in
Speaker 1: Lakish and killed him there. They brought him back on
Speaker 1: horseback and buried him in Jerusalem with his ancestors in
Speaker 1: the city of David. Azariah, he was only sixteen years
Speaker 1: old at the time, was the unanimous choice of the
Speaker 1: people of Judah to succeed his father Amaziah as king.
Speaker 1: Following his father's death, he rebuilt and restored Elath to Judah.
Speaker 1: In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, son of Joash, King
Speaker 1: of Judah, Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, became king of Israel
Speaker 1: in Samaria. He ruled for forty one years. As far
Speaker 1: as God was concerned, earned he lived an evil life,
Speaker 1: never deviating an inch from all the sin of Jeroboam
Speaker 1: son of Nebat, who led Israel into a life of sin.
Speaker 1: But he did restore the borders of Israel to Liebo
Speaker 1: Hamath in the far north and to the Dead Sea
Speaker 1: in the south, matching what God, the God of Israel,
Speaker 1: had pronounced through his servant Jonah, son of Ametai, the
Speaker 1: prophet from Gath Heffer. God was fully aware of the
Speaker 1: trouble in Israel its bitterly hard times. No one was exempt,
Speaker 1: whether slave or citizen, and no hope of help anywhere
Speaker 1: was in sight. But God wasn't ready to blot out
Speaker 1: the name of Israel from history, so he used Jeroboam,
Speaker 1: son of Jehoash to save them. The rest of the
Speaker 1: life and times of Jerobom, his victories in battle, and
Speaker 1: how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hammeth, which
Speaker 1: had belonged to Judah, these are all written in the
Speaker 1: Ronicles of the Kings of Israel. Jeroboam died and was
Speaker 1: buried with his ancestors in the royal Cemetery. His son
Speaker 1: Zechariah became the next king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank
Speaker 1: you for your word, and we thank you for the
Speaker 1: privilege of being able to look at it today. And Lord,
Speaker 1: as we look at this portion of scripture, we can
Speaker 1: see examples of those who loved you and sought to
Speaker 1: do your will, and those who rejected you and went
Speaker 1: their own way. Lord, this seems to be, in some
Speaker 1: respects a back and forth pattern for the kings of Israel.
Speaker 1: Some did right in your eyes and some did evil. Lord.
Speaker 1: If you intrust a position of leadership or influence to
Speaker 1: any of us, we pray Lord that we would be
Speaker 1: good stewards of that position. Lord. We pray that any
Speaker 1: aspect of leadership or influence that you entrust to us
Speaker 1: would be something that we would use to give others
Speaker 1: an example of what it means to have a changed
Speaker 1: mind and a changed heart through faith in Jesus Christ,
Speaker 1: and that our actions and that our attitudes would point
Speaker 1: to Christ. Lord, we love you, and we thank you
Speaker 1: for this day, and we commit this day to your care,
Speaker 1: and we thank you, Lord for your presence with us
Speaker 1: in it. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen,