Word of Encouragement (07/23/2024)
Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (Therefore the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly. (2 Kings 13:4-5)
The northern kingdom, Israel, underwent several regime changes through coup d’etats. This shouldn’t surprise us. When Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, foolishly listened to his young advisers and rejected the people’s request for lightening the royal demand on people, ten tribes (other than Judah and Benjamin) defected from the house of David. It formed a separate kingdom, which assumed the name, Israel. The southern kingdom from that time was known as Judah. Because God did not make any covenant with one house as the royal family of that nation (as He did with the house of David), many regime changes by way of coup d’etat took place.
The first king of the northern kingdom was Jeroboam. He feared that his people would go down to Jerusalem to worship the LORD at the temple, which might turn their hearts back to the house of David. So, he made two golden calves and placed one at Bethel and another at Dan. Then, he declared to his people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28). This became the stumbling block for all the kings of Israel. When the Bible speaks of a king walking “in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,” it means this sin of promoting this false way of worshipping YHWH. So, there was no king in the northern kingdom, who was considered to be good.
Jehoahaz was the son of Jehu, who annihilated the house of Ahab according to God’s prophecy. “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them” (v. 2). So, God used Hazael king of Syria to afflict his kingdom. Jehoahaz had enough sense to turn to God and seek the favor of the LORD. And the LORD graciously granted his request and delivered Israel (for the sake of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, v. 23). Isn’t this amazing? Jehoahaz had shown no love or loyalty to God. He came to God because he found himself at the end of the rope. Yet, God listened to him because he sought His face! We don’t even know how earnestly he sought the LORD. In Hebrew, only five words are used to describe what he did. On the other hand, eighteen words are used to describe God’s response. These accounts make us wonder how long and how persistently Jehoahaz sought the Lord.
This should encourage us to see the Lord in times of need. We may think that we have disqualified ourselves from seeking the face of the Lord on account of our many sins and prolonged backsliding But God is compassionate and gracious. And when we come in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, He will welcome us for the sake of Jesus Christ. Let us not think that our sins are greater than God’s grace in Jesus Christ.