Gold for the heart - 2 Kings 12-14

2Kings12

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel came to Shechem to make him king. 2 And when Jeroboam ,the son of Nebat, who was still in Egypt, heard of it, (for he fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) 3 They sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam saying, 4 Your father made our yoke grievous: now you make the grievous service of your father, his heavy yoke that he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you. 5 And he said to them, Leave for three days, then return to me. And the people departed. 6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before his father Solomon while he was still living, and said, How do you advise me to answer these people? 7 And they spoke to him saying, If you will be a servant to this people today, serve them and answer them, speaking good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.

Solomon caused heavy work schedules and taxes.
God had promised Jeroboam that he would be king over ten tribes of Israel at the death of Solomon.
Jesus is the servant king. His yoke is easy and light.

John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and went to God; 4 He rose up from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel he was wrapped in.

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and low in heart: and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Isaiah 26:12 LORD, you will ordain peace for us: for you also have worked all our works in us.

8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, that they had given him, and consulted with the young men that grew up with him, and that stood before him: 9 And he said to them, What counsel do you give that we answer this people, who have spoken to me saying, Make the yoke which your father put on us lighter? 10 And the young men that grew up with him spoke to him saying, Say this to the people that spoke to you saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us; say this to them, My little finger will be thicker than my father’s loins. 11 My father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed saying, Return to me the third day. 13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; 14 And spoke to them as the young men counseled saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

God caused Rehoboam not to listen to the people in order to fulfill His judgment and promise

15 So the king did not listen to the people because it was from the LORD, that he might fulfill his word, that the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 So when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king saying, What part do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse: To your tents, O Israel: Now see to your own house, David. So Israel went to their tents.

Judah was in the south. These people went north to their homes.

17 But the children of Israel that lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. So king Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam returned they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: none followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

Rehoboam went with the tax collector.
The people stoned the tax collector so Rehoboam ran back to Jerusalem.
God appoints kings.

Daniel 2:21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Psalm 75:6 For promotion does not come from the east, or from the west, or from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he puts down one, and sets up another.

21 And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 men that were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.

God sent His word and stopped a war

22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people saying, 24 The LORD says this, Do not go up or fight against your brothers, the children of Israel: every man return to his house; for this thing is from me. They listened to the word of the LORD, and returned home, according to the word of the LORD. 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt there; and went out from there, and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom return to the house of David: 27 If this people go up to sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.

Jeroboam didn’t believe God’s promise to Him given in 1 Kings 11:38 of a lasting dynasty if he followed the LORD and didn’t worship false gods.

28 So the king consulted, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan.

Did these two golden calves bring them up out of Egypt?

1Corinthians 8:4…we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

31 And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, that were not of the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he offered on the altar. He did this is Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 32 So he offered on the altar that he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast to the children of Israel: and he offered on the altar, and burnt incense.

God forbids idolatry for our good.
Evil copies God.
This worship led the people to eternal death.
When God gave His law to Israel it included the stoning of anyone who made an idol— Deuteronomy 17:2-5.
Dan was in the north of the territory that Jeroboam ruled.
Bethel was in the south just before crossing over into Judah, the territory ruled by Rehoboam.
God appointed the men of Levi to serve Him in worship because they had been zealous for the Lord their God.
Jeroboam did the opposite. He took people with no integrity and made them priests for his idols.
It often happens when God promotes someone that the position becomes more important than the One who gave it.
It therefore becomes a false god to that person—an idol.
Today many worship Jesus, but often a Jesus of their own making, not the Jesus of the Bible.

Exodus 20:2 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You will have no other gods but me.

Exodus 34:14 For you will worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

2 Kings 13

God warned of coming judgment against Jeroboam

1 And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD and said, O altar, altar, the LORD says this; Behold, a child will be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he will offer the priests of the high places that burn incense on you, and men’s bones will be burnt on you.

The prophet said to the altar that the priests who were doing this false worship would themselves be sacrificed on this altar of evil.
They were leading the people to eternal death.
Death would be their reward for it.
God gave Jeroboam ten of the tribes of Israel to rule over.
God promised Jeroboam that if he obeyed God and walked in His ways that God would make Jeroboam a dynasty that lasted like David’s, that is, forever (1 Kings 11, 12).
Jeroboam made two idols, golden calves. He placed one in Dan in the northernmost part of the area that Jeroboam ruled and one in the south part.

Exodus 20:3 You will have no other gods but me.

Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that is what he will reap.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

3 And he gave a sign the same day saying, This is the sign that the LORD has spoken; Behold, the altar will be torn, and the ashes on it will be poured out. 4 And when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which he had called out against the altar in Bethel, he put out his hand from the altar saying, Seize him. And his hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 5 The altar also was torn, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

God restored king Jeroboam’s hand

6 And the king said to the man of God, Entreat the face of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God asked the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 7 And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give your a reward. 8 And the man of God said to the king, If you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat food nor drink water in this place:

Eating with someone gave your approval of them.

1Corinthians 5:11… if any man that is called a brother is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; do not eat with such a one.

9 It was charged me by the word of the LORD saying, Eat no food, drink no water, nor return again by the same way that you came. 10 So he went another way, and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel. 11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his son came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken to the king, they told them to their father. 12 And their father said to them, Which way did he go? For his sons had seen what way the man of God that came from Judah went. 13 And he said to his sons, Saddle the ass for me So they saddled the ass for him: and he rode on it, 14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said to him, Are you the man of God that came from Judah? And he said, I am. 15 Then he said to him, Come home with me, and eat food. 16 And he said, I may not return with you or go in with you: neither will I eat food or drink water with you in this place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Eat no food nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.

These commands of God would safeguard the prophet against poisoning or ambush.

18 He said to him, I am a prophet also, as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD saying, Bring him back with you to your house, to eat food and drink water. But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and ate food in his house, and drank water.

In the Garden of Eden the man knew what God said but did what the woman said.
Here,the prophet knew what God said but listened to what the other prophet said.
When words are conflicting, take time to ask and then listen to God again.
The right answer is the answer that brings peace to your heart.
Listen to God only.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not lean to your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

Psalm 48:14 this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…

20 And as they sat at the table the word of the LORD came to the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried to the man of God that came from Judah, saying, The LORD says this, Because as you have disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God commanded you, 22 But came back, and have eaten food and drunk water in the place that the LORD said to you, Eat no food, and drink no water; your carcass will not come to the grave of your fathers. 23 And after he had eaten food, and after he had drunk, he saddled the ass, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he left, a lion met him by the way, and killed him: and his carcass was thrown down in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass. 25 And behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him, and killed him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke to him.

1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.

27 So he spoke to his sons saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 28 And he went and found his carcass thrown in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten the carcass, or torn the ass. 29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, laid it on the ass, and brought it back. The old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him saying, Alas my brother! 31 And after he had buried him, he spoke to his sons saying, When I am dead, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 32 For the saying that he called out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.

Amos 3:8 The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken, who can but prophesy?

33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made the lowest of the people priests of the high places again: whoever desired, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 34 This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

Remember there are only two sources: God and evil.
In the Garden of Eden, when the man and woman turned from the LORD, they were following evil.
That is the pattern.
There is no safe or unsinful middle of the road.
We are either following God or Satan.
By worshipping idols you cut off your own lineage from the earth.

Luke 11:23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that does not gather with me scatters.

2 Kings 14

1 In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah reigned. 2 He was 25 years old when he began to reign, and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father David: he did according to all things like Joash his father did. 4 However the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. 5 And as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, he executed his servants that had killed his father the king.

God has shown us how He judges.
He has given us His truth as a rule of instruction.
The books of kings give straightforward evaluations.
In Revelation 2, 3 Jesus does the same.
God lists first what they did good, then what they did wrong.

Proverbs 5:21 the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all of his goings.

Psalm 96:13 (Rejoice) before the LORD: for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth: he will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Romans 14:12 So then every one of us will give account of himself to God.

God holds each person responsible for his own deeds

6 But he did not kill the children of the murderers: according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded saying, The fathers are not to be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man will be put to death for his own sin.

Deuteronomy 24:16 The fathers will not be put to death for the children, neither will the children be put to death for the fathers: every man will be put to death for his own sin.

Psalm 9:12 When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: he does not forget the cry of the humble.

7 He killed of Edom 10,000 in the valley of salt and took Selah/the rock by war, and called the name of it Joktheel/ veneration of God to this day. 8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel saying, Come, let us face each other. 9 And Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah saying, The thorn that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon saying, Give your daughter to my son as his wife: and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thorn.

10 You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up: glory in this, and stay at home: why should you stir up trouble, that you should fall, you, and Judah with you? 11 But Amaziah would not listen. Therefore Jehoash, king of Israel, went up; and he and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

‘Come let us face each other’ was a challenge of war.
Amaziah had some success and became proud.
God warned him through Jehoash against going beyond the boundaries of God’s stated will.

Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be against us?

12 And Judah was defeated by Israel; and every man fled to their tents. 13 And Jehoash, king of Israel, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, 600 feet. 14 And he took all the gold, silver, and all the utensils that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

The wealth and treasures of the ancient world were not stored in banks but at the temples.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, his strength, and how he fought with Amaziah, king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and his son Jeroboam reigned in his place. 17 And Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19 They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there. 20 And they brought him on horses: and he was buried with his fathers at Jerusalem in the city of David.

Proverbs 20:28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upheld by mercy.

21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers. 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned 41 years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD: he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin. 25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath to the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

God sees the affliction of His people

26 For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: whether bond or free there was no helper for Israel. 27 And the LORD did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. 28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, all that he did, his strength, how he warred, and how he recovered for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, with the kings of Israel; and his son Zachariah reigned in his place.

God warned other nations that He would blot out their names from under heaven for their idolatry, and He did; but He never said that to Israel.

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old.

SUMMARY: 2 Kings 12-14

The LORD provided abundance for restoration
He sees oppression
He is gracious and has compassion on the oppressed
God holds each person accountable for his own deeds
He sees the affliction of His people