19. JEHOAHAZ
JEHOAHAZ
"The anger of Jehovah 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 those days. And Jehoahaz besought Jehovah, and Jehovah hearkened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel.And Jehovah gave Israel a savior, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians."
During the reign of Jehu’s son Jehoahaz we come to a low point in Israel’s history. Already in Jehu’s day "Jehovah began to cut Israel short" so that they lost the territory east of the Jordan to the Syrians under Hazael (2Ki 10:32-33). Matters got even worse until Jehoahaz’s army was down to a pitiful 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 footmen. God’s Word attributes this predicament to Jehovah’s anger being kindled against Israel. Well might it be, for they still followed the sins of Jeroboam.
What to do? Archeologists have unearthed Assyrian inscriptions showing Jehu bringing tribute to Assyria, seeking help against his Syrian enemies. Scripture says nothing about this. Assyria would later overrun Israel and lead its people into captivity. God warns us in His Word, "Cursed is the man that confideth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah" (Jer 17:5). We find similar warnings again and again. Jehoahaz gives us a better example. He "besought Jehovah" and we read that "Jehovah hearkened to him." Through the psalmist Asaph He had invited, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me" (Psa 50:15). Whether Jehoahaz ever glorified Him we don’t know, but God is faithful. He heard Jehoahaz’s pleading, but more than that, He pitied His people and gave them a deliverer from the Syrian oppression. Who this was we don’t know, but thank God for the Savior we do know!