Lives of Scripture

Jehoahaz became king of Israel after his father Jehu died, reigning seventeen years from Samaria (2 Kings 13:1). Like every king of the northern kingdom before him, "he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat... he did not turn from them" (13:2). Because of this persistent idolatry, God's anger burned against Israel, and He repeatedly handed the nation over to Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad, who oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz's reign (13:3). In the midst of that oppression, Jehoahaz did something notable: he "entreated the favor of the LORD," and the LORD listened, because He saw how severely the king of Aram was crushing Israel (13:4). God responded by raising up an unnamed deliverer who rescued Israel from Aram's grip, allowing the people to live in their homes again as before (13:5). Yet the reprieve produced no lasting change of heart -- the people continued in the sins of Jeroboam's house, and the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria (13:6). By the time Jehoahaz died, Aram's earlier campaigns had ground his army down to almost nothing: fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers (13:7). He was buried in Samaria, and his son Joash succeeded him (13:8-9).