2 Kings 14: God Who Fulfills His Word

Verses 19-20:

There was a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. He was brought back on a horse and was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.

◇ King Amaziah of Judah was killed due to a conspiracy by his officials. His father Joash had also been assassinated through a conspiracy. Both father and son, across two generations, were overthrown and killed by their subjects.

However, unlike the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where a new dynasty emerged following the assassination of a king, the Kingdom of Judah did not establish a new dynasty. Even after conspiracies and regicides, the new king was always selected from the descendants of David.

This was a different practice from that of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where the same ethnic group and culture existed. In Israel, a conspiracy and the removal of a king meant that the conspirator could become king, leading to a change of dynasty. There were 19 kings from 9 different dynasties, with 8 instances of conspiracy, each resulting in a change of dynasty.

God had promised to David that his royal throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-14). The fact that, despite conspiracies and the killing of kings, the new king was always a descendant of David is a fulfillment of God's promise.

The two individuals mentioned in chapter 14 are David in verse 3 and Jeroboam, son of Nebat, in verse 24. David was the king who founded the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and Jeroboam was the king who founded the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Both were founding kings, but they symbolize entirely different things. David was the greatest king who obeyed God's will, while Jeroboam is synonymous with a wicked king who went against God's will.

Yet, God had also appointed Jeroboam as king. God promised him a similar covenant to that of David, saying that if he obeyed all God's commands, walked in His ways, did what was right in His eyes, and kept His decrees and commands as David did, then God would build a dynasty for Jeroboam as enduring as that of David (1 Kings 11:38).

God acted according to His word to David and Solomon.

♧ We boldly approach you, God, trusting in your faithfulness. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!