Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 13:1-13  “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Mal 4:6)

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

2Ki 13:1-13  “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Mal 4:6)

[Study Aired December 1, 2022]

2Ki 13:1  In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2Ki 13:2  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
2Ki 13:3  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
2Ki 13:4  And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 
2Ki 13:5  (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 
2Ki 13:6  Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
2Ki 13:7  Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing. 
2Ki 13:8  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 
2Ki 13:9  And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead. 
2Ki 13:10  In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 
2Ki 13:11  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein. 
2Ki 13:12  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 
2Ki 13:13  And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The opening verse of this study sets the prophetic stage for the events God is going to cause in Israel. We understand that the bible does not mean what it says, rather it means what it means. So these numbers mentioned — Joash’s years ruling in Judah [23] when Jehoahaz began to reign Israel, reigning Israel for seventeen years [17] — add up to [40] signifying trials that were forthcoming for the nation of Israel who were going to be delivered into the hand of Hazael and Benhadad the son of Hazael, “all their days” for following “the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat“.

Then in the latter verses we are examining tonight, we are introduced to “Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz [who began] to reign over Israel in Samaria, sixteen years”[16] “in the thirty and seventh year of Jehoash the king of Judah” [37]. Here in 2 Kings 13:10, we see the numbers adding up to [37+16=53], a number that shows what God’s trials represent, both in this life, and what they add up to in the end [5 represents grace through faith and 3 being the process of judgment, and they work together so the new man can be formed, represented by the number 8  (5+3)].

In both kings’ lives (Jehoahaz king of Israel, and later his son Jehoash), we are shown how they “departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein” [2Ki 13:2, 2Ki 13:11].

The law working in our members trying to separate us from the one body of Christ is “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” that was also in Christ’s flesh, and the only way to abolish this law for the lawless (1Ti 1:9) in our sinful flesh is to have Christ rule over it within us (Php 2:12-13), “for to make in himself (Eph 5:30) of twain one new man (Rom 12:1, Rom 12:5), so making peace” (Eph 2:13-15).

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself [Eph 5:30] of twain one new man, so making peace; [Christ gives us the ability to live by the spirit of the law and pass from death to life (2Co 3:5-6, 1Jn 3:14, Rom 5:5, Rom 8:28, 1Jn 4:20, Col 1:27, 1Jn 5:2)]

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

That reconciliation process, twain becoming one, is the ongoing miracle which is happening in the lives of those who are being granted to die daily (1Co 15:31) and overcome and rule over this gentile flesh which has a natural enmity against the spirit of God (Gal 5:17-18, Rom 7:19-23). If we are granted that new spirit of Christ to rule over us and teach us how to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust in this life (Tit 2:11-12), we will be able to endure whatever tribulation we must go through in this life for our strengthening in the Lord (Pro 3:3-4, Act 14:22, Mar 10:30-31).

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. [Rom 7:19-21]
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [Rom 8:14]

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. [Isa 45:7, Jas 4:12]
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

In this study, we will look at how God used the nation of Syria to chasten Israel as a shadow of God’s chastening grace upon the body of Christ, who are inwardly spiritual Jews (Rom 2:28-29), and called “the Israel of God” (1Co 10:11, Gal 6:16, Gal 4:26). God’s elect are going through a redemptive process now in Christ shown in type and shadow throughout God’s word in the old covenant. The wars and rumors of wars throughout the ages witness to us how God is “bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members“, but then we cry out, if we are His children, and He delivers us by sanctifying us with the truth (Eph 5:24-26, Joh 17:17-19, Gal 3:13, Rev 14:4).

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. [Joh 8:31-32]

Gal 3:13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: [the tree represents the cursed flesh we are in that cannot inherit the kingdom of God except through Christ (Mar 8:24, 1Co 15:50)]

2Ki 13:1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

As previously mentioned, these timelines of kings and their sons, no matter how the numbers are established in the physical details documented, are for the elect’s sake to show us God’s sovereignty which causes every single detail according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11), and reveals signified events that are hidden from the world but are given to those who now have eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of their meaning (Mat 13:16, 1Pe 1:12).

It is God’s will and good pleasure to give the body of Christ the kingdom of God today (Luk 12:32), which we possess now in earnest within us (Eph 1:14, Luk 17:20), and so with these things in mind we rejoice and thank God for all that confirmation He has laid up throughout history to reassure us of our royal priesthood and high calling in Christ, which relationship causes us to become a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense as our lives become more established, strengthened and settled in Christ (1Pe 2:8-9, 1Pe 5:10, Mat 16:18).

1Pe 2:8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 
1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

In the letter which kills (2Co 3:6), people would look at these thoughts I’m expressing and say, “No, this is just a history lesson and a timeline”, which we know is true, but it is also the signified word of God (Rev 1:1) and revelation of His plan and purpose being revealed today to very few.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

These numbers therefore, which we went over in the introduction [23 + 17 = 40], set the prophetic stage for the events God is going to cause in the nation of Israel in this section of kings, and they are admonitions for the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16) telling us to put all idols of our hearts out of our life, “the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat“, which God will accomplish through Christ, if we are being received of Him today (Heb 12:6).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

2Ki 13:2  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
2Ki 13:3  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 
2Ki 13:4  And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

The pattern being shown to us with the life of King Jehoahaz of Israel identifies how we must go into Babylon to come out of her. We naturally do what is “evil in the sight of the LORD“, and following the “sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat” is what we all do until we don’t, as we are seduced to partake of the false worship within Babylon which is centered around days, months, times and years (Gal 4:9-11) which is what this idol worship that was established in Samaria by “Jeroboam the son of Nebat” is a type and shadow of 1 Kings 12:25-27.

1Ki 12:25  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
1Ki 12:26  And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 
1Ki 12:27  If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1Ki 12:28  Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 
1Ki 12:29  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 
1Ki 12:30  And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
1Ki 12:31  And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. 
1Ki 12:32  And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 
1Ki 12:33  So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

Jer 10:1  Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 
Jer 10:2  Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 
Jer 10:3  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 
Jer 10:4  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

It’s true that the true worshippers were typified as worshiping in Jerusalem, which is what the woman at the well would have understood Christ to mean when He said “salvation is of the Jews” not understanding the spiritual message yet. So Jerusalem below is a type of Jerusalem above in the positive (Joh 4:19-21).

Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

“The hour cometh” is the hope-filled promise Christ could prophesy to this woman who represents an unconverted church, of which Christ says,  “ye worship ye know not what“.

Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Keeping days, months, times and years is not worshiping God “in spirit and in truth“, and so we’re admonished to “take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise” of (Deu 12:30).

‘Jeroboam the son of Nebat’ was used by God to fulfill the prophecies of judgment spoken against Solomon’s kingdom that was full of idolatry (1Ki 11:9-13) by separating Judah and Israel into two kingdoms. Likewise, the idolatrous ways of king Jehoahaz of Israel had its roots in the “sins of Jeroboam” and is the reason why the nation of Israel eventually went into Assyrian exile (Amo 1:1, Amo 7:8-11).

Amo 1:1  The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake (see 2Ki 15:1-2 – two generations after this story we are reading tonight).

Amo 7:8  And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: 
Amo 7:9  And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. 
Amo 7:10  Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. 
Amo 7:11  For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land (2Ki 17:6).

When God’s anger is kindled against us it is for good reason, and being delivered “into the hand of Hazael king of Syria” and “into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days” expresses two (2) people (Hazael and his son Benhadad) to witness to the fact that this is what is going to happen to us at the hand of God. Yet the hope-filled end of this chastisement is brought about by Jehoahaz who “besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them” (1Co 5:5). In short, these verses are telling us that God will use whatever means necessary to humble His people to bring us to our wits’ end in order that we may be received by God with a humble and contrite heart (Heb 12:6).

1Ki 11:9  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
1Ki 11:10  And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 
1Ki 11:11  Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 
1Ki 11:12  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
1Ki 11:13  Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. 

2Ki 13:5  (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 
2Ki 13:6  Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)

Whoever that physical savior was, he represents Christ because Christ is the only one who can deliver us (Joh 8:36) “from under the hand of the Syrians“, meaning sin will not have dominion over us. Whether that remains the case “all our days” is also predestined by God, but at this point in the story we are told, “and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime“, which is a parable telling us that the Israelites were sojourners dwelling in their tentsH168 = nomad’s tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience; dwelling, home, habitation – see BDB as before, a symbol for us that this life is but a breath (temporary dwelling), and we are given rest (Eze 21:17, Act 9:31) in order to endure through this wilderness which represents our sinful flesh, to be presented to God a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1, Rev 14:13).

Eze 21:17  I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it. 

Act 9:31  Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. 

The persistence of sin is shown in these words, “Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria).” These words admonish us that there is no ‘ten-second sinner’s prayer’ in our dying daily experience of evil that we carry with us until our last breath, enduring unto the end to be saved by Christ (1Jn 1:8, Mat 24:13). God is after our hearts and makes manifest our disobedience, iniquity and vanity by these stories of old in order to turn our hearts to Him through chastening grace, trials and tribulations (Job 7:3, Psa 4:2, Jer 18:15, Psa 94:11-13, Deu 16:21-22, Eze 11:18-21).

Jer 18:15  Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; 

Psa 4:2  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasingH3577 = a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing? Selah. 

Job 7:3  So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. 

Deu 16:21  Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. [As noted in the introduction, the tree represents the cursed flesh we are in that cannot inherit the kingdom of God except through Christ (Gal 3:13)].
Deu 16:22  Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

Psa 94:11  The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. 
Psa 94:12  Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; 
Psa 94:13  That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. 

Eze 11:18  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 
Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Eze 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Eze 11:21  But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

2Ki 13:7  Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

God can take away our so-called ‘power’ (symbolized here by the diminished horsemen, chariots and footmen) and will “recompense their way upon their own heads”. In this story He uses ‘the king of Syria’ to do this (2Ki 13:7), but we must remember that He makes His strength perfect through weakness, so the numbers we read of here in verse 7 that are spoken of as “few” represent our weak and corrupt flesh which has nothing to offer God. Only through Christ is there a means to an expected end, that end being overcoming our sinful nature through Christ Who is our hope of obedience or glory within (Isa 35:3, 2Co 12:9, Jer 29:11, Psa 91:7, Col 1:27).

Isa 35:3  Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Psa 91:7  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Positively speaking, leaving a broken and humbled people of God “fifty horsemen” and “ten chariots” and “ten thousand footmen” is more than enough resources to get the complete [7] job done [50+10+10=70]. In this sense, we see the power of God at work, effortlessly crushing our enemies within and without, “and had made them like the dust by threshing” (Jos 23:10, Isa 30:17).

The mention of “the dust by threshing” is also connected to repentance where our strength in this life is found at the threshing floor where we confess our faults, our iniquities, being ground to powder (Mal 4:1, Jer 51:33), which is how we find renewed strength and zeal in our relationship with our Father and Christ and His body (2Co 7:11), after we have been cleansed and made whole in Him through the putting off of our flesh represented by these battles of Jehoahaz.

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

Jer 51:33  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 

2Ki 13:8  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 
2Ki 13:9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead. 

We are being told by these last words about Jehoahaz that his life bare record in type and shadow that he was operating in his flesh, in “his might“. He was buried in “Samaria” which means ‘watch mountain’ and has its origins in the word ‘watch station’. Christ commands us to watch and pray that we don’t fall into temptation, and He is the watchman in our lives who makes it possible for us to overcome the pride-filled mountains that have to be leveled in our lives (Pro 16:18, Php 2:3). What we are primarily watching for as watchmen of God is that we don’t enter into temptation (1Co 11:31-32, Heb 12:6), and we have the best of intentions to not let that be the case, but as we see with this king Jehoahaz and so many before him and after him, the spirit can be willing but the flesh is weak, and so we are commanded to stir up that spirit by watching and praying (Mat 26:41)

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. [The flesh is weak so we must continue to watch and pray we can have the strength we need through Christ to stand in the day of our adversity, the times we are chastened and scourged of the Lord who brings us to himself. We pray and hold each other up to that end that we may endure until the end through Christ and His Christ (Pro 24:10, Php 4:13)]

2Ki 13:10  In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 
2Ki 13:11  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.
2Ki 13:12  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
2Ki 13:13  And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

To reiterate, Joash (or Jehoash) the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, was in his 37th year of reigning at this time that Jehoash (or Joash) the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria and reigned for 16 years (2Ki 13:10). Those numbers add up to [53], a number that shows what God’s trials represent in this life, and what they add up to in the end. Grace through faith [5] and the process of judgment [3] work together so the new man can be formed, represented by the number 8 = (5+3)].

In both fathers’ lives (Jehoahaz of Israel, and Ahaziah of Judah) we are shown how they “departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein“, and how there could be no turning of “the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” in type and shadow, until Elisha is introduced into the story in the later verses which we will look at next week, Lord willing.

Judah and Israel being separated is truly akin to the head and the body being separated of Christ, if we consider that Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5), and that the church, the sons of God, is considered the Israel of God (Gal 6:16). Only the Lion of the tribe of Judah can heal this great gulf between all mankind and their Creator (Luk 16:26), and it will be accomplished by Christ and His Christ, typified by Elijah and Elisha (Mal 4:5-6, Luk 1:16-17), Elisha being the one looked at in these verses to come (2Ki 13:14-25).

Luk 16:26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: (Eph 2:13-15) so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: [Elijah a type of Christ]
Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Luk 1:16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 
Luk 1:17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 

Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Mat 11:13  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Mat 11:14  And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Mat 11:15  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

[John comes in the spirit of Elijah who typifies Christ, and Christ’s Christ comes in the spirit of Elisha with a double portion of that spirit to accomplish spiritual healing in the earth, a witness of how Christ’s body would do greater works than what Christ was purposed to do when He was in His flesh, and all unfolding to the glory of God as Christ in us, our hope of glory, turns “the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers“. ]

Other related posts