796BC -767BC – King Amaziah the 9th and a Good King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-20 and 2 Chronicles 25:1-28. King Amaziah was good in God’s sight and reigned for 29 years 796BC-767BC. He was the son of the previous King Joash.

King Jeroboam II of Israel was the contemporary king in Israel and Shalmaneser IV King of Assyria was around towards the end of King Amaziah’s reign.

While King Amaziah followed God’s ways things went well, but then he started to do his own thing.
Amaziah in Hebrew means: the strength of the Lord or strengthened by God.

Find out why he was murdered by court members in the Background Reading below.

Background Reading:

Amaziah Becomes 9th King of Judah

14:1 Amaziah, son of Judah’s king Joash, became king during the second year of the reign of Joash, son of king Joahaz of Israel, 2 at the age of 25. He reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem.

3 He practiced what the LORD considered to be right, but not like his ancestor David did. He acted as his father Joash had done, 4 except that the high places were not abolished. The people continued to offer sacrifices and to burn incense on the high places. 5 Later on, as soon as he was in firm control of his kingdom, he executed the servants who had murdered his father the king, 6 but he did not execute the children of the murderers, in keeping with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD had commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death because of their children’s sin; nor are children to die because of their fathers’ sin, for each person is to be put to death for his own sin.”

The Edomites are Defeated

7 Joash executed 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley and captured Sela in battle, renaming it Joktheel, which remains its name to this day. 8 Later, Amaziah sent couriers to Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash, grandson of king Jehu of Israel, challenging him, “Come on! Let’s fight face to face!”

9 But king Jehoash of Israel sent this message to king Amaziah of Judah: “The thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to the cedar of Lebanon: ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But just then a wild beast from Lebanon wandered by and trampled down the thorn bush. 10 You just defeated Edom and you’re arrogant. Bask in your victory and stay home. Why incite trouble so that you—yes, you!—fall, along with Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah refused to listen. So Israel’s king Jehoash and Judah’s king Amaziah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which is part of Judah. 12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and everybody fled to their own tents. 13 Then king Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s king Amaziah, the son of Jehoash and grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. He went to Jerusalem and demolished 400 cubits of the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 He confiscated all the gold and silver, all the instruments he could find in the LORD’s Temple and in the palace treasuries. He also captured some hostages and then returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 14:1—14
and

The Death of Judah’s King Amaziah

17 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 Then they brought him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
2 Kings 14:17—20
Also read 2 Chronicles 25:1-28.


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