Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 14
If God had simply handed over Israel to its enemies, they would have destroyed Israel completely. They would have killed all the people, and they would have taken the land for themselves. In the future, nobody would even remember that a nation called Israel had ever existed there.
However, that was never God’s plan.
Instead, he chose to work in the lives of Israel’s people, even when most of them chose to serve false gods. When they turned to wicked behaviour, he allowed their enemies to become strong – but he would not permit those enemies to destroy them completely. When Israel’s people turned to him in their desperate state, he acted to help them (13:4). He did not help them because they had done anything to deserve his help. Rather, he helped them for his own honour, when they did not deserve any help.
The enemies of Israel – particularly, the kings of Aram (8:12) had caused much trouble and great pain in Israel. Israel’s kings and most of its people were still following wrong religions. However, God saw how much Israel’s people were suffering. In his mercy (great kindness), he chose to rescue them.
That was the reason why God allowed northern and central Israel to become a great nation at the time of Jeroboam. God appointed Jeroboam to rescue Israel’s people from their enemies. God first declared this in the message that he gave to the prophet (holy man) Jonah (14:25). He wanted everyone to know that Jeroboam had not achieved this success by his political skills or military power. Rather, God wanted the people to know clearly that he, God, was still working in Israel.
God had not lost his power, and he still cared about Israel’s people. He still wanted them to turn to him, with grateful attitudes.
Next part: Jeroboam gains control over Damascus and Hamath (2 Kings 14:28-29)
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