Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 13
During the first half of Joash’s rule over Judah, Jehu was the king of northern and central Israel. God had promised Jehu that, after him, four kings would come from his family. The first of those kings was Jehu’s son, Jehoahaz.
Jehoahaz became king at the same time as Joash was starting to repair the temple (the house of God in Jerusalem). People from the whole of Israel worked on the original construction of the temple. However, only the people in Judah (southern Israel) repaired it. The reason was that in northern and central Israel, the people were not obeying God’s law in Deuteronomy 12:4-14. They did not go to the temple to pray because their kings were afraid for them to go to Jerusalem.
For that reason, Jeroboam, the first king of northern and central Israel, told them to pray instead at Dan and Bethel. He made them the idols (images) of two young oxen (strong farm animals). He told them that they should pray in front of those images (1 Kings 12:26-33).
Like all the kings of northern and central Israel, Jehoahaz supported this wrong religion. That religion taught the people to neglect God’s law – and the result was that their evil deeds brought God’s anger against them.
Many people are not willing to serve God when their lives are comfortable. They start to pray only when God allows them to suffer troubles. That was what happened to Jehoahaz. God allowed the kings of Aram to have power over Israel – and they used that power cruelly (8:12). Those troubles caused Jehoahaz to start to pray for God’s help.
Next part: God sends a rescuer in answer to Jehoahaz's prayer (2 Kings 13:4-5)
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