Jehovah gifted
2 Kings 13:10-25; 14:8-16
Contemporary Prophets: Jonah (?)
A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. Prov. 12:3
“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” (2 Kings 13:10). It is evident from a comparison of the figures of this verse with those given in verse 1 of the same chapter, and 14:1, that Joash (Jehoash, abbreviated) reigned jointly with his father during the last two years of the latter’s life. This was not an uncommon custom in ancient times and readily explains an otherwise inexplicable chronological difficulty. It is quite likely that the seeming discrepancies of chronology in Scripture (those most difficult to solve) could be as simply and as satisfactorily explained. There may, of course, be a few which owe their origin to errors of transcription.
“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 to sin: but he walked therein.” Josephus called him a “good man” (Antiquities 9.8.6). This misjudgment of the character of Joash is probably based on the incident of his visit to the dying prophet Elisha (2 Kings 13:14-19). A little exhibition of religious, or even semi-religious, sentiment goes a long way with some persons in accounting people “good.” Or Josephus may have been referring to the latter period of Joash’s reign. It has been supposed by some that Joash reformed or repented toward the end of his life (perhaps founded partly on his mild treatment of Amaziah, when he had it in his power to take that combative meddler’s life-see AMAZIAH in Kings of Judah). But the words, “He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam,” forbid all thought of any real or lasting repentance at any period of his life. God is more anxious to record, than any of His people are to read, any good in any of these monarchs’ lives. He has noted none in Joash’s; and where He is silent, who will dare to speak?
The episode of Joash’s visit to the dying prophet is simple to understand. Joash could not but realize that the prophet’s departure from them would be a serious loss to the nation. In calling him “the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof,” he meant that the prophet’s presence in their midst was to them what chariots and horsemen were to other nations-their main defense. And by placing his dying hands on those of the king, Elisha meant him to understand the truth of what God said more than three hundred years later, through the prophet Zechariah, “Not by might [or forces, or army], nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). “Without me, ye can do nothing,” this would be in New Testament phraseology. The shooting of the arrow eastward, toward the territory conquered by Syria, signified Joash’s victory over Ben-hadad’s forces at Aphek (“on the road from Syria to Israel in the level plain east of Jordan; a common field of battles with Syria”—Fausset) (see 1 Kings 20:26). Only Joash’s lack of faith, manifested in his halfhearted smiting the ground with arrows just three times, prevented his destroying the Syrians utterly. And it was unto him according to his faith. “And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel” (2 Kings 13:25, italics added).
Like Asa, he had the opportunity given him to end the power of Syria (2 Chron. 16:7), which from its beginning had been such a plague to both Judah and Israel. But, like Asa, he let it pass, and the work was left to the Assyrian, who destroyed both it (Syria) and them (Israel and Judah).
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? And Joash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead (2 Kings 14:15-16).