The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 5 · Section 19 · Concurrent kings · Isreal · Jeroboam 2 – Pekahiah
JEroboam the ſecond (the third of the race of Jehu) reigned forty one years (to wit fourteen years and upwards with Amaziah, The 13th. King of Iſrael, JEROBOAM the ſecond.and twenty ſeven in the days of Ʋzziah) he did evil in the ſight of the Lord, and followed the Idolatry of Jeroboam the firſt, the Son of Nebat. 2 King. 14.23, 24.
In his days thoſe three eminent Prophets Jonah, Hoſea and Amos Propheſied, God ſending to Iſrael extraordinary Prophets, and more in number than he did to the Kingdom of Judah, intending by them to ſupply the defect and want of the ordinary Prieſts and Levites. Jonah The Propheſie of JONAH.was of Gath-Hepher, a Town in the Tribe of Zebulun in Galilee of the Gentiles, Iſa. 9.1. which confutes that of the Phariſees to Nicodemus, [Joh. 7.52.] who ſaid that out of Galilee aroſe no Prophet. This Prophet when the Syrians ſorely oppreſſed Iſrael foretold that Jeroboam, Joaſh's Son, ſhould deliver Iſrael out of their hands, and avenge the wrongs they had done them. We read not indeed before of any ſuch Propheſie, but hence it is certain that there was ſuch an one, and it might be in the days of Jehoahaz, when in his trouble he prayed unto the Lord and the Lord heard him, Ch. 13.3, 4. Jeroboam accordingly recovered all the land of the two Tribes and half beyond Jordan, taken by the Syrians, even from Hamath a City near Damaſcus (which was the Northern entrance into Canaan) to the Sea of the Plain, or Dead-Sea in the South, and alſo ſo far prevailed againſt them that he recovered from them Damaſcus and Hamath (which formerly belonged to Judah, and joined them to his own Kingdom, ſee 2 Sam. 8.6. 2 Chron. 8.3.) for the Lord ſaw the affliction of Iſrael which in the days of Jehoahaz (not long before this) was very bitter, for at that time none were ſafe, whether ſhut up in a place of defence, or left abroad, neither could the King of Iſrael or any of his Princes help them againſt their enemies, nor could they get any foreign ſuccour. And the Lord had not as yet determin'd to blot out the name of Iſrael from under heaven, nor utterly to deſtroy them from being a Kingdom (though afterwards he did ſo determine, they going on in their ſins) and therefore for the preſent he ſaved them by the hand of Jeroboam. 2 King. 14. from 25, to 29. The Iſraelites continuing (as it ſeems) impenitent under the preaching of Jonah, the Lord ſent him to Nineveh the Metropolis and chief City of the Aſſyrian Empire to cry againſt it for its great wickedneſs. But being afraid to go, he fled to Joppa and there taking ſhip intended to go to Tarſhiſh in Cilicia (the clean contrary way) but he was followed with a tempeſt, and being thrown overboard was ſwallowed up by a Whale; he continued in the Whales belly three days, and three nights, which was a reſemblance of Chriſts lying in the grave, and to that end thrice alluded unto, and alledged by our Saviour himſelf, Mat. 12.40. & Ch. 16.4. Luk. 11.29.*Not that the correspondence is in all points exact and abſolute, either for the ſpace of three whole days, or three whole nights; but this of Jonas was the fitteſt and neareſt ſhadow of Chriſts lying in the grave that the Scripture did afford. Being miraculouſly kept alive in the Whales belly he prayeth earneſtly to the Lord to have pity upon him, and ſo the Whale vomited him out upon the dry land. Being ſent a ſecond time to Nineveh, he obeys, and going thither, He cried, Forty days and Nineveh ſhall be deſtroyed. This threatning implied a condition, viz. if they did not repent in that time †Intelligenda eſt haec comminatio rebus ſic manentibus. Deum autem miſerturum ſi reſipiſcerent.. And they repenting God ſpared the City for that time, and juſtified his ſparing of them againſt the angry Prophets repining at it. And this is the ſum of the Hiſtory of Jonab, but there is no Propheſie of his left, either againſt Iſrael or Judah.
Another eminent Prophet whom the Lord raiſed up at that time was HOSEA, The Propheſie of HOSEA.he Propheſied very many years, (ſome think about ſeventy) in the days of four Kings of Judah, viz. from Ʋzziah to Hezekiah, and of ſeven Kings of Iſrael, viz. from this Jeroboam the ſecond to Hoſhea. He threatens the ruin and deſolation of this Kingdom of Iſrael, though it was now in its higheſt flouriſh under Jeroboam, the moſt proſperous and victorious King that ever reigned over the Ten Tribes; which ruin he himſelf lived to ſee, continuing in his Prophetick function to the reign of Hezekiah, in the ſixth year of whoſe reign the Kingdom of Iſrael came to its final end. He is ſent principally to Iſrael, yet hath a word of Propheſie to Judah alſo. This Prophet delivers his Propheſie, 1. In types and figurative repreſentations in his three firſt Chapters: 2. In plain and expreſs terms in which he charges them with their heinous Idolatry, and other horrible iniquities againſt both Tables, whereof all conditions among them were guilty. He threatens judgments, exhorts them to repent, promiſes mercies to the penitent. All theſe are intermix'd and gone over and over again in the reſidue of the Propheſie.
A third eminent Prophet whom the Lord raiſed up at the ſame time was AMOS The Propheſie of AMOS.ſent principally to the people of Iſrael. He was an Herdſman, and taken from following his herd in Judea, and ſent to Propheſie to the people of Iſrael, Amos 1.1. The words of Amos who was among the herdſmen of Tekoa. And Chap. 7.14. Then anſwered Amos and ſaid to Amaziah, I was no Prophet nor Prophets Son, but I was an herdſman, and a gatherer of Sycamore fruits. And the Lord took me as I followed the flock and ſaid unto me, Go propheſie unto my people Iſrael. Amaziah the Prieſt of Bethel would have ſtirred up Jeroboam againſt him for Prophecying againſt his houſe, Amos 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: For he ſaith, Jeroboam ſhall die by the ſword, and Iſrael ſhall ſurely be led away captive out of their own land. Alſo Amaziah ſaid unto Amos, O thou Seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and propheſie there. Amos being thus ill uſed by him, pronounceth a heavy judgment from the Lord upon him, ver. 17. Thy wife ſhall play the whore, and thy ſons and daughters ſhall fall by the ſword, and thou ſhalt die in a polluted land, (viz. that of Aſſyria) when Iſrael ſhall be carried away captive out of her own land.
Amos began to Propheſie two years before the Earthquake, and foretold it before it came, which happened (as 'tis thought) about two years before Jeroboam's death. He Propheſied againſt ſix Nations beſides Iſrael and Judah: Firſt, he declares Gods judgments againſt the neighbour Nations (that were enemies to the Jews) viz. 1. Damaſcus, 2. Gaza, and other adjacent places of the Philiſtines. 3. Tyre. 4. Edom. 5. Ammon. 6. Moab. Then he threatens the Jews for their ſins, ſpeaking ſometimes to Judah, but principally to Iſrael, againſt whom he Propheſies firſt in plain terms, ſecondly in types and viſions. Firſt in plain terms he threatneth them for their ingratitude and idolatry, Ch. 3. Their violence and incorrigibleneſs, Ch. 4. Their injuſtice and oppreſſion of the poor, their ſlighting Gods threatnings, and their hypocritical worſhip, Chap. 5. Their putting off the evil day, and their wanton voluptuouſneſs, Ch. 6. Then his threatnings are delivered in viſions and types: 1. Of graſhoppers and locuſts, ſignifying famine: 2ly, Of fire devouring the great deep, ſignifying war. 3ly, Of a plum-line ſignifying the overthrow of the Kingdom and of the Kings houſe, and that the Lord would deal with them according to the ſtrict rule of juſtice, and not in mercy as he had formerly done; and he further denounces particular judgments againſt Amaziah the Prieſt and his family who accuſed him of conſpiracy (of which we have ſpoken before) Ch. 7. 4ly, Of a basket of Summer-fruits, repreſenting the ripeneſs of their ſins, and of Gods judgments *Poenae tempue maturum ſignificat, & finem, i. e. ultimam vindictam inſtare. Significat populum qui velut fructus terrae eſt ab ea terra velut ab arbore auferendum.. 5ly, Of ſmiting the lintel of the door of the Temple, till the poſts upholding it did ſhake, ſignifying not only the deſtruction of the Temple, but the cutting off of great and ſmall of the people. Laſtly he ſweetens and moderates theſe ſevere and hard Propheſies with a twofold promiſe: 1. That God would ſpare a remnant in the midſt of theſe calamities though he deſtroyed the prophane body of the Nation. 2. That in due time he would recollect and reſtore the Church of Iſrael, and would raiſe up a Goſpel-Church from among them under Chriſt, which he would enlarge by the addition of the believing Gentiles to it. Jeroboam now dies and is buried with his predeceſſors, 2 King. 14.28, 29. After Jeroboam's death (under whom that Kingdom came to its full height of glory) all things declined, and thoſe tumults aroſe which were the forerunners of the deſtruction not only of Jeroboams own houſe, but alſo of the whole Kingdom, as was foretold in Chap. 7, 8. of Amos. In which troubled and tempeſtuous ſtate of things they fell into a plain Anarchy which laſted about eleven years and an half. For if we compare the times of theſe two Kingdoms together, we muſt be forc'd to grant ſuch an Interregnum or vacancy of a King in the land of Iſrael, that the ſix months of Zachariah the Son of Jeroboam *For Jeroboam reigned 29 years in the days of Uzziah, then add eleven years of vacancy till Zachariah began to reign, and it will fall in with the 38 of Uzziah., may fall even with the thirty eighth year, and the one month of Shallum †In the ſpace of one year, viz. from 38 to the end of the 39 of Uzziah there were four Kings in Iſrael, Jer…boam, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem., (who ſlew him) with the thirty ninth year of Ʋzziah King of Iudah, according to what we find recorded, 2 King. 15.8. In the thirty eighth year of Azariah King of Iudah, did Zachariah the Son of Ieroboam reign over Iſrael in Samaria ſix months, and v. 13. Shallum the Son of Iabeſh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Ʋzziah King of Iudah, and he reigned a full month in Samaria. The occaſion of this Interregnum or vacancy *To this time Hoſea ſeems to point, Hoſ. 10.3. For now they ſhall ſay we have no King becauſe we feared not the Lord, what then ſhould a King do to us?might poſſibly be the great diſſentions and diviſions in Iſrael upon the death of Ieroboam, or ſome miſlike of Zachariah his Son that was to ſucceed him.
THE Subjects of the Kingdom of Iſrael being wearied out (as it ſeems) with their diſſentions, at laſt ſetled Zachariah The 14th. King of Iſrael, ZACHARIAH.the Son of Ieroboam (the fourth and laſt of the race of Iehu, in his Fathers Throne as God had promiſed, 2 King. 10.30.) after eleven years vacancy, as has been ſhewed before. He did that which was evil in the ſight of the Lord, and departed not from the Idolatry of Ieroboam who made Iſrael to ſin, and reigned only ſix months.
At the end of thoſe ſix months Shallum who was (as it ſeems) ſome great Commander in the Army (ſuch an one as Omri, 1 King. 16.16.) firſt ſecretly conſpired againſt him, but then having got many to ſide with him he ſlew him openly and publickly in the very ſight of the people, they not at all oppoſing it, or endeavouring to hinder it. After whoſe death followed thoſe direful calamities, which were foretold by Amos, Ch. 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. And thus Jehu's race ended. In the continuance of it ſo long we may obſerve how the Lord was pleaſed to intermix juſtice and mercy. Firſt juſtice in cutting Iſrael ſhort even in Jehu's time, 2 King. 10.32. and in delivering them into the hands of the King of Syria in Jehoahaz time, Ch. 13.3. 2ly, Mercy in making Jeboaſh and Jeroboam Saviours and Deliverers to them, Ch. 13.15.
2 King. 15. from v. 8, to 13.
SHALLƲM having by the murther of Zachariah got the Kingdom, he held it but one month; The 15th. King of Iſrael, SHALLUM.for Menahem going from Tirzah to Samaria, ſlew him there, and reigned in his ſtead.
2 King. 15. from 13, to 16.
MENAHEM The 16th King of Iſrael, MENAHEM.having gotten the Kingdom held it ten years, God ſuffering him to continue ſo long that he might be a ſcourge to that rebellious people. He did that which was evil in the ſight of the Lord. In the beginning of his reign (as it ſeems) coming to Tipſah, not far from Tirzah in the Tribe of Ephraim, the City refuſed to acknowledg him for their King, and would not open their Gates to receive him. Whereupon being highly enraged againſt them like a cruel Tyrant (to terrifie other Cities from following their example) he ſmote not only that City, but all the coaſts about it, deſtroying the inhabitants and exerciſing all kind of cruelty, inſomuch that he ript up the very women with child. To ſuch monſtrous barbarity does wrath mixt with ſcorn and diſdain ſometimes tranſport wicked men.
While he was tugging in thoſe broils to hold the Kingdom, God ſtirred up the ſpirit of Pul King of Aſſyria (1 Chron. 5.26.) to invade the Kingdom of Iſrael. This Pul ſeemeth to have been the ſelf-fame man who was brought to repentance by the Preaching of Jonah; ſo that here the men of Nineveh may ſeem to have riſen up in judgment againſt this Nation. If it were ſo, God now raiſed up a repenting heathen to take vengeance on unrepenting Iſrael. Menahem being unable to reſiſt Pul, he purchaſed his peace with him, and gave him a thouſand talents of ſilver to ſettle and confirm him in his Kingdom; whereunto ſome refer that of Hoſ. 5.13. When Ephraim ſaw his ſickneſs, and Judah ſaw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Aſſyrian and ſent to King Jareb, yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. This great ſum of money Menahem exacted of all the mighty men of wealth in the land, of each man fifty ſhekels of ſilver, and ſo the King of Aſſyria turned back from him.
He now dies and Pekahiah his Son reigns in his ſtead.
2 King. 15. from 16, to 23.
PEKAHIAH began to reign in the fiftieth year of Ʋzziah King of Judah, and reigned two years, The 17th. King of Iſrael, PEKAHIAH.and did evil in the ſight of the Lord. Pekah the Son of Remaliah a Captain of his conſpired againſt him, and ſlew him in Samaria in his own Palace, Argoh and Arieh and fifty Gileadites aſſiſting him therein.
1 King. 15. from 23, to 27.