| 2 KINGS |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page3 |
| members, he aroused the ire of those allies and threw Israel's foreign policy into disarray. 10:14 Jehu's Slaughters Jehu's bold attacks against the princes of Judah had serious consequences. To protect Israel against revenge from Judah and its friends, Jehu had to pay Assyria tribute. In fact, he is the only king of Israel whose picture has survived. A carving on an archaeological relic, the Black Obelisk, shows him paying tribute to Assyria. Although God had chosen Jehu to purge Israel, the Bible makes clear that his violence went far beyond his original assignment. God himself condemns Jehu in Hosea 1:4. 11:2 Preserving the Royal Line Queen Athaliah came within one baby of wiping out the royal line descending from King David. The prophets predicted that Jesus the Messiah would come from David's line, so in a sense the entire future of God's plan rested with the family's success in hiding Joash and returning him to the throne. 13:20 Troublesome Neighbors Moab and Aram (Syria) often make an appearance in the book of Kings. They were small kingdoms much like Judah and Israel. Sometimes they fought against Israel or Judah, and sometimes they joined together in alliances to oppose a larger threat. On the world scene, constant threats came from Egypt and Assyria. Assyria cut a huge swath through history before its empire declined. Later, Babylon became the giant of the region. 14:23 Why Doesn't Jeroboam II Get More Credit Secular historians report that Omri and Jeroboam II were the strongest kings of Israel. Under them, the nation gained new heights of power and prestige. But consistently the book of Kings gives little notice to political strength. It judges kings on the basis of spirituality, and thus both Omri and Jeroboam |
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