Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14)

The seven verses dedicated to Jeroboam of Israel are interesting. Some of it seems contradictory. Jeroboam is said to do what is wrong in the eyes of God. Why? Because he expects the people to worship the Calves set up at Dan and Beersheba to keep people from having to cross the border and worship in the temple. These calves were supposed to represent the same God. But of course the ten commandments forbid the worship of any image, even one that is supposed to represent God. God is not like any image. He is spirit. No image can do him justice. It is misleading. God knew it would lead to bad things.

We know from archaeology that it lead to syncretic borrowing from surrounding cultures. For example at times God is seems to have a female consort. So making God into any image causes comparisons with the surrounding gods and can lead them into sin.

So Jeroboam is seen as doing what is wrong in God's eyes. But the rest of it shows many good things Jeroboam did and even concludes by saying God was in it, showing mercy to the land of Israel through Jeroboam.

Jeroboam repairs a wall, that I do not truly understand. Was it ever mentioned before? It is mentioned that Jonah son of Amittai spoke of this in prophesy. That is the same Jonah that a book is written about. Here he looks better than in that book.

we find that God still loves Israel despite their wrong headed worship. "The Lord has made no threat to blot out the name of Israel." He has punished them, allowed them to suffer. But that was to correct them, not to destroy them.

Jeroboam's acts are summarized in verse 28. He seems to have been very active and very successful. What does it mean that he recovered Damascus and Hammath? Many translations say that he recovered them for Judah. Some say he recovered them from Judah. Some find a middle ground construction.

But Jeroboam was blessed by God despite the first sentence in 24 that he did not give of the practices of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who first separated Israel from the combined kingdom under David and Solomon. There is much grace in that.