He
restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the
Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spake by
his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of
Gath-hepher. For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very
bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any
helper for Israel. 2 Kings 14:25-26
Jeroboam
II was much like his namesake because he did evil in the sight of the Lord (cf.
2 Kings 14:24) . However, we learn something from his short story: sometimes
God will bless his people in spite of their ruler. The Lord saw the affliction
of the people. The citizens of the northern kingdom were subject to poor rulers,
and because of their evil acts, the people suffered at the hands of foreign
invaders. The Lord still saw fit not to blot out the people from the earth. He
blessed them in spite of their rulers and even used Jeroboam II to recover some
land to give them some breathing room.
Not
much is said of this wicked king of Israel, but we can see the application in
our modern lives as well. We often see worldly leaders do some good things that
help mankind and, at times, the people of God. We only need to look around the
world to see what it is like when the freedom to assemble is infringed. We must
be mindful of our obligation to pray for all men, including our leaders. Paul
wrote,
I exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all
men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a
quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. 1 Tim 2:1-3
We
must pray for all our leaders regardless of if we like them or not. We should
always pray that they will be successful in righteous things and fail in
unrighteous things. We should pray for and seek opportunities to teach them the
Gospel (cf. Acts 25).
Grace
and peace,
R.D.
Beavers
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