In the thirty
and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam
reign over Israel in Samaria six months. And he did that which was evil in
the sight of Jehovah, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Shallum
the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and
slew him, and reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 15:8-10
King Zechariah is yet another
blip on the radar of the evil kings of Israel. He did evil in the sight of
Jehovah. His short description tells us that he continued in the sins of
Jeroboam and influenced Israel to sin. Shallum saw an opportunity and disposed
of Zechariah.
While
most of this seems pretty straightforward, let us remember that no verses of
the Bible are insignificant. This marked the end of the dynasty of Jehu. In 2
Kings 10:30, the Lord promised Jehu that his sons would reign for four
generations, and thus Zechariah was number four. Jehu was not a good king; he just got rid of
the remnant of Ahab. All of his following descendants were evil (Jehoahaz,
Joash, Jeroboam II). Shallum was just another bad actor seeking his fifteen
minutes of fame. In essence, one bad guy replaced another bad guy. Thus, there
was another bad guy on the throne and, ironically, Shallum was like Jehu.
Israel
and Judah are great examples of horrible kingdoms, but this has played out in
history with many others. Remember that a new person in power is usually not
that much different from the other. We still are commanded to pray for all men,
including our leaders. Paul wrote I exhort therefore, first of all, that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all
men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a
tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity (1 Timothy 2:1-2). However,
we must remember we are citizens of a different kingdom; Christ reigns!
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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