2 Kings 11-15:7 (Joel / Jonah / Amos / Hosea)
As you’re getting ready, pick up your Bibles and turn to 2 Kings chapter 11. If you have your charts that we’ve been making available to you, pull them out. Grab a pen and mark some things on it as we trek through this series in Generations. It is going to be an awesome journey today.
We are going through part of 2 Kings, and then if you notice on your chart on the right-hand side, you’ll see Joel, Jonah, Amos, and Hosea. Those are four minor prophets—four other books in the Old Testament that we’re also going to be cruising through. You might wonder how all of this works together. It is amazing how cohesive it really is. There is an incredible story about God woven throughout all of Scripture, and something that has been hitting me deeply is what I want to share with you today.
Over the last two or three weeks, we walked through what was essentially a triplet on commitment. If I were to summarize those weeks, there was a challenge regarding our commitment to God: What does our commitment to God look like? How deep is it? Are we truly and fully committed, or just partially committed like Solomon? How wide is our commitment? Is it surrendered in every area of our life, or just particular areas like Jehu? How long is our commitment? Is it lifelong, or just for a season, as we saw in Ecclesiastes?
Today, we are going to look at the other side of the coin, which is just as vital. Have you thought lately not about how deep your commitment is to God, but how deep, wide, and long God’s commitment is to you? I think some of us have a very narrow view of how committed God really is to us, and some of us might be surprised.
As we walk through these historical chapters and these minor prophets, what streams through the entire narrative is God’s total commitment to the people He is in relationship with. No matter what Israel and Judah do, God remains committed to them. And the more I see God’s unwavering commitment to me, the more it compels me to respond with praise and a wholehearted commitment of my own.
Judah and Israel: Kings and Compromise
Let’s pick up in 2 Kings chapter 11, right where we left off. It begins not with a king of Judah, but with a queen. Her name was Athaliah.
2 Kings 11:1-3 (NASB)
When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.
Athaliah became queen when her son was killed by Jehu because of his alliance with Ahab. She seized the throne and attempted to slaughter the entire royal line of David—anyone who could pose a threat to her reign. She thought she had succeeded. But a one-year-old baby named Joash was rescued by the priest Jehoiada, who hid the child in the temple for six years. When the boy turned seven, Jehoiada crowned him king in the temple. Athaliah rushed in crying, “Treason! Treason!” but they took her out, executed her, and established Joash on the throne.
Joash ruled for forty years.
2 Kings 12:2 (NASB)
Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
In 2 Chronicles 24, we get additional detail: Joash followed God only as long as Jehoiada was alive. As soon as Jehoiada died, Joash’s faith died with him.
Have you ever seen that happen? Maybe some of us have experienced it ourselves—a borrowed faith. We think our faith is our own, but it is really just anchored to someone else: a parent, a spouse, a mentor. Jehoiada was essentially Joash’s spiritual father. Once Jehoiada was gone, Joash abandoned God, replaced Him with idols, and his life ultimately came to a tragic end.
During Joash’s reign in Judah, Jehoahaz became king over Israel in the north, ruling for seventeen years.
2 Kings 13:2-5 (NASB)
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. The LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly.
God allowed the Syrians to oppress Israel as discipline. Jehoahaz finally reached a breaking point, turned around, and sought the Lord. And God listened.
God’s primary goal is never merely to punish; His goal is repentance. Discipline is simply the vehicle to bring people back. God wants people to be as committed to Him as He is to them. He desires that relationship: Will you just trust Me? Will you turn your life back to Me? Even though the people returned to their idols shortly after, God responded the moment their king humbled himself.
There was another profound reason why God preserved them.
2 Kings 13:22-23 (NASB)
Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.
God said, I am not going to utterly destroy you. I will preserve a remnant because I made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God was saying, I am committed to you because you are My people, even when you are uncommitted to Me. That is the nature of God’s covenant loyalty.
Following Jehoahaz, Jehoash reigned in Israel for sixteen years. Around this time, Amaziah took the throne in Judah and ruled for twenty-nine years. Amaziah was a decent king up to a point. He won a major victory over Edom, but like a bully who wins a playground fight and suddenly thinks he can take on the world, Amaziah became arrogant. He challenged Jehoash of Israel to battle. Jehoash warned him, Just because you defeated Edom doesn’t mean you can run with the big boys. Stay home. But Amaziah refused to listen.
According to 2 Chronicles 25, God orchestrated Judah’s defeat because Amaziah had conquered Edom and then inexplicably brought Edom’s false gods back to worship them. God orchestrated circumstances so Amaziah would be humbled and realize he was serving powerless gods. Even through discipline, God was actively pursuing His people, calling out, Follow Me, not these worthless idols.
Then Jeroboam II became king of Israel, reigning for forty-one years.
2 Kings 14:24-27 (NASB)
He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, [which was] very bitter; for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. The LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
Israel was battered and afflicted to the brink of extinction. Yet God looked upon them with mercy. They did not deserve rescue, but God had promised not to blot out their name, so He delivered them through Jeroboam II.
Think about that: God is so committed to His people that He is willing to use an ungodly leader who has no personal regard for Him in order to preserve the people He loves. God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes and care for His own.
The Prosperity Trap and the Call of the Prophets
Meanwhile in Judah, Azariah—commonly known as Uzziah—reigned for fifty-two years. During the overlapping reigns of Jeroboam II in the north and Uzziah in the south, both nations experienced unprecedented political stability, military expansion, and economic prosperity.
From the outside, looking at their bank accounts, their fortified cities, and their peace treaties, everyone thought they were thriving. But beneath the surface, they were morally and spiritually bankrupt.
It was precisely during this era of comfort and complacency that God raised up the minor prophets. The people assumed their material wealth meant God was pleased with them. God sent prophets to say, It doesn’t matter how much you have stored up, how secure your borders are, or how nice your houses are. If you are spiritually dead and morally corrupt, you are in grave danger. You are not loving Me, and you are not loving your neighbor.
Second Chronicles provides the divine heartbeat behind every prophetic warning.
2 Chronicles 24:17-19 (NASB)
But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
Why did God send prophets? Not to say, I’m finished with you; three strikes and you’re out. He sent them to bring the people back. God was essentially saying, Will you please return to Me? I refuse to simply let you go.
When they refused to listen to words, God determined to use circumstances. He was willing to walk with them through foreign captivity, through the fire and back, because He had a redeeming plan for the other side. We can walk with Him the easy way through humble repentance, or the hard way through refining discipline. But one way or another, God remains committed to completing His work in us.
The Minor Prophets: God’s Relentless Pursuit
This brings us to the messages of the minor prophets.
Joel was likely one of the earliest of these voices, ministering in Judah. In Joel chapter 1, he issues an urgent call to repentance. In chapter 2, he describes a coming refinement known as “the Day of the Lord”—a profound, consuming fire that purges away all impurity.
Joel 2:11-13 (NASB)
The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? ‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.
God’s heart is not to bring ruin; His heart is to restore relationship. He tells them to rend their hearts, not just their garments. He does not want outward religious performance; He wants genuine inward surrender.
Joel 2:32 (NASB)
’And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
Right in the center of the prophetic warning stands this glorious promise: whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God desires that life-giving connection with anyone who turns to Him.
We see the boundless reach of this mercy in the book of Jonah. God called Jonah during the reign of Jeroboam II to preach to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria—Israel’s brutal enemy. Jonah ran away because he understood God’s character. He knew God was gracious, slow to anger, and eager to relent from disaster. Jonah didn’t want Nineveh to be spared.
In Jonah’s story, there are two parallel tracks. With Jonah, God was asking for obedience: We can do this the easy way, or the hard way in the belly of a great fish. Jonah chose the hard way. With the pagan Ninevites, God offered the same invitation, and they chose the easy way—they repented immediately. In both instances, God’s objective was not destruction, but heart obedience and reconciliation.
Then we come to Amos, a shepherd and rancher from Tekoa whom God sent north to Israel. Amos spoke using vivid, earthy metaphors. He begins by declaring judgment on all the surrounding nations for their repeated transgressions, and Israel undoubtedly cheered. But then Amos turned the mirror directly toward Judah and Israel.
Amos 5:14-15 (NASB)
Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
God was not interested in superficial religion. The people were attending their assemblies, presenting sacrifices, and singing songs, but their everyday lives were full of injustice and greed.
Amos 5:21-24 (NASB)
’I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. ’Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept [them]; And I will not [even] look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. ’Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. ’But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
God makes it clear: I do not want your empty Sunday routines while your weekday lives remain unrighteous. Let justice and righteousness define who you are. God was going to refine them until their worship matched their lives.
Finally, the prophet Hosea provides what is perhaps the most gut-wrenching picture of God’s covenant love in all of Scripture. God commanded Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him, mirroring God’s relationship with Israel.
When Hosea’s wife deserted him and fell into ruin, God commanded him to go, find her, and buy her back. God was saying to Israel, You have abandoned Me for other lovers, but I am your Husband. I will not walk away. I am so fiercely committed to you that I will redeem you even when you have completely disqualified yourself.
Hosea 5:15 (NASB)
I will go away [and] return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
God allows seasons of distress so that we will acknowledge our need, seek His face, and return home.
Understanding God’s Heart in Our Hard Seasons
What should we take away from these passages today?
First, we must understand why we experience refining seasons and difficult trials. While people walk through hardship for different reasons, God’s ultimate objective is always the same: drawing us to trust Him.
For those who do not yet have a relationship with God, He often permits distress to reveal their need for a Savior, inviting them to trust Him for the very first time.
For those who once walked closely with God but have drifted away into compromise, He disciplines us in love to bring us back to righteousness, just as a loving parent guides a child.
Hebrews 12:5-6 (NASB)
and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.’
For others who are walking faithfully yet facing immense pain, God is not punishing you; He is refining you. Refining burns away self-reliance so that your faith becomes purer and stronger. Growth can be painful, but God allows the fire because He loves you too much to leave you immature.
Whether He is calling you to trust Him for the first time, to return to Him in repentance, or to deepen your faith through refinement, God is totally committed to your spiritual good.
The Unwavering Faithfulness of God
Lastly, you might sometimes hear people say, “Just give God a try! Try Jesus for thirty days and see how it goes.” But Scripture paints a very different picture.
You ought to think long and hard before entering a relationship with God. Not simply because of the weight of your commitment to Him, but because of the staggering weight of His commitment to you.
If you approach God casually, understand that He will never treat you casually. God does not do half-hearted relationships. He is all in. When you step into a covenant with Him, He will not leave you alone. When we wander off and say, God, just let me do my own thing, He says, I love you too much to let you destroy yourself. We started this journey, and I am going to see it through to the end.
Deep down, isn’t that the exact kind of love you long for? A relationship where the other party will never abandon you, walk away, or give up on you, no matter what? That is the relentless, covenant love God offers you today. He will walk with you through every valley, refine you through every trial, and hold you secure forever.
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for the powerful testimony of these Scriptures and the voices of the prophets. We have spent time examining our commitment to You, but today we stand in awe of Your unshakable commitment to us.
It is both humbling and sobering to realize that You will never give up on us, and that You will do whatever it takes to lead us into holiness and life. Thank You for Your patience. Thank You for Your refining fire. Thank You that even when we are faithless, You remain faithful. Draw our hearts back to You today in wholehearted trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.