After royal officials murdered King Joash in his bed, his son Amaziah became the king of Judah. Amaziah was twenty-five years old, headstrong, and arrogant. He quickly put to death his father’s killers, then took stock of his military might. He had three hundred thousand soldiers in Judah, and he supplemented them with one hundred thousand mercenaries hired from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

Soon, however, a man of God came to tell Amaziah that God was displeased with Israel and would not be with Amaziah as long as soldiers from Ephraim were in his army.  Amaziah didn’t want to lose his investment, but the man of God told him God could compensate him for that.

The troops from Israel were insulted and furious when Amaziah sent them home. Amaziah took the rest of his army and attacked Edom, killing twenty thousand Edomite soldiers. As long as God was with Amaziah, he was victorious.

Amaziah’s Mistake

Amaziah plundered some Edomite idols and brought them back to Jerusalem where he made sacrifices and worshiped them. God sent a prophet to Amaziah who asked, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?” 2 Chronicles 25:15

Amaziah threatened the prophet’s life, but the prophet went on to tell him that God was going to destroy Amaziah for not listening to prophetic counsel. Amaziah brushed him off and proceeded to challenge Israel’s King Jehoash to a battle.

King Jehoash warned Amaziah that Judah would be crushed if they went to war with each other.

“You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?” 2 Chronicles 25:19

God was not with Amaziah now. When Judah and Israel faced each other at Beth Shemesh, Judah was routed by Israel. Jehoash captured Amaziah, then marched on Jerusalem and tore down a big section of its walls. He plundered the temple and palace and went back to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds King Jehoash

King Jehoash’s son Jeroboam II became king in Israel. He ruled for forty-one years and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. God was not pleased with Jeroboam’s idolatry, but he used him anyway, to help Israel regain some of the territory that had been lost over the years. He sent the prophet Jonah to tell Israel that he cared about them.

“The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.” 2 Kings 14:26-27

Once again, God demonstrated that he loved people despite their rebellion and sin. He was not willing to let them be destroyed so he restored them.

King Uzziah Takes the Throne

King Amaziah’s officials opposed his worship of Edom’s idols. He fled but they pursued and killed him at Lachish. They threw his body over a horse and brought him back to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors.

His son Azariah (also known as Uzziah) was only sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years. Like his father Amaziah he was faithful at the start, so God blessed him with victories against the Philistines, Arabs and Ammonites.

Uzziah had a well-trained army and he invented new ways of doing warfare. He built towers and devised machines that hurled stones and arrows from the tops of the towers. He became famous and powerful.

Uzziah’s Downfall

Uzziah also became proud and unfaithful to God. He went to the temple to burn incense, a rite that belonged only to the ordained priests. Eighty courageous priests confronted him, but he defied them, and was ready to light the incense when God suddenly afflicted him with an outbreak of leprosy. The priests rushed him out of the temple, and he went willingly. He was lucky to still be alive.

Uzziah moved into a separate house where he lived out the rest of his days. His son Jotham became his co-regent and ruled Judah with his father.

Jonah Gets An Assignment

To the east of Israel and Judah, the Assyrian Empire was rising to its the apex of power. The Assyrians ruled with an iron fist, terrifying people with extreme cruelty. Their empire spread and swallowed up the nations around them and everyone was fearful at the mere mention of their name.

It was to the Assyrian capitol city of Nineveh that God called the prophet Jonah. Jonah was already serving God in Israel, confronting the king and comforting suffering people (2 Kings 14:23-27), but this assignment was hard to accept.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’” Jonah 1-2

This must have sounded like a death sentence to Jonah. The Assyrians would probably kill him for preaching against their great city. And if his preaching was effective, God might forgive those terrible people. Jonah had recently been a witness to God being merciful to Israel despite their idolatrous king. He knew God had a soft spot for sinners.

So Jonah ran in the opposite direction.

Jonah Repents

Jonah boarded a ship to carry him far away from Nineveh, but God caught up with him out at sea and put him into the belly of a great fish. Jonah had three days to think about God and he decided to repent for his disobedience. The worst thing he could think of was to be separated from God.

“I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple . . . When my life was ebbing away I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, Salvation comes from the Lord.’” Jonah 2:4, 7-9

Jonah was a prophet whose calling was to tell people that salvation comes from the Lord. Now that he was back on track, God told him a second time, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah 3: 2

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

It took a while to get all the way to Nineveh, but it also took three days to walk the length of it, so Jonah started by traveling as far as he could in one day, proclaiming “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4

Jonah was completely committed to this mission. There was no place to run if the Ninevites turned on him, but that didn’t stop him from preaching what God had given him to say. Remarkably, the Ninevites responded as soon as they heard the message.

“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose form his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” Jonah 3:5-6

A royal decree went out that every living thing, people and animals, should fast from food and drink and wear sackcloth.

“Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so the we will not perish.” Jonah 3:8-9

Jonah Gets Angry

When God saw Nineveh repent he relented and didn’t destroy the city. To Jonah this looked like too much easy grace. How could God forgive so much wickedness so quickly?

Jonah sat down outside the city to sulk and watch what would happen, and God kindly  raised up a leafy plant to shelter him. Then God sent a scorching wind that made the plant wither and Jonah grew faint from the heat. Anger burned inside him.

God challenged Jonah to think this through. God had sheltered Jonah with a leafy plant – even after he rebelled and ran away, and questioned God’s grace to Nineveh. God loved Jonah and gave him favor he didn’t deserve.

The book ends with God asking a question:

“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also so many animals?” Jonah 4:11

God’s store of grace was always ready to be opened toward people. They just had to ask.