2Ki 15:12 | KingComments | STEP | After the death of Jeroboam II his son Zechariah became king of Israel. He was the last king of the house of Jehu. Then the reign of the house of Jehu is over. The last king ruled only six months. Yet it was long enough to reveal himself as a king who had not departed from the sins of the first king of Israel. His reign was so short because he was murdered after only six months. After this the kings follow each other regularly because each reigning king is murdered by his successor. The prophet Hosea spoke about it. Hosea began to prophesy in the days of Jeroboam II ( ). In the first chapter of his prophecy the LORD spoke of punishing the house of Jehu for the bloodshed ( ). That time had come. That the kings succeeded each other by killing the ruling king, says Hosea sharply: “bloodshed follows bloodshed” ( ). This seems to indicate that from Hosea chapter 4 onwards, he describes the situation as it started with Shallum. The statement “they have set up kings, but not by Me; they have appointed princes, but I did not know [it]” ( ) seems to confirm this. They appointed kings, but without the LORD. That Shallum, by the murder of Zechariah, fulfilled the word of the LORD ( ; ), did not diminish his own responsibility. Here again we see the two sides: the side of man’s responsibility and the side of God’s counsel. Shallum could have said with a pious appeal to what God had said, that he had done the will of God. But it was not like that. He had acted out of his own will and must bear the punishment for his sin. At the same time God had fulfilled His counsel through this action. The last part of emphasizes that: “And so it was.” It happened exactly as the LORD said and not otherwise. In Hebrew they are the same words as those used in Genesis 1, always after God had spoken, and in that passage translated “and it was so” ( ).

‏ 2 Kings 15:12

Zechariah King Over Israel

After the death of Jeroboam II his son Zechariah became king of Israel. He was the last king of the house of Jehu. Then the reign of the house of Jehu is over. The last king ruled only six months. Yet it was long enough to reveal himself as a king who had not departed from the sins of the first king of Israel.

His reign was so short because he was murdered after only six months. After this the kings follow each other regularly because each reigning king is murdered by his successor. The prophet Hosea spoke about it. Hosea began to prophesy in the days of Jeroboam II (Hos 1:1). In the first chapter of his prophecy the LORD spoke of punishing the house of Jehu for the bloodshed (Hos 1:4). That time had come.

That the kings succeeded each other by killing the ruling king, says Hosea sharply: “bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hos 4:2). This seems to indicate that from Hosea chapter 4 onwards, he describes the situation as it started with Shallum. The statement “they have set up kings, but not by Me; they have appointed princes, but I did not know [it]” (Hos 8:4a) seems to confirm this. They appointed kings, but without the LORD.

That Shallum, by the murder of Zechariah, fulfilled the word of the LORD (2Kgs 10:30; Amos 7:9), did not diminish his own responsibility. Here again we see the two sides: the side of man’s responsibility and the side of God’s counsel. Shallum could have said with a pious appeal to what God had said, that he had done the will of God. But it was not like that. He had acted out of his own will and must bear the punishment for his sin.

At the same time God had fulfilled His counsel through this action. The last part of 2Kgs 15:12 emphasizes that: “And so it was.” It happened exactly as the LORD said and not otherwise. In Hebrew they are the same words as those used in Genesis 1, always after God had spoken, and in that passage translated “and it was so” (Gen 1:7 ; 9 ; 11 ; 15 ; 24 ; 31).