When you jump into the books of 1 and 2 Kings, it can feel like a cycle. First, there was an evil king. Then, he did evil in the sight of the Lord. Then Israel joined in. Then God was very angry. Then that king died or was killed. Then another king took the throne. Care to guess whether he was evil?
So when we talk about Pekah, an evil king who reigned over the northern kingdom of Israel, it can seem like a rinse and repeat. But we must remember that every name in the Bible has a purpose. Pekah’s reign may have been relatively uneventful, but it set several important events and prophecies in motion.
Today we will consider how the Bible characterizes Pekah, what happened during his reign, and what lessons we can learn from him.
What Does the Bible Say about Pekah?
We only get a few verses mentioingPekah. So we will break them down one by one to uncover what there is to know about this northern kingdom king.
Before we do that, some of you may be asking, “what northern kingdom?”
Israel had been one united kingdom up until king Solomon died. The throne was contested by two people: Rehoboam and Jereboam. The kingdom split into Israel (the northern kingdom, later called Samaria) and Judah (the southern kingdom, its citizens exiled generations later when Babylon invaded).
The northern kingdom only produced bad kings, not a single good one. The southern kingdom had a few good apples, though the rest were very bad.
Let’s see what the Bible says about this particular bad king, whose name means open-eyed.
2 Kings 15:25: Before Pekah was king, he served as a chief officer to the former king, Pekahiah. That is, he served in Pekahiah’s army. He probably was a trusted confidant. Unfortunately, Pekahiah lacked judgment because Pekah assassinated him (in fact, Pekah used 50 men to do it) and took his throne. This was a common practice in many non-Israelite nations. Unfortunately, Israel followed their example n this area.
2 Kings 15:27: Pekah was the son of Remaliah, whom we know little to nothing about. Pekah ends up reigning for 20 years. That may not seem like a lot, but we must understand that some kings literally ruled for days before getting assassinated. So that was a considerable amount of time.
2 Kings 15:28: Pekah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. No surprise here. However, the verse specifies that Pekah did a particular kind of evil—he continued the sins of Jeroboam. So, what did that guy do? Two things:
1. Jereboam promoted idol worship. This action directly violated the ten commandments that Israel should keep no graven images nor worship the gods of foreign nations.
2. Jeroboam appointed priests himself. The Pentateuch gave clear guidelines regarding who could (and could not) become a priest. God himself appointed the priests.
These types of offenses led Israel into its captivity. More on this in a moment.
2 Kings 15:29: An Assyrian king was starting to take Israelite territory at this time. This is one reason Pekah is important (more on this later). Because Israel continued in the same sins, the sin toll was building. Soon, they would have to pay.
2 Kings 15:30: Pekah apparently didn’t pay attention to the “eye for an eye” principle. Despite being open-eyed, he didn’t watch for anyone who could usurp him. A man named Hoshea assassinated him and stole the throne, thus ending Pekah’s life. The historian Josephus even indicated that Hoshea had been a close friend of Pekah’s.
2 Chronicles 28:6: God allowed Pekah’s army to exact punishment onto the kingdom of Judah. In fact, they killed 120,000 people in a civil war. This foreshadowed what God allowed Assyria (Israel’s enemies) to do to them later.
Again, it may seem like each king of Israel follows the same pattern. But let’s discuss why we should pay attention to Pekah’s reign.
Why Is Pekah Important in the Bible?
Two very important things happen during the reign of Pekah.
First, Assyria invades. Before Pekah’s reign, Pekahiah had paid tribute to Assyria. Assyria was the global superpower at the time. They had some brutal war practices, and no one wanted to mess with them. Israel acquiesced to Assyria for a while, but something shifted when Pekah stepped onto the scene.
Scripture does not indicate how Pekah ruined foreign relations with Assyria. Even extra-canonical literature doesn’t indicate any particular slights Pekah could have caused. Maybe Assyria just wanted to invade more territories. Whatever the case, we start to see Assyria invading Israel during Pekah’s reign. They didn’t invade the entire nation but started claiming certain territories.
This had been a long time coming. Although God is slow to anger, the northern kingdom of Israel had rebelled habitually for generations. They repeatedly turned to idols and practiced religion how they wanted to (not according to God’s laws).
Because of this, God allowed the Assyrians to invade the northern kingdom and scatter the Israelites.
Second, Jesus’ birth is predicted during Pekah’s reign. If you blink, you’ll miss it. As a military king, Pekah joined forces with Syria to fight against Judah (the civil war mentioned above).King Ahaz rules Judah during this time. And one of the prophets prophesying to Ahaz? Isaiah. As a gesture of comfort, Isaiah told Ahaz that a virgin would conceive a son and call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).
This may seem like a stretch, but let’s think about it. Ahaz likely felt dejected when 120,000 people fell at the hands of Pekah in his army. He probably felt despair, that the end was near. Through Isaiah’s prophecy, Ahaz got a glimpse of a bright future in which the Israelites were no longer embroiled in civil war. A future in which a savior fixed a broken world.
So, can we learn anything from this evil king of Israel? I say yes. Here’s why.
What Can We Learn from Pekah?
Whether someone serves as an example or a cautionary tale, we can learn from just about anyone in the Bible. Here are three takeaways from the life of Pekah.
1. Be careful who you make friends with. Pekah, a close friend of the king, committed murder to take the throne. Later, Pekah did at the hands of a close friend. Bad company corrupts. If we are not careful about who we spend our time with, someone may stab us in the back. This isn’t to say that we can’t befriend or spend time with those outside the Christian faith. But even those people who seem like Christians may turn out to try to hurt us or “usurp” us. Pray for discernment about friends and close ones. Ask God to remove those seeking to harm you.
2. Remember the toll of habitual sin. Although, as Christians, we are marked by the blood of Christ, this doesn’t give us the liberty to sin habitually. Israel learned this the hard way. Although God had chosen them as his people, they kept turning to idols and evil practices. Because of this, God allowed Israel’s enemies to overtake them, capture them, imprison them, and scatter them.
3. See hope in all circumstances. Pekah had murdered 120,000 people from the southern kingdom of Judah. That could take a toll on any nation. But through this, God gave them the hope of Jesus’ birth. As the last days get closer, we will endure persecution like never before. Let God’s prophecies and assurances comfort you in these times. He has sent a Savior who will return to usher in a new heaven and earth.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/anthonyjhall
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
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