Jeroboam II served as the fourteenth king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from 793-753 BC. On the surface, his 40-year reign was marked by prosperity and national security. In fact, Jeroboam’s successful military campaigns against Syria recaptured territory that expanded Israel’s borders to their greatest extent since the days of Solomon. However, like his predecessors, Jeroboam II “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” The outward prosperity of the nation could not conceal the people’s spiritual apostasy and the king’s continued disobedience. God warned this behavior would lead to judgment.
Jeroboam II was the and succeeded his father Jehoash and grandfather Jehoahaz on the throne of Israel. However, Jeroboam II was not the king over all of Israel. The nation had split into two kingdoms—north and south—in 931 BC, during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam (931-913 BC).
Of course, many readers will wonder why the nation of Israel, once a prosperous kingdom under King Solomon, had gone through a national divorce.
The Bible tells us that, due to Solomon’s disobedience and Rehoboam’s imprudence, God would divide the nation and raise a new king to lead the northern tribes. His name was Jeroboam I.
As Solomon’s minister of labor, Jeroboam I was well acquainted with the working conditions and growing discontent amongst Israel’s working class, who had helped Solomon build the temple in Jerusalem. Although Solomon’s reign was famous for its unmatched splendor, the son of David had achieved success via forced labor and high taxes.
After Solomon’s death, Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king of Israel. At this time, Jeroboam I appeared before Rehoboam on behalf of the people, petitioning the king to alleviate some of the high taxes and heavy labor levied against them by Rehoboam’s father (1 Kings 12:1-5).
However, instead of listening to the plight of the people and heeding the wisdom of his father’s advisors, Rehoboam turned to the council of his inexperienced friends. He then flexed his political muscles, declaring, “Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions” (1 Kings 12:14).
When the people of Israel learned that Rehoboam had no intention of lifting their taxes or improving their working conditions, they rejected the house of David and made Jeroboam I king over them (1 Kings 12:20).
Ten of the northern tribes revolted against Rehoboam in favor of Jeroboam I; two tribes, the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, remained loyal to Rehoboam and the house of David. Thus, the nation was split into Israel (north) and Judah (south).
Both kingdoms would have periods of prosperity and decline under varying leaders. However, a handful of Judah’s kings remained faithful to the God of David. None of the northern kings were given the divine seal of approval. Eech followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam I by doing “evil in the sight of God.”
Specifically, Jeroboam I had created alternate sites of worship in Dan and Bethel for the people of the northern kingdom to worship apart from God’s ordained house of worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Although these “high places” were swiftly condemned by God, none of the northern kings had the courage or fortitude to remove them. For this reason, every northern king, from Jeroboam I to Hoshea, was labeled a moral failure regardless of their political triumphs.
Before Jeroboam II came to power, Jeroboam II’s father, Joash (also called Jehoash) served as the thirteenth king of Israel and reigned in Samaria for 16 years.
It’s important to differentiate between King Jehoash—the father of Jeroboam II, who ruled the Northern Kingdom from 798-782 BC—and Joash—who served as the eighth king of the Southern Kingdom Jrom 835-796 BC.
King Jehoash of the Northern Kingdom spearheaded a brief revival following a long period of suffering at the hands of the Syrians (2 Kings 13:7). However, as was often the case in Israel, outward prosperity and political success were rarely a sign of God’s spiritual blessing, especially as the nation continued to worship false gods and the “high places” at Dan and Bethel remained. Accordingly, the biblical writers summarized that Jehoash “did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; but he walked in them.” (2 Kings 13:11)
During Jeroboam II’s reign, the son of Jehoash achieved what few kings in Israel had accomplished since the days of Solomon. Known for his military prowess and leadership, Jeroboam II reclaimed portions of territory from the Syrians, who had been weakened through fighting the Assyrian Empire. Jeroboam II and the armies of Israel successfully reclaimed Damascus. They expanded the boundaries of Israel from Hamath in the north to the sea of Arabah in the south, including land that had once belonged to Judah (2 Kings 14:28).
This expansion followed the word God had spoken through the prophet Jonah—the same Jonah who traveled to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, with a message of repentance (2 Kings 14:25; Jonah 1).
In many ways, the territory recaptured by Jeroboam II was the crowning achievement of his tenure. However, since the people of Israel rested in their political prosperity and Jeroboam II’s leadership, God would send His prophets to remind the nation that true victory belonged to Him alone. It was God who had seen the suffering of His people and had chosen to deliver them by the hand of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:27). He alone deserved praise.
Unfortunately, these victories did little to turn the hearts of Israel’s people back to God. And as the ministries of both Amos and Hosea would reveal, earthly comfort, political victory, and material prosperity are rarely a sign of God’s favor, especially for those who have forsaken God and whose hearts have grown calloused to His Word.
In just a few short verses in 1 Kings, we learn that, under Jeroboam II’s leadership, the people of Israel lived in relative comfort and peace. The economy was booming. The borders had expanded and were secure. The nation was at peace with its sister kingdom. However, Amos and Hosea, who both prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (Amos 1:1; Hosea 1:1), revealed a much different, much darker story. For this reason, we can learn a few lessons from Jeroboam II and the state of the nation under his leadership.
1. God Has Authority Over Kings and Nations
Like every other king before and after him, Jeroboam II’s reign did not gain the seal of divine approval as he sinned. Despite his many failures, which we’ll soon address, Jeroboam II was nonetheless an instrument of God’s mercy and faithfulness to His people.
In His grace, God had chosen a flawed king like Jeroboam II to fulfill His promise to expand the borders of Israel. And yet, despite God’s faithfulness, the people of Israel continued to place their hope and trust in their prosperity and their political leaders rather than the one who had delivered them from their enemies (Amos 2:9), provided for them (Hosea 2:8), and been their first love (Hosea 2:13).
The people had forgotten that God alone is sovereign over kings and nations (Psalms 33:10-11; Daniel 2:21; Isaiah 40:17; Psalms 115:2-3). “There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1-2).
In the case of Israel, the consequences of misplaced trust were dire.
Many in Israel would have celebrated Jeroboam II. On the surface, he was a successful king. On the inside, however, the nation, like its king, needed serious reform.
2. Comfort Often Leads to Spiritual Complacency
Through the prophets Amos and Hosea, God would expose the many sins and injustices that plagued the nation under Jeroboam II’s rule (Amos 5:12).
For example, during his reign, the cultural elites severely oppressed the poor (Amos 2:7; Amos 5:11), dishonest merchants cheated the people with fraudulent, dishonest scales (Amos 2:8; 8:5-6; Hosea 12:7-8), and the righteous were often persecuted for their faithfulness (Amos 2:6-7, 12; 5:10).
The nation had “turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood” (Amos 6:12). Hosea argued that “you (Israel) have plowed wickedness and harvested injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your many warriors” (Hosea 10:13).
In their comfort, Israel had become stubborn (Hosea 4:16), arrogant (Hosea 5:5, 7:10), depraved (Hosea 9:9), and complacent. Security and outward prosperity had blinded the nation to the pervasive reality of their sin. Their material comfort contributed to their spiritual complacency, apostasy, and political decline. God’s warning, however, was clear:
“Woe to those who are carefree in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria… yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph.” (Amos 6:1, 6).
But while most of the prophetic indictment against Israel is levied against its people, its kings do not get a divine pass. According to Hosea, it was Jeroboam II and the kings of Israel who had refused to call on the name of the Lord (Hosea 7:7), who had rebelled against Him (Hosea 9:15), who had failed to lead the people in righteousness (Hosea 10:3), and who were ultimately incapable of saving the nation from coming judgment (Hosea 13:10-11).
3. Worship Must Be on God’s Terms, Never Our Own
Like his father, grandfather, and the many kings before him, the second Jeroboam continued the cycle of sin set in motion by the Northern Kingdom’s first king. During the 41-year reign of Jeroboam II, the high places at Dan and Bethel remained intact. For this reason, the God of Israel found Jeroboam II guilty of the same sin as Jeroboam I (2 Kings 14:24).
In many ways, Jeroboam II’s victories over Syria were undermined by his inability to fully submit to God’s standard of holiness, particularly when it came to worship.
For this reason, God would call the people to repentance, to tear down the high places at Dan and Bethel, and to return to proper worship in the temple in Jerusalem. As Amos famously opens his book, “the Lord roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem He utters His voice” (Amos 1:2 emphasis added).
Not Bethel. Not Dan. Jerusalem! That is where God had chosen to build His temple and the city where worship was to be centered.
Like their siblings to the south, the people of the Northern Kingdom were repeatedly called to return to God and worship Him as He deserved to be worshipped. That meant worshipping Him in the way He had ordained.
True worshippers will worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:23) and always on His terms, never their own.
In the case of Jeroboam II, political success and outward prosperity do not cut it in the eyes of God when spiritual compromise is present. “God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Gearstd
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
How Did the Apostle Paul Die?
Who are the Nicolaitans in Revelation?
Who Was Deborah in the Bible?
Who Was Moses in the Bible?
King Solomon's Story in the Bible
Who Was Lot's Wife in the Bible?
Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?
Who Was the Prodigal Son?