You may know about the cruelty of Israel's kings. When the kingdom of Israel divided into two kingdoms (north and south), the southern kingdom had few good rulers. The northern kingdom has no good rulers. In some cases, they were very cruel. One especially cruel northern king was named Menahem.
Menahem's story gives a sobering reminder of how evil someone can become when they stray from God. We'll uncover how he came to power, his cruelty during his reign, and the life lessons (or cautionary tales) we can glean from him.
How Did Menahem Become King?
Although many kings in Judah (the southern kingdom) succeeded via birthright, this didn't happen as often in the northern kingdom. Assassinations happened frequently.
The history of the northern kingdom feels reminiscent of that of the Roman Empire: each ruler murdered his predecessor, only to suffer the same fate.
So, it's no surprise that the list of King Shallum's deeds in 2 Kings 15 starts with him murdering Zechariah, the king who came before him. The passage says he did this in front of the people, so he had no qualms about hiding this act.
Shallum lives a short reign. It's one month before someone decides to take him out.
Menahem steps onto the scene.
We don't know much about Menahem's family history except the name of his father: Gadi. The Old Testament doesn't even tell us which tribe Gadi hailed from. Considering ten of the twelve tribes went into the northern kingdom, knowing his father's father doesn't help us narrow it down either.
So, Menahem—a man we don't know much about other than his cruelty—becomes king by violent means.
So what happens after he declares himself as king?
What Did Menahem Do During His Reign?
As we can imagine, if you start your reign with an assassination, we can imagine it's not all butterflies and rainbows from here.
Menahem didn't do anything nice during his reign. We will break down all of his acts into three main categories.
Laid Siege to Towns
Most notably, he laid siege to Tipsah, which had been part of Solomon's territories.
We aren't given reasons for why this town (and likely others) were attacked. The passage can give us some clues. Most likely, not everyone approved of the new ruler and his violent takeover of the throne. It says they "refused to open their gates" for the king.
We can imagine Menahem didn't take it well if they didn't approve of the ruler.
The historian Josephus says Menahem set fire to the town until everything burned to ashes. According to Josephus, Menahem didn't spare a single soul in that town.
Not even the infants. The 2 Kings 15 passage says his violent actions included ripping open pregnant women.
Menahem makes his intentions clear. Either people would accept that he would now rule over them–even if he hadn't acquired the throne by birthright—or he'd ensure they met a violent end.
Continued Idol Worship
In addition to sacking towns, Menahem led his people away from the Lord. When the Bible talks about the northern kingdom's rulers who led people away from God, it typically uses this phrase: the king "did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat."
Jeroboam was the first northern king when Israel split. He quickly led his people into idolatry, setting up high places and images of foreign gods for people to worship. You may know some of these high places' features—Asherah poles and altars to Baal.
What Happens Because of Menahem and Other Kings' Sins?
As we can imagine, this idolatry didn't go over too well with God.
We don't see the direct consequences apply to Menahem—since his son rules after him, we know he didn't get assassinated. However, we do see the consequences later happen to the northern kingdom.
In 722 BC, the kingdom of Assyria sacked their towns and took them into captivity. If you know anything about the Assyrians, they were unusually cruel. The people in the northern kingdom get so scattered and intermingled in marriage with the Assyrians that they become lost to time. They became known as "the lost tribes of Israel."
You may know the people who intermarried with the Assyrians as the Samaritans—a people mentioned several times in the New Testament. The Jews (the descendants of the southern kingdom) never opened their arms to the Samaritans. Their mixed heritage was seen as a betrayal of the law, and their religion (a mix of Judaism and pagan customs) was seen as blasphemous.
All this took place because Israel's kings led them astray. Including Menahem.
What Did Menahem Do When Assyria Threatened Israel?
The threat of Assyria loomed. Instead of turning to God for help, Menahem turned to the kingdom's finances.
At the time, tribute-vassal kingdoms could form alliances. Think of it like a mob. You pay the mob, you don't end up killed.
Assyria operated in the same way. They allowed the northern kingdom to pay them for a time and left the people alone.
Menahem seized the opportunity to get in the good graces of an Assyrian king, King Pul. Menahem siphoned a significant amount of funds from the rich folks in his kingdom to win over Assyria.
It seems to work: Assyria withdraws from the land. For a time.
In a few short decades, Assyria would return, full force, to destroy Israel.
Menahem probably didn't care. His attitude probably felt very similar to the king Hezekiah's response when a prophet informed him a similar fate would befall Judah. Hezekiah thinks, "Well, it won't happen in my time, so I'm not worrying." (Isaiah 39:8).
Menahem continues his reign for ten years, and then his son Pekah takes over. His son, however, doesn't reign for long. After two years, he gets assassinated by his friends. Josephus says it happens at a feast.
What Can We Learn from Menahem?
We obviously don't want to follow in the footsteps of Menahem. Still, we can learn from his life in a series of what-not-to-do points.
Consequences for Evil Sometimes Happen Much Later
We don't see Menahem directly experiencing the consequences of his sin on this side of eternity (but we can imagine he met quite a bit of hellfire on the other side). However, his son had a brief reign, and the northern kingdom succumbed to Assyria. Many future generations met a violent end because of these events. Menahem may have thought he got away with murder, but consequences sometimes take place later. The same happens with us. Maybe we're upset that evil people aren't receiving their just desserts now. But God's wrath will spill over eventually. We will see it happen in the End Times.
We Should Care What Happens to Future Generations
Menahem probably wiped his brow when Assyria accepted his tribute. Probably thought, "Well, if they do take over, it won't happen in my time." And if we're honest, we do the same thing. We may hope that we can escape the End Times, but we don't fear for future generations. What kind of world we have left behind for them? Believers in future generations should be in our thoughts, and we should do everything we can to create a more beautiful place when we leave this earth.
We Should Trust in God, Not Kingdoms
Menahem thought paying tribute to Assyria and getting on their good side would guarantee the safety of his kingdom. We forget that God can wipe out a kingdom in a single breath. Had Menahem followed Hezekiah's footsteps and prayed for his kingdom when Assyria threatened to take over, perhaps the northern kingdom would've lasted much longer.
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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.
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:
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