There are numerous lessons for us to consider as we study the lives of various kings from the book 2 Kings. These lessons are applicable to our own lives and ministry as believers.
Before we discuss the kings in 2 Kings, we must consider Jeroboam, son of Nebat. His life and legacy are described in 1 Kings 11-14. What is more, he is mentioned twelve times in 2 Kings. Thus, understanding his significance is foundational for us to grasp the lessons found in 2 Kings.
Jeroboam son of Nebat was introduced as a diligent young man with potential. When God decided to divide the kingdom of King Rehoboam, the prophet Ahijah told him that God had given him 10 tribes to rule and if he obeyed the Lord and kept His commandments, the Lord would give him an enduring kingdom. Jeroboam was also told that the kingdom of Rehoboam was divided because the latter and his people had disobeyed the Lord God and were not faithful to Him.
What followed was rather tragic. King Jeroboam used his human intellect and logic to anticipate that he would lose his kingdom to King Rehoboam and be killed if his people were to worship God in Jerusalem in the southern kingdom. So he thought it best to have his own altar in the north for worship; he instituted false gods(golden calves), appointed his own priests and encouraged his people to treat the idols as God and to refrain from going to Jerusalem.
Although Jeroboam was given the northern kingdom to rule as God’s steward with the instructions to obey God and His commands, Jeroboam decided, knowingly, to make it his own kingdom and to preserve it by his own human wisdom. In the process, he abandoned the true worship of the true God and introduced idolatry and false worship. His legacy became a stumbling block in the history of northern Israel and all the subsequent bad kings followed the negative example of the sin of king Jeroboam, son of Nebat.
From the human point of view, it seems logical to disallow the people from going to the south to worship. Jeroboam forgot that it was God who gave him the kingdom to rule and God would keep his kingdom if he were to obey Him and walk in His ways. Even though God sent a man of God to pronounce judgement on the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam did not repent and turn back to God and His ways. King after king followed in his idolatrous ways and it finally ended with Israel being defeated and destroyed by Assyria. Obviously, Jeroboam’s dependence on his wits did not give him an enduring kingdom.
We too have the tendency to depend upon our own wisdom and ways to serve God and to build our security here on earth. We use our human intellect, logic and so-called wisdom to plan and to preserve our future and our security. We bend God’s instructions to fit our own understanding and we may even use spiritual terms to justify our decisions and actions. But God is not fooled. We may begin with great potential like Jeroboam; we may even begin with God’s approval and guidance. However, when we fail to be good stewards of God, seeking to build our own kingdom and to preserve it without God, we may end up like Jeroboam and also destroy subsequent generations and ministry.