He persisted in the same sinful practices as Jeroboam, reinforcing Israel’s path away from God’s covenant and modeling disobedience rather than reform.
Jehoahaz, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel following his father Jehu, is described in 2 Kings 13:2 as persisting in corrupt worship practices introduced more than a century earlier. The verse states, “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them.” (v.2) King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, reigning around 931-910 BC, had led Israel astray by establishing idol worship to keep his people from returning to Jerusalem, and Jehoahaz’s refusal to depart from these same practices demonstrated an unbroken cycle of disobedience in Israel’s leadership.
Here, Jehoahaz’s “evil in the sight of the LORD” underscores his choice to rely on traditions of idolatry rather than return to faithfulness. The kingdom of Israel was centered in Samaria, to the north of Jerusalem, with rival shrines at Bethel and Dan—a geographical move originally meant to unify the people under Jeroboam’s authority. By following Jeroboam’s footsteps, Jehoahaz violated the covenant that called Israel to worship only Yahweh. His unwillingness to change reveals how entrenched the cultural sin had become, as the same false worship persisted from the time Jeroboam split from Judah.
Spiritually, this reminds us of the need for faithful leadership and the danger of normalizing sin over generations. Jehoahaz’s story is another link in the chain that ultimately led Israel into deeper turmoil and hardship, illustrating that repeated disregard for God’s commands results in collective spiritual decline (Romans 1:28). In contrast, the New Testament calls believers to set aside the “old self” and embrace renewal (Ephesians 4:22-24), a transformation that breaks cycles of sin through the grace of Christ, our perfect King.
Despite a brief hope that Jehoahaz might learn from the consequences of idolatry, the verse makes it clear that “he did not turn from them,” signaling that his leadership brought the kingdom no closer to repentance or restoration in God’s eyes.
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2 Kings 13:2 meaning
Jehoahaz, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel following his father Jehu, is described in 2 Kings 13:2 as persisting in corrupt worship practices introduced more than a century earlier. The verse states, “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them.” (v.2) King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, reigning around 931-910 BC, had led Israel astray by establishing idol worship to keep his people from returning to Jerusalem, and Jehoahaz’s refusal to depart from these same practices demonstrated an unbroken cycle of disobedience in Israel’s leadership.
Here, Jehoahaz’s “evil in the sight of the LORD” underscores his choice to rely on traditions of idolatry rather than return to faithfulness. The kingdom of Israel was centered in Samaria, to the north of Jerusalem, with rival shrines at Bethel and Dan—a geographical move originally meant to unify the people under Jeroboam’s authority. By following Jeroboam’s footsteps, Jehoahaz violated the covenant that called Israel to worship only Yahweh. His unwillingness to change reveals how entrenched the cultural sin had become, as the same false worship persisted from the time Jeroboam split from Judah.
Spiritually, this reminds us of the need for faithful leadership and the danger of normalizing sin over generations. Jehoahaz’s story is another link in the chain that ultimately led Israel into deeper turmoil and hardship, illustrating that repeated disregard for God’s commands results in collective spiritual decline (Romans 1:28). In contrast, the New Testament calls believers to set aside the “old self” and embrace renewal (Ephesians 4:22-24), a transformation that breaks cycles of sin through the grace of Christ, our perfect King.
Despite a brief hope that Jehoahaz might learn from the consequences of idolatry, the verse makes it clear that “he did not turn from them,” signaling that his leadership brought the kingdom no closer to repentance or restoration in God’s eyes.