In this chapter, God gives Jonah a lesson in mercy. Jonah knew the evil Nineveh had done and probably knew of the evil Nineveh would do to Israel. As such, he wished that the city be destroyed and was angry when God had pity on the city.
This passage records the reigns of five kings of Israel and one king of Judah (in addition to the reign of Azariah of Judah in the first seven verses of the chapter). It is mostly a story of conspiracies and short reigns.
Amaziah gave to the Lord a mixed level of devotion. In turn, he received a mixed level of blessing. God wants our whole heart. He is not willing to share the throne with other gods.
Joash (Jehoash) became king at the age of seven and reigned for forty years. He did well most of his reign until Jehoiada the priest died. At this time, he followed the princes of Judah to his destruction. Joash is one of many kings in the history of Judah who began well but turned from the Lord late in his reign. He even went to the point of murdering the son of the one who had saved his life and put him on the throne. We must all strive to continue faithful to the Lord to the end of our days.
The covenant of Moab deals more with the heart and the motive of love. We will look at one of the major provisions of the covenant and apply it to our lives.
