Zachariah King of Israel

2022-11-21

Zachariah son of Jeroboam became king and reigned six months. “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin” (2 Kings 15:9).

Shallum son of Jabesh “smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead” (2 Kings 15:10). Zachariah was publicly attacked and died.

This was a fulfillment of prophecy: “This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass” (2 Kings 15:12; cf. 2 Kings 10:30).

God always keeps his promises. Even though Jehu’s dynasty was evil, the LORD preserved them long enough to fulfill the prophecy. It would have been longer if Zachariah had learned from history and took this prophecy seriously.

This is a part of the Kings of Israel series. To go back to the table of contents, proceed here.