Jehoash may have been battle-savvy, but that didn’t make him a good guy. Despite all his military accomplishments, the Bible describes him as doing “evil in the eyes of the LORD”
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them.(2 Kings 13:11)
Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz, who had been dominated throughout his reign by the Arameans—and who had left the army in shambles by the end of his reign (2 Kings 13:1–7). Because of God’s love for His people, however, He empowered Jehoash to defeat the Arameans three times in battle and recover towns lost by his father. These victories were prophesied by Elisha, who was on his deathbed when Jehoash appealed to him for help.
Jehoash also defeated King Amaziah of Judah at the town of Beth Shemesh and proceeded to Jerusalem to break down the wall of Jerusalem, ransack the temple and the palace, and take hostages to Samaria.
After Jehoash died, his son Jeroboam became king, and he, too, was very successful in battle (though “evil in the
eyes of the LORD“), recovering much of the land that had once been ruled by King David (2 Kings 14:24, 28).
It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that success in one area of life means that God approves of other areas of our lives. But financial success may come at the expense of the well-being of our families. And hidden bitterness toward one person is not smoothed over by being loving toward most other people. Make sure to submit every area of your life to God and seek to please Him in all things.