The Prophet Jonah (18): Jonah's Prophecy of Prosperity in Jeroboam II's Day (II Kings 14:23-29) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. Its Meaning in Israel's History
II. Its Reason in Jehovah's Mercy
III. Its Place in Jonah's Ministry
Where in the Bible do we read of Jonah? What do we know about his ministry in the days of Jeroboam II? How does this compare with his preaching in Nineveh?
John Bright: "By the mid-eighth century the dimensions of Israel and Judah together lacked but little of being as great as those of the empire of Solomon. Since full advantage seems to have been taken of the favorable position in which the country found itself, a prosperity unknown since Solomon ensued. The two states being at peace with each other, and the major trade routes—up and down Transjordan, into northern Arabia, along the coastal plain, into hinterland from the Phoenician ports—all once more passing through Israelite-held territory, tolls from caravans, together with the free interchange of goods, poured wealth into both countries. There was probably a revival of Red Sea trade, as there was of the copper industry of the Arabah. It is almost certain that Tyre—not yet at the end of her great period of commercial expansion—was again drawn into the program by treaty, as in the days of Solomon and of the Omrides" (A History of Israel, p. 255).