This is an interesting portion in the record of the Kings. It relays a problem between Joash, the King of Israel and Amaziah, the King of Judah.
Basically, the story here is that King Amaziah wanted to face King Joash in battle. Verse 16 states that he didn’t listen to counsel and the text implies that he was proud and arrogant and wanted to be somebody important. King Amaziah had won victory over Edom, but ended up worshipping their idols and consequently, turned from the Lord in verse 14.
King Joash says that King Amaziah is a thistle to his cedar in verse 18. A thistle is the Hebrew word “choach”, meaning “briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter” and it comes from a root word meaning “to pierce, a thorn”. The thistle was from some type of a bush.
The cedars of Lebanon were majestic trees that were like the king of the forest, and King Joash was drawing a comparison between he and King Amaziah, saying that he himself is the strong cedar wood, while King Amaziah is ultimately a thistle, a thorn in his side, and King Amaziah’s pride would be pierced – just like a needle (thorn) popping a balloon.
This defeat of King Amaziah was told in verses 20-24, and the plunder he took was returned to Samaria and though he outlived King Joash, he was slain in Lachish in verses 27-28. The wild beast would be the warriors God allowed to track him down.
Pride always goes before a fall.