2 Chronicles 22:1-12
Q.1. Why was the youngest son of Jehoram made king? What kind of king was he? What were the main influences on his brief reign? – (2 Chr.22:1-4 c.f. 1 Kgs.16:25-30)
There was a downward spiral under Jehoram because he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. Therefore, God brought punishment when the surrounding nations turned against Judah. In the process, nearly all the king’s sons were killed. The only surviving youngest son, Ahaziah ascended the throne. Jehoshaphat had done no service to Judah when he started a trend of marrying into the line of Israel. His son Jehoram had married Athaliah, from the wicked family line of Omri and Ahab (1 Kgs 16:25-30). Therefore, Ahaziah had terrible role models on every side – 3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. 4 He did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counsellors after the death of his father, to his destruction (2 Chr.22:3-4).
Q.2. Why did Ahaziah join forces with the king of Israel? What happened to him in the battle? Why? – (2 Chr.22:5-7)
Ahaziah led Judah into a war with the Arameans, because of his family connections to the kings of Israel. When Jehoram was wounded, Ahaziah went to visit him at Jezreel, in the holiday home built by Ahab and Jezebel, on the inheritance stolen from Naboth (1 Kgs. Ch.21). God had raised up Jehu to execute His judgment on the house of Ahab and Jezebel. Unfortunately, Ahaziah was caught in the crossfire. The Bible explains it from God’s point of view – Now the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that he went to Joram. For when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab (2 Chr.22:7). He only reigned for a year.
Q.3. How did the alliance with Israel impact the kings of Judah? Why did Athaliah try to kill all the princes of Judah? How was a royal prince preserved? – (2 Chr.22:8-12)
Worse was to come. All the brothers of King Ahaziah had been murdered at the command of Jehu. Jehu, who was a zealous God-fearer, recognized that Ahaziah should be treated with dignity because he was the son of Jehoshaphat – … For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom (2 Chr.22:9). The influence of Israel’s kings reached further, when Athaliah decided to remove all rivals by killing all the grandchildren of the royal family (2 Chr.22:10). She was even more bloodthirsty than her mother Jezebel. However, God out-manoeuvred her in her wicked plans when –Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death (2 Chr.22:11). This courageous and faithful priest, Jehoiada, and his wife, Jehoshabeath, raised the next heir-apparent for the next six years, unbeknown to Athaliah, as she led Judah on a path to destruction.