Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—March 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

March 4, 2 Chronicles 22

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. - 2 Chronicles 22:2-3

You’ve probably heard a story or two about people whose lives came to a tragic end at a young age. Sometimes the tragedy is unexplainable. But at other times we may know that the young man or woman’s background predisposed them to make poor choices and do harmful things that either ruined their lives or ended their lives while they were still young.

Ahaziah was one such person who died young. He was only 23 years old when he was killed by Jehu. He had only reigned one year on Judah’s throne after the death of his father, Jehoram. His father was a bad king and his mother was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel. Ahab was dead, but Jezebel continued the family’s evil idolatrous ways. She and the rest of Ahab’s family influenced the young king of Judah to walk all the ways of Ahab. With a background and a pedigree like his, Ahaziah followed what he had learned at home.

We said a few chapters ago that Jehoshaphat grafted a branch from Ahab’s house into the family tree of the house of David. But the influence flowed the wrong way as the connection to the house of Ahab ruined multiple generations of Davidic kings and plunged the southern kingdom into the depths of idolatry, just like their fellow Israelites in the north.

This chapter also identifies another factor in Ahaziah’s death at an early age. His background surely affected his wicked decisions and actions. It would have been difficult, but not impossible to overcome the gravitational pull of that background. But the other factor that sealed Ahaziah’s doom was impossible to

escape. Ahaziah went to visit Joram the king of Israel after he had been wounded in battle. During the time of his visit, Jehu came on a mission from God to put the rest of the house of Ahab to death. While there, Jehu met the delegation from Judah, some of Ahaziah’s cousins who served the king. Jehu killed them as well. Ahaziah escaped and fled to Samaria, but he was caught and returned to Jehu. Jehu killed the young man who was only a son-in-law of Ahab, but was steeped in the same idolatry as his in-laws. It was more than just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This chapter says that God ordained that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about when he went to see Joram. When God ordains a thing, the outcome is certain and inescapable.

It was a time of confusion and disarray for Judah. In the vacuum of power left by Ahaziah’s death, his mother Athaliah seized the throne and immediately killed all the descendants that remained. Almost all. She missed one, Ahaziah’s young son. She missed him because of the heroic action of Jehoshabeath, the child’s aunt. She took the little boy Joash and hid him in a bedroom when Jezebel was killing all the sons of the king. She and her husband Jehoida the priest hid Joash in the temple for six years while Athaliah reigned over Judah.

God’s promise to David to always have one of his descendants on the throne seemed to have failed. It was down to one hidden little boy who would become king and end the illegitimate claim of Athaliah on the kingdom.

Let’s have compassion for those whose backgrounds make it especially difficult to do the right thing. We should not judge them, but do all we can do to help them. Also, remember that God’s purpose is always accomplished, even if we do not understand how it is going to be done. And, let’s trust that all the promises God has made to us in his word are as sure as the one he made to David. The Lord is faithful. He will fulfill all that he has promised. We do not

have to watch to make sure he does what he said he would do. Instead, we should watch ourselves to make sure we do what God has called us by his grace to do.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.