CHAPTER 22

(885 B.C.)

AHAZIAHS WICKED REIGN OVER JUDAH

¹And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. (This king had three names: Ahaziah, Azariah, and Jehoahaz. All have the same meaning in Hebrew, Jehovah takes hold; however, Jehovah had no opportunity to take hold in the life of this wicked king.

As one reads these accounts, it becomes overly obvious that sin does not pay.)

²Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mothers name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri (the leaven that was in the life of Jehoshaphat concerning his alliance with Ahab will now continue its rot; Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, was actually the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which made her the granddaughter of Omri; the Hebrew language had no designation such as granddaughter or grandson, etc.).

³He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly (Jehoahaz followed his wicked father, Jehoram, who had also walked in all the wicked ways of Ahab and Jezebel; his mother killed all of her grandsons except one and seized the throne of Judah, which she kept for six years).

⁴Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction.

⁵He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians smote Joram (Joram, the king of the northern confederacy of Israel, is the same as Jehoram).

⁶And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram (who was the king of Israel; he had the same name as Azariahs father) the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick.

JEHU SLAYS AHAZIAH

⁷And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab (the Lord determined the destruction of Ahaziah because of his sins; it was brought about by Jehu, whom the Lord caused to be king of the ten Tribes; Jehu killed both Jehoram [Joram], king of the ten Tribes, and Ahaziah of Judah).

⁸And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, who ministered to Ahaziah, he killed them.

⁹And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had killed him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom (the last phrase in this Verse means that there was no one of the house of Ahaziah who could succeed him; the Hebrew Text does not say, no one left, simply because Joash was the son of Ahaziah, but he was but an infant at the time).

ATHALIAH USURPS THE THRONE

¹⁰But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah (one of the most wicked women ever!).

¹¹But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the kings sons who were killed, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. 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 killed him not (evidently, this bloody woman thought she had killed them all, not realizing that the infant was not dead; from this bloodstained room, the daughter of Jehoram [Jehoshaphats son] stole away baby Joash; he was the only one left in the lineage of Christ).

¹²And he was with them hid in the House of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land (at this time, the Temple was not in use; the people were worshipping idols on the mountaintops and other places; so, the House of God was the logical place for him to be hidden, so he wouldnt be murdered by this evil woman).