Ahaziah

Ahaziah.  The Hundred Years’ War between France and England (1337-1453) and the subsequent War of the Roses, which involved the squabbles of royal succession in England (1455-1487), can claim no bragging rights for complicated storylines. The knot of kings and queens in Israel and Judah in the mid-9^th Century B.C., tangled by name duplications, assassinations, usurpations, and a curious mixture of the Greek way to count years versus the Jewish way, unilaterally seizes the prize for complicated storylines! Yet, it seems that the more one studies it, the more one gags upon its bile.

The ancient nation of Israel was intractably divided following its Civil War (931 B.C.) during the abysmal reign of Rehoboam (931-915 B.C.). The ten tribes in the north separated from Jerusalem to become Israel. The two tribes in the south reduced to Judah. Israel and Judah, despite their historic brotherhood, hated each other. Neither kingdom was good, but the northern kingdom of Israel was noticeably worse in terms of their kings. The low tide line of morality in Israel seemed to coalesce around the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, who flaunted their worship of Baal and Asherah. God promised to judge them (1 Kings 21:23-24).

Jezebel died a horrible death for her sins (1 Kings 21:23). Ahab died an unlikely death, too, for his sins (1 Kings 22:34). But the rot of Ahab and Jezebel continued for many years to infect Israel and contaminate Judah. Ahaziah, son of Ahab and Jezebel, was crowned in 854 B.C. A weak and inconsequential ruler, Ahaziah reigned only two years, because, like his parents, he died a supernaturally unnatural death associated with his worship of Baal (853 B.C.). But Ahaziah’s sister, Athaliah, married the king of Judah, Jehoram—which was also the name of the next king of Israel after Ahaziah (sometimes shortened to Joram). Indicative of his lawlessness, Jehoram (of Judah) killed six of his younger brothers (2 Chr. 21:4). Athaliah apparently already had a son, Ahaziah (named for her brother, the short-lived king of Israel), from before marrying Jehoram (of Judah), who was now the heir-apparent in Judah. When Jehoram (of Judah) was also assassinated, Athaliah placed Ahaziah (of Judah) on the throne (2 Kings 8:26). He was twenty-two years old and only reigned one year (841 B.C.). Yet, she advised Ahaziah (of Judah) “in doing wickedly” (2 Chr. 22:3), which is to say, she trained her son in his grandmother’s (Jezebel) idolatry. When Ahaziah (of Judah) was killed by Jehu (of Israel) while visiting his uncle Jehoram (of Israel), Athaliah killed everyone left in the royal family at Jerusalem who might have had a claim to the vacated throne of Ahaziah—her grandchildren!—so that she could usurp the throne of Judah herself (2 Chr. 22:10) in 846 B.C.

But Jehosheba, the daughter of Jehoram (of Judah) and stepdaughter of Athaliah, who had married the high priest, Jehoiada, secretly rescued her infant nephew (Jehoash, shortened to Joash) from Athaliah’s assassination attempt (2 Chr. 22:11). When Joash was old enough to be crowned king, the priests who guarded Joash killed Athaliah (2 Chr. 23:15). Thus, all of Ahab and Jezebel’s allies were judged; the wound closed, somewhat.

The complicated storylines of the kings and queens of Israel and Judah are difficult to follow but easy to summarize: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).