2 Chronicles 22: 1 – 12
The Forward Pass
22 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. 2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. 4 Therefore 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. 5 He also followed their advice, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6 Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. 7 His going to Joram was God’s occasion for Ahaziah’s downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them. 9 Then he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, “because,” they said, “he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So, the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom. 10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a 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 did not kill him. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
In reviewing today’s chapter, I am reminded of football. No, I am not talking about soccer. I find it Interesting that this weekend America parties as they watch the professional championship game. For me I am not that interested in watching the game for our Eagles will not be playing in it.
The team which I do not like to watch in this year’s Super Bowl is proficient in using an effective passing game.
For those of you not familiar with American football I will give you a quick course. In several forms of football a forward pass is a throwing of the ball in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron football in which the play is legal and widespread, and rugby football (union and league) from which the North American games evolved, in which the play is illegal.
In some football codes, such as association football (soccer), the kicked forward pass is used so ubiquitously that it is not thought of as a distinct kind of play at all. In these sports, the concept of offside is used to regulate who can be in front of the play or be nearest to the goal. However, this has not always been the case. Some earlier incarnations of football allowed unlimited forward passing, while others had strict offside rules like rugby.
The development of the forward pass in American football shows how the game has evolved from its rugby roots into the distinctive game it is today. Illegal and experimental forward passes had been attempted as early as 1876, but the first legal forward pass in American football took place in 1906, after a change in rules. Another change in rules occurred on January 18, 1951, which established that no center, tackle, or guard could receive a forward pass (unless such a player announces his intent to the referee he will be an eligible receiver, called a tackle-eligible play). Today, the only linemen who can receive a forward pass are the tight ends. Current rules regulate who may throw and who may receive a forward pass, and under what circumstances, as well as how the defensive team may try to prevent a pass from being completed. The primary pass thrower is the quarterback, and statistical analysis is used to determine a quarterback's success rate at passing in various situations, as well as a team's overall success at the "passing game."
The forward pass had been attempted at least 30 years before the play was made legal. Passes "had been carried out successfully but illegally several times, including the 1876 Yale–Princeton game in which Yale's Walter Camp threw forward to teammate Oliver Thompson as he was being tackled. Princeton's protest, one account said, went for naught when the referee 'tossed a coin to make his decision and allowed the touchdown to stand' ".
Now you might be asking yourself why I am bringing all this up. Well let me first share with you an important verse from the book of Exodus chapter 34, “7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
I think most of the people of the world know the name – Jezebel. The evil this woman did not end with her death. She passed on her mastery of heinous traits to her daughter Athaliah who became the wife of Jehoram, the king of Judah. We will see today how this wicked woman did not even have the slightest love as she set about the murder of all the heirs to the throne of Judah. However, one child was spared by the grace of our Holy Ruler God who made a promise to David that there would always be an heir to the throne.
The Jeho-ahaz of chapter 21.17, the youngest son of Jehoram, now came to the throne with the name of Ahaziah. The name was obtained by taking the Jeho- signifying YHWH and placing it at the end of the name as Yah. But his reign would be very short for he involved himself with his relatives of the house of Ahab and was struck down for his troubles.
The opening description of Ahaziah’s succession may be seen as suggesting that that it was not as easy as it sounded. Normally we would expect to read - ‘and Ahaziah his son reigned instead of him’, indicating a smooth transition. But here the men of Jerusalem had to step in to ensure his succession. This may suggest that Athaliah herself was seeking to obtain the throne but was thwarted by the men of Jerusalem. Alternately it may be that there was some outside contender who was throwing doubt on Ahaziah’s right to succeed, but that the men of Jerusalem intervened to ensure that Jehoram’s son was made king. Whichever way it was Ahaziah did not apparently himself have the strength to ensure his succession.
22 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned.
The reason for the appointment of the youngest son is given. It was because the Philistines and Arabians had carried off all Jehoram’s other sons and had slain them. Therefore, Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, the only son of Jehoram, who was the only one who remained alive began to reign.
2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri.
The usual formula for a king of Judah is now given. He was forty-two years old when he began to reign and he only reigned in Jerusalem for roughly one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a daughter of the house of Omri. Omri was her grandfather.
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly.
Please note that from verse 3 to verse 8 Ahab is mentioned in every verse indicating the influence that the house of Ahab had on Ahaziah’s life. It affected him at every turn. Here we learn that he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, pursuing idolatry and establishing the high places, and generally behaving wickedly, and he did it under the counsel of his mother, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. He was her tool.
4 Therefore 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.
And like the house of Ahab he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH. For no doubt under his mother’s involvement, members of the house of Ahab were his counsellors once his father was dead. The house of Ahab was strategically taking over Judah. And it could only have one end, his destruction. For YHWH was watching over Judah to finally preserve it for the house of David.
5 He also followed their advice and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
One example of the way in which he followed their counsel was in respect to his alliance with Jehoram (Joram) the son of Ahab. Like his grandfather had done he allied himself with Israel in a war against Hazael, king of Aram (Syria) at Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans (Syrians) were seemingly still in control of Israel’s land in Transjordan, for Ramoth-gilead was in the territory of Gad and was located along the King’s Highway. It was thus of vital importance for watching over the trade route. The aim of the alliance was no doubt to drive the Syrians out of Transjordan, thus securing that part of the King’s Highway for themselves. So, on the advice of his counsellors, Ahaziah went to war along with Jehoram the son of Ahab, only for Joram (Jehoram) to be wounded in the battle, as Ahab had previously been. Ramoth-gilead was an ill-fated place for the house of Ahab.
6 Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
Having been wounded Jehoram (Joram) of Israel, the son of Ahab, returned to his summer palace in Jezreel in order that his wounds might heal, and Ahaziah dutifully went to Jezreel in order to see Jehoram of Israel, because he was sick, bringing out the closeness between the two men.
7 His going to Joram was God’s occasion for Ahaziah’s downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
We are now told that Ahaziah’s visit was planned by God, Who purposed his destruction. For whilst Ahaziah and Jehoram of Israel were together in Jezreel, Jehu the son of Nimshi arrived to confront Jehoram and seize the kingdom from him. For he was the one whom YHWH had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9.6-7).
8 And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.
The executing of judgment on the house of Ahab began with the death of Jehoram of Israel (2 Kings 9.24-26), continued with the slaying of his sons (2 Kings 10.7-8), and this was followed by the slaying of ‘the brothers of Ahaziah’, that is, his relatives (2 Kings 10.13-14). Speaking strictly all his blood brothers were dead (22.1).
9 Then he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, “because,” they said, “he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So, the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.
The death of Ahaziah followed swiftly on that of Jehoram of Israel. It would appear from what is said here that he fled in his chariot to Samaria by the way of the garden house. But there Jehu’s men found him and forced him to go with them to Jehu. Recognizing what his end must be, he somehow made his escape by chariot (possibly provided by some of his servants who would have been with him in Jezreel, and who may then have accompanied him), at which Jehu told his men to slay him in his chariot once they caught up with him, something which they sought to do at the Ascent of Gur by Ibleam. Severely wounded he then fled by chariot to Megiddo and died there.
The ‘they’ here is impersonal. The people who might be expected to give him proper burial because he was a son of the worthy Jehoshaphat would most naturally be men of Judah. It does not fit in with what we know of Jehu and his followers, and besides, Ahaziah would appear to have escaped from his men by fleeing. And this is confirmed in 2 Kings 9.28 where the men who had aided his escape took him to Jerusalem and buried him in his sepulcher with his fathers in the city of David.
Unsurprisingly the house of Ahaziah, having lost their family head and mainly being young, were in no position to appoint one of Ahaziah’s young sons to reign over Judah. And this was especially so as the formidable Athaliah had herself determined to take over the kingdom supported by her servants. Thus, the reign of Ahaziah ended in disaster for his house, due reward for his utterly sinful behavior. It was a further reaping of Jehoshaphat’s folly.
On the death of her son Ahaziah, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, moved swiftly to take the throne. As queen mother she had had powerful status, and the opportunity seemed too good to miss. The fact that it involved the murder of all her grandchildren and relatives does not seem to have disturbed her at all. It went along with her own ideas of being a ruler. But although she was unaware of it, the daughter of Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, whose name was Jehoshabeath, hid one of Athaliah’s grandsons, first in a bedchamber, and then in the Temple area where she lived with her priestly husband, Jehoiada ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest).
10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.
On the death of Ahaziah Athaliah his mother possibly saw her status as queen mother in danger, especially as her support in Israel had collapsed with the overthrow of the house of Ahab by Jehu, and so she took steps to remedy the situation while she was still powerful as the queen mother by murdering all Ahaziah’s male seed. If she could get rid of all the descendants of David there would be little opposition. She would know that her act was necessary because of Judah’s loyalty to the house of David. It was a typical act of a member of the house of Ahab, and she seemingly had no regret about doing it. Jehoram’s act of slaying his brothers was rebounding on his descendants. He had set the example. Others followed.
Note that there is no explanatory introduction to her reign. She was not looked on as a true ruler of the house of David, but as an interloper.
11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a 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 did not kill him.
Athaliah had not taken into account the loyalty and compassion of the sister of Ahaziah. The young Joash was probably being suckled by his nurse, a common practice among royalty. He thus apparently escaped the attention of Athaliah who was seemingly unaware of the fact. But it was known to Jehoshabeath, Ahaziah’s sister, and she kept him secreted from Athaliah. It was a brave thing to do. Athaliah was not the kind of woman to be messed with. Because of her action Joash survived. Jehoshabeath was the wife of Jehoiada ‘the Priest’ and would have had quarters in the priest’s accommodation in the Temple area. Thus, she was soon able to smuggle the young baby out of the palace and into the priests’ quarters in the Temple area.
12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
And it was there that she hid him for six years. If Athaliah saw him at all she would assume he was simply another of the children of the priests, or one of the young dedicated boys like Samuel. As Samuel had this would mean that he could enter the Sanctuary and remain there. And she reigned over the land for six years, oblivious of the fact that a son of Ahaziah survived in the Temple. We know nothing of her reign.
There is here a remarkable parallel between the tyrant Athaliah who took over the kingdom, and sought to destroy the seed royal, only to discover later that God had hidden away and preserved Joash the son of David who would appear in due time. (We cannot doubt that the Satan was behind this attempt to destroy the house of David, only for him to be thwarted by God). Centuries later another tyrant who had usurped the throne of Israel, would again seek to destroy the seed royal in Bethlehem, only for his house to discover later that God had similarly hidden away and preserved the son of David Who would take His throne in due time at the resurrection. Again, Satan’s plan had been thwarted by God. Satan had had nothing new to offer.
