22:1 The residents of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, for the raiding party that invaded the city with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
Sometimes the names of the kings of Israel and Judah get confusing, because often kings from both nations have the same names. Sometimes, these kings often go by a different name. The authors sometimes use both names interchangeably.
Ahaziah is the Jehoahaz of 2 Chronicles 21:17. He was the only son left from the house of Jehoram. All the other sons of Jehoram were killed.
22:2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. She was from the kingdom of Israel, but she married Jehoram, the king of Judah.
22:3 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty, for his mother gave him evil advice.
This mixed-marriage caused problems, because she brought Baalism from Israel to Judah.
22:4 He did evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his father’s death, they gave him advice that led to his destruction.
Athaliah gave bad advice to both her husband and her son. She turned both her husband and her son away from God and into the satanism of Baalism.
22:5 He followed their advice and joined Ahab’s son King Joram of Israel in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram.
It is important to note that there is a Jehoram and a Joram. The names are sometimes used interchangeably. Jehoram, the former king of Judah and the former husband of Athalia, had died. This Joram was the present king of Israel at that time. Judah joined Israel in an unholy alliance to fight Syria. Judah loses, because she was being cursed for not following the Mosaic Law.
22:6 Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah son of King Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he had been wounded.
Azariah, king of Judah, went to visit Jehoram, king of Israel, who was recovering at Jezreel. Both kings were into satanism, so they were allies and good friends.
22:7 God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall through his visit to Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had commissioned to wipe out Ahab’s family.
Jehu was called by God to assassinate King Joram of Israel. Jehu found both the Israel and King of Judah together, so he decided to assassinate both of them. He was not called to assassinate the King of Judah, because even though the King from Judah was evil, he was still in the Davidic line. In order for God to keep His promise to David, God will have to preserve the messianic seed of the Davidic line, even if the Davidic kings were evil.
Skeptics do not understand this concept, because they reject a book that they have not even studied. Most skeptics only know what other internet skeptics tell them. Some skeptics are demon-possessed, meaning that they knowingly and intentionally twist the truth. Satan does spread out his intellectual mouthpieces throughout societies and cultures. Most of Satan’s intellectual mouthpieces wear nice suits and ties and dwell in modern seminaries and churches.
22:8 While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving Ahaziah and killed them.
Jehu slaughtered both the monarchial houses of Israel and Judah. God had to raise up a bloody man to execute his wrath upon these evil kings. Divine viewpoint reasons that these evil kings deserved what happened to them. It is difficult for the carnal Christian or unbeliever to understand this spiritual concept, because they are not grounded in the entire counsel of the Word of God. They are fragmented, only knowing parts of Scripture. Mature Christians have studied the entire counsel of the Word of God, so they understand the connection of Scripture. They have no problem with this type of divine discipline. When God brings one home, it is for the purpose of either purging evil out of the world, or because the person’s has completed his calling of God. It is important for believers to be brought home in the latter calling.
22:9 He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they reasoned, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with his whole heart.” There was no one in Ahaziah’s family strong enough to rule in his place.
This is a bloody period. The Holy Spirit recorded these incidents in Scripture as examples for future believers. God judges sin by allowing man to carry out his evil plans. The entire world would be in chaotic violence if God refused to intervene in history. Sin is complicated, but it must run its course. The angelic world of angels and demons are observing how God works alongside with evil men. Angels will have many stories to tell to those who make it to heaven by God’s grace.
22:10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line of Judah.
This was a satanic attempt to kill the messianic seed line of David. Satan wanted to keep the Messianic King from coming into the world, because Satan does not want his head to be crushed.
22:11 So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so she could not execute him.
Athaliah was even more evil than her mother Jezebel. She killed all of her grandchildren, except for one. God promised to protect the messianic seed line, so one little boy from the line of David was hid in the temple when he was one year old. His name was Joash.
22:12 He remained in hiding in God’s temple for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.
This was the last seed of the Davidic line. If Joash had not been hidden, then Satan would have eliminated the Davidic seed line from this earth. There would be no Messianic King to crush the head of Satan. Satan would have ruled this world forever. However, God’s prophecies will be fulfilled.