God’s Wrath Prepared, 2 Chron 21 - 22; 2 Kings 1 - 8

Theme

Overview of Judah and Israel during the times of Ahab and Jezebel on the eve of God’s judgement.

Background

The Scriptural time frame of the books of Kings and Chronicles includes the prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha. These men ministered God's Word in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, their wicked son Ahaziah, and their second son Jehoram. Previous studies have expamined the outworking of God’s grace during the reign of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah of the House of David. Jehoshaphat allied his house to Ahab’s by the marriage of his son Jehoram to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Other studies of this series have looked at the relatively immediate actions and results of God’s dealing with His chosen people. This study is an overview of God’s plan and sovereign grace for His people during the 40 year period between 880 and 840 BC.

Personalities

Jehoshaphat: King of Judah from 873 to 848, 25 years. His first three years were as co-regent with his father, Asa

Jehoram: King of Judah, son of Jehoshaphat and married to Athaliah, Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel

Ahaziah (or Jehoahaz): King of Judah, grandson of Jehoshaphat and son of Jehoram and Athaliah

Ahab: King of Israel, son of Omri who seized the Israelite throne after a coup. Married to Jezebel. Usually the object of Elijah the prophet’s warnings and prophecies. Reigned for 22 years, from 874 to 853

Jezebel: Wife of Ahab and daughter of Ethbaal of Sidon. Ethbaal was a pagan priest who usurped his throne by regicide

Ahaziah (ben Ahab): King of Israel, son of Ahab and Jezebel, a wicked Baal worshipper

Jehoram (ben Ahab): King of Israel, younger son of son of Ahab and
Jezebel who took the throne on his brother’s death.

(Note: it can be difficult to keep track of "who's who" when discussing this time period. This is due to the unfamiliar names and to the fact that the ruling houses of Judah and Israel used the same names for their children. To help sort out this confusion, please view a time line of events and people by clicking here: TIMELINE If you wish to view the timeline with this lesson, use your right mouse button to click on the link and select "open in new window". You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download, to view this file.)

Political Background

The Israelite people were a power in the Middle East region, but the division of Solomon’s kingdom weakend Israelite strength and influence. Syria was a regional power and rival of the Northern Kingdom. This was also the growth period of the young Assyrian empire, located in what is today northern Syria, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey. Assyria’s growing power kept Syria under Benhadad II and Hazael in check. Ultimately, Assyria’s power would grow until God used that nation to destroy Israel and severely chastise Judah.

Northern Kingdom after Ahab’s demise

Review of Ahab’s life and Elijah’s judgement

Another study addressed Ahab’s and Jehoshaphat’s attack on Ramoth Gilead. This study assumes that the reader is familiar with general nature and events of Ahab’s and Jezebel’s lives. Recall that two judgemental prophecies were sent by God to Ahab: Even the terrors of hell do not move an unrepentant sinner, but this judgement from God did cause Ahab to consider his situation, and he repented in verse 29. God caused Ahab’s heart in this case to be temporarily softened, because the time for His work to be fulfilled on Israel, The House of Ahab, and the House of David were not yet at hand.

The study now turns to Ahab’s son.

Ahaziah ben Ahab

The Scriptural account of Ahab’s son Ahaziah begins in 2 Kings 1. It is short and succinct, as was Ahaziah’s life. Soon after word was heard of Ahab’s unsuccessful campaign and death, Moab revolted from Israel’s rule. The resulting loss of tribute greatly affected the crown's revenue. Ahaziah turned to Jehoshaphat of Judah to build the trading fleet mentioned in 2 Chronicles 20:35-37 (noted on the time line). Soon after this, Ahaziah fell through a lattice in his palace and was gravely injured.

Common wisdom to the contrary, sinners do not learn from spiritual mistakes apart from God's grace. Ahaziah was king, but he could no more hide from God’s judgement than his father. Ahab tried to hide by disguising himself in battle, and an arrow had found him. His son tried to hide from arrows by avoiding battle with Moab, but was he found by a cracked lattice. Deuteronomy 28:14-68 precisely describes this situation, but let us simply read verse 45: "Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee."

The elect experience peace and joy in the complete sovereignty of God, but the reprobate attempt to hide from Him with the success of Adam in the Garden, Ahab in disguise, and Ahaziah in his palace.

Ahaziah sought Baal of Ekron, otherwise known as Baalzebub, lord of the flies, to see whether he would recover. Heathens noted that the behavior of flies was connected with weather and with sickness, so they worshipped this fly-idol to control these events. Ahaziah’s messengers were intercepted by Elijah, who upbraided the king for not relying on the God of Israel and foretold that Ahaziah would not recover. The messengers returned to Ahaziah and repeated the prophecy of Elijah.

One can almost hear Ahaziah hissing “It is Elijah the Tishbite” in 2 Kings 1:8, just as Ahab and Jezebel had done. Like many reprobates, he would not have feared a death message from a fly god, just as those who have their fortune told today do not place much stock in the information they gain. But let the LORD tell someone that they are a sinner and that coming short of God’s requirement means a spiritual and eternal death sentence, and rebellion and hatred are sure to follow. Ahaziah was no different.

Ahaziah sent a captain with 50 men to capture Elijah, who may have been living on the summit of Mt. Carmel at this time. Elijah’s location was certainly not a mystery, and Ahaziah took no chances with the man who slew hundreds of pagan priests. The force sent against Elijah indicates that Ahaziah considered him to be different from an ordinary man, but yet, if Elijah represented the power of God, what logic was in Ahaziah’s persecution? God sent fire to consume these and a second group of 50 at Elijah’s request. A third 50 had wiser captain, who meekly begged for his life as he was only doing his duty. We are reminded of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, faced with a similar situation, cast the Temple guards sent to arrest Him reeling back, before accompanying them to his trial (John 18:6).

Regarding the severity of God’s dealings with the two destroyed companies of 50 and Ahaziah, consider Romans 1:18-19: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."

Ahaziah’s attempted arrest of Elijah highlights God’s dealings with His people at this time. God provided Ahaziah with sufficient evidence that His wrath followed disobedience. All of the people during this time knew of Elijah’s ministry on Mt. Carmel, the withheld rain, and the miraculous deliverances from the Syrians that are seen on the time line. Ahaziah knew of these things, as did his soldiers.

All stand guilty before God and all, just like Ahaziah and the two destroyed companies of 50, deserve no better than what they received from God. One important question that arises when studying these Old Testament passages is why God bothered to show mercy to any of His people, for none of them deserved anything better than what Ahaziah and the detachments of 50 received. Even David deserved destruction after seeing God’s judgement of Saul and then murdering Uriah.

This question and the question that asks why God saved His people are answered similarly, since these events are examples, as 1 Corinthians 10:6,11 points out. The answer to why God dealt so with His people then and why God saves some now is because He is pleased to, and because He is glorified in doing so.

The account of Ahaziah reveals God’s wrath and displeasure with sinners and is a demonstration of God’s righteousness, in that His wrath falls upon such evil creatures. Many men say that they wish to know God, and God’s attitude toward men such as the two captains of 50 has been revealed (Psalms 5:5 and 7:11). We can be sure that sin will produce misery in our lives, just as it did in the lives of the sinful Israelites, for as Charles Hodge says, God's wrath is “the connection between sin and misery, with the same general uniformity that any other law in the physical or moral government of God operates”.

Jehoram ben Ahab

Since Ahaziah died without a son, his brother Jehoram followed him on the throne of Israel. Scripture does not precisely state the connection between the reigns of kings and the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, but there are some grounds for viewing references to “the king” in 2 Kings 3 through 9 as references to Jehoram. Note that we hear less about Elijah’s ministry and that Elisha is active in God’s dealings during Jehoram’s reign. (We will have more to say about this later.)

2 Kings 3:2-3 sums up Jehoram’s reign: "And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom."

Jehoram may have learned the folly of opposing God from the example of his father and brother. While he did not patronize the Baal cult with the fervor of his predecessors, later study of the Scriptural account shows that heathen worship was still alive and well in Israel at the end of his reign and he seems to have done little to curb Jezebel’s excesses.

Compare Scripture’s account of Jehoram with worldly notions that have crept into the Church today. Scripture judges Ahab and Ahaziah to have been evil men, but Jehoram to have not been as evil as Ahab and Jezebel. Yet, it was during Jehoram's lifetime and upon him personally that God’s judgement fell. Men of all ages think that they can avert God’s judgement by good behavior, instead of seeing men’s good behavior as a sign of God’s grace. These passages in Kings and Chronicles clearly demonstrate that, whether in individual’s lives or in the life of a nation, when God’s time for judgement has come, it comes regardless of man’s machinations to alter His sovereign will. It is a shame when men regard God as a misbehaving child does a disciplining parent, promising to be good “from now on” to avert punishment. The issue here is not to seek to behave in ways that avoid God’s judgement, but to recognize that the desire to please God comes from Him and not from our own choice. Seeking and pleasing Him flow from His grace, not from men’s natural thoughts and imaginations. No amount of adversity and judgement that is described in these passages caused any member of the House of Ahab to seek God, or to please Him. So it remains today.

Events of Jehoram’s reign in other lessons. Scripture tells of the joint expedition of Jehoshaphat and Jehoram against Moab, where Elisha was called to prophesy deliverance from thirst, Elisha’s cure of Naaman’s leprosy, Elisha’s capture of the Syrian army in Samaria, and Samaria’s delivery from Syria’s siege by 4 lepers. These events are noted on the time line.

Jehoram represents the last king in the line of Omri and Ahab, and God’s judgement of this house is examined in the study of King Jehu.

Judah from Jehoshaphat’s time

Review of Jehoshaphat’s life

Jehoshaphat, after being delivered by God from invasion (“Beauty of Holiness”) constructed a Tarshish trading fleet for a joint venture with Ahaziah, son of Ahab. This event is presented in 2 Chronicles 20:35-37 and 1 Kings 20:48, 49. Compare these two accounts:

2 Chronicles 20:35-37

And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

1 Kings 22:48-49

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

These accounts seem to be at variance, but consider that both passages refer to a fleet that was built and subsequently broken up. The passage in 1 Kings then adds that Ahaziah still desired to pursue a joint expedition, which would be in keeping with his nation’s dire economic situation. Jehoshaphat belatedly acted upon Eliezer’s prophecy and refused to either build a second fleet, or refused to permit Ahaziah to participate in a second fleet’s trading mission.

Regarding the differing destinations, Keil regards “ships to go to Tarshish” in the Chronicles account as a paraphrase of “ships of Tharshish” in the Kings account. Both phrases then refer not to the destination of the ships, which was Ophir, but to the type of ship, i.e., “Tarshish ships”, or ships for long voyages. This is similar to our use of the words “sedan” or “limousine” to designate a type of automobile: our riding in these vehicles does not imply we are traveling to areas in France.

Jehoram

Jehoshaphat had six sons, including Jehoram, who followed him on Judah’s throne. Here is how Jehoshaphat made provision for them:

2 Chronicles 21:3-4

And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.

Jehoshaphat provided for the defense of the kingdom and for further instruction of the people in God’s Law (recall his governmental reforms) by installing his sons in fenced, or fortified, cities. Jehoram destroyed his brothers, not for the purpose of gaining their wealth, but because they opposed his policies.

2 Chronicles 21:6

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 21:13

But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself

Jehoram and his mother Athaliah murdered Jehoram’s brothers and the godly governors appointed by Jehoshaphat who opposed Jehoram’s Baal policy. This is the sense of Elijah’s word to Jehoram, including the statement that Jehoram’s brothers “were better than thyself”. Scriptural accounts mentioning Athaliah recount her constant attempts to destroy the Davidic, and more importantly, the Messianic, line. She was a true daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and a true sister of Ahaziah in her rebellion against God.

These accounts of godly men failing and ungodly men doing evil teach us that there is great reason to have faith in God and his purposes, for His purposes become our salvation:

2 Chronicles 21:7

Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever.

What a blessing it is to enjoy God’s peace and rely on His promises for salvation! God’s Word has so often been proved true (Psalm 89:30-37)!

Edom, formerly vassal to Jehoshaphat, revolted, and a military expedition could not subdue them (noted on the time line). The city of Libnah also revolted. Libnah had been a Canaanite city with its own king (Joshua 10:29-30) that was allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:42). Subsequently, Libnah became a Levitical city (Joshua 21:13, 1 Chronicles 6:57). Edom may have revolted as heathen apart from the commonwealth of God’s people. Libnah may have revolted because it rejected Jehoram’s Baal worship due to Levitical influence, dissatisfaction with execution of the governor, or both. 140 years later, Libnah is again recorded as a city of Judah (2 Kings 19:8 and Isaiah 37:8).

Returning to Elijah’s writing to Jehoram, there is an apparent inconsistency in the Scriptural accounts to whether Elijah could have been alive at this time. Disregarding late date authorship of these accounts and other speculative theories, there are two plausible explanations:

First, it is possible that Elijah was still alive. Objections to this are based on the account of Elijah’s translation to Heaven 2 Kings 2, between chapter 1’s account of Ahab’s son Ahaziah and chapter 3’s account of Ahab’s son Jehoram. This time period (referring to the time line) is well before Jehoram of Judah’s reign, so it is said that Elijah could not have been alive. However, chapters 2, 4, 5, and 6:1-7, which are accounts of Elijah’s and Elisha’s ministry, may not be chronological with the rest of the Scriptural history. They may relate the accounts of those prophets and then return to the chronological narrative.

Secondly, if it is granted that Elijah was dead at the time of Jehoram of Judah, note that Elijah was to anoint Hazael king of Syria and Jehu king of Israel (1 Kings 19:15-18). These verses describe God’s judgement through Jehu at least twelve years after Elijah’s experience on Mt. Horeb. But, Elijah did not anoint these two men himself; Elisha anointed Hazael (2 Kings 8:13) and Elisha sent an unnamed person to anoint Jehu (2 Kings 9). It is reasonable to infer that Elijah was given a complete prophetic picture regarding Ahab’s house and that he instructed Elisha to carry out God’s instructions regarding Jehoram of Judah after his translation to Heaven.
This prophecy from God was fulfilled in the nation’s history and in Jehoram’s personal life. 2 Chronicles 21:16 tells us that Philistine and Arab marauders killed all of his sons except Ahaziah (called Jehoahaz in 2 Chronicles 21:17). Finally, verse 18 records that God smote Jehoram with a terrible bowel disease. Keil mentions a condition of dysentery so severe that the mucous membrane of the colon peels away from the underlying tissue and is shed in a tube shape, making it appear that the intestines are falling out. We call to mind Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Ahaziah

2 Chronicles 22 begins the account of Ahaziah with a restatement of why he was made king: invaders had slain his older brothers. This verse also sheds more light on these deaths: they were killed in “the camp”. Perhaps they were moving to meet the invaders but were slain by the surprise attack of a reconnaissance patrol. Scripture does not mention an attack on Jerusalem at this time.

Since Ahaziah’s father Jehoram was only 40 years old when he died, it is impossible for Ahaziah to have been 42. Some attribute this to a scribal copying error, others interpret the original language to state that Athaliah was 42 or, “he was the son of forty-two years” (Matthew Henry).

Ahaziah was not influenced by his father’s fate, nor by the people’s unceremonious burial of his father. (Jehoshaphat’s elaborate burial is recorded by Josephus, but Scripture tells us that Jehoram was buried like a common man “without being desired”, 2 Chronicles 21:20.) 2 Chronicles 22 tells us that wicked Athaliah and all of the House of Ahab were Ahaziah’s councillors to continue of Baal worship and to renew the joint military effort with Israel to retake Ramoth Gilead.

The accounts of the House of Ahab and the House of David converge at this point. They are considered together in a study of Jehu, who was God’s chosen instrument to put Jehoshaphat’s unholy alliance with erring Israel and its influences to an end. The key thought to keep in mind is the statement of Scripture in 2 Chronicles 22:7, which says that these events were ordered by God for His purposes.

God is justified in judging the wicked and He is justified in showing mercy to some. Despite man’s planning and activities, God’s purpose to bring events about is not thwarted or altered.

Resources

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2 Chronicles 21-22, 2 Kings 1, 3, Matthew Henry

Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil and Delitzsch, 2 Chronicles 21-22, 2 Kings 1, 3, C. F. Keil

Antiquities of the Jews, Book 9, chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, Josephus

Articles: “Jehoshaphat”, “Libnah”, “Jehoram (1&2, of Israel and Judah)”, “Ahaziah (1&2, of Israel and Judah)”, The Zondervon Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. by Merrill Tenney

Chronological Charts of the Old Testament, John H. Walton

Epistle to the Romans, Romans 1:18, Charles Hodge

Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Gleason Archer


(back to studies page)