#569 Even Their Own

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two[a] years old when he began to reign, 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 was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 5 He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram, 6 and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

7 But it was ordained by[b] God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them.9 He searched for Ahaziah, and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” And the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath,[c] the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him[d] from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death. 12 And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land. 2 Chronicles 22 ESV


Sister passage 2 Kings 9

Of the time 2 Kings 10

Another Sister 2 Kings 11

So Ahaziah rules, but mostly to hold a place, to keep the line, for he is all that is left of the sons of  Jehoram at the time. It says that Athaliah, his mother, was also his counselor, so it is the continued reign and power of this woman for she also led her husband according to the ways of Ahab and Jezebel. They weren't just wicked counselors but also terrible counselors, as not everyone who claims to know or desires to lead should. What qualifies a man or woman to rule God's people? Athaliah has brought her family into the fold of the northern tribes, to be like those who left God's ways and temple first for the high places and calves that were to be their own form of worshiping the true God, yet not as He said. They worshiped before these calf idols until eventually abandoning them for the idols and wives of the surrounding nations. Apostasy is not the road to another form of true worship, but the road that always leads away from the worship of the true God, for it will no longer bare Him either in Spirit or in truth. It is the falling away. They are so close to the family of Ahab that they join in Joram's wars, that Ahaziah goes to visit him during is injury and shares in his judgment. What will we yoke ourselves to? When his mother heard of his death, she did not go into mourning or repent, but took the opportunity to lay hold of power. She killed her own relatives of the house of Judah, those who she was linked to by marriage, the cousins, grand children and nephews that would belong to the royal line. She must have thought that David had disappeared, that the prophecies had come to an end, but she didn't know that her grandson, Joash, had ben hidden with the priest. It looks so dark sometimes, but thank you God, that You are the keeper of the light, the Author and the finisher of salvation.