Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

The virtual time run was paused after the death of King Jehoram as the Godhead noted that having a righteous man mix with an idolatrous woman produced unrepairable damages.

Athaliah was used by Lucifer to usher in destruction and debauchery to Judah in much the same way that her mother, Jezebel, had done to Israel.

Ahaziah was ready to ascend to the throne of Judah with his mother pulling the strings in the background. And with that, the Godhead resumed the virtual time run.

KING AHAZIAH
Ahaziah was married with children when he began to reign at age 42. The Bible does not reveal if he had one or several wives.

His chief counselor was his mother, Athaliah, who was a priestess of Baal and a witch. She was a wicked woman with no scruples. She kept the cabinet of counselors that served Jehoram during Ahaziah’s single year as king. It’s not surprising that he was just as wicked as his father. 2 Chronicles 22:1-4

ASSISTING THE UNGODLY
The marital alliance between the house of Ahab (Israel) and the house of Jehoram (Judah) caused Ahaziah to leave Jerusalem with his army in support of King Joram’s (Israel) fight with the Syrians. 2 Kings 8:26-28

The battle did not go well for Israel and Judah. King Joram was wounded and retreated to Jezreel to heal from his wounds. King Ahaziah traveled to Jezreel to discover how Joram was doing. verse 29

AHAZIAH’S END
The two kings were ignorant of the fact that Jesus had instructed the prophet Elisha to anoint Jehu the next king of Israel. He was also commissioned to eradicate every family member in the house of Ahab and Jezebel. 2 Kings 9:1-14

Once Jehu was pronounced the new king of Israel, he traveled with military forces to Jezreel to execute Joram. verses 15-25

King Ahaziah witnessed the assassination, fled in his chariot to Samaria, but he too was also executed. 2 Chronicles 22:9; 2 Kings 9:27-28

The royal court in Judah also sent a delegation of princes (political leaders) with the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers to meet with King Joram. They encountered Jehu and all 42 men were swiftly executed. 2 Kings 10:13-14

The execution of King Ahaziah, along with 42 princes and leaders from the royal court in Jerusalem was mandated by God. 2 Chronicles 22:7

PANIC IN JERUSALEM
It is important for people in the 21st century to know the setup of royal courts at the time of kings of Israel and Judah. The king could do nothing without a cabinet of men who were usually strong political leaders. The Bible refers to these men as “princes.”

Each cabinet member was responsible for a different department in the nation. The most important cabinet post controlled and directed the military. It was the military that defended the king, or like in the instance of Jehu, supported regicide of a sitting king.

Cabinet ministers were responsible for collecting taxes, banking, commerce, and education. There was always a Levite in the cabinet to oversee the religious department.

In order for a king to control the nation, it was necessary to assemble strong and loyal leaders to do his bidding. He also needed a strong police force that constantly searched for conspirators. The king appointed judges and these nominations were usually given to sons in order to make sure that the monarchy was secure.

The king was safe as long as the powerful elite liked him. Payments, land grants and bribery were common. It was the greed of money and love of power that held kingdoms together.

When Athaliah received news that Ahaziah had been killed, she knew it was necessary to move quickly in order to become the next ruler of Judah or the princes and political leaders of Judah would choose Ahaziah’s oldest son as the next king. This is why she ordered soldiers to murder all her grandchildren. 2 Kings 11:1; 2 Chronicles 22:10

FAMILY INTERVENTION
King Jehoram had a daughter (Jehoshabeath) who married Jehoiada, the ruling priest of Judah. Since Ahaziah was her brother, she most likely lived within the vicinity of the palace in Jerusalem with her husband and their children.

When she heard that her mother (Athaliah) ordered the murder of all her nephews, she was able to rescue Jehoash (more commonly known as Joash).

Jehoiada hid the boy and his nurse in the temple compound for six years. 2 Chronicles 22:11-12

QUEEN ATHALIAH
Athaliah ruled Judah as queen for the next six years. She was a usurper with no legal right to the throne for the following reasons:

1. She came from the bloodline of Ahab (Israel).
2. She was a half breed; Jezebel was from Tyre.

The Bible does not reveal what took place during these six years. Athaliah’s cabinet must have consisted of Hebrews that were Baal worshipers. To the Levites and those who served the Lord, Athaliah seemed like the angel of the death that struck the Egyptians prior to their departure from Pharaoh’s slavery.

THE UPRISING
Jehoiada secretly built up a network of Jews who wanted to restore the true worship of God to Judah and get rid of the usurper queen. He summoned Levites and local rulers from all over Judah to the temple and made a secret covenant with them after revealing Joash. 2 Kings 11:4; 2 Chronicles 23:1-3

A plan was hatched to coronate the seven year old boy. 2 Chronicles 23:4-10

When the preparations were finished, Jehoiada brought out Jehoash and crowned Joash king. verse 11

Athaliah was notified that something was going on at the temple complex. When she saw a boy standing at a pillar and being honored by the people, she was visibly upset and rent her clothing while decrying the apparent treason. verses 12-13

Jehoiada ordered his soldiers to follow Athaliah beyond the temple grounds and execute her. The same fate awaited the queen’s cabinet and anyone who was loyal to her. verses 14-15

GODLY RENEWAL
Jehoiada led the people in repentance and they rededicated themselves to the Lord.

The people then stormed the house of Baal in Jerusalem and tore the altars apart, broke the statues, and slew Mattan, the Baal priest in charge. It turned into a free-for-all to destroy all places of Baal worship.

The young king was taken to the palace and placed upon the throne. The worship of God was restored and the people rejoiced that Athaliah was dead. verses 16-21

KING JEHOASH
Since Joash was only seven years old, the real ruler and powerbroker during his childhood was Jehoiada. Not only did he rule Judah, but he also ensured that Jehoash was educated, particularly in the knowledge of the Lord and the five books of Moses.

A mistake occurred when Jehoiada arranged for a now grown Joash to marry two women. 2 Chronicles 24:1-3

Joash started to reign as king and turned his attention to the temple and other buildings on the temple ground. He wanted to repair the buildings and restore them to their original splendor.

He tried to have the Levites enforce the temple tax, but they moved slowly and so Joash confronted Jehoiada and more or less told him to get the tax collection going so the repairs could begin. verses 4-14

DEATH OF JEHOIADA
Up to this point Jehoiada had served as the sole advisor to the king. 2 Kings 12:1-3

Once he was dead, the political leaders in Judah (princes) made their move when pledging allegiance to Joash. The king was flattered and began listening to evil men. 2 Chronicles 24:15-18

THE DOWNFALL
The Godhead was upset that once Jehoiada was dead, Joash quickly forgot how he was saved as a baby by Johoiada and Jehoshabeath. A prophet was dispatched to warn the king, but he was indifferent to the message because he had bitten into the forbidden fruit and started to enjoy the sexual perversion that came with the worship of Baal. verse 19

Jesus activated Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, who delivered a strong message.  verse 20

The king and the princes decided the only way to deal with Zechariah was to stone him to death. Joash’s heart was cold as ice and he failed to remember the kindness of Jehoiada. verse 21

Zechariah cursed Joash just before he died. verse 22

JEHOASH’S DEATH
Joash signed his own death warrant when he allowed Zechariah to be stoned to death. The Godhead released the Syrians upon Judah, but instead of repenting and calling upon the Lord, Joash repeated the mistakes of the past and used his gold and silver to bribe the Syrians. 2 Kings 12:17-18

Sometime after the main Syrian army returned home, a small force returned to Judah and executed all the princes. They were able to defeat the large Judean army because God was using them to punish the nation. 2 Chronicles 24:23-24

The Bible does reveal how the Syrians tortured and abused Joash, but he was left bedridden with many wounds. While he lay sick in the bed, the palace servants turned on him and sent him to hell. 2 Kings 12:20-21

The regicide came about as a result of Joash’s approval of Zechariah’s murder.  2 Chronicles 24:26-27

SUMMARY
Joash ruled as king of Judah for 42 years. The first 13 years was under the conservatorship of Jehoiada. Assuming that Jehoiada was his sole counselor for 10 years, that means that Jehoash reigned for 19 years with the ungodly princes of Judah.

What made Joash turn away from God and serve Baal?

• Was it sexual perversion associated with Baal worship?
• Was it his craving for recognition by the political leaders of Judah?
• Was he bored and seeking change?

I have known many men and women in our ministry over the years that walked away from the Lord. Many of them were saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Some were gifted preachers who prayed for the sick and saw great miracles. Others were skilled musicians and singers.

The one thing they had in common was that they traded in Jesus for whatever trinkets Lucifer offered to them. They all lost all their heavenly rewards and will enter eternity empty handed. How do you fit in?