Day 181—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 181 – 2 Chronicles 19 – 23. (Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash reign in Judah.)

2 Chronicles 19 picks up just before 1 Kings ends with more about Jehoshaphat. Just as he returned to his southern kingdom of Judah after fighting the Syrians, the prophet Jehu came to visit him, scolding him for partnering with King Ahab in the Syrian battle. (He COULD have gotten himself killed!) However, God WAS happy with him, because he had set his heart to seek God. 

After that, Jehoshaphat stayed home and helped to lead the people of Judah back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges, special Levites, and priests and told them to remember that they would judge and hear cases for the LORD and not for man. “Let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with Him or with taking bribes.”

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In 2 Chronicles 20, war threatened Judah from the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites in the form of a great multitude from the east. Jehoshaphat was afraid.  Unlike Ahab, who called for human help, Jehoshaphat sought the LORD. He proclaimed a fast and asked the people of Judah to seek the LORD.  (This is part of the prayer Jehoshaphat prayed.)

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven?

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

In your hand are power and might so that none is able to withstand you.”   

“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them?

For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.

WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.”

Then came the word of God through the Levite, Jahaziel.  “Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed at this great horde. The battle is not yours but God’s.”  “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm. Hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid or dismayed.”

The next day, the army went out, and Jehoshaphat encouraged them, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” Then he told those who he’d appointed to sing to the LORD to go before the army, singing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his mercy endures forever.”

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men who had come against Judah so that they were routed and destroyed each other. Judah did no fighting, only picked up the spoil.  And the armies and singers of Judah came home with joy, blessing, and praising their God. 

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s last act was to make an alliance with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, to build ships so they could trade in Tarshish (Spain). The LORD disapproved and sank them all. 

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2 Chronicles 21 describes the reign of Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, whom he married to one of Ahab & Jezebel’s daughters.  Not surprisingly, he “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”  First thing, he killed all his brothers and some princes in Israel as well. In his days, he made high places in the hills where the people could worship false Gods.  

Elijah, the prophet for Israel in the north, sent him a letter telling him how the LORD would bring a plague on his people, and Jehoram would get a severe sickness in his bowels (colon cancer??) and die. The LORD stirred the Philistines to invade. They carried away all his possessions, wives, and sons (except the youngest, Jehoahaz). Then he got the incurable bowel disease and died in great agony. They buried him, but not in the tombs of the kings. He departed with no one’s regret…… 

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2 Chronicles 22 describes Ahaziah’s reign. His mother was Athaliah (Ahab’s daughter). Ahaziah “walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. Ahaziah helped his uncle, the king of Israel, fight against Syria and visited him when he was wounded.

The LORD ordained that the downfall of Ahaziah would come through that visit to his wounded uncle.  Jehu, whom the LORD had appointed to destroy the house of Ahab, was busy doing that when Ahaziah arrived.  He, and his brothers attending him, were all killed as well.  AND….. the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom of Judah.

Guess what?  His mom, the evil daughter of Ahab, who was Ahaziah’s chief counselor, saw her son dead, so she destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah and became the FAKE QUEEN of Judah. 

However…. one very young boy, a toddler, was saved by Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada, the priest. She took him and hid him from the murdering Athaliah.  

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2 Chronicles 23.  In the seventh year, the priest staged a coup with the commanders of the army, the Levites, and heads of houses, and they crowned young Joash King of Judah. “Long live the king!”  When queen Athaliah heard the ruckus, she knew her end had come. Although she screamed, “TREASON! TREASON!” no one listened. The captains of the army, instructed by the priest, killed her with a sword at the horse gate. 

And, under the priest’s direction, Judah cleaned up their act. They tore down the house of Baal that was built and killed its priest, then began sacrifices and worship of the LORD. And they took 7-year-old Joash to the king’s house and set him on the royal throne. And all the people rejoiced.