II
C H R O N I C L E S
CHAP. XXII.
We
read, in the foregoing chapter, of the carrying away of Jehoram's sons and his
wives; but here we find one of his sons and one of his wives left, his son
Ahaziah and his wife Athaliah, both reserved to be the shame and plague of his
family. I. Ahaziah was the shame of it as a partaker, 1. In the sin, and, 2.
In the destruction, of the house of Ahab, ver. 1-9. II. Athaliah was the
plague of it, for she destroyed all the seed-royal, and usurped the throne,
ver. 10-12.
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Ahaziah
Slain by Jehu.
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B.
C. 884.
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1 And the inhabitants of
Jerusalem
made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his
stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain
all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of
Judah
reigned. 2 Forty and two years old
was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in
Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his
counsellor to do wickedly. 4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of
the LORD
like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his
father to his destruction. 5 He walked also after their counsel,
and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael
king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians smote Joram. 6 And
he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him
at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of
Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel,
because he was sick. 7 And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God
by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against
Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And it came to
pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found
the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered
to Ahaziah, he slew them. 9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught
him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had
slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of
Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD
with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the
kingdom.
We have here an account of the reign of Ahaziah, a short reign (of one year
only), yet long enough, unless it had been better. He was called Jeho-ahaz
(ch. xxi. 17); here he is called Ahaz-iah, which is the same
name and of the same signification, only the words of which it is compounded
are transposed. He is here said to be forty-two years old when he began to
reign (v. 2), which could not be, for his father, his immediate
predecessor, was but forty when he died, and it is said (2 Kings viii. 26)
that he was twenty-two years old when he began to reign. Some make this
forty-two to be the age of his mother Athaliah, for in the original it is, he
was the son of forty-two years, that is, the son of a mother that was of
that age; and justly is her age put for his, in reproach to him, because she
managed him, and did what she would--she, in effect, reigned, and he had
little more than the title of king. Many good expositors are ready to allow
that this, with some few more such difficulties, arise from the mistake of
some transcriber, who put forty-two for twenty-two, and the copies by which
the error should have been corrected might be lost. Many ancient translations
read it here twenty-two. Few books are now printed without some errata,
yet the authors do not therefore disown them, nor are the errors of the press
imputed to the author, but the candid reader amends them by the sense, or by
comparing them with some other part of the work, as we may easily do this.
The history of Ahaziah's reign is briefly summed up in two clauses, v.
3, 4. His mother and her relations were his counselors to do wickedly, and it
was to his destruction.
I. He did wickedly. Though by a special providence of God he was preserved
alive, when all his brethren were slain, and reserved for the crown,
notwithstanding he was the youngest of them--though the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, when they had buried his father ingloriously, made him king, in
hopes he would take warning by that not to tread in his steps, but would do
better for himself and his kingdom--yet he was not influenced by the favours
either of God or man, but walked in the way of the house of Ahab, did evil
in the sight of the Lord like them (v. 3, 4), that is, he
worshipped, Baalim and Ashtaroth, supposing (as the learned bishop Patrick
thinks) that by these demons, as mediators, they might have easier access to
the supreme Numen, the God of Israel, or that these they might
resort to at all times and for all matters, as being nearer at
hand, and not of so high a dignity, but of a middle nature
between the immortal God and mortal men--deified heroes; so they worshipped
them as the church of Rome does saints and angels. That was sufficiently bad;
but I wish there was no reason to suspect worse. I am apprehensive that they
looked upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers, to be altogether such a one as
these Baalim, and them to be as great and as good as he, nay, upon one
account, more eligible inasmuch as these Baalim encouraged in their
worshippers all manner of lewdness and sensuality, which the God of Israel
strictly forbade.
II. He was counselled by his mother and her relations to do so. She was his
counsellor (v. 3) and so were they, after the death of his
father, v. 4. While his father lived he took care to keep
him to idolatry; but, when he was dead, the house of Ahab feared lest his
father's miserable end should deter him from it, and therefore they were very
industrious to keep him closely to it, and to make him seven times more
a child of hell than themselves. The counsel of the ungodly is the ruin
of many young persons when they are setting out in the world. This young
prince might have had better advice if he had pleased from the princes and the
judges, the priests and the Levites, that had been famous in his good
grandfather's time for teaching in the knowledge of God; but the house of Ahab
humoured him, and he walked after their counsel, gave himself up to be
led by them, and did just as they would have him. Thus do those debase and
destroy themselves that forsake the divine guidance.
III. He was counselled by them to his destruction. So it proved. Those that
counsel us to do wickedly counsel us to our destruction; while they fawn, and
flatter, and pretend friendship, they are really our worst enemies. Those that
debauch young men destroy them. It was bad enough that they exposed him to the
sword of the Syrians, drawing him in to join with Joram king of Israel in an
expedition to Ramoth-Gilead, where Joram was wounded, an expedition that was
not for his honour. Those that give us bad counsel in the affairs of religion,
if regarded by us, may justly be made of God our counsellors to do foolishly
in our own affairs. But that was not all: by engaging him in an intimacy with
Joram king of Israel, they involved him in the common ruin of the house of
Ahab. He came on a visit to Joram (v. 6) just at the time that Jehu was
executing the judgment of God upon that idolatrous family, and so was cut off
with them, v. 7-9. Here, 1. See and dread the mischief of bad
company--of joining in with sinners. If not the infection, yet let the
destruction be feared. Come out from Babylon, that falling house, Rev.
xviii. 4. 2. See and acknowledge the justice of God. His providence brought
Ahaziah, just at this fatal juncture, to see Joram, that he might fall with
him and be taken as in a snare. This we had an account of before, 2 Kings ix.
27, 28. It is here added that he was decently buried (not as Jehoram, whose
dead body was cast into Naboth's vineyard, 2 Kings ix. 26), and the reason
given is because he was the son (that is, the grandson) of good Jehoshaphat, who
sought the Lord with his heart. Thus is he remembered with honour
long after his death, and some respect shown even to his degenerate unworthy
seed for his sake. The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the
wicked shall rot.
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Athaliah
Usurps the Throne.
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B.
C. 884.
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10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw
that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house
of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took
Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were
slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the
daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the
sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah
reigned over the land.
We have here what we had before, 2 Kings xi. 1, &c. 1. A wicked woman
endeavouring to destroy the house of David, that she might set up a throne for
herself upon the ruins of it. Athaliah barbarously cut off all the seed-royal
(v. 10), perhaps intending to transmit the crown of Judah after herself
to some of her own relations, that though her family was cut off in Israel by
Jehu it might be planted in Judah. 2. A good woman effectually preserving it
from being wholly extirpated. One of the late king's sons, a child of a year
old, was rescued from among the dead, and saved alive by the care of
Jehoiada's wife (v. 11, 12), that a lamp might be ordained for God's
anointed; for no word of God shall fall to the ground.
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