“Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy fa- ther, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 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 The Fall of the House of Ahab [210-213] 168 Prophets and Kings brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thy- self: behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: and thou shalt have great sickness.” In fulfillment of this prophecy “the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians: and they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the sub- stance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz [Ahaziah, Azariah], the youngest of his sons. “And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. And it came to pass, that in pro- cess of time, after the end of two years . . . he died of sore diseases.” “And Ahaziah [Jehoahaz] his son reigned in his stead.” Verses 12:19; 2 Kings 8:24. Jehoram the son of Ahab was still reigning in the king- dom of Israel when his nephew, Ahaziah, came to the throne of Judah. Ahaziah ruled only one year, and during this time, influenced by his mother, Athaliah, “his coun- selor to do wickedly,” “he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 22:3, 4; 2 Kings 8:27. Jezebel, his grandmother, was still living, and he allied himself boldly with Jehoram of Is- rael, his uncle. Ahaziah of Judah soon met a tragic end. The surviv- ing members of the house of Ahab were indeed “his coun- selors after the death of his father to his destruction.” 2 Chronicles 22:3, 4. While Ahaziah was visiting his uncle at Jezreel, the prophet Elisha was divinely directed to send one of the sons of the prophets to Ramothgilead to anoint Jehu king of Israel. The combined forces of Judah and Israel were at that time engaged in a military campaign against the Syrians of Ramothgilead. Jehoram had been wounded in battle, and had returned to Jezreel, leaving Jehu in charge of the royal armies.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 06:36:28 +0000
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