the Jigsaw of Joash #1

…the world of Israel and Judah

A friendly disclaimer: This blog includes some confusing family trees. The 2 Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were joined together by the marriage of Athaliah. If you start feeling giddy from confusion, please have a look at the genealogy posted at the bottom of this post!

 

   ‘He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’
(1 Chronicles 22:10 ESV)

 

    Joash arrived to the throne of Judah in a dark and wicked age. The twelve tribes of Israel had split years before, after the rash actions of a foolish young monarch. The ten northern tribes rose up in rebellion against the ruling House of David (the line of the promised messiah and saviour of Israel). Judah, alongside her smaller neighbour Benjamin, stayed loyal to David’s grandson. War broke out between the North and South.

   55 years, 7 Kings and 3 assassinations later and Ahab was ruler of the Northern tribes: Israel. Encouraged by his wicked wife, Jezebel*, Ahab murdered and stole his way through his reign. 1 Kings describes Ahab as ‘more [wicked] than all who were before him’. Jezebel, for her part, bought Baal worship to Israel, along with its priests and followers; not stopping at this, she also attempted to exterminate the prophets of the Lord God.

  The bible tells us a story about Ahab. The King saw a neighbours vineyard and coveted it. Upon the owner’s refusal to sell, Ahab stayed in his palace and basically sulked. He refused to eat and moped in his bedroom. Jezebel saw her husbands unhappiness and arranged for the vineyard’s true owner to be arrested on a false charge and to be executed by the judgement of corrupt magistrates. Once this had happened, she seized the vineyard and its produce.

   Ahab was killed in battle and, a few years later, his wife Jezebel was thrown from a window, trampled by horses and then her carcass was eaten by dogs.

   The couple’s sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, each took their opportunity at running Israel.

   Ahaziah lasted only 1 year and we don’t know much about Jehoram’s reign, except that he was as evil as both his brother and his father had been.

   Perhaps the most cunning and devious of the siblings, however, was a daughter. Athaliah managed something only dreamt of by her brothers- she managed to seize the throne of Judah….

 

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Judah…

 

   As Ahab’s sons were worshiping idols and performing wicked deeds, Jehoram of Judah (not to be confused with Jehoram of Israel!) was leading his own people into wrongdoing. Upon the death of his godly father, he went out and massacred all of his brothers.

   He only reigned 8 years, but they were 8 years of wicked and foolish leadership. Led astray by his wife Athaliah- the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel- he built shrines to the false gods.

   During Jehoram’s reign, the vassalage of Edom revolted. Jehoram led his commanders and chariots against the revolutionary force, but, without the Lord on his side, suffered a devastating defeat. The western city of Libnah, stirred on by Edom’s success, also rebelled against Jehoram and his reign of wickedness. The book of 2 Chronicles records further raids and pillages by the Philistines and the Arabians, who plundered the capital and kidnapped the King’s sons and wives (except, unfortunately, his evil wife Athaliah).

  Because of his evil rule, the Lord bought a plague on Judah. Jehoram himself was killed by a ‘disease of the bowels’ which led to his intestines bursting forth; he ‘died in great agony’. The Judahites were glad to see him go, 2 Chronicles records:

“His people made no fire in his honour, like the fires made for his fathers… and he departed with no one’s regrets. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the Kings.”

  Despite Jehoram’s reign the Lord still kept his covenant with King David: there would always be a son of David on the throne in Jerusalem.

   After Jehoram came his son, Ahaziah (otherwise called Jehoahaz). Ahaziah wasn’t the oldest son, but his brothers had been killed during the Arabian raids. He was only 22 years old, and reigned 1 year. Sadly, like his dad, he was counselled by his wicked mother, Athaliah. Athaliah’s brother, also called Jehoram(confusing, I know!), was now King of Israel. Jehoram (of Israel) used his sister’s connections to convince Ahaziah to join him in a war against Syria.

  The Israel-Judean war against Syria provided to be the downfall of Jehoram of Israel (the son of Ahab) and also Ahaziah of Judah (the grandson of Ahab, on his mother’s side). Jehoram was badly wounded, he was rushed to the Israeli city of Jezreel. Ahaziah went to visit his recovering uncle and found himself stuck in the middle of an Israeli coup. Ordained by God, Jehu (the Israeli military commander) bought justice upon the house of Ahab by executing them all and seizing the throne. Ahaziah and his retinue were caught up in the rebellion and were also killed.

  Thus we reach the most alarming and shocking event in the whole affair.

  Athaliah, the late-King-Ahaziah’s mother**, had been secretly manipulating the Kings of Judah for 2 generations. Now, however, she saw the chance to become Monarch for herself. Like her husband had done, she murdered all of the remaining male royal family- sons and all.

  The entire line of David was extinct.

  Athaliah, the wicked Queen, had destroyed the promised line of the Messiah.

  The fore-promised Saviour and Annointed King had been thwarted by a power-crazed murderous woman.

  Could this be the case?

  Surely not?

  And…. where does Joash come into all this?!

 

  Find out in the Jigsaw of Joash #2  (coming soon)

  (alternatively you can read 2 Chronicles chapter 22/ 2 Kings 11!!)

 

 

*You’ve heard the insult Jezebel? This gives you some idea of who the woman was.

**also daughter of Ahab, wife of Jehoram of Judah, and sister of Jehoram of Israel!