Grandfather's Heart
2 Chronicles 22:9
He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.
At first I thought this meant Ahaziah sought the Lord. However, as I look over the three chapters, 20-22, I see there was no redeeming quality in Ahaziah. He was a grandson of good King Jehoshaphat, but there was plenty of bloody history between the generations. Jehoshaphat's oldest had taken the throne and promptly resorted to murder to try to hold it, slaughtering his six brothers. Married to a daughter of Ahab, he entwined Judah with the poison of that cursed family. When God's justice came to him, he lost all but his youngest son, Ahaziah, to marauding Arabs.
Thus a twenty-two year old came to the throne of Judah and sealed his own fate by hanging out with Ahab's crowd. There he was when bloody justice came to Ahab through Jehu, who found no reason to spare the royalty of Judah.
But he got a little respect because of his grandfather's heart. It won him a grave, rather than god-knows-what posthumous indignities.
He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.
At first I thought this meant Ahaziah sought the Lord. However, as I look over the three chapters, 20-22, I see there was no redeeming quality in Ahaziah. He was a grandson of good King Jehoshaphat, but there was plenty of bloody history between the generations. Jehoshaphat's oldest had taken the throne and promptly resorted to murder to try to hold it, slaughtering his six brothers. Married to a daughter of Ahab, he entwined Judah with the poison of that cursed family. When God's justice came to him, he lost all but his youngest son, Ahaziah, to marauding Arabs.
Thus a twenty-two year old came to the throne of Judah and sealed his own fate by hanging out with Ahab's crowd. There he was when bloody justice came to Ahab through Jehu, who found no reason to spare the royalty of Judah.
But he got a little respect because of his grandfather's heart. It won him a grave, rather than god-knows-what posthumous indignities.
posted by ruthees @ 2:23 PM
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