This week, we shall continue the
study of 2 Chronicles of the Old Testament.
(1) After 25 years of godly reign by Jehoshaphat, what kind of a king would you expect his son to be? Why?
(2) Although Jehoshaphat gave his kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn, what did he do to his other sons? (v. 3) What might his intention be? (see the precedent set by Rehoboam in 11:23)
(3) What did Jehoram do to his brothers? (v. 4) Why?
(4) Jehoram was indeed an evil king and “followed the ways of…the house of Ahab”. What was the reason given by the Bible? (v. 6)
(5) Why did the Lord not destroy Jehoram and his kingdom? (v. 7)
(6) Although the Lord did not destroy him and his kingdom, how did the Lord punish him for his rebellion? (vv. 8-10)
(7) How should he have responded to this event of chastisement? Do you think he showed any sign of repentance? (v. 11)
(8) Apart from this chastisement, what did God do in His effort to bring him to repentance? (vv. 12-15)
a. To which kingdom was Elijah’s primary ministry directed? (see 1 Ki. 17:1)
b. Why did God use Elijah to write a letter to this king of Judah?
c. What sins did Elijah point out? (vv. 12-13)
d. What warning did Elijah give? (vv. 14-15)
(9) How should Jehoram respond to this warning?
(10) How did Elijah’s prophesy against his household come to pass? (vv. 16-17)
(11) How did Elijah’s prophesy against him come to pass? (vv. 18-19)
(12) As much as Jehoram followed the sins of Ahab, how did Ahab differ from him when confronted by the same prophet Elijah? (see 1 Ki. 21:27-29)
(13) How did his funeral differ from that of Asa? (16:14)
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.” (2 Chr. 21:7)
Jehoram should consider himself very blessed, because he succeeded two consecutive very godly kings in Asa and Jehoshaphat, with the latter having gone into great length to tour around Judah, teaching the people to fear the Lord with the Book of the Law (19:4ff). As a result, his rebellion against the Lord was inexcusable, and the Bible attributes his deviation from the footsteps of his forefathers to his marriage to the daughter of Ahab (21:6).
As sinful as he was, we read that the Lord has decided to spare him and his kingdom from destruction, simply because of the covenant He had entered into with David (21:7). However, it does not mean that the Lord did not care about his spiritual well-being. The Chronicler tells us that the Lord has given him many opportunities to repent through chastisements and warnings:
- The Bible mentions the rebellion of Edom and Libnah (a Canaanite city) against Jehoram (21:8-10) and directly attributes these events as being the result that “Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors” (21:10). In other words, God was using these events as a divine chastisement to wake up the conscience of this wicked king. His narrow escape in v. 9 in particular should make him understand it was time to repent:
- Presumably that did not work, and the Lord did not give up on him and used Elijah to warn him with a letter. This, to me, was “extra grace” by God, because
o Elijah was God’s prophet to Israel and not to Judah. His great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel was well-known to all (1 Ki. 18). His words of warning had to carry tremendous weight; and
o At his words of warning, even Ahab whose footsteps Jehoram followed had to humble himself and he repented (1 Ki. 21:27-29).
As a result, because of his stubbornness, refusing to repent even with God’s extra grace, the final events of his life were inevitable. It was no accident that the Bible has chosen to describe his gross horrible death—his bowels came out because of his disease, and his less-than-honorable funeral—his people made no funeral fire in his honor (v. 19).
This is a warning to those who are also experiencing the “extra-grace” of the Lord, that it is also time for repentance!
(1) From Ahaziah’s perspective, should he know why he was made the king of Judah to succeed his father? (v. 1; see 21:17)
(2) Should his mother know why her husband and all her sons, except Ahaziah were killed?
(3) What did she encourage her son to do? Why? (v. 3)
(4) What particular counsel of “the house of Ahab” did he follow? (v. 5)
(5) Do you think that at age 22, he should be responsible for the course of action he took? Why or why not?
(6) What was his intention of visiting the wounded king of Israel? (v. 6)
(7) Why does the Bible say that this particular trip “brought about Ahaziah’s downfall”? (vv. 7-9)
(8) What did Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah do after the death of her son? (v. 10)
(9) What then was her intention of encouraging her son to act wickedly? (v. 3)
(10) Who was Jehosheba? (v. 11)
(11) What might give her the courage to save Joash?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“He (Ahaziah) too followed the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly.” (2 Chr. 22:3)
As godly as Jehoshaphat was, there was one mistake he made that had marred not only his legacy but had also plunged successive generations into apostasy, and that was his allying with Ahab, king of Israel, for political expediency by marrying his son, Jehoram to the daughter of Ahab (18:1; 21:6; 2 Ki. 8:18).
The Bible is very explicit in attributing the wicked ways of both his son and his grandson to this marriage.
In commenting on the life of his son, Jehoram, the Bible says, “He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (21:6; italics mine)
In commenting on the life of his grandson, Ahaziah, the Bible says, “He (Ahaziah) too followed the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother (a daughter of Ahab) encouraged him to act wickedly” (22:3).
The choices and decisions of a former generation often carry implications beyond his own generation and impact the lives of succeeding generations, and in the case of this “relatively godly” king Jehoshaphat, his politically motivated decision to ally with the wicked Ahab had become a snare for at least the next two generations.
This serves also as a warning for us today. We may be “relatively godly” parents, we still have to be very careful with the choices we make for our children or the influence we have over them, especially in their selection of school, career or in marriage. If we put anything over their best spiritual interest, we do so at their expense and likely the expense of our grandchildren as well.
(1) The Chronicler gives greater details of the account of the protection of Joash than the author of the Book of Kings (see 2 Ki. 11:4-21) which involved beyond the royal guards, but the priests and Levites (vv. 1-3).
a. What do you think was the reason that the people would support Joash and not Athaliah despite her ruthlessness and power?
b. Why was Jehoiada so committed to restoring the reign to Joash? (v. 3)
(2) In the protection details (vv. 4-7), what was the one thing Jehoiada wanted to ensure? (v. 6)
(3) What did the process of crowning involve? (v. 11)
(4) What was the significance of presenting the king with a copy of the covenant (i.e. the Law of Moses)? (see Deut. 17:18-20)
(5) What propelled Athaliah to seize the throne and kill the entire royal family in the first place?
(6) Did she ever look upon the kingdom of Judah as God’s? Why or why not?
(7) Now she cried “Treason”, was she not aware that she committed treason (and worse) in the first place?
(8) What lesson can we learn from her deeds and her end?
(9) In reestablishing a throne after David, why did Jehoiada make a covenant?
a. Was it first between the Lord and the king and people?
b. Then was it between the king and the people. (see 2 Ki. 11:17)
c. How important was each? (Deut. 17:18-20）
(10) What was the immediate result of the making of these covenants? (v. 17)
(11) How important was such an action?
(12) Joash was only seven years old when he became king (24:1). What then would be the most important thing for him to do to succeed as a godly king?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king.” (2 Chr. 23:11)
One has to admire the courage of Jehosheba in risking her life to save Joash. We are not certain whether she was the daughter of Athaliah, or she was born by another wife of Jehoram; just the same, she must have taken great risk in hiding Joash, first in one of the bedrooms within the palace, and later on inside the temple (22:11-12).
The fact that she was the wife of the priest, Jehoiada (22:11), serves to explain why she was able not to follow the evil of her time, including the worship of Baal, which no doubt was the result of the intermarriage between the house of Jehoshaphat and the house of Ahab.
Perhaps, after six years of reign by Athaliah, Jehoiada felt that it was not easy to hide a seven-year old boy (2 Ki. 11:21) in the temple anymore; he decided to use his influence and power (23:1) to gather the commanders and the people to reclaim the reign for Joash. In so doing, it is important to note that he did not only anoint and crown the king, but followed the command of the Lord and presented Joash with a copy of the covenant, (i.e. the Law of Moses) according to the requirement stipulated in Deuteronomy 17:18-20 which says,
“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”
While the scroll so presented may not have been copied by Joash himself, it was not meant to be a superficial, meaningless rite, but as a commitment by the king to read and follow all the words of the law all the days of his life. As it turned out, he was only able to do so as long as Jehoiada was alive and he departed from the Lord and worshipped Asherah poles and other idols after his death (24:17-18).
It is such an important reminder to us in the discipling of new believers or future generations that we have to ground them in their own reading, understanding and practicing of God’s words and not in their continuous dependence on any counselors or spiritual directors!
(1) The Bible says, “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest” (v. 2).
a. How did Jehoiada seek to help the king in his relationship with the Lord? (see 2 Ki. 12:2 in particular)
b. Why did Jehoiada choose to take two wives for Joash? (v. 3; Deut. 17:17)
(2) Joash’s zeal for the temple of the Lord (vv. 4-14)
a. What happened to the temple of the Lord before the reign of Joash? (v. 7)
b. What did Joash tell the priests and Levites to do in order to restore the temple of the Lord? (v. 5)
c. Why did the Levites not act at once? (see the reason explained in 2 Ki. 12:7-9)
d. What new instruction did he give them in v. 8?
e. How did the people respond to the king’s proclamation? (vv. 9-10)
f. Apart from simply giving the priest a mandate, Joash wisely implemented something very practical, transparent and with check and balance to ensure that the priests would follow through with his instruction (vv. 11-12):
- How should the money be collected?
- Where would this chest be placed?
- Who would count the money? Why did it involve two people? (see 2 Ki. 12:10)
- Who would replace the priests to supervise the repair work of the temple and handle the payment to the tradesmen? (see 2 Ki. 12:11-12)
- Would such a decree by Joash threaten the livelihood of the priests? Why or why not? (v. 14 and 2 Ki. 12:16)
(3) What are the principles that can still be used when it comes to the handling of money in the church or Christian ministry?
(4) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Jehoiada chose two wives for him and he had sons and daughters.’” (2 Chr. 24:3)
We know that all the kings of Israel had many wives and that included the king after God’s own heart, David. However, this was not the will of God and it went against the stipulation of the Law of Moses which clearly states that, “He (referring to any future king of Israel) must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” (Deut. 17:17)
For these kings to follow “the ways of this world” (Eph. 2:2) and to give in to their lust might be understandable, but for a godly priest like Jehoiada to give two wives to this child-king was absolutely unthinkable. However, it shows the power of the influence of the ways of this world. When every king in the nations around them took many wives and when all the kings before Joash followed this pattern with no exceptions, even a godly priest like Jehoiada had come to accept this as the “norm” without taking it seriously as an offense to the Law of Moses, and certainly not realizing the grave consequence it would have on the king.
This is much the same with us today. I still remember the days when I first became a Christian in the 60’s, when cohabitation was condemned not only by the church, but by society in general. These days, it is so commonly practiced that it raises no eye-brow any more even within many churches. The same can be said about divorce and homosexual unions.
However, we should learn from the Apostle Paul who lived almost 2,000 years from the time of the Law of Moses. Although homosexual practices had “come out of the closet” so to speak in his Greco-Roman times, his soul has not been desensitized by the power of the ways of his world and he insists in calling them sins according to the Word of the Lord (Rom. 1:26-27).
24:15-16—The death of Jehoiada
(1) Spend a moment reviewing the life of Jehoiada: How would you remember his life?
24:17-27—The Latter Years of Joash
(2) If you have not read the latter part of the life of Joash, what would you expect of him after the death of Jehoiada? Why?
(3) Why did these officials of Judah choose to come to Joash and pay homage to him after the death of Jehoiada? (v. 17)
(4) Why did the king listen to them and make a 180 degree turn in his relationship with the Lord? (vv. 18-19)
(5) What kind of political pressure might he face with the visit of these officials?
(6) The faithful priest (vv. 20-22)
a. Who was Zechariah?
b. To whom was his message directed?
c. Who was responsible for his death?
d. How could a seemingly godly king who once had great zeal for the Lord’s temple turn into a murderer of God’s servant? What was the only explanation you can have?
(7) How did the invasion by the army of Aram clearly serve as God’s punishment for the sins of Judah and its king? (v. 24)
(8) How did Joash die and how was he buried?
(9) Was it a fitting end to the life of Joash?
(10) If you were to write an epitaph for Joash, what would you say about him?
(11) What is the main message to you today, and how may you apply it to your life?
“So he (king Joash) died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.” (2 Chr. 24:25)
While 2 Kings was brief in its account of Joash’s death, the author of Chronicles gives us not only more details but also insights into his death.
2 Kings only mentions about the paying of tribute by Joash to Hazael, king of Aram, which even included all the sacred objects dedicated to the temple of God and “all the gold found in the treasures of the temple of the Lord” (2 Ki. 12:18). One wonders why he would do that and would ask if he had inquired of the Lord and sought His help.
2 Chronicles then gives us the reason. The attack by Hazael was God’s judgment on Judah, as the king abandoned God and His temple after the death of Jehoiada, the priest who was faithful to the Lord in teaching him the Law of the Lord. Worse, Joash yielded to political pressure and listened to the counsel of his officials in worshipping Asherah poles and other idols, and ordered to have Jehoiada’s son killed as he stood up to rebuke the people of their sins (24:17, 18 and 21).
Joash’s final judgment came not so much in how he died, but how he was buried. The Bible appears to condone his assassination by saying, “His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his [sick] bed” (24:25). But when it comes to his burial the Chronicler clearly contrasts his burial with that of Jehoiada.
Jehoiada was buried not only in the City of David, but also “with the kings…because of the good he had done in Israel for God and His temple” (24:16). On the contrary, when Joash was assassinated, he was buried in the City of David, “but not in the tombs of the kings” (24:25), a sign pointing to his rejection by God even in death!
(1) Can you recall the latter part of the life of Joash and how eventually he died? (2 Ki. 12:19-21; 2 Chr. 24:15-27)
(2) What kind of a successor do you expect him to have?
(3) As much as Amaziah did not follow the Lord whole-heartedly, what might have accounted for his difference from his father Joash, who even killed Zechariah the priest who rebuked his sin? (24:20-22)
(4) Why did the Bible choose to emphasize that he did not kill the children of the assassins of his father? (Deut. 24:16)
(5) In his effort to strengthen the military power of Judah, what did Amaziah do? (vv. 5-6)
(6) Why did God use a man of God to ask him to send away the mercenaries from Israel? (vv. 7-8)
(7) What response would you have expected from Amaziah?
(8) How did Amaziah respond to the command of the Lord? (v. 9a)
(9) What was God’s reply? (v. 9b)
(10) Are you surprised that Amaziah obeyed the command of the Lord? Why or why not?
(11) The result of his obedience was two fold:
a. What happened to his battle with the men of Seir (i.e. the Edomites)? (vv. 11-12)
b. What did it mean to Amaziah?
c. What happened to the mercenaries he dismissed? (vv. 10, 13)
d. While the Bible is silent about Amaziah’s reaction to this, what impact do you think this incident would have on him and his people?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses where the Lord commanded: Parents shall not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.” (2 Chr. 25:4)
Like most kings of Judah, Amaziah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (25:2) and yet was far from being perfect. However, one of the things that he did right was highlighted by the Bible.
While whether he should avenge his father’s death was debatable (his father was assassinated for his murder of the prophet Zechariah [24:25]), his decision not to put the sons of the assassins to death was commended by the Bible, because he acted “in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses where the Lord commanded…” (25:4).
We should not underestimate how God-pleasing this decision was.
For one, it was the custom of the time in the East to slay the children of your enemies, especially those who had murdered your loved ones in the first place. And, in the case of Amaziah, it was only the wise thing to do, because it would eradicate any possible future retribution. If he did kill the children of the assassins of his father, I doubt anyone would consider it wrong or inappropriate.
However, Amaziah knew the Law of Moses, and in Deuteronomy 24:16 it clearly says that “Parents shall not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin".
By obeying this command of the Law, Amaziah clearly demonstrated that he put the fear of the Lord above the security of his own reign.
25:14-16—The Aftermath of the Battle with Edom
(1) Do you think Amaziah’s decision to bring back the gods of the people of Seir came after or before the incident of the raid by the mercenaries in v. 13?
(2) Since the gods of the people of Seir could not protect the Edomites, why would he choose to worship them instead of the God who empowered him to victory?
(3) How did Amaziah respond to the rebuke of the prophet? (v. 16)
(4) What might have caused Amaziah to turn away from the Lord?
25:17-24—The Defeat by the King of Israel
(5) What did the victory over the Edomites lead to? (v. 19)
(6) Perhaps Jehoash had heard of the prophecy of v. 16. In any case, what was the meaning of his parable? (vv. 18-19)
(7) Why did Amaziah end up with such a complete defeat? (v. 20)
(8) Although Amaziah outlived his adversary by 15 years, what kind of death did he meet with eventually? (v. 27)
(9) What is the main lesson you have learned about Jehoshaphat and how may you apply it to your life?
“Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.” (2 Chr.25:25)
The lives of Amaziah and Jehoash appeared to be so intertwined that the Bible somehow speaks of the longer reign of Amaziah by referring to that of Jehoash (25:25), although their backgrounds and their spiritual journeys were quite different.
Jehoash inherited a much weakened Israel from his father Jehoahaz whose army was reduced to a mere 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers only (2 Ki. 13:7), and he followed his father’s footsteps in doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Ki. 13:2, 11). In other words, he was just another king in Israel leading his people to eventual destruction.
On the other hand, Amaziah followed the footsteps of his father Joash who came out of the shadow of the alliance with the wicked king Ahab, and returned Judah to the worship of the Lord, and like Joash, he was counted as doing “what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, though not wholeheartedly (25:2).
One would then assume that Jehoash would continue to defy the Lord and Amaziah would continue to follow the ways of the Lord. However, one’s heritage or baggage does not have to determine one’s fate, and it was clearly demonstrated in the latter part of the lives of these two kings.
Jehoash appeared to be awakened by the impending death of the great prophet Elisha. His visit to and wailing over the dying Elisha saying "the chariots and horsemen of Israel” showed that he knew the fate of his nation depended entirely on the Lord through the service of His prophet. The latter part of his reign was not only marked by his three victories of Aram as prophesied by Elisha (2 Ki. 13:25), but a total rout of Judah (2 Chr. 25:20-24).
On the other hand, the great success of Amaziah over Edom had not only made him proud, but caused him to turn away from the Lord and even worship the gods of Edom (25:14). His pride had further emboldened him to attack Israel ending in the complete defeat mentioned above. Eventually he was assassinated by his own officials (25:27), completing the footsteps of his father in both turning away from the Lord in their time of success and ending in being assassinated.