A Secret Son (2 Chronicles 22)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:06.120 So let's turn our attention to second chronicles, chapter twenty two. In Chapter 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:12.150 Twenty one, Jero Jehoram has just died, and now we see his son 3 00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:20.670 becoming king, and we're given an account of his brief kingship, and we 4 00:00:20.750 --> 00:00:26.820 will learn much about our Lord from it. Second Chronicles twenty two, and 5 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:33.299 the inhabitants of Jerusalem made ah Ahaziah, his youngest son, King in his 6 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:37.570 place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp 7 00:00:37.689 --> 00:00:42.250 had killed all the older sons. So Aziah, the son of Jehoram, 8 00:00:42.329 --> 00:00:47.289 King of Judah, reigned a Haziah was twenty two years old when he began 9 00:00:47.369 --> 00:00:54.119 to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 10 00:00:54.159 --> 00:01:00.359 Atheliah, the grand daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of 11 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:06.189 the House of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly, 12 00:01:07.510 --> 00:01:10.629 he did what was evil in the side of the Lord, as the House 13 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:15.950 of Ahab had done, for after the death of his father, they were 14 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:22.980 his counselors to his undoing. He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram, 15 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:26.379 the son of Ahab, King of Israel to make war against Haza L, 16 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:33.290 King of Syria. At ramoth, Gillian and the Syrians Wounded Joram and 17 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:37.209 he returned to be healed at Jez real of the wounds that he had received 18 00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:42.049 at Rama when he fought against Hazael, King of Syria. Then Ahziah, 19 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:47.319 the son of Jehoram, King of Judah, went down to see Joram, 20 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:52.319 the son of Ahab, in jazz real because he was wounded. But it 21 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:57.439 was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going 22 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:02.510 to visit Joram, for when he came there, he went out with Jehoram 23 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:07.709 to meet Jay who, the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed 24 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:13.110 to destroy the House of Ahab. And when Jayhu was executing judgment on the 25 00:02:13.189 --> 00:02:16.900 House of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's 26 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:23.180 brothers who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. He searched for a Haziah 27 00:02:23.219 --> 00:02:27.460 and he was captured while hiding in Samaria and he was brought to Jay who 28 00:02:27.979 --> 00:02:32.449 and put to death. They buried him for they said he is the grandson 29 00:02:32.610 --> 00:02:38.009 of Jehoshah Fat, who sought the Lord with all his heart, and the 30 00:02:38.129 --> 00:02:43.370 house of a Haziah had no one able to rule the kingdom. Now, 31 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:46.360 when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, 32 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:53.919 she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the House of Judah. But 33 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:59.990 JEHOSHAH beef, the daughter of the king, took Joe as the son of 34 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:04.509 a Haziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who are about to 35 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:07.310 be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. 36 00:03:08.110 --> 00:03:13.900 Thus, Jehosha Bief, the daughter of the of King Jehoran and the 37 00:03:13.979 --> 00:03:17.939 wife of Johoyda the priest, because she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid 38 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:23.939 him from Atheliah so that she did not put him to death, and he 39 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:28.889 remained with them six years, hidden in the House of God, while Atheliah 40 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:35.370 reigned over the land. Sends the Reading of God's word, may He bless 41 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:47.759 it to us. His story is about a lot of things. One of 42 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:53.360 the things it's about, one of the main things it's about. Plot wise, 43 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.150 anyway, as the history is being chronicled here, it's about a wicked 44 00:03:58.229 --> 00:04:03.229 woman, a very wicked woman who moves from the background of the story to 45 00:04:03.349 --> 00:04:10.500 the foreground. She destroys the House of Judah, the Royal Family, and 46 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:15.220 brings it to the very brink of a extinction, which is to say that 47 00:04:15.420 --> 00:04:21.139 she seems to almost undo the very promise that God, God, had swore 48 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:27.569 to David that one day one of his sons would be set on his throne 49 00:04:27.610 --> 00:04:33.730 and be established forever. But this promise would not be undone. As it 50 00:04:33.889 --> 00:04:39.680 happens every time and as we've seen over and over and over again in chronicles, 51 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:46.439 the oath of the Lord remains strong despite all human political maneuvers, despite 52 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:51.720 every strength and every work that anyone can throw against the Lord's promise. The 53 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:57.470 oath of the Lord will not be undone. He will not allow it to 54 00:04:57.589 --> 00:05:03.870 happen. So despite the cunning of evil, perhaps even blood flowing in the 55 00:05:04.029 --> 00:05:10.899 palace and the bedrooms in the hallways, God is able to save this son, 56 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:19.980 Joe Ash. God overcomes evil with good, though this is something of 57 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:25.610 the main lines of the story, I admit that the story is not easy 58 00:05:25.810 --> 00:05:30.050 to tell and I will warn you that, if you don't realize it already, 59 00:05:30.050 --> 00:05:34.170 it's going to require a certain amount of attention on your part. I 60 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:40.199 will do my best to make the details clear, but there are quite a 61 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:45.040 few difficulties in this chapter if especially if you're not familiar, for familiar with 62 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:47.920 it. I'm going to set some of these out for you just to sort 63 00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:53.350 of put them up front so you kind of understand some of the difficulties in 64 00:05:53.470 --> 00:05:58.149 understanding the passage, and then we'll dig in and and think through the story 65 00:05:58.269 --> 00:06:03.269 together and then make some conclusions about what God means by it why he has 66 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:08.860 it here in the Bible for us. So, first of all, why 67 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:13.339 is this story a little bit difficult to follow? Well, for one reason 68 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:17.569 there are names that switch back and forth, that are the same name. 69 00:06:18.769 --> 00:06:23.129 Now we might sort of be annoyed by that and wonder why do they do 70 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:25.449 this, but of course we do this too. You know, you have 71 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:30.129 a friend named James and you call him Jim. You have a friend named 72 00:06:30.209 --> 00:06:34.480 William and you call him bill. Those names have seemingly nothing to do with 73 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:38.600 each other and there's spelling, and yet that is what they are. They 74 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:43.199 are the same name and the same kind of thing happens in Hebrew. So, 75 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:48.310 for example, the King Jehoam in the King of Israel is also Ko 76 00:06:48.430 --> 00:06:51.870 called King Joram sort of back and forth in this passage, and if you 77 00:06:51.910 --> 00:06:58.750 don't catch that it can be difficult to follow. Also, if your memory 78 00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:03.259 is good, you may remember that the youngest son of another Jehoram, and 79 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:06.459 we'll come back to that in a second, but the youngest son of the 80 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:13.139 King of Judah was called Jehoah, Jehoahs in the last Chapter I'm here. 81 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.529 His name is Ahaziah. So in case you're wondering, I thought this other 82 00:07:16.569 --> 00:07:20.290 guy was the youngest son. Well, it's the same guy. So these 83 00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:25.689 are just again spelling issues. Ways names work. It's not a big deal, 84 00:07:25.810 --> 00:07:28.410 but you have to sort of know that in order to be able to 85 00:07:28.490 --> 00:07:30.920 follow at least more easily. So that's the first thing to sort of be 86 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:36.879 aware of, especially this the first one I mentioned that Joram and Jehoram are 87 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.040 the same person, James and Jim. So second thing to note that's also 88 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:49.709 a little bit confusing, is that there are two jehoram's, or two JIM's 89 00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:54.509 or two James's right, that there's a two of them and they're both kings. 90 00:07:55.629 --> 00:08:01.100 One is king over Israel and the other is king over Judah. Now 91 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:05.339 this is confusing and if you're wondering, I thought he was the son of 92 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:09.660 so and now he's fighting with this guy. And it's because here there are 93 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:13.930 two different guys, or two Jim's, we might say, Jehoram and Jehoram. 94 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:20.569 Now. The main reason for all this confusion, and there are other 95 00:08:20.689 --> 00:08:24.610 things too, which all point out as we go along the way, is 96 00:08:24.769 --> 00:08:28.759 not just spelling in the differences between Hebrew and English, and are unfamiliarity with 97 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:33.519 the language and names and things like that. The main reason for all the 98 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:41.279 confusion is actually a theological reason. There is a lot of sin going on 99 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:48.669 in this chapter. The Kingdom of God after Solomon's time had been divided into 100 00:08:48.710 --> 00:08:52.830 two kingdoms. This will be important for you to remember. There is the 101 00:08:52.870 --> 00:08:56.139 kingdom in the north, which was the Kingdom of Israel, and the Kingdom 102 00:08:56.139 --> 00:09:00.940 of in the south, which was the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of 103 00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:07.019 Israel had separated from God's promise, had thrown out God's priests, had installed 104 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:13.330 God's own worship that was against God. The continuing kingdom in the south, 105 00:09:13.490 --> 00:09:18.769 the Kingdom of Judah, is where the Line of David continued to progress on 106 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:24.840 what we see happening in these chapters and the one before it and twenty one 107 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:31.960 and twenty two, is these two kingdoms mixing, but not in a unifying 108 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:37.080 way, whether they're all coming around Yahway to worship him again and be one 109 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:41.269 people again under one king and under one law. Instead, what we see 110 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:50.950 is the darkness of Israel penetrating into Judah and Judah welcoming them in many ways. 111 00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:54.779 And so that's why there's a lot of confusion here, because things that 112 00:09:54.980 --> 00:10:00.820 shouldn't be mixing are mixing. Things that shouldn't be confused are being confusing, 113 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:05.059 and that even comes out in the names itself, in the names themselves. 114 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:09.169 So, for example, a he's a Hasia in our chapter twenty too, 115 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:16.850 is probably named after Authuliah, his mother's brother, who is a King of 116 00:10:16.090 --> 00:10:22.279 Israel. Let me say that more briefly. Ahaziah, the King of Judah 117 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:28.440 in this chapter, is likely named after an evil King of Israel. You 118 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:33.320 see what I'm saying. There's a mixing going on. Why are Judah's kings 119 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:43.789 being named after Israelites, Israel's kings? That shouldn't be the case. So 120 00:10:43.950 --> 00:10:46.190 this is what some of the mixture is going on. And if, at 121 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:50.940 the end you feel a little confused about the details. This is the point 122 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:56.820 I want you to take home that when we confuse things that shouldn't be confused, 123 00:10:56.820 --> 00:11:03.620 when goodness is being overcome by evil, it gets confusing. The mixture 124 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:07.970 is bad. It's not just a matter of names. There's nothing wrong with 125 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:13.210 mixing names. It's it's symbolic, though. It's symbolic of what's happening in 126 00:11:13.289 --> 00:11:20.399 these kingdoms, and what's happening is not good. So now let's think about 127 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:24.679 the story. Having quit these things out a little bit, laid a little 128 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:28.399 bit of groundwork that I hope will help in understanding it. As I said, 129 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:33.029 this story is about many things, but it's especially about Atholia's rise to 130 00:11:33.149 --> 00:11:37.389 power. This is a disappointment, by the way. The baby names department 131 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:43.110 a pretty name. A terrible woman, though. Awful Leah, a terrible, 132 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:46.860 wicked woman. Perhaps you haven't heard of her before, but I bet 133 00:11:48.299 --> 00:11:56.539 you have heard of her mother, Jezebel. Awful Leah was the daughter of 134 00:11:56.740 --> 00:12:03.889 Ahab. This is mentioned back in Chapter Twenty one when she marries a Haziah's 135 00:12:03.009 --> 00:12:09.090 father, Jehoram. Think of it this way. In the Kingdom of Judah, 136 00:12:09.090 --> 00:12:13.090 there was a king, his name was Jehoram, and instead of marrying 137 00:12:13.370 --> 00:12:18.159 one of one of the daughters of the Kingdom of Judah, he went to 138 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.960 the wicked kingdom of the north, the Kingdom of Israel, and he found 139 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:28.919 himself a wife, but not just any wife, the daughter of Ahab and 140 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:33.110 Jezebel. For those of you who don't remember Ahab and Jezebel, you might 141 00:12:33.269 --> 00:12:39.190 remember that Jezebel is the one who established the worship of bail in a very 142 00:12:39.389 --> 00:12:46.179 significant way in Israel. Now, God's priests had already been thrown out, 143 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.740 altars had already been put up, but Jezebel thought it was a high time 144 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:58.289 to put a temple right there in Samaria, in this kingdom, a temple 145 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:03.929 to bail, a false god. She establishes priests. Perhaps you remember the 146 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:09.690 showdown that happens on Mount Carmel, when Elijah, the Prophet of God, 147 00:13:09.289 --> 00:13:15.720 combats with the priests of bail, with Jezebel and Ahab watching behind the scenes 148 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:22.399 as the priests whip themselves and and call down fire upon this sacrifice and do 149 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:26.149 all kinds of things, hoping that bail will prove himself good. But of 150 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:31.110 course bills a false god. Bale does nothing. You can establish temples to 151 00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:37.470 him, you can establish a priesthood. It makes no difference to God and 152 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:43.059 Elijah. When he calls down fire upon that altar, it consumes they sacrifice 153 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:46.820 completely. It consumes all the water that was around it. It would have 154 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:54.659 had been soaked. and God is vindicated, Elijah is vindicated, and many 155 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:58.529 other things we could point to the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel. If I've 156 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:03.250 mentioned a naboth's vineyard or the death of many number of prophets of perhaps these 157 00:14:03.289 --> 00:14:09.889 will ring a bell. But the point here for our stories that everything that 158 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:15.559 Jezebel and Ahab had done in the North was now being brought down into the 159 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:20.720 Kingdom of Judah. Here's Athe Leah, her daughter, and she sees she 160 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:26.669 desires nothing more than to follow in the way of her mother. If we 161 00:14:26.750 --> 00:14:33.190 go back to Chapter Twenty one, she marries a Jehoram and we read that 162 00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:37.620 he made the high places in the hill country of Judah, these high places 163 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:43.700 referring to places of false and idolatrous worship, and he led the inhabitants of 164 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:52.250 Jerusalem into hordem and made Judah go astray. Things were so bad the idolatry 165 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:56.690 was increasing in Judah, just like it had in Israel, through Awfu Yah's 166 00:14:56.769 --> 00:15:05.049 presence there and Jehoram's acceptance and desire of all of that, that Elijah, 167 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:09.919 the very same Elijah who had been railing against Ahab and Jezebel, who had 168 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:13.679 been running for his life, now writes a letter to the southern kingdom. 169 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:18.320 Having dealt with all of this garbage up north, he writes down South, 170 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.029 and we have his letter. In verse twelve. Elijah, the Prophet says. 171 00:15:22.110 --> 00:15:26.669 Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father, because 172 00:15:26.710 --> 00:15:30.669 you have not walked in the ways of Jehosha fat, your father, or 173 00:15:30.789 --> 00:15:33.669 in the ways of Asa King of Judah, but have walked in the ways 174 00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:39.500 of the kings of Israel and if enticed Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem 175 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:45.980 into hordom, as the house of Ah Blood Israel into hordem, and you 176 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:50.490 also have killed your brothers of your father's house, who were better than you. 177 00:15:50.490 --> 00:15:54.730 Behold the Lord will bring a great plague on you or on your people, 178 00:15:56.129 --> 00:16:00.889 your children, your wives and all your possessions, and you yourself. 179 00:16:02.690 --> 00:16:06.960 He says, writing to Jehoram, will have a severe sickness, with a 180 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:11.960 disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, 181 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:25.269 day by day, and that's how Jehoram dies. Now think about Aufuliah again, 182 00:16:25.429 --> 00:16:30.190 his wife, the daughter of Jezebel and daughter of Ahab. Do you 183 00:16:30.269 --> 00:16:36.659 think it's time for her to learn her lesson? Having seen what happened to 184 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:42.220 her parents, having seen what happened to her husband, having even experienced, 185 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:48.929 if is, Elijah says, a plague upon her as one of his wives, 186 00:16:48.330 --> 00:16:53.330 having seen the destruction of his possessions and all other things, this is 187 00:16:53.610 --> 00:16:59.850 a time for repentance. This is a time to wake up and say you 188 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:07.880 do not cross the Lord God, you do not cross the god of the 189 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:14.240 God of Judah, the God of David. Here even Elijah, the Prophet, 190 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:18.029 who had spoken to her very own parents, is now speaking to her 191 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:26.549 husband and her household. So her husband dies this terrible, ble gruesome, 192 00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:33.460 tragic death. Her son comes to power, son she likely named after shore, 193 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:41.220 or at least she and her husband named after her brother Hasia. Has 194 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:48.410 a Hazia learned his lesson? No, it says, I believe it's in 195 00:17:48.450 --> 00:18:02.839 verse six that his mother is his undoing. It says in verse three that 196 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:08.319 he walked in the ways of the House of Ahab, for his mother was 197 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:18.789 his counselor in doing wickedly. Next week we're going to consider what Paul says 198 00:18:18.829 --> 00:18:26.069 in Romans Thirteen about giving honor and respect to all governing authorities. This includes 199 00:18:26.150 --> 00:18:32.660 political leaders, it includes people in our families, fathers, mothers, but 200 00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:37.660 every time we are called to submit to someone, it is always in the 201 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:41.650 Lord. The submission that God calls us to give our authorities is not a 202 00:18:42.210 --> 00:18:48.529 blank check to our authorities to command us to do things against his will. 203 00:18:49.450 --> 00:18:52.890 I don't think there are many examples in the Bible that we can point to 204 00:18:53.130 --> 00:19:00.240 where a son or a daughter should have definitely disobeyed mom or dad, but 205 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:11.029 this is definitely one of them. Ahaziah foolishly listened to his mother. His 206 00:19:11.269 --> 00:19:15.750 Mother did not teach him the ways of God. His Mother did not teach 207 00:19:15.789 --> 00:19:19.869 him and tell him to follow in the ways of good king, a son 208 00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:26.259 Jehoshaphat or David, but instead she led him in the ways of Bale and 209 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:33.819 the ways of Ahab and Jezebel, and so like Jehoram, her husband, 210 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:42.930 Azia, falls into exactly the same problem. He wants to be like Israel 211 00:19:42.970 --> 00:19:52.089 and so he makes this stupid mistake. He follows the counselor of his father's 212 00:19:52.170 --> 00:19:56.799 and his mother and he goes to Ahab, the King of j Israel, 213 00:19:56.119 --> 00:20:02.480 to make war against the king of Syria. May Not seem like a big 214 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:07.990 deal, a common enemy, but it is a big deal. If Israel 215 00:20:08.150 --> 00:20:12.349 had come to Judah and said we're repentant and we're coming back to the Lord 216 00:20:12.390 --> 00:20:17.309 and we want to be brothers and united under the same cause again and to 217 00:20:17.710 --> 00:20:21.349 be reconciled and all of these things, well, then it would make sense 218 00:20:21.430 --> 00:20:26.019 to unite together and to go after the Lord's enemies if they were causing them 219 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:29.980 trouble, or to do whatever the Lord had commanded them. But here we 220 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:33.299 have is just the same old story that we have seen many times and chronicles. 221 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:41.490 Political maneuvering Israel and Judah not trusting in God to protect them, to 222 00:20:41.650 --> 00:20:45.049 give them counsel to do as he has called them to do. So, 223 00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:52.279 like Jehosha fat did stupidly and he learned from it, he joins with Ahab, 224 00:20:53.039 --> 00:21:00.160 he joins with Ahab and he goes out to battle. What Asia does 225 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.589 not realize, however, is that the House of Ahab is about to be 226 00:21:04.349 --> 00:21:11.029 itself undone. What Asia does not realize, and it's recorded for us since 227 00:21:11.190 --> 00:21:15.630 the end of second kings, God was raising up a king and Israel to 228 00:21:15.069 --> 00:21:19.940 set things right. That man's name is Jayho. We hear that in our 229 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:27.259 story Jay who was being raised up to overthrow this evil king who had the 230 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:33.369 same name and as is his father, Jehoram. He was going to take 231 00:21:33.450 --> 00:21:38.410 him down, and not out of just mere wrath or pettiness or political maneuvering, 232 00:21:40.130 --> 00:21:45.009 but by the very will of God. We read of that in second 233 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:51.160 kings, but we also read it here when we read in verse eight that 234 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:56.880 Jay who was executing judgment on the House of Ahab. The Lord is patient 235 00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:03.670 and long suffering, but Ahab and Jezebel and their sons and daughters had plunged 236 00:22:03.869 --> 00:22:08.269 Israel further and further and further and deeper and deeper and deeper into wickedness and 237 00:22:08.430 --> 00:22:14.950 idolatry. And the Lord, as he says, sometimes no more, we're 238 00:22:15.069 --> 00:22:21.940 done, it's over, and he sends Jay who to exercise judgment a Haziah 239 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:26.660 doesn't realize this, but it doesn't really matter because it turns out to be 240 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:33.650 a very a very fitting judgment, I think, for a Haziah. Aziah 241 00:22:33.930 --> 00:22:37.289 wanted to share in the life and the wealth and whatever else he saw in 242 00:22:37.529 --> 00:22:44.680 Israel. I think it's fitting that he would also share in their death their 243 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:49.240 judgment. This isn't just my opinion, this is what the word of God 244 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:57.160 says in Verse Seven. It was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah 245 00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:03.349 should come about through his going to visit Joe Ram, the other name for 246 00:23:03.670 --> 00:23:10.549 Jeho Ram. This is what happens. He tries to escape, it doesn't 247 00:23:10.589 --> 00:23:14.700 succeed. He's found in Samaria, brought to Jaho and, as we read, 248 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:22.099 he is put to death. I want to pause here and remind you 249 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:30.490 of the Psalm that we sang earlier, Psalm one, that one of the 250 00:23:30.609 --> 00:23:37.490 themes of this chapter is that of counsel. Asia listens to the counsel of 251 00:23:37.569 --> 00:23:40.690 his mother, he listens to the counsel of wicked people, he listens to 252 00:23:40.730 --> 00:23:45.319 the counsel of Ahab's House, and he doesn't listen to Yah way. He 253 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.920 doesn't listen to his words, his teachers the history that he'd been given his 254 00:23:51.440 --> 00:24:00.029 grandfather, great grandfather and even further back. Psalm one sells US blessed is 255 00:24:00.109 --> 00:24:06.509 the man who walks not in the council of the wicked, nor stands in 256 00:24:06.630 --> 00:24:11.180 the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. This is 257 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:18.180 exactly what Ausia was doing. He was surrounding himself just like his father had 258 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:25.769 done in marrying Atheliah. He was surrounding himself by wickedness, he was standing 259 00:24:25.809 --> 00:24:27.650 in the way of sinners, he was sitting in the seat of scoffers. 260 00:24:29.289 --> 00:24:32.970 This is not a person who's blessed. This is a person who is cursed. 261 00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:37.680 We read of his fate later on in the song, comparing it to 262 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:42.160 the blessed man, who stands strong like a tree, the one who delights 263 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:48.400 in the law of the Lord. The blessed one is like a tree planted 264 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:52.430 by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, who's leaf does 265 00:24:52.509 --> 00:24:59.269 not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked, 266 00:25:00.390 --> 00:25:06.549 like Asia, are not so. They're like the chaff that the wind drives 267 00:25:06.630 --> 00:25:12.259 away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners 268 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:17.500 in the congregation of the Righteous, for the Lord knows the way of the 269 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:26.930 righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. This is something that 270 00:25:26.049 --> 00:25:32.089 we must all remember, particularly as we pick our spouses, as we pick 271 00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:37.920 our friends, as we choose those who will surround us. And sometimes that 272 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:41.680 means that even when we are brought, in the Providence of God, into 273 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:48.279 certain situations, we must be on guard. Ah Ziah was born to Aufuliah 274 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:52.549 whether he wanted to or not, but he's still on a responsibility to be 275 00:25:52.710 --> 00:25:59.390 discerning, to be wise, to know the word of God, especially as 276 00:25:59.430 --> 00:26:04.059 a king. Now this would seem to be the end of the story. 277 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:10.140 The king is dead, just like his father before him, and we expect 278 00:26:10.339 --> 00:26:14.740 something similar to happen the next king. One of the sons rises up, 279 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:18.259 and then we will have to find out if he's good or bad and go 280 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:25.009 forth from there. But that's not what happens. As bad as it is, 281 00:26:26.289 --> 00:26:32.410 it gets worse. We read in verse ten, after the death of 282 00:26:32.569 --> 00:26:37.039 a Haziah, that his mother, Autheliah, the mother of Ahzia, when 283 00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:45.480 she saw that her son was dead, arose and destroyed all the royal family 284 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:52.509 of the House of Judah do you know whose house she belongs to? The 285 00:26:52.670 --> 00:26:59.309 House of Judah. She was born to Ahab and Jezebel, but she has 286 00:26:59.349 --> 00:27:04.539 been married into this house. You know the WHO the sons are and the 287 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:12.619 grandsons are. They're hers. And she goes and sends out her mercenaries, 288 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:18.690 or maybe she did it herself, who knows? As she puts to death 289 00:27:18.369 --> 00:27:26.690 son after son, after son after son and tries to eradicate the whole house. 290 00:27:26.730 --> 00:27:37.319 Blood everywhere, we see her great wickedness and the wickedness of the evil 291 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:42.640 one who, always, always, always, is trying to put to death 292 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:49.190 the Lord's anointed one, trying to take the promise that God had made and 293 00:27:49.430 --> 00:27:56.710 break it. Here we see Satan through this woman, trying to bring the 294 00:27:56.869 --> 00:28:00.980 House of David and the promise of God to an end, to undo it, 295 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:08.779 to make it extinct, and it would seem like she succeeds, except 296 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:17.450 for another woman. Verse Eleven were introduced to her, Jehosha be if she 297 00:28:17.690 --> 00:28:22.410 is of the daughter of the king, she is a sister to Ahaziah. 298 00:28:23.809 --> 00:28:29.240 Here is a woman who, unlike all these people around her, who had 299 00:28:29.400 --> 00:28:33.200 some discernment, who heard the word of the Lord, who trusted him and 300 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:41.990 she saved one of these sons and she hid him away faithfully in the House 301 00:28:41.069 --> 00:28:48.710 of the Lord of for six years. An amazing thing. This woman is 302 00:28:48.750 --> 00:28:56.299 a woman that you should remember as a great hero, as one who stood 303 00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:03.900 up against terrifying evil, likely certain death if she were ever found nowt and 304 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:10.650 she did a very risky thing by stealing away this one that this crazed, 305 00:29:10.970 --> 00:29:17.769 wicked woman was seeking to destroy, and she hid him and by this son 306 00:29:18.490 --> 00:29:23.359 the word of the Lord would continue. I think it's remarkable and important to 307 00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:33.200 point out that Jehosha Bieth's name means the oath of the Lord, the oath 308 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:41.589 of the Lord, that's what saves everything. God's will cannot, will not 309 00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:48.910 be undone. What could be a more desperate situation than to have all of 310 00:29:48.069 --> 00:29:55.339 the men and kings of Israel or Judah, gladly handing themselves over to Israel 311 00:29:55.420 --> 00:29:59.460 and all her authority and power, seeking to unite with her, seeking to 312 00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:03.779 join with her. Here is this woman who comes in, this daughter of 313 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:08.730 Jezebel, this daughter of Ahab, brings Judah to the very same place that 314 00:30:08.890 --> 00:30:15.890 Israel was destroys all the suns. It would seem to be over, except, 315 00:30:15.930 --> 00:30:19.289 of course, that it's not, and it's never that way. When 316 00:30:19.329 --> 00:30:27.079 we considered Noah riding up above the waters, or other children like Joseph being 317 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:33.960 saved, not to mention, of course, the greatest son of David, 318 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:38.109 the greatest one of all, Jesus himself, who also got caught up in 319 00:30:38.190 --> 00:30:45.470 a moment of infanticide and eradication. Is King Herod was trying to destroy everyone 320 00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:51.700 who would seek to contend against his rule. Again, Satan, trying to 321 00:30:51.859 --> 00:30:56.539 exercise his will, exercise his power and break apart the bonds between the Lord 322 00:30:56.579 --> 00:31:03.579 and his anointed. But despite all the political maneuvering, despite all the deception, 323 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:10.049 despite all the lies and the foolishness, the Lord sits in heavens. 324 00:31:10.170 --> 00:31:17.369 We read in Psalm too, and he laughs because, as we read in 325 00:31:17.369 --> 00:31:25.119 Psalm one, the wicked are like chaff that he blows away. You know 326 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:29.839 what chaff is? It's this very light material, is sort of left over 327 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:36.509 stuff that comes from grains. It is very easily blown away. The slightest 328 00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:41.950 breeze just takes it off. It's no problem for God, in other words, 329 00:31:41.029 --> 00:31:45.710 to exechite, execute his judgment, to be sovereign over every situation. 330 00:31:47.900 --> 00:31:55.019 Despite the incredible power that Autho Leia has and indeed ends up reigning for six 331 00:31:55.180 --> 00:32:01.369 years over the Kingdom of Judah, this wicked queen of Israel ruling over Judah. 332 00:32:02.369 --> 00:32:08.730 God does not bat an eye. Everything is ordained by him. Jay, 333 00:32:08.769 --> 00:32:13.730 who is risen, arises up because of him. A Ha Ha Hasia 334 00:32:13.849 --> 00:32:16.799 falls down because of him. Joe Ash will be made king because of him. 335 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:27.480 The oath of the Lord never fails. And when Jesus comes into the 336 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:31.589 world and survives all number of disasters, does I and comes into the world 337 00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:36.589 through all number of miracles, we see this happening again, but in a 338 00:32:36.789 --> 00:32:42.589 final way. The dramatic nature of Jesus is birth as dramatic as the story 339 00:32:42.789 --> 00:32:47.500 is here of Joe Ashes, a birth and rescue. Jesus ought takes everything 340 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:52.539 to a higher degree. Stars and angels and Wise Men, all of these 341 00:32:52.660 --> 00:32:58.890 things to signify what God is doing here. When Jesus comes into the world, 342 00:32:59.329 --> 00:33:04.529 things are coming to a completion, and that's why Satan and his forces 343 00:33:04.609 --> 00:33:07.130 and the demons and all the rest, we see them kind of ramping up 344 00:33:07.170 --> 00:33:14.480 in a way, fighting and and and cursing and seeking to undo this anointed 345 00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:19.559 one, this Messiah, but of course it's not undone. Jesus goes to 346 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:23.720 the cross willingly, bravely, courageously. He hangs on a cross, dies 347 00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:32.349 for all of us and our sins, and he offers to US repentance and 348 00:33:32.630 --> 00:33:39.710 hope and life and the righteousness that is described in Psalm One, the righteousness 349 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:46.619 that we see demonstrated by these people who trust in the Lord God of Israel 350 00:33:47.859 --> 00:33:58.089 and Judah and everywhere. I want to, ever, end by just mentioning 351 00:33:59.730 --> 00:34:05.450 bringing to conclusion these two essential truths that we see here that are bound up 352 00:34:06.170 --> 00:34:10.719 in God. The one is simply this, as I've stated already, those 353 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:19.679 who cross him will always meet their doom, and it's not being over dramatic 354 00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:23.119 to use a word like that. When you consider a man's bowels coming out 355 00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:29.630 day by day and judgment of God, or when you consider God's will being 356 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:37.190 done and striking down kings or any number of people that he decides, God 357 00:34:37.269 --> 00:34:42.340 orchestrates everything. The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the 358 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:50.179 hands of the Living God. He upholds the good. The wicked will be 359 00:34:50.619 --> 00:34:59.610 blown away. But though God is strong and sovereign and, most awesomely, 360 00:34:59.889 --> 00:35:06.449 good. He is not cruel. He upholds the good and he puts to 361 00:35:06.489 --> 00:35:14.440 death the wicked, but he is also merciful and Gracious. The terrors of 362 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:19.920 his wrath that are described in terms of this world, which will be experienced 363 00:35:20.079 --> 00:35:27.030 exponentially in the age to come, all of this wrath is turned away and 364 00:35:27.190 --> 00:35:34.510 his favor is poured out on everyone who comes to him and faith. We 365 00:35:35.739 --> 00:35:39.340 don't want to do that and we're afraid to do that because we worry about 366 00:35:39.340 --> 00:35:45.099 people like Authulia or a Haber Jezebel. What will they do to me? 367 00:35:45.219 --> 00:35:51.690 What will people say? I might die? But we have these stories recorded 368 00:35:51.769 --> 00:35:54.849 for us in scripture as a way for the Lord to tell us over and 369 00:35:55.090 --> 00:36:00.610 over and over again that you will be okay, that he knows how to 370 00:36:00.769 --> 00:36:07.239 preserve those who trust in him, even in death. As we see our 371 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:12.559 Lord Jesus Christ raised from the dead, as he promises that all who are 372 00:36:12.679 --> 00:36:17.320 in him will also have a share in that resurrection life. We are told 373 00:36:17.559 --> 00:36:22.309 throughout the scriptures that we need not fear and we can trust our Lord for 374 00:36:22.429 --> 00:36:31.670 everything. It's just one very quick example to be reminded of His mercy and 375 00:36:31.789 --> 00:36:39.179 of His grace. Consider the man Jehosha Fat, Asia's grandfather. In this 376 00:36:39.380 --> 00:36:46.099 chapter we read something very significant. It versial nine. It says that Asia 377 00:36:46.170 --> 00:36:51.849 is buried because he is the grandson of Jehoshah Fat, who sought Yah Way 378 00:36:51.969 --> 00:36:58.409 with all his heart. Ahziah didn't seek the Lord with all his heart. 379 00:36:58.449 --> 00:37:02.840 Obviously it's speaking of Jehosha fat. Asia, is grandson, gets this special 380 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:07.159 treatment because of Jehosha Fat, who sought the Lord with all his heart. 381 00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.960 Now this is significant because if you go back and you read the story of 382 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:17.750 Jehosha fat and you remember, Jehosha fat was not perfect. This is a 383 00:37:17.829 --> 00:37:21.389 strong phrase. He sought the Lord with all his heart. That's what it 384 00:37:21.469 --> 00:37:23.510 says, and yet when we read the details of the story, we see 385 00:37:23.550 --> 00:37:30.579 that not every single moment of his life was stellar. In fact, he 386 00:37:30.699 --> 00:37:36.820 did just as his grandson did. Hear and that he went after an alliance 387 00:37:36.940 --> 00:37:39.300 with Ahab and sought to go out in a similar kind of battle, and 388 00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:47.489 he barely escaped with his life. But jehoshaphat did what All Saints Do, 389 00:37:50.130 --> 00:37:54.369 they repent of their sins. That's why I bring him up, to remind 390 00:37:54.489 --> 00:38:00.960 you of God's graciousness. The way that he sees us and the way that 391 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:06.400 he treats us. He does it require us to come to him when we 392 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:12.119 finally are perfect in all things, when our faith is finally totally strong? 393 00:38:12.949 --> 00:38:17.710 No, he requires to us to come to him trusting, as Jehosha bift 394 00:38:17.750 --> 00:38:24.949 did in the oath of the Lord. That's all, to simply trust him 395 00:38:25.949 --> 00:38:32.739 and watch him work. This is the God who rules the world and each 396 00:38:32.780 --> 00:38:37.659 of us have a responsibility to see ourselves in the light of His Holiness. 397 00:38:39.300 --> 00:38:47.050 And so where do you stand? Are you rebellious or are you repentant? 398 00:38:49.650 --> 00:38:55.679 Are you hard against him or hopeful in him because of the promises the that 399 00:38:55.800 --> 00:39:00.400 he has made and the many ways that he has taught us how he upholds 400 00:39:00.440 --> 00:39:07.239 them? I hope it's the latter, because if it is, you will 401 00:39:07.320 --> 00:39:10.349 be saved. Let's pray