Ahaziah, the son of Ahab is now on the throne. Remember, the last week of our study we glimpsed the death of Ahab. Ahab had a moment of repentance but not a complete turnaround. He did not give his whole heart to God. Yet, because of his moment of repentance God delayed judgment. We will see it come to pass as we study the next two sons of Ahab.
Read 1 Kings 22:51-53
“Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, because he walked in the ways of his father and mother and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.”
Ahaziah had a reign of only two years. Reading more about Ahaziah in 2 Kings chapter one we find out that He had a fall that eventually caused his death. His reign is summed up as doing evil. He walked in the wicked ways of those before him. His Baal worship was apparent because in his moment of crisis, after his fall, he sent servants out to inquire of Baal-Zebub. He went to this false God to inquire of his future. Like a fortune teller in our day.
God is the only one who knows the number of our days. He is the only all-knowing one. God was upset that Ahaziah inquired of false God’s rather than the one true God. Was there no God in Israel, God asked him.
Because of his actions Elijah met the servants on their way to Baal-Zebub and told them what God says the outcome would be for Ahaziah. The future for him was death. He would die in the bed he was resting in from his fall and die.
Ahaziah had no children to take his place so his brother was the next in line to take the throne. It is important to note that Moab, a bordering nation, tries to attack after each king’s death. That is so true of our enemies today. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Satan knows when we are weak and will hit us at our most vulnerable times. Just like Moab and their attacks. They were strategically planned to hit when it hurt. That is how the enemy works.
Jehoram now takes the throne of Israel in turbulent times. Judgment is coming we know from God’s word to Ahab. The question is when? This is a chance yet again for true repentance on Jehoram’s part. But he didn’t quite hit the mark. He is a little better though then those before him in his family line. He reigned 12 years. Yet he still did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He however, did not sin like his mother and father because he put away the sacred pillar of Baal. He however persisted in the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kings 3:2-3).
Because of their unwillingness to repent, a new king named Jehu will take this families place. We will read about him next week.
1-Like the Moabites, hitting someone hard when they are weak and vulnerable is playing dirty, can you say that you have seen this same kind of hit in your life from our enemy? Explain.
2-God is so patient with us. He waits for us to repent. He will not force us. Jehoram did do less evil in the eyes of the Lord but still didn’t give his full heart to God. Good deeds are not enough to get us right with God. We can never earn it. Coming to accept His free gift of salvation and His invitation to walk with Him is the only way we can become right before His eyes. Can you share a personal testimony about your walk with God?
3-Why do you think Ahaziah inquired of the false god instead of the one true God? Have you even skipped going to God about something first when you really should have? What were the results?
Thank for keeping up with this. You all are doing great. I am loving growing in the word with you!
1 comment:
1. The best time to hit a Christian is when they are down. Satan plays to this weakness - how can we be an effective witness for Christ when we're living against God? Satan knows this and will do whatever he can to hinder God's word from begin spread.
2. We all have times in our life that seem dismal with no light at the end, but God is faithful to carry us through (also those times when Satan is trying to get at us)
3. We are an impatient people, and God says "In His time". Our sin is trying to get that answer instead of waiting on God.
Great lesson!
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