2 Chron 22:3 [Ahaziah] too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly.
It is easy for me to get bogged down in the evil, death, and destruction of this chapter. When I finished reading both the chapter and commentary on 2 Chron 22, I went back to an overview of 1 & 2 Chronicles, just to remind myself of the point of these books. “One of the main goals of the Chronicler was to reshape the stories of Israel’s past to rekindle hope for the future.”
2 Chron 22:4 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing.
An evil ruler. An innocent baby, descent of David, a man after God’s own heart. A relative who acts out of love and compassion to save a life. Hope in the midst of evil and chaos. A reminder that God is in control, that He is sovereign, He has a plan. A look at the past to bring hope for the future. Thank You, Jesus.
2 Chron 22:10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and sovereignty. Thank You that You are still in control, even when our world feels like it is spinning out of control. Thank You for hope for the future that is rooted in our past history in You. Draw us closer. Help us to focus on You and Your hope. Amen.
2 Chron 22:11 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba…hid the child from Athaliah…she could not kill him.
Have a blessed day.