Day 169: Joash Is Crowned

1 Kings 22:1-28 Judah and Israel formed an alliance to drive Syria out of Transjordan, and Ahab’s pagan prophets predicted victory. Micaiah, a legitimate prophet of God, predicted that Ahab himself would be killed in the battle; for this prophecy, Ahab had him imprisoned.

Ch 22:29-53 Ahab, despite disguising himself, was killed in battle as foretold. His son Ahaziah took the throne and, during his brief reign, continued the practice of idolatry among the kings of the Northern Kingdom. Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat was personally faithful to the Lord, expelled the cult prostitutes, but allowed others in Judah to continue idolatrous ways. 

2 Chronicles 2:1-21 Jehoiada and the Levite priests secretly conspired to anoint the young Joash as the rightful King of Judah. Athaliah was put to death as she happened upon the ceremony in the Temple. Joash’s survival and enthronement continued the Davidic legacy.

Song of Solomon 8:5-7 As in the life of the prophet Hosea and elsewhere in the Old Testament, the image of marriage is an analogy for God’s covenant with Israel; at the same time these references to marital love emphasize the permanent fidelity that must characterize marriage. Christian tradition views the Song of Solomon in this light as expressing God’s love for his people, who are strong as death.

Strong as death: This analogy points to the strength of charity and includes the notion that sin and evil will be conquered. (CCC 1040, 1611, 1621-1623)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

The following is to describe what happens to the NORTHERN KINGDOM in the rest of The Books of the Kings aka 1 and 2 Kings

• Syria wages war on Israel, and Ahab is killed (1 Kgs 22).

• Shortly thereafter, a man named Jehu revolts against the house of Ahab and kills all seventy of his sons, as well as Jezebel.

• It is interesting that the narrative records Ahab having seventy sons, as the Canaanite goddess Asherah and the head of the Canaanite pantheon were, according to their myths, the parents of seventy sons.

• Perhaps Ahab tried to imitate this pagan god?

• Regardless, the destruction of the house of Ahab again illustrates how no dynasty can last in the rebellious land of the ten tribes.

• Israel’s rebellion against the house of David was undone by internal rebellions and coups among the ten tribes. 

• Treachery breeds more of the same.

• However, it was Israel’s infidelity in “walking in the ways of Jeroboam” and thus forsaking the Lord, more than their political instability, that led to their ruin. 

• In 722 BC the fast growing empire of Assyria (not to be confused with the neighboring kingdom of Syria) took the capital Samaria and conquered Israel.

• So as to avoid any insurgencies and rebellion in Israel, Assyria removed many of the surviving Israelites, scattering them among the vast Assyrian empire; and at the same time, they brought five other pagan tribes and relocated them in the land of Samaria (Israel).

• These pagan tribes will intermarry with the few remaining Israelites, and the people resulting from this intermarriage will become known as the Samaritans (2 Kgs 17)

(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)

• Ok so here we are with kind of a remake today

• 1 Kings 22 is a throwback to what we have already read in 2 Chronicles before

• Israel and Judah combine forces to fight the Syrians 

• Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah (Southern Kingdom)

• Ahab is the King of Israel (Northern Kingdom)

• So what do they do?

• Jehoshaphat is a pretty legit guy and wants to INQUIRE OF THE LORD FIRST about their strategy

• Ahab gets some prophets who agree with him who say to move forward with the battle

• Jehoshaphat wants to know if these are REALLY ALL THE PROPHETS OF GOD

• Ahab says there is one prophet, Macaiah, who always prophesied bad against Ahab

• Macaiah says there will be victory

• But Ahab know he isn’t telling the WHOLE TRUTH

• Macaiah says, “Yeah, you’re gonna die”

• And that is what happens

• We have the death and defeat of Ahab

• Just like the prophecy had said in 1 Kings 21:19

• Dogs will lick up his blood

• Harlots will bathe in his blood 

• Ahab bled out in the chariot

• 1 Kings 22:38 “And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the harlots washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.”

• We also have Jehoshaphat reigning over judah

• Jehoshaphat dies and his son, Ahaziah takes over

• Remember, Jehoshaphat was a good king, just like his father, Asa

• Ahaziah, his son, is going to be a BAD KING

• 2 Chronicles Ch 23 we have Athaliah

• She is the DAUGHTER of AHAB

• She is the WIFE of JEHORAM

• She is the MOM of AHAZIAH

• So after Ahaziah died, what did Athaliah do?

• She killed the rest of the royal family of JUDAH, wanting to eliminate any claim that Judah had to the throne

• She made herself the queen and reigned for 6 years

• BUT…

• She did not know that one of the sisters of Ahaziah, Jehoshabeath (we don’t know if Athalia was her mom), hid away her son, Joash

• Joash was the GRANDSON of Athaliah

• So Joash has been hidden for 6 years

• All of the rulers of Israel know that Athaliah is not a good person

• They also know that Joash is in the LINE OF KING DAVID, IN THE LINE OF ABRAHAM

• THIS IS MASSIVELY MASSIVELY IMPORTANT

• It is from the line of JUDAH that the ULTIMATE KING is going to come

• DAVID AND HIS SUCCESSORS FOREVER

• So the priests and leaders gather around and Joash is crowned King of Judah at a young age

• Athaliah is slain

• Jehoiada, the priest, makes a COVENANT between himself and all the people and the king that THEY SHOULD BE THE LORD’S PEOPLE

• THIS IS SO IMPORTANT

• There is a bit of restoration

• Joash was SEVEN YEARS OLD when he was crowned king

• But he has some good people around him, at least at first (Unlike King Joffrey Baratheon, that petulant monarch 🤓)

• There is a great start to Joash’s reign

• This is a RESTORATION because under Athaliah, the DAUGHTER OF AHAB, there was NO FAITHFULNESS TO THE LORD

• So life up in the NORTHERN KINGDOM was CONSTANT UNFAITHFULNESS

• So prophets are sent MANY MANY TIMES up to the NORTHERN KINGDOM

• “If you don’t repent, the Lord is going to allow you to disappear from the face of the Earth.”

• In the SOUTHERN KINGDOM, we have GOOD KINGS and we have BAD KINGS

• Ahaziah was a BAD KING

• Athaliah was a BAD QUEEN

• Finally, we have a GOOD KING in Joash

• We are going to follow this up and down journey

• ALL THE WHILE WE ARE FOLLOWING GOD’S PROMISE

• What is God’s Promise?

• HE IS GOING TO BE FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN HIS PEOPLE ARE NOT FAITHFUL

• That is true FOR EVERY ONE OF US

• GOD IS FAITHFUL TO US EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT FAITHFUL TO HIM

• WHEN WE ARE NOT FAITHFUL SONS AND DAUGHTERS, HE IS A FAITHFUL DAD

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father, we know that it’s true. For stern as death is love. Love is as strong as death. Devotion is relentless as the netherworld. And so, we recognize that not only is love as strong as death, but love led you, God, to death for us for our sake in pursuit of us so that you could draw us near to your heart, so that you could make us your children, so that you could love us in the way that you desire to love us. Love is as strong as death. And so we pray. Set me as a seal. Set me as a seal upon your heart. Set me as a seal upon your arm. Help us live every day as yours, as your beloved. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”