God is the Keeper of Promises

INTRO

In the chapters we study today, things change and go in a different direction from the past few chapters. The change begins in 2 Chronicles 21.

TEACHING

2 Chronicles 21:1-4: Jehoshaphat did amazing things for Judah as he walked out his reign in the Lord. When he died, his son Jehoram became king (v. 1). Jehoshaphat was a godly king, but in his attempt to bring Judah and Israel together through a marriage alliance brought trouble. Interestingly, Jehoram who was king of Israel, was a different man. Jehoram’s brothers are listed in verse 2. Jehoshaphat brought in one of Ahab’s daughters to marry Jehoram. Jehoshaphat had been generous with all his children, but Jehoram received the kingdom as the first born (v. 3). Jehoram strengthened his position by killing all his brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel (v. 4).

Every time there is a revival, Satan comes in to try to destroy what is happening. Jehoshaphat had trained his son Jehoram to walk in the ways of the Lord, but evil entered the kingdom when Jehoram murdered his brothers and other potential heirs.

2 Chronicles 21:5-7: Jehoram married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel. But the bad influence of Ahab entered Judah. In fact, the chronicler had nothing good to say about Jehoram. The chronicler focuses on the spiritual health of Judah and noted how Jehoram pursued the same practices and policies that Israel followed (vv. 5-6). Even though Jehoram was doing exactly what the depraved kings of Israel were doing, he had one thing going for him the kings of Israel didn’t have—he was a descendant of the house of David. In spite of Jehoram’s disobedience to God, the Lord would not eliminate his entire family (v. 7). God had promised David that a descendant of Solomon’s would always be on the throne (1 Chronicles 17:14), which kept Jehoram’s family from obliteration, although it came very close.

2 Chronicles 21:8-11: During Jehoram’s reign the nation of Edom rebelled against Judah and chose their own king (v. 8). Jehoram crossed into Edom, and the king of Edom and his officers barely escaped (2 Kings 8:21). The Levites who lived in Libnah also rebelled against Judah because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord. In verse 10, the reason for Libnah’s rebellion is more than likely due to Jehoram’s idolatry (Joshua 21:13). None of this dissuaded Jehoram, who was under the influence of his wife! Jehoram built pagan places of worship, taking an active role in leading the people to betray God and prostitute themselves.

2 Chronicles 21:12-15: Elijah was the prophet who was Ahab and Jezebel’s opponent in the northern kingdom. He sent a letter to Jehoram, their son-in-law, and offered three charges and two punishments (v. 12). The charges included: (1) Jehoram had not walked in the ways of his father Jehoshaphat, but in the ways of the kings of Israel; (2) Jehoram had caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like Ahab’s house did; and (3) Jehoram killed his brothers in cold blood (v. 13). Therefore, Jehoram would be punished. First, his entire family and all his possessions would be struck down with a horrible affliction. Second, Jehoram himself would be struck down with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until his intestines came out day after day (vv. 14-15). Usually, prophecies were given verbally, but Elijah chose to put it in writing—a bold move!

2 Chronicles 21:16-20: God put it in the mind of the Philistines and the Arabs to attack Jehoram (v. 16). They went to war with Judah and carried off everything Jehoram had, including his sons and wives, leaving only one son, Jehoahaz, behind (v. 17). They also missed one of the wives, who was not mentioned at this time. Then the Lord afflicted Jehoram with disease in his intestines. Jehoram suffered for two years until his intestines indeed came out of his body, and he died at the age of 40 after eight years as king. His people did nothing to honor the death of their king (vv. 19-20). Jehoram was not allowed to be buried in the same site as his predecessors. Sadly, the evil influence in Judah did not die with him.

2 Chronicles 22:1-12: The people of Jerusalem made Jehoram’s only surviving son Ahaziah king (v. 1). He was 22 years old when he was made king and was the son of Athaliah (v. 2). Ahaziah followed his mother’s influence, which came from her grandparents, evil king Ahab and queen Jezebel. She guided Ahaziah into the ways of pagan worship (vv. 3-4). Ahaziah joined King Joram (also Jehoram) who was the son of Ahab to fight the king of Aram in Ramoth-gilead (v. 5). King Joram was wounded in battle and returned home to Jezreel to recover (v. 6). Ahaziah went to Jezreel to see Joram (v. 6). When he arrived, he went with Joram to meet Jehu, whom God had sent to destroy the house of Ahab (v. 7). Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab, killing Ahaziah’s family members serving Ahab. Ahaziah was also executed, so that no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom (vv. 8-9).

Since Ahaziah was executed, his mother Athaliah (which means “Afflicted of the Lord”) seized the throne for herself and ruthlessly eliminated anyone who posed a threat to her reign (v. 10). Athaliah purged anyone who could be identified with the house of David, including her grandchildren. Her attempt to wipe out the line of David failed when Jehoshabeath, Athaliah’s sister, rescued one of the king’s sons, the baby Joash, and hid him in a bedroom (v. 11). God promised the line of David would continue until the coming of the Messiah (2 Samuel 7:16), and it came only one infant away from extinction. Athaliah was not a legitimate ruler, she was not of the house of David, and she was a worshipper of Baal. She managed to rule six years (v. 12). In this six-year period, it felt as though God was gone and evil had won.

CLOSING

Until Joash had sons, all the promises of God – the promise given to Eve in the garden, the covenant made with Abraham and renewed with Isaac and Jacob, the vow to David – rested in his young body. If Joash had been killed, God would have been proven fallible.

“But God was not nervous. He was not only the maker of promises but the keeper of promises.”¹Consider also the hidden presence of King Joash. Athaliah was on the throne, but the real king was still present. Doesn’t this remind you of our day? People are on thrones, but the real King, Jesus, is present!