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choices that destroy

2 Chronicles 22:1-12

2 Chronicles 22:1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.
2 Chronicles 22:3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice.
2 Chronicles 22:4 So he did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction.
2 Chronicles 22:5 He also followed their advice and went with Joram son of Israel’s King Ahab to fight against King Hazael of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram,
2 Chronicles 22:6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. Then Judah’s King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
2 Chronicles 22:7 Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahveh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
2 Chronicles 22:8 So when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.
2 Chronicles 22:9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu’s soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). So, they brought Ahaziah to Jehu, and they killed him. The soldiers buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought Yahveh with all his heart.” So, no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom.
2 Chronicles 22:10 When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:11 Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of the priest Jehoiada. Since she was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.
2 Chronicles 22:12 While Athaliah reigned over the land, he was hiding with them in God’s temple six years.

choices that destroy

The bad choice to collaborate with the house of Ahab continues to bring destruction upon Judah, long after that choice was made. Counselors from that family lead Ahaziah to commit the same kinds of sin. After he dies at the hands of Jehu, his mother executes all the others in the royal family in order to keep power for herself. But Joash is preserved by his courageous sister, Jehoshabeath. She conceals him in the temple buildings, preserving the family line from which the future Messiah would come.

LORD, give us wisdom to keep from making choices that might lead to bad consequences generations afterward.