Reflecting on God’s Sovereign Grace

2 Chronicles 22:1-12 

    1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. 2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. 4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their advice, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6 Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

    7 His going to Joram was God's occasion for Ahaziah's downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them. 9 Then he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, "because," they said, "he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart."

    So the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.

    10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Ahaziah was the youngest son of Jehoram the evildoer who was the son of Jehoshaphat who did both good and evil.  The other male siblings of Ahaziah had been killed by Arabian raiders, and the people kept the successor in the family by making this unfit man who took after evil Ahab their king.  The hunter after the line of Ahab, Jehu, found Ahaziah while killing Ahab’s descendants and killed him also because of his wickedness and idolatry.  There was nobody to succeed him, so Athaliah his mother took the throne of Judah after first killing off any potential royal heirs.  She missed Joash the son of Ahaziah because his sister Jehoshabeath hid him from the murdereress.  God was preserving the bloodline for king David’s sake according to His promise that it would endure until the Messiah was born of that line.  God keeps His promises.  We see this here where Joash was saved and hidden away for six years as the cruel mother of Ahaziah reigned until the time was ripe for him to step forward and assume the rule over God’s people (2 Chronicles 23:11).  The most important lesson here seems to be that God’s sovereign will and promises are difficult to divine at the time situations are unfolding, but can often be seen and understood in light of His word afterwards.  This is clear as we read through the scriptures, but is more difficult in the present time in our own lives as He works all things for good and His glory (Romans 8:28).  We truly do not see in the mirror clearly yet (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Let us then rest in His sovereign grace with absolute trust in His working. We reflect on God’s sovereign grace with a certain hope (Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 1:11-12, Hebrews 6:11-12) in His working through the kings and situations of His Providence, just as He did through history to bring our Messiah, the Christ, to deliver us from sin’s judgment and preserve us as the called in Christ to that day (2 Thessalonians 1:10, 2 Timothy 1:12, 1 John 4:17).