2 Chronicles 22:10-23:21

Memory Verse: 21:7

Questions

Outline

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I. Athaliah and Joash (22:10-12)

>1. How did Athaliah respond when she learned of Jehu's actions? (10-12) How was the line of David kept? What does this say about the character of Athaliah and Jehosheba?

* 2 Chronicles 22:10-12 "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. 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, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah's sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12 He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land."

* 2 Kings 11:1-21 is the same record as 2 Chronicles 22:10 thru chapter 23. Chronicles focuses on The Kingdom of Judah more than Israel.

* "Athaliah" -Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. She ruled in the kingdom of Judah from 842 to 836 B.C. She did many evil things throughout her life, especially when she ruled. She was very much the product of her parents life-styles.

* "Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada" -The fact that she was the wife of the priest Jehoiada is not noted in Kings.

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* Israel did not calculated a king's ascension and reign as other nations. After Israel and Judah split Judah kept calculating to "old way" and Israel switched and started calculating the way other nations did around them. Read "The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings" by Edwin Richard Thiele for more understanding on how Israel and Judah calculated the dates of their king's ascension and reign.

II. Athaliah Dethroned and Killed (23:1-21)

* See a wood engraving by Gustave Dore (1832-1883) to the right depicting the death of Athaliah. Dore's drawings were in Bibles that are now in public domain. This one was scanned in by creationism.org.

>2. What did Jehoiada do? (1-3) How was this an act of faith? (2 Sam. 7:11b-16)

* 2 Chronicles 23:1-7 "In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri. 2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, 3 the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son shall reign, as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David. 4 Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, 5 a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the other men are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the LORD. 6 No one is to enter the temple of the LORD except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the other men are to guard what the LORD has assigned to them. 7 The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."

* 2 Kings 11:4-8 is identical to 2 Chronicles 23:1-7.

* Jehoiada was the high priest of the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. He knew and believed the Lord and His promise to David that a member of David's family would always be on the throne. Yet here Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel was ruling Judah and she killed all of David's line that had been kings except for a one-year-old boy. Jehoiada acted by faith to keep the promise of God active.

When Athaliah was killed everyone rejoiced.

When God reveals some truth to me and I see it is not being done, I can wait for the right time and act by faith.

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* 2 Samuel 7:11b-16 "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"

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>3. What did Jehoiada do when he established Joash king of Judah? (8-11)

* 2 Chronicles 23:8-11 "The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men--those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty--for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions. 9 Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 10 He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king--near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. 11 Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, "Long live the king!"

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>4. What irony is in Athaliah's words? (12-13) How does selfishness and pride blind us to own sins? (Matt. 7:1-6)

* 2 Chronicles 23:12-13 "When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the LORD. 13 She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"

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* Matthew 7:1-6 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

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>5. What were the priests sure to do? (14-15) Why?

* 2 Chronicles 23:14-15 "Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not put her to death at the temple of the LORD." 15 So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death."

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>6. What was the first things done during Joash's reign? (16-17) From the people's reaction what can we learn about Athaliah's reign? (18-21)

* 2 Chronicles 23:16-17 "Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the LORD's people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars."

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* 2 Chronicles 23:18-21 "Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the LORD in the hands of the priests, who were Levites, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19 He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter. 20 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the LORD. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne, 21 and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword."

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>7. Considering that the line of David who received a promise from the Lord about his descendant what can we learn about God that his line was preserved?

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