Ohhhh the drama!

We were going along so nicely with good King Jehoshaphat. He gives gifts 🎁 to his sons and assigns them to lesser governmental roles before he names his eldest son Jehoram as his successor and dies.

Then WHAM! 💥

“When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

😳 What on earth? That came outa nowhere.

Well, not exactly. Not when we find out who his father arranged to be his wife.

Jehoshaphat was a good king but he made a couple of really bad choices. And the choice of a bride for his son was one of em. He wanted a political alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel to help solidify peace. So a daughter of Ahab (and presumably Jezebel) named Athaliah was given in marriage to his son Jehoram. Let’s just say, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

As soon as Jehoram is in power, he swings the nation of Judah away from Yahweh so fast they probably all got whiplash. The nation instantly destabilizes as neighboring nations that had been living with peace and respect toward them suddenly revolt.

And Elijah sends Jehoram a letter. 📪

I don’t know how I’ve read the Bible this many times and somehow didn’t remember that Elijah wrote to Jehoram.

😏 Is this the origin of “sending a strongly worded letter?”

I ought to be. This one is very strongly worded.

Dear Jehoram, you wretch…

Thus says the LORD…

Because you’ve been as wicked as Ahab (and that’s saying something)…

Bringing a great plague on you and your family. You’re gonna lose your guts and die in agony. Slowly.

📫

Elijah’s letter foretells how the rest of Jehoram’s reign is going to go and even exactly how he will die.

Then invaders attack and loot the city, killing all of the king’s sons except the youngest who is called Jehoahaz in 21:17, but is apparently renamed Ahaziah in 22:1. Jehoram is likely too sick by this time to father any more children.

There’s a PubMed article that says the Bible’s description of King Jehoram’s symptoms are probably the oldest account of colorectal carcinoma in history.

Verse 19 says “he died in great agony.” No morphine or anesthetics. No surgery.

😒 No wonder.

“…And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Ahaziah is crowned king and has his wicked mother and her brother – his Uncle Joram the king of Israel – as his counselors. He is young and totally compliant.

Remember how Ben-Hadad said he’d give back Ramoth-Gilead but he didn’t? And then Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to go with him into battle to get it back? And Ahab gets killed in that battle?

Well, Ramoth-Gilead is still under Syrian control, under Ben-Hadad’s successor – Hazael. So it’s like the next generation is picking up where their dads left off in fighting over this city.

1st GEN

• Ben-Hadad (king of Syria)
• Ahab (king of Israel)
• Jehoshaphat (king of Judah)

2nd GEN

• Hazael (king of Syria)
• Joram (son of Ahab, king of Israel)
• Ahaziah (grandson of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; also nephew of Joram)

😵‍💫 Jehoram? Joram? I’m confused…

I know. There’s one on each side and sometimes the son of Ahab is called Joram, and sometimes Jehoram. And Ahaziah’s dad was also Jehoram. But they are 2 different men.

🤨 Seriously, people. Get cha some last names. It would help a lot! I’m gonna write in my Bible:

• Joram Ahabson of the North, and
• Jehoahaz Ahaziah Jehoramson of the South – oh! And maybe also…
• Jehoram Jehoshaphatson of the south

🤓 Sounds like you’ve been reading Lord of the Rings…

🧔🏻‍♀️ “I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur, Elendil’s son of Gondor.”

🤨 Well, at least I can tell them apart.

So…Joram Ahabson of the North goes to recapture Ramoth-Gilead and he is wounded in battle. And he is taken to Jezreel to recover. Following so far?

🙄 Yes.

And…Jehoahaz Ahaziah Jehoramson of the South goes to visit his wounded uncle Joram.

Now… we need to pause to remember Jehu.

😖 Are you serious? ANOTHER J-name? What is with the Bible-people? Don’t they know there are other letters in the alphabet?

Aleph-bet.

🤨 Whatever. Who is Jehu? The prophet who called King Jehoshaphat on the carpet?

No. That was Jehu, son of Hanani.

This is Jehu, son of Nimshi. Actually, he is the grandson of Nimshi. His father’s name is Jehoshaphat but this is a different Jehoshaphat, not the king.

😒 You’re killin’ me, Smalls.

Jehu, son of Nimshi is a very important guy! And a wild chariot driver. But we’ll come to that later. For now, here’s a review… After Elijah meets God on Mount Horeb – you know, earth, wind, and fire and all that- He says to Elijah…

“Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

🤔 So Jehu is going to be the next king?! And some kind of ancient Avenger?

Spoiler alert. Yes.

🤔 And Elijah went and anointed him?

Well… sort of. Elisha actually does it by proxy in 2 Kings 9 which seems to happen chronologically at the same time as Joram is recovering from his battle wounds.

😶‍🌫️ I think my brain is melting.

Hang in there, Champ.

The bottom line is this:

God chose Jehu, son of Nimshi to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.

😏 Emphasis on nasty.

Precisely.

We will get back to the details of this story when we get to 2nd Kings 9 in a couple weeks. For now, just know that Jehu kills both Joram AND Ahaziah. And that leaves both thrones vacant. Jehu will take the throne of Israel, but Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, declares herself queen in Judah.

Dark-Fantasy-Galadriel kills all of her own grandchildren and any other potential heirs to the throne.

Except one.

One VERY crucial link in the Messianic chain:

Little baby Joash is carrying the DNA of Jesus.

His aunt, Jehoshabeath, who was married to Jehoiada the Priest hides him and his wet-nurse in the temple quarters during Athaliah’s 6-year reign of terror.