The child that was rescued from the slaughter of the royal grandchildren is now a man, king of Judah. His story continues with a righteous beginning and reign so long as he was under the influence of Jehoiada the courageous priest. King Joash made repairs to the Temple, the people zealously joined the work, they gave money for the significant repairs with joy. But after Jehoiada died, the king plunged into apostasy, having join the influence of idolaters. For his apostasy and murder of Jehoiada’s son, he is judged God.
A Prophetic Death
Another of the Herod’s sends his henchmen to murder; to arrest the righteous and kill them. This Herod is the grandson of the Herod who slaughtered the innocent boys in Bethlehem. This Herod is also the nephew of the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. This Herod now orders the beheading of the apostle James, it was a prophetic death for Jesus prophesied that James would drink from such a cup. Then Peter was arrested with intention of beheading him too, so the church, rattled by James’ death, rallied in prayer.
Satan’s Other Daughter
In this chapter we meet the worst of people and the best. First there is Athaliah, the presumed daughter of Jezebel and just as wicked. She illegitimately made it to Judah’s throne as self-appointed queen and had all her grandchildren, killed except for the one who was rescued by one of the best people, Jehosheba. Her courage along with the bravery of her husband, Jehoiada, not only rescued the child but hid him for six years. Finally Jehoiada gathered enough support to make the child king and have wicked Athaliah executed.
Antioch!
The ancient city of Antioch, then in Syria, but today belongs to Turkey, was the epicenter for Jews evangelizing Gentiles without Judaism. It was here that the term Christian originated. Though given by the unsaved souls of the world, it was and is a very suitable term. All of this in Antioch was began by the Holy Spirit through Cyrenian and Cypriot Jews, the developed by Barnabas getting Saul from Cilicia and the two teaching the in the church at Antioch.
The Killing Fields
The slaughter of the male descendants of Ahab continues by the hand of the new king, Jehu. Jehu knew how to terrorize people into rethinking opposing him. He ordered the heads of his potential threats piled up in two heaps, thereby deterring resistance to his purge of Ahab’s male offspring. He then exceeded his God given assignment by turning his sword against those not of Ahab’s bloodline, including those of Judah, killing forty-two relatives of Judah’s now dead king, Ahaziah. Jehu executed a ruse to gather worshipers of Baal in their temple then had them slaughtered. In all this he remained unfaithful to Yahweh and died an idolater.
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