When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. (2 Kings 11:1)Jehoshaphat was one of the great kings of Judah, but he had a blind spot when it came to Ahab. Perhaps as part of a sordid plan to extend their power over Israel's neighbor to the south, Ahab and Jezebel gave their daughter in marriage to Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram. Out of his naive desire to restore good relations between the two nations, he never saw Ahab's ploy for what it was, and opened Judah to a nearly disastrous wicked influence.
Jehoram and Athaliah gave birth to Ahaziah. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Ahaziah was mortally wounded in Jehu's purge, which eradicated all of Athaliah's family members still in Israel. When the news reached the palace, she set out to kill every member of the royal family - which by the way would have ended David's line - and seize the throne for herself.
In the nick of time, High Priest Jehoiada spirited Ahaziah's youngest son Joash into hiding. He was the only one to survive Athaliah's murderous rampage. The priests cared for Joash until Jehoiada proclaimed the young man king at the tender age of seven. The bodyguard priest then ordered the execution of Athaliah ending her reign of terror.
Against overwhelming odds, God's promise to David (2 Samuel 7:16) remained intact.
So what are the odds God will keep his promises to you?
100%! Thank you for this reminder, Pastor Tim. No matter the odds, God is not a man that he should lie. "Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! (Joshua 23:14). I believe God's promise to me for my children (Isaiah 49:24-25) even if I do not live to see it. ellie
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