What Do We Know about the Two Kings Named Ahaziah in the Bible?
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Two kingdoms. Two kings. One was murdered after only a year on the throne. The other wouldn’t fare much better: he lasted two years before he died and was succeeded by his brother. On the surface, we might assume these two biblical leaders had very little in common. However, that is not the full story.
Both kings did evil in God’s eyes. Both were the offspring of wicked parents. Both would lead their respective nations in idolatry. And as a result, both would suffer God’s judgment. But there was one more thing they had in common. Both kings were named Ahaziah.
What do we know about the two kings named Ahaziah in the Bible? Let’s find out.
Who Was King Ahaziah of Judah?
Under the rule of King Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel prospered as a united nation. Unfortunately, that unity would not last forever. In 931 B.C., during the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, the nation fractured and split into two.
Ten of the northern tribes abandoned Rehoboam. They took the name Israel. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the house of David. They came to be known as the nation of Judah.
In the following years, not one of Israel’s northern kings received God’s divine seal of approval. Regrettably, only a handful of Judah’s kings were considered righteous in God’s eyes.
In some translations, Ahaziah, referred to as Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 21:17, 25:23) or Azariah (2 Chronicles 22:6), was one of Judah’s many wicked kings.
At the age of 22, Ahaziah became the sixth king of Judah (2 Kings 8:26; 2 Chronicles 22:1). He took the throne after the death of his father Jehoram, also known as Joram (2 Chronicles 21:19).
Jehoram (Ahaziah’s father) had married Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab, king of Israel, in an alliance with their cousins to the north. Like her mother, Athaliah was a depraved and tyrannical woman who turned her husband’s heart (Jehoram) away from God. Not only did Jehoram promote Baal worship in Judah, but he also had his six brothers killed to increase his wealth and consolidate his power as king (2 Chronicles 21:11-14). Athaliah’s influence was all over her husband’s evil deeds.
God would warn Jehoram through the prophet Elijah that his days were numbered (2 Chronicles 21:7-15). Jehoram would eventually die in disgrace of an excruciating intestinal disease. He “departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chronicles 21:19-20).
Following Jehoram’s death, his son Ahaziah ascended to the throne of Judah.
Not surprisingly, the Bible tells us that Ahaziah also did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and grandfather, Ahab (2 Kings 8:27). Likewise, Ahaziah was heavily influenced by his mother, who encouraged him to continue in her family’s idolatrous practices. Not much is known of Ahaziah’s year-long tenure as king.
The Bible tells us, however, that Ahaziah had attempted to ally with his uncle (his mother’s brother), who was serving as king over Israel. In their campaign against Syria, however, Ahaziah’s uncle (also named Jehoram) was seriously wounded and sent back to Jezreel to recover. (2 Kings 1:17, 9:24; 2 Chronicles 22:5-7). When Ahaziah traveled north to visit his uncle, the Bible tells us that he was murdered by Jehu, a captain in Israel’s army, who had been ordered by God to exterminate the house of Ahab. Jehu had already assassinated Jehoram, king of Israel.
Following the death of her son Ahaziah, Athaliah claimed the throne for herself. To do this, she had Ahaziah’s sons (her grandsons) put to death (2 Kings 11:1-3). Of Ahaziah’s sons, only Joash survived, being hidden by his aunt in the house of the Lord while Athaliah reigned (2 Kings 11:3). When Joash turned seven, the Bible tells us that Jehoiada the priest placed him on the throne of David (2 Kings 11:4-12), putting to death Athaliah and tearing down Baal altars throughout Judah (2 Kings 11:13-20).
That is the history of King Ahaziah of Judah. But what about Ahaziah of Israel?
Who Was King Ahaziah of Israel?
After the death of Ahab, the seventh king of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel’s son Ahaziah ascended to the throne. As the brother of Athaliah, who had married King Jehoram of Judah, King Ahaziah of Israel was the uncle of King Ahaziah of Judah.
Like his sister, Ahaziah of Israel was heavily influenced by his mother Jezebel’s practices. The Bible tells us, however, that after reigning for two years, “he (Ahaziah) fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria” and was seriously injured (2 Kings 1:2). But instead asking the Lord or the Lord’s prophets for advice, Ahaziah sent messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the pagan god of Ekron, for counsel (1 Kings 1:2).
The prophet Elijah intercepted the king’s messengers before they met with the pagan priests and prophesied that Ahaziah would soon die (2 Kings 1:3-4). Enraged, King Ahaziah then sent men to seize Elijah in three waves. When they arrived, each wave was swiftly destroyed by fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:9-16). Elijah then went to meet with the king. There, Elijah pronounced God’s judgment:
“Thus says the Lord, ‘because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron – is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? – therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’” (2 Kings 1:16)
“So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.” (1 Kings 1:17)
However, because Ahaziah had no sons when he died, the Bible tells us that his brother, Jehoram, son of Ahab and Jezebel, succeeded him as king of Israel.
Why Did Both King Ahaziahs Suffer God’s Judgment?
As we can see from the chronicles of both kings, the familial penchant for idolatry, wickedness, and brutality did not go unnoticed by the God of Israel (and Judah). Though many kings had rejected God as king, the God of David was nevertheless sovereign over both nations. Accordingly, judgment would start at the top with Israel and Judah’s kings.
In many ways, Israel’s idolatry reached its pinnacle during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. Their children, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Jehoram, were never destined to follow in their footsteps. However, Baal worship was a disease that had infected the entire family. Accordingly, poisoned apples did not fall far from the tree.
Unfortunately, when Athaliah married Jehoram, the evils of the house of Ahab infected another nation. We see the extent of this decay in the two Ahaziahs’ willingness to promote Baal worship throughout their respective kingdoms. However, we also encounter the extent of their apostasy in their inclination to turn to outside alliances and pagan gods for wisdom and strength above the God of Israel.
Accordingly, God saw how deep the infection of Jezebel’s influence had spread throughout her family and both kingdoms, and he decided to intervene.
King Ahaziah, son of Ahab, would die from an unceremonious injury, seeking counsel from a pagan god instead of the God of Israel.
King Ahaziah of Judah would die at the hands of Jehu, whom God had commissioned to rid Israel and Judah of the evils of the house of Ahab.
What Can We Learn from Ahaziah Today?
When it comes to the two kings named Ahaziah, not everything we read about should be seen as a prescription for how we should live and act today. Just because the Bible describes something happening does not mean it is an automatic template for it to happen again. Nevertheless, there are a handful of lessons we can learn from the tragic reigns of both kings.
1. Ungodly Marriages Impact Families for Generations
In many ways, both kings’ downfall can be traced back to the marriages of their fathers and grandfathers. It all began with Ahab’s ungodly union with Jezebel of Sidon.
To put things in perspective, when Jezebel came into the city of Jezreel, a city known for worshipping God, she immediately moved to convert the city into a cultural center of Baal worship and idolatry. How did she do this? She pressured her husband, the king, to build her a sanctuary to Baal in the heart of Israel. She commissioned hundreds of Baal prophets to proliferate pagan practices throughout the land. Not wanting to “upset” his new bride, Ahab complied. Furthermore, any prophet of God who opposed Jezebel was swiftly silenced or murdered by the tyrannical queen (1 Kings 18:19).
Jezebel’s influence over Ahab, their family, and all of Israel was undeniable. Worst of all, Ahab bowed to Jezebel’s religious wishes. By inviting a pagan queen into his house and letting her run things, Ahab essentially surrendered control of his family and Israel to a truly demonic presence. That compromise would impact his family and two nations for generations.
2. Wicked Parents Often Cultivate Wickedness in Their Children
As righteous parents train their children in the Lord’s ways, wicked parents often cultivate wickedness in their children. After her husband’s death, Jezebel proved to be the loudest voice and dominant influence in her children’s lives. Two of her sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, would sit on Israel’s throne. She controlled both. Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah, would similarly corrupt the heart of her husband, the king of Judah, and her son, Ahaziah, who walked in the ways of his mother and grandmother. When Ahaziah died at Jehu’s hands, Athaliah slaughtered her own grandsons so that she could sit on Judah’s throne.
Such a wonderful family.
No child is destined to follow in their parents’ footsteps. However, in the case of Ahab and Jezebel’s children and grandchildren, the pervasive influence of wickedness proved difficult to escape.
3. No King or Queen Can Thwart God’s Sovereign Plan
Despite suffering God’s judgment, both Ahaziahs were part of God’s sovereign, redemptive plan for Israel. For example, even though Jezebel moved to destroy anyone who opposed her, God sustained and delivered his prophet Elijah from her hands. Likewise, when Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel, murdered her own grandsons to seize Judah’s throne, God protected Joash, son of Ahaziah, from harm, honoring His promise to David to keep a member of his line on the throne. Furthermore, in hiding Joash, God had not only protected him from physical harm, He had cut him off from his corrupt family’s influence.
Of course, both stories connect to a much larger theme of Scripture.
Evil kings and queens can never thwart God’s sovereign plan.
As God had protected Moses from Pharoah’s hands, He would again preserve a remnant from the house of David. Out of this line, another king would come, whom God would also protect, as a baby, from the murderous intentions of yet another wicked ruler.
Who was this future child, king, and descendent of David, whom God hid and protected?
His name was Jesus (Matthew 1:6-17).
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/serikbaib
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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