Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
Ahaziah becomes king as the last surviving son, but his reign is marked at once by the influence of Athaliah and the house of Ahab. The chapter names his evil plainly and links it to the counsel around him.
T1hen the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king in his place, since the raiders who had come into the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. 3Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wickedness. 4And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruction they were his counselors after the death of his father.
Following Ahab’s counsel, Ahaziah joins Joram in battle, then goes to visit the wounded king in Jezreel. That visit becomes the path by which God brings him into Jehu’s judgment.
5Ahaziah also followed their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram. 6So he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded. 7Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to visit Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.