图书图片
PDF
ePub

Having married Athaliah,* one of the daughters of Ahab,† he walked in the way of the idolatrous kings of Israel, like that rebellious house, and wrought that which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication; and compelled Judah thereto.§ Howbeit, Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with him; and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever.

She was daughter of Jezebel, and consequently first cousin to the father of Dido, queen of Carthage, the heroine of the Æneid. Jahn's Heb. Commonwealth, i. 128. Univ. Hist. i. 407. 415.

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

† 2 Chron. xxi. 6. Or grand-daughter of Omri. 2 Kings, viii. 26, 27. 2 Chron. xxi. 6. 2 Kings, viii. 18.

§ 2 Chron. xxi. 11.

|| 2 Chron. xxi. 7. 2 Kings, viii. 19.

Faithful to this promise, God sent to Jehoram, not Elijah in person, but a writing from him, saying; Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David, thy father; because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, thy father, nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab; and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will Jehovah smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods; and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out, by reason of the sickness, day by day.*

Accordingly, first the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king; and although Jehoram went forth to Zair, with his princes, and all his chariots with him, and rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him in, and the captains of the chariots; yet the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day.† Afterwards Libnah revolted from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his fathers. And, finally, Jehovah stirred up against him the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians; and they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, or Ahaziah§ the youngest of his sons.||

* 2 Chron. xxi. 12—15.

+2 Chron. xxi. 8-10. 2 Kings, viii. 20-22. Gen. xxvii. 40. 2 Chron. xxi. 10. 2 Kings, viii. 22.

§ 2 Chron. xxii. 1.

2 Chron. xxi. 16, 17.

After all this, and having reigned six years in Jerusalem,* Jehovah smote this monarch in his bowels with an incurable disease; so that after lying for two years, his bowels fell out, and he died of sore diseases, and departed without being desired; howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.†

AHAZIA H.

THIS prince being called to the vacant throne by the A. C. inhabitants of Jerusalem, in consequence of all his 885. elder brethren having been slain by the Arabians, he walked in the way of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.§

In consequence of this influence, he formed an alliance with his relative, Jehoram, king of Israel, in an expedition against Hazael, king of Syria. Having been defeated by Hazael, Jehoram retreated to Jezreel, and there Ahaziah went to visit him. It was during this visit that the rebellion of Jehu broke out; and when Jehoram and Ahaziah went forth to meet him, he slew Jehoram with an arrow. Ahaziah fled by the way of the garden house, and Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot; and they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his

12 Chron. xxi. 5.
2 Chron. xxii. 1.

+2 Chron. xxi. 18-20.
§2 Chron. xxii. 3, 4.

sepulchre, with his fathers, in the city of David; because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart;† such honour have all his saints.+

And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Jehoram; for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu, the son of Nimshi, whom Jehovah had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. And it came to pass that when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.§

Ahaziah reigned only one year; and, upon his death, the seed royal of the house of Judah had well nigh been extinguished; for the dowager queen, Athaliah, destroyed them all except Joash, the late king's son by Zibiah, of Beersheba,|| and usurped herself the royal authority.

A.C.

ATHALIA H.

THE promises of Jehovah are for ever sure, and those which he made to his servant David, could not 884. be disappointed by the devices of men or devils. As, therefore, an Egyptian princess was provided by Jehovahjireh to preserve and protect a Moses, ¶ so now Jehoshabeath, a daughter of the late king, Jehoram, who had married Jehoiada, the priest, was appointed by the same divine providence to preserve and protect her infant nephew, Joash. This princess, therefore, stole him from among the king's

2 Kings, ix. 27, 28.

+ 2 Chron. xxii. 9.
§ 2 Chron. xxii. 7, 8. 2 Kings, x. 12—14.

2 Kings, xii, 1. 2 Chron. xxiv. 1.

Ps. cxlix. 9.

Exod. ii. 5-11.

sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber, and hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not; and he was hid with her and her husband in the house of God six years.*

In the seventh year of this usurpation, Jehoiada, having previously prepared the leaders of the people and the army, brought Joash forth to them in the temple; and having crowned him, the people gave him the testimony,† and clapped their hands and said, God save the king. Athaliah having heard the voice of the guard, came to the temple exclaiming, Treason! but she was immediately seized by the command of Jehoiada, and dragged out and slain in the horsegate.+

A.C. 878.

JOASH.

THE first act of Jehoiada's administration under the youthful monarch, was to establish a solemn covenant between Jehovah, and the king, and the people, that they should be the people of Jehovah; and another between the king and the people.§

And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly; and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of Jehovah. And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the

2 Chron. xxii. 10-12. 2 Kings, xi. 1—3.

+ Or the tables of the law, Exod. xxv. 16-21. xxxi. 18. and which was perhaps equivalent to administering the coronation oath.

[blocks in formation]
« 上一页继续 »