Bad and Good Examples: The “House of Ahab” or Jehoiada?

In 2 Chronicles 23, we see two examples: the “house of Ahab” and the righteous priest Jehoiada. Whose example are you following?

Scripture:       

2 Kings, chapter 10; 2 Chronicles, chapters 22-23; 1 Timothy, chapter 5

2 Chronicles 23:16-21 (NASB):

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses – with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David. He stationed gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne. So all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

Observations:

Bad Examples: The House of Ahab

This passages revolves around Judah’s return to the Lord. The two previous kings, Jehoram and Ahaziah, had led the people away from God. “[Jehoram] walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 21:6). When Jehoram died, his son Ahaziah became king. “He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to act wickedly. So he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his own destruction” (2 Chronicles 22:3-4).

Imagine that! God had blessed Judah, and had allowed Ahab’s house to perish. Yet these kings of Judah continued to walk in the ways of the house of Ahab! How did that happen?

They chose bad examples and counselors to guide them. Jehoram’s father, Jehoshaphat, had honored God, and “God gave him rest on all sides” (2 Chronicles 20:30). “He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not deviate from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:32). But when Jehoshaphat died, Jehoram did not follow his father’s example; instead, he married the daughter of Ahab, and “walked in the way of the kings of Israel.” When he died, his wife led their son, Ahaziah, further down the same path. Bad choices bear bad fruit for generations.

Good Examples: Jehoiada and the Priests

While “the house of Ahab” was hell-bent on destruction, God’s people were still at work. He had His prophets, Elijah and Elisha, to remind Israel of their covenant with Him. And when Elijah complained to God that he was “the only one,” God corrected him: “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). Even when things seemed bleak, God had His people on the scene.

In Judah, Jehoiada the priest was God’s man on the scene. When Athaliah sought to kill all of the potential claimants to the throne of Judah, Jehoiada hid Joash, Ahaziah’s youngest son. Jehoiada’s wife was also the sister of Ahaziah, and she helped Jehoiada to protect Joash for six years.

Finally, the time came for Joash to take the throne. The first part of chapter 23 sets the stage. Jehoiada gathered leaders of the army and all the priests and Levites. He reminded them that God’s promise was that one of David’s descendants would rule over Judah. Jehoiada gave them their marching orders. When the day came, Joash was placed on the throne, and all the people began to praise God. And when Athaliah tried to intervene, the soldiers seized her and put her to death.

Good Examples Turn People Toward God

Athaliah’s death set the stage for the people to return to God. In verse 26, we read that Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. Now, this was not a covenant with God; the people of Israel continued to live under the covenant that God had made with them throughout the ages. But Jehoiada led the people to make a covenant with each other that they would all return to God and live as God commanded.

The first step was to tear down the house of Baal. Baal worship and the temple of Baal was an abomination in God’s eyes. No matter how much the people said they worshiped the Lord, Baal’s temple was a clear indication that their commitment to God was not complete. So all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. They didn’t just “renounce” Baal; they took definitive, decisive action to remove Baal from their presence.

The next step as to resume proper worship of the Lord. Jehoiada place the offices of the house of the Lord under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses – with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David. The “Law of Moses.” “According to the order of David.” The people returned to worshiping God the way God had directed them years before. God’s ways hadn’t changed. The good example of Jehoiada and the priests turned the people back toward God.

Application:

Good Examples Are Not Always Popular; Popular Examples Are Not Always Good

Even after Ahaziah died, his mother tried to continue leading Judah away from God. Why? After all the bad that had happened – both in Israel and Judah – why would the people continue to follow bad leaders away from God?

The “popular” answer might be that following God is hard; it requires sacrifices and submission. But God’s blessings and faithfulness have always outweighed the perceived “costs!” From the beginning, Satan has tried to convince people that God’s way is too hard, that it’s “not worth it.” But Satan is a liar; lying is his “mother tongue” (see John 8:44). God’s way does involve submission, but it is not “subjection.” We submit to God’s way because His way is best.

Rejecting God’s way has never been about sacrifice or cost; it has always been about rebellion. Either we acknowledge God’s sovereignty by living according to His way, or we claim sovereignty over our lives and reject God. In the beginning, Satan’s temptation revolved around the claim that “you will become like God” (Genesis 3:5). Satan still tries to convince us that we can be our own gods, making our own way. He was a liar then, and he’s still a liar.

Good Examples

So what would God want us to do? Choose good examples to follow! God’s ways haven’t changed. We are surrounded by voices that tell us what we want to hear. They try to convince us that whatever we want must be what God wants. No! God has made His will and His way clear to us in His Word. Instead of listening to those who tell us what we want to hear, we need to search for those who tells us what God wants us to hear.

• “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
• “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).
• “Do not quench the Spirit, do not utterly reject prophecies, but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).

Who are you listening to? Are your “examples” leading you closer to God?

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding us that in the midst of the voices that surround us, we need to listen to You. Help us to “examine everything,” as Paul encouraged the Thessalonians. Lead us to good examples like Jehoiada, who will keep us focused on You. If there is any “temple of Baal” that needs to fall in our lives, show us. And if there is, give us the wisdom and courage to tear it down. Amen.