June 23, 2022: Day 133 – II Chronicles 22-26 and Psalm 121

We continue along in the sons who take over after their father’s die as kings of Judah, the southern kingdom.  Remember, this is the nation where Jerusalem is located and so it makes sense that this is where the attention is given.  The temple is located in Jerusalem and God promised that David’s progeny would rule and this is a listing of David’s progeny and how faithful, or unfaithful, these kings were to God.

After the unfortunate rule of Jehoram we read: “He departed with no one’s regret.”  That is an unfortunate truth, but at least the person who comes next, Ahaziah, has a good chance to do better.  But that doesn’t happen.  Ahaziah takes over and only rules for one year and then his mother, Athaliah, takes over and things go downhill.  

Joash then begins to reign when he is 7 years old thanks to the planning and the strategy of Jehoiada who was the chief priest at that time.  Things move in the right direction with Joash and he rules as he should have, obeying the Lord.  But once Jehoiada dies, Joash and his rule go south as they turn away from the Lord.  Amaziah takes over then and he also did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  We are on a bit of a streak here of kings doing God’s will.

We can’t skip over Psalm 121.  It is a Psalm of hope as pilgrims who made their way to Jerusalem would see the city on the hill and be able to say out loud: “I lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence should my help come?”