Kings of Israel

Solomon was the third king of Israel after his father David. In his latter years, his servants rebelled against him. Among them was Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:28). When Rehoboam, son of Solomon ascended the throne, the kingdom was divided. Ten tribes of the north made Jeroboam king of Israel. Rehoboam became the first king of Judah in the south. The kingdom passed on in the family to Abijam, Asa and then Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram married Ahab's daughter Athaliah.
It was difficult to keep ten tribes together. Therefore, the kingdom of Israel changed hand frequently. Jeroboam passed his kingdom to his son Nadab. Israel changed hand when Baasha killed Nadab and became king (1 Kings 15:27). Elah, son of Baasha, succeeded his throne and was killed by Zimri, who wiped out the family of Baasah (1 Kings 16:9). The famous Omri was proclaimed king of Israel by the army. Zimri burned himself in the king's house. Omri passed on the kingdom to his son Ahab. We have the stories of Elijah in his reign. Ahab joined Jehoshaphat in the battle at Ramoth-gilead and was bled to death by a stray arrow. Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, succeeded. the throne (1 Kings 22:40). He fell through the lattice of his upper chamber and was hurt. He inquired Baal-zebub about his recovery (2 Kings 1:2). Elijah announced his death. The brother of Ahaziah, Jehoram succeeded the throne.
So he (Ahaziah) died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram, his brother, became king in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son (2 Kings 2:17).
So for some years, the two kings of Israel and Judah were called Jehoram. But there are a few mysterious verses which read
In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign (2 Kings 8:16).
Further down, we read
So Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign (2 Kings 8:24-25).
In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah (2 Kings 9:29).

Interesting, eh?  It seems that whenever Jehoram became kings, they changed their names to Joram. To tell who is who, one needs to say Joram the son of Ahab to refer to the king in Israel. Still, how shall we reconcile verses 2:17 and 8:16? Which Jehorom became king first?
Ahaziah, king of Judah was considered by the Deuteronomist historians bad because his mother, Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab. He joined Joram to go to war against Syria in Ramoth-gilead, like their fathers did (2 Kings 8:27)! Joram was hurt and returned to Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah visited him.
Now entered Jehu, the son of Nimshi. God instructed Elijah to anoint him in 1 Kings 19:17. Later, Elisha sent a servant to anoint him again in 2 Kings 9:2. Immediately, he sprang into action and started his killing spree to wipe out the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:14). After shooting Jehoram, Jehu and his men shot Ahaziah as well. When Jehu entered Jezreel, he told the eunuchs to throw Jezebel over the window. He killed all the 70 sons of Ahab in Samaria.
So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining (2 Kings 10:11).
He also killed 42 kinsmen of king Ahaziah (2 Kings 10:14).
And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke to Elijah (2 Kings 10:17).
And Jehu wiped out all the worshippers of Baal in Israel (2 Kings 10:28).
At the same time, Athaliah killed all the royal family because Jehu shot her son Ahaziah (2 Kings 11:1). Then she ruled over Judah for seven years.
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram (Jehoram), sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain (2 Kings 11:2).
Jehoram must have more than one wife. That explains why Athaliah wanted to kill off all the legitimate claimants to David's throne. It was likely that Jehosheba was not the daughter of Athaliah. Joash, whose mother was Zibiah of Beer-sheba (2 Chronicles 24:1), was tutored by Jehoiada, the husband of Jehosheba (2 Chronicles 22:11) who engineered a coup d'état to kill Athaliah and restore the David line.
Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign (2 Kings 11:21).
Joash was remembered for restoring the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 24:4). And Jehoiada died 130 years old (2 Chronicles 24:15).
Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king hearkened to them.
And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt (2 Chronicles 24:17-18).
Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesized against them. They stoned him to death (2 Chronicles 24:21). Zechariah was no Jesus or Stephen, he curse them at his death.
Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!" (2 Chronicles 24:22)

So, Dr. Francis Chan, why did Joash, who was tutored by a good priest Jehoiada and was supposed to be a good king of Judah, turn bad? Who were these princes of Judah? Did Joash depend on them to rule over Judah so much so that he had to compromise his faith, even killing the son of his tutor? Or, once you have outlived your usefulness for your king, resign or perish （飛鳥盡，良弓藏；狡兔死，走狗烹。）However, your namesake is burying the bow which he hates even when there are still many birds around. So, not only wealth, but also power are both hazardous to one's faith.

My Advocate, let us pray for kings to be good. Pray that their hearts will not be corrupted by the lust for power. Amen.