Word of Salvation – Vol.04 No.21 – June 1958
Ahab’s Daughter
Sermon by Rev. P. H. Pellicaan on 2Chron.21:5-7
Scripture Reading: 2Chron.21
Psalter Hymnal: 215:1,2,3; 311 (After the Law); 128; 452; 468
Congregation beloved in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Our text is an amazing word. Jehoram walked in the way of the kings of Israel, that means: he made his people sin, he was a bad example, FOR “….he had the daughter of Ahab to wife.” (KJV)
That seems to be an excuse, or at least it seems to be an explanation. If someone has the daughter of Ahab to wife then you cannot expect anything else. It is inevitable that he is a sinner. Such a man seems to have reason to complain as Adam did when he said to God: the woman whom You gave me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.
Adam’s excuse was not acceptable to the Lord. But in our text the Word of God itself says: Jehoram, he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord FOR he had that woman to wife, that daughter of Ahab, Athalia. That was the reason why he went astray.
Our first impression of this case is: it is put too simply. Every man has his own responsibility and his wife can never be an excuse for HIS sins. He can never hide himself behind someone else. Adam could not do it, and neither could Jehoram.
God’s Word never contradicts itself. It is infallible. So the only thing we can do is: to listen very carefully that we may understand God’s message to us in this word.
We are taken back to the time when the kingdom of Solomon was divided into two kingdoms: of Judah and of Israel. You know what happened in the kingdom of Israel: Jeroboam introduced image-worship. He made golden calves to keep his people from going to Jerusalem to worship. And this sin also spread into Judah
Judah had (after Rehoboam) three pious kings: Abijah, Asa and Jehoshaphat. But the worshipping of images went on despite these God-fearing kings. People of Judah were jealous of the people of Israel for life in Israel was very easy-going. Everybody could do whatever he liked to do.
The spirit of Ahab and Jezebel was dominant over there. They did not care for the commandments of the Lord. God’s Word was pushed aside as being old- fashioned stuff, not to be taken seriously. Never mind God’s precepts: just do what you like. Man is free!!
Serving the Lord was ridiculed. It was: fundamentalism, and the best thing to do with it was: not to argue about it. Just leave it alone. It will disappear on its own accord!
They had idols, several of them. If one idol bored them, they just took another one. All norms, all customs which proved to be a nuisance, they just brushed aside. All they wanted was: a carefree life, pleasant and exciting.
I am not speaking about strange things. We all know this attitude, don’t we?
It’s a way of life which appeals to our hearts. It is promoted as the only way to make your life joyful and worthwhile. And on the other hand the service of God, keeping His commandments and obeying His will, is said to be an old fashioned way of thinking and of living. It makes life dull and sad. Men say that modern science has proved that the Bible is just a parable. Don’t bother yourself with these moth-eaten commandments and enjoy life!
This view is promoted as modern, but in fact this attitude is as old as the human race itself. It is the most old-fashioned thing there is. It is the first lie Satan tempted Eve with. Enjoy the fruits of life and you’ll know life as it really is.
And the remarkable thing is: when life degenerates, when the Lord is not served anymore and His Word is neglected, then sin first of all penetrates family-life, the sphere of matrimony. Fornication, adultery becomes a rule. It is a sin rooted in the human heart. And Satan knows his business! He convinces people that adultery and divorce is not a sin. It is only a means of getting your freedom back. And so: why should you not do it? It is no longer pictured as a vice, a sin, but as the only honourable thing to do when you feel like it. It is promoted as a virtue in literature, in films, where adultery is called: romance, and fornication: pleasure.
That is exactly what happened about 4000 years ago in Judah. Filthiness was no longer called filthiness, no: it became a religious function. Look, they said hypocritically: it is not because I am not a decent person but it is required by Baal or Astarte or whatever god they were serving at that moment. Family-life was broken up and whenever that happens, a nation is lost.
All this had started in the kingdom of Israel. The wicked king Ahab and his perverse wife Jezebel set the example for it. And in Judah people were jealous of this religious and sexual freedom. If only somebody in Judah started it, everybody would follow gladly.
About this time king Jehoshaphat died. He left behind seven sons. And he gave them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things with fenced cities in Judah.
But the kingdom he gave to Jehoram because he was the firstborne. I think Jehoshaphat meant to give to all his sons a certain independence. They all had their own territory, their own cities they could govern. He knew his son Jehoram…. He made provision in this way that Jehoram who was to become king should have some restrictions to his power.
Then a very important event occurs: this Jehoram married Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. Nurtured and instructed by her wicked mother Jezebel.
You might ask: well, what is wrong with that? Is a man not allowed to choose his own wife? Is not that a personal affair? If a man and a woman really love one another, that surely is nobody’s concern! You cannot interfere with it. Marriage is founded on love, and so, if there is love – everything is in order, let them marry. If there are any difficulties, for instance: a different background, different convictions, even a different faith – let them work it out themselves. Everyone is free to make up his own mind and to choose the man or the woman after his own heart.
That is what PEOPLE say. It is NOT what the LORD says!
Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. As did the house of Ahab, he too did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord – FOR he had that daughter of Ahab to wife.
That is a very grave accusation that is made here. The daughter of Ahab, Athaliah, was Jehoram’s stumbling-block She made him sin. She tempted him to do all sorts of wickedness. She became Jehoram’s AND Judah’s curse!
Jehoram introduced, by his marriage, the evil spirit of Ahab and Jezebel. He introduced a new way of living to his people and to himself. His only purpose in life became: pleasure, richess, power. Those were the gods he would serve with body and soul. That is why he married Athaliah who was experienced in all the tricks, an expert of pleasure and wickedness. She knew all about it. About this wonderful way of life.
And the first thing he did after he became king was to murder his brothers to make sure that all authority, all power would be HIS.
This so-called freedom means in reality: slavery and death to everyone who is in the way. This so-called freedom is very cruel.
His six brothers were killed and also several of the princes of Israel, people who apparently did not want to follow his lead. That is what it comes to. You call this freedom? Listen to what Scripture tells about this king: he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah thereto. He caused them to, he compelled them to do the vilest things. He made high places in the mountains of Judah and his people had to come and to commit adultery.
It is always the same: the first target of Satan is to destroy family-life. A horrible thing to do, but it is propagated in literature, in the pictures. In the majority of all the films that are shown in the theatres, love and purity and virtue is just laughed at.
Divorce is quite natural and is pictured as a wise thing to do. And those film stars who bring their ideas into practice are adored and imitated and when such a wicked woman marries for the third or fourth or sixth time we read it in the papers with nice pictures of the happy bride. But they live in adultery and are excluded from the kingdom of God and unless they repent their condemnation is sure!
Athaliah is still alive! And she leads the way for millions and millions of people who are poisoned and who will perish.
Jehoram took Ahab’s daughter to wife. He made her queen of God’s people. He violates the mystery of God’s work of salvation. The Lord promised, says our text, to David to give a light to him and to his sons for ever. What is the meaning of this word? What is the light to David and his sons? It is the Messianic light, it is the promise: there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. That is the light of David and of his sons. By this light family-life and marriage are sanctified.
Why did God after the falling into sin by Adam and Eve uphold marriage? Why did He not let the perverse human race die out? Because through marriage salvation would come. His Son, our Redeemer, should be born out of David’s descendants That is why wedlock is holy. And it is Jehoram’s terrible sin that he takes this wicked woman, to be one of the ancestors of Christ. Jehoram’s sin is that he tries to unite what never can be united: the light of David and the darkness of Ahab. When these two are united you know what will happen: the light will be quenched! Darkness wins!
Such a unity, such a marriage becomes a curse, even to the nation. Family-life without the fear of God is a premeditated attempt to quench the light of David, the light of Messiah. Family-life should be CHRIST’S and you should not introduce Satan into it. “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord FOR he had that daughter of Ahab to wife….!”
Someone might ask: what does this story about Jehoram mean to our family-life? We have not got the light of David anymore. For Christ was born, and so God’s plan with marriage was fulfilled. If that were true, then our marriage, our family-life would be of no significance whatsoever. Then we could regard marriage the same as the Mosaic precepts, the so-called ceremonial law which has been fulfilled. But this is not the case.
The light of David, the light of Messiah is still shining, brighter than ever before. Christ did not quench David’s light. How could He, being the light of life Himself?
It is not by chance that He performed His first miracle at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. There He manifested forth His glory. Paul writes to the Corinthians that Christ is the Head of the Christian family. The head of every man says Paul – is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man. And so family-life is under Christ’s authority. That is the Light in our families! The light of David became the light of Christ! And that is why this story about Jehoram is so important to us. If we introduce into our home-life queen Athaliah, then we know what will happen. Athaliah is very much alive nowadays.
– She reigns in the pub, in the picture-theatre, in the newspaper, in the divorce-courts in the gambling-business. She reigns in public life and has ruled that the most important purpose in life shall be: pleasure, riches, power – even if you have to murder your own brothers – and nothing else matters.
– She reigns in books where the sin and the filthiness of the human heart is pictured as a delight and pleasure.
– She reigns in the homes of those who thirst for money, who are even prepared to neglect their children if only they can earn more money then, and get rich…!
– She reigns in marriage where children are not wanted because these little creatures keep you poor! Scripture says that children are a blessing of the Lord but many people just don’t want to be blessed in this way – they want…. MONEY! A house, or a new car… they reckon is more of a blessing than a child.
Have you ever recognised Athaliah’s spirit in your marriage, in your conversation, on your bookshelves, in your attitude?
Never? Then you are in great danger indeed! For she is present everywhere. She is very beautiful. Very soft-spoken. Very convincing in her reasoning, very attractive in every way.
Queen Athaliah… she is not only in Hollywood. She eats at your table!! She whispers in your ear. Charming and joking… she is pulling away the fundaments of your family, of your marriage. She looks very innocent, but her only intention is: to quench the light of life. She is a cruel monster! She is a curse.
The real Athaliah did not even hesitate to kill her own children after her husband died, so as to become queen again. That is what it comes to. And you can read about Athaliah’s children in the newspapers.
I wonder how many children were burnt alive in their homes when a fire broke out and the parents were out looking for pleasure. How many children are left alone because their parents want to earn more money and they just cannot be bothered by the children? How many children are unhappy and miserable because their parents got divorced to get more pleasure in life?
“And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord for he had Ahab’s daughter to wife…!” To how many families does this word apply?
That is why our Lord is so much concerned with the family, with the children, and with marriage.
That is why the parents have to promise on oath at baptism that they will do the utmost of their power to try to keep David’s light burning.
Church-life depends on family-life. To put it in stronger words: the kingdom of God depends on family-life!
But is not that Kingdom in grave danger then?
Let us see in our text: Jehoram betrayed the mystery of salvation. He swapped it for the cheap beauty of Athaliah.
And Jehoram perished with her, He did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord and the wrath of God rested on him.
You can read what happened to him in this chapter of Chronicles. But if the light-bearer is lost will then the light itself not be lost also?
No, for we read: the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant that He had made with David and, as He promised, to give a light to him and to his sons FOREVER.
That is the miracle of God’s grace, that He upholds His covenant despite the failures of men. The sinner will perish, but the light will be saved.
That is what happened with Jehoram. Despite Jehoram, despite Athaliah Christ came into this world, born of a woman.
It has been a deep humiliation to Him that one of His ancestors was this wicked Athaliah.
It is His grace and His mercy which kept the light burning.
It is also His grace and His mercy that despite our sins His light is still burning in our family-life. His Kingdom is never in danger.
But we, who were appointed light-bearers in this dark world, WE are in danger! For if we keep the light burning, Athaliah is busy to quench it.
Do you know Athaliah?
And how do you like her?
Charming, attractive?
How do you like her promise of real freedom, free of all conventions?
Beware you are in deadly danger!
Her soft, well-manicured hand is a tiger’s claw which will rend you in due time.
She is a killer. She killed her own children. How much easier will she kill you!
You are the light of the world, our Master said. Keep your light burning lest you are like the foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps when the Bridegroom came.
They knocked on the door and said: Lord, Lord, open to us!
But He answered and said: verily I say unto you: I know you not.
And the door was shut.
But those who had their lights burning went in with Him to the marriage. Let then your light shine. In your family-life, despite all efforts of Athaliah. Till our Saviour Himself will take our burning lamps out of our tired hands when we arrive in Jerusalem.
And there shall be no night there…! we read in John’s Revelations – and they need no candle for the Lord God gives them light!
Amen.