Such a pity!

From II Kings 10 - 12:

1. Such a pity! - Jehu was very zealous for the Lord. He completely wiped Ahab's descendants off the face of the Earth. Because of this the Lord was pleased with him. However, he could've had so much more if he had only had enough wisdom, foresight and vision to destroy the evil traditions that Jeroboam had instituted. It just shows that in following God, we should examine even our traditions to make sure that they are pleasing to God. If they are not, we need to cast them aside and form new traditions.

2. I wonder why Ahaziah's sister Jehosheba was so interested in preserving Ahaziah's legacy, risking her own life to hide one of his children to be a future king. Was she at odds with her mother, Athaliah? One would've thought she would be happier with her mother reigning without contest, especially since it might mean that in the future she might get a shot at the throne.

3. I am guessing that at seven years old the king did not really make many decisions of any import, as he was so young. Likely the officials surrounding him took care of all the matters of state and such. I wonder - this likely being the case - why they didn't declare the baby king shortly after Athaliah took control. Why wait seven years?

4. The bible tells us that Joash took all of the sacred objects that were dedicated to the Lord, as well as many things of value out of the temple in order to pay off Hazael so that he would not besiege Jerusalem. I wonder what would have happened if he had sought out God to protect them instead of buying out his enemies. Would God have honored his requests for protection? Because although the people had continued in their evil, idol-worshiping ways, God typically would honor those who sought Him first.