(A sad & scary story not to be read at bedtime.)
Once upon a time there was a vile king (we'll call J-ram) who had a father (J-phat) that had served God and the people when he was king. But J-ram didn't care about anyone but himself and many people in his kingdom revolted. He was so bad that God made him die of an awful and painful disease. Because he had been so wicked no one was sad he was dead. He died 'to no one's regret'.
J-ram's son (whom we'll call Ah-ziah, like a bad sneeze) was just as bad as his dad. He killed all of his older brothers so that he could be king. Jehu was a righteous man who was sick of all the evil Ah-ziah had done, so he took out the rest of J-ram's grandkids and Ah-ziah to make sure the evil stopped.
But the crazy queen mother (wife of J-ram, who we'll call Atha-liar) was so upset that her wicked son Ah-ziah (the king) was killed she murdered all the rest of the royal family so that she could reign. Secretly a princess (J-the-best) hid one of the royal family, baby Joash, so he wouldn't die. Joash was hidden in the temple for six years while Atha-liar, the wicked queen ruled the land.
When Joash was seven years old a priest (we'll call Je-da) gathered together all the other priests and organized a revolt. The priests were to protect the young Joash and have them stand guard so that they could put the crown on him and anoint him as king. When Atha-liar heard everyone yell "Long live the king!" She knew she was busted and her evil reign over. She was punished in the same manner she had gained the throne.
Joash reigned for 40 years! He made a covenant with God and the people to do what was right. He even repaired the house of God so that it was no longer in shambles and Je-da, the priest gave him good counsel. Sadly, after a long life Je-da died. He was such a help that even though he was a priest he was buried with the kings. (Unlike the previous kings J-ram & Ah-ziah who the people buried elsewhere. They didn't deserve the honor.)
Now, you would think Joash would continue to honor God and the people. He had served them and had been blessed by doing what was right. But Joash liked the approval of others more than God, and when some bad princes came and told him to serve other gods, he listened. Perhaps he was insecure and wanting friends, "the little king who had grown up too fast" and who had missed out on his "teenage rebellion stage", but unfortunately his midlife crisis would effect more than just him. God cared about Joash and the people he led. God sent Je-da's son, Zechariah (Zeek for short) to tell Joahs to "Knock it off!" But Joash put mud in his ears and stuck his tongue out (okay, not really). He actually did much worse than that. Joash didn't want to hear that he had messed up, so he killed Zeek. Zeek, the very son of the man (Je-da the priest) who had protected, cared, and counseled him.
Well, as you can imagine, God was not very happy with Joash. God allowed a smaller army to over take Joash's army. Joash was wounded in battle and survived, but his servants killed him anyway because they thought what he did to Zeek was wrong. And again, no one wanted to bury him with the kings because he had been B-A-D.
And that my friends is an excerpt from the Chronicler. Real stories, told real fast, with real lessons to be learned.
One: Listen to God, He actually wants your Best,
Two: Listen to people who also follow God, they're not selfish morons,
Three: Don't listen to people who want to take God's glory and give it to another,
Four: The worship of things other than God (idols) brings about death and destruction.
Bible Characters: (2 Chronicles 21-24)
KINGS
J-phat (Good King) Jehosaphat
J-ram (Awful King) Jehoram
Ah-ziah (Wicked King) Ahaziah
Atha-liar (Evil Queen) Althaliah
Joash (Good Guy turned B-A-D) as himself
The good 'guys'
Jehu (warrior) as himself
J-the-best (Princess) Jehoshabeath
Jehoiada (Priest) Je-da
Zeek (Prophet) Zechariah
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