he reign of Ahaziah, Athaliah destroys the royal family.
- The counsel of the ungodly ruins many young persons when they
are setting out in the world. Ahaziah gave himself up to be led
by evil men. Those who advise us to do wickedly, counsel us to
our destruction; while they pretend to be friends, they are our
worst enemies. See and dread the mischief of bad company. If not
the infection, yet let the destruction be feared, (Re 18:4). We
have here, a wicked woman endeavouring to destroy the house of
David, and a good woman preserving it. No word of God shall fall
to the ground. The whole truth of the prophecies that the
Messiah was to come from David, and thereby the salvation of the
world, appeared to be now hung upon the brittle thread of the
life of a single infant, to destroy whom was the interest of the
reigning power. But God had purposed, and vain were the efforts
of earth and hell.