2 Kings 11:1 – 12 “1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. But Jehosheba daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, and he was not killed.
And Joash remained hidden with his nurse in the house of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the LORD. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath.
He showed them the king’s son and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace, a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple— the two divisions that would go off duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the king. You must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who approaches the ranks must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
So the commanders of hundreds did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest. Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields of King David from the house of the LORD. And the guards stood with weapons in hand surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”
It’s time to talk about Athaliah, the sometime Queen of Judah. Athaliah is Ahab’s daughter and Omri’s granddaughter. Athaliah is also King Ahaziah’s mother. A true descendant of Jezebel, Athaliah is a vile woman whose controlling passion is a lust for power. It’s likely that Athaliah may also be a priestess for Baal or Asherah. Jehu has slaughtered both King Ahaziah and King Joram, as well as the seventy sons of Ahab and forty – two relatives of Ahaziah. With Ahaziah out of the way, Athaliah has a clear path to the throne and she seizes power. To ensure her position, Athaliah herself annihilates all the remaining royal heirs. Now Athaliah believes that she will reign for the rest of her life.
Stop for a moment and consider: Athaliah is murdering her own grandsons! Imagine having Athaliah for a grandmother – “Here, have a nice poisoned cookie! Now go over there in the corner and die quietly!”
But hidden away is little Joash, the remaining son of King Ahaziah. Joash and his nurse owe their lives to Jehosheba, King Ahaziah’s sister. The name Jehosheba means “fullness” or “oath of the Lord.” The name “Joash” means “God has given.” Somehow, even amongst all the idolatry and wickedness that has pervaded the palace, God still has a faithful servant who is willing to risk her life to save her nephew’s. This passage mentions two different locations in which Joash and his nurse have been hidden – a bedroom in the palace and a room in the temple. Perhaps both are correct, and Jehosheba has had to move Joash and his nurse around to dodge Athaliah and her minions.
Jehoiada, the high priest, is a righteous man who fears God and refuses to bow to Athaliah. The name Jehoiada means “Yaweh knows.” Jehoiada has been working behind the scenes with Jehosheba, and when Joash is seven years old, Jehoiada decides that the time has come to bring out Joash and crown him as king. Joash needs to be old enough that he can speak sensibly; in addition, Jehoiada may fear that they can’t hide Joash very much longer. In addition, the depravities of Queen Athaliah are getting worse every day. No, it’s time to bring out Joash!
It’s significant that when Jehoiada calls a meeting with the commanders of hundreds and with the temple guards, everyone agrees with him and nobody sneaks off to inform Queen Athaliah. Obviously, Athaliah has followed in her mother Jezebel’s footsteps and is thoroughly hated. Swiftly, Jehoiada organizes a system of guards for little Joash and then brings Joash into the temple, blows trumpets, and proclaims him as king. The people break out into celebration. Nobody regrets that Athaliah will no longer be the ruler over Judah!
APPLICATION: Many of us have been in situations in which someone has worked to undermine us. Some of us may even have seen times when there were those who tried to get us out of a situation permanently. The lesson for us is this: God’s got your back!
If Queen Athaliah had had her way, little Joash would have been merely one more body in a nameless grave. To remain in power, Athaliah might have been willing to strangle Joash herself. But Jehosheba and Jehoiada both feared God, and they refused to allow Athaliah to get at Joash. (Jehoiada may have hidden Joash in one of the temple rooms allotted to the priests, a place from which Athaliah was forbidden.)
No matter how evil Athaliah was, God was stronger than the demons she was serving. God preserved Joash and Jehosheba and Jehoiada. If God has called you to a work, then rest assured that God will protect you until you complete what He has called you to do. Does this mean that things will be easy? Far from it! We have endured many times where individuals interested only in their own gain have attempted to remove us from the places to which God has called us. In every case, God has intervened and strengthened us, protecting us until our work in that location has been completed. God does not save us FROM affliction; He saves us in the midst of affliction.
Are you going through rough times right now? Make sure that you are doing what God wants. If you have the assurance that you are in the center of God’s will for your life, then hang on! The same God who protected Joash and who brought him to the throne of Judah will work for you as well.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even in the middle of problems. Give all those who are reading these words Your assurance that You will never leave them or forsake them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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