2 Kings 11:1-21
Power is a very scary thing when if falls into the wrong
hands. It is astounding to consider what
Athaliah actually does in order to guarantee that she could maintain power in
the kingdom of Judah. It also requires a
great level of courage to stand up against such a blood thirsty and power
hungry leader. Thankfully, God has
repeatedly risen up such courageous men and women to defend the defenseless and
stand up for what is right no matter the danger they face. Every generation has leaders that try to
destroy the work of God on the earth and commit atrocities against humanity. Thankfully, God always has a faithful and
courageous remnant that stands up against tyranny in order to do what is
right. This passage introduces us to
three characters that demonstrate who played these parts in Judah.
ATHALIAH THE TREACHEROUS QUEEN: When Athaliah heard that her
son was dead she feared losing power and control of the kingdom as she knew
that she would not be able to have the same control in the kingdom as she had
enjoyed with her godless husband and son.
She was Judah’s equivalent of Jezebel.
Her solution to this problem was to simply go and kill all of her
grandchildren. This is not the typical
image that we think of when we picture our grandparents. When we think of our grandparents we think of
being spoiled by cookies and candy that our parents won’t let us have but will
not stop their parents from giving us.
Athaliah didn’t spoil her grandchildren; she slaughtered them. We need to be very careful when we are given
a position of power or influence because that power can become intoxicating and
can tempt us to do all kinds of atrocities to maintain that power.
JEHOSHEBA THE COURAGEOUS AUNT: Jehosheba was a daughter of
the king Joram who was Athaliah’s husband; more than likely she was not
Athaliah’s daughter as Joram probably had more than one wife. When she saw what Athaliah was doing she
mustered the courage to go hide Joash, the king’s infant son, from his
murderous grandmother. Since he was just
and infant he was not missed or presumed dead because he could not be
found. Jehosheba put her own life at
risk in order to do what she knew to be right.
Tyrants count on the power they wield to sap all that are around them of
their courage and paralyze them in fear.
Jehosheba was now such a woman.
She took her nephew and hid him in the house of the Lord with her
husband Jehoiada who was the priest. May
the Lord give each of us the courage that is necessary to stand up against the
tyrants of our generation even if it costs us our lives. It is far better to die in courage then to
live as a coward.
JEHOIADA THE RIGHTEOUS PRIEST: During seven years Jehoiada
and Jehosheba raise Joash as their own son.
They teach him the Law of God and they protect him from the idolatry
that is running rampant in the kingdom.
When the time is right Johoiada calls the guards of the kingdom and
reveals to them that there is a legitimate heir to the throne and they agree to
protect him and overthrow the wicked queen.
The drama in this narrative is fit for the plots of Hollywood. The day of Joash’s coronation arrives and he
is declared king at seven years of age.
When Athaliah finds out what is happening she cries out that this is an
act of treason; and she should know very well what treason is all about. She is killed and her reign of terror comes
to its deserved end. Jehoiada then
proceeds to mentor Joash and together to kill the prophets of Baal yet again
and do away with this idol worship in Israel.
Jehoiada was not king, but as a minister of God he had great influence
on the king and the course of history. He
invested his life in the life of the next leader of Judah. God continues to look for men and women who
are ready and willing to disciple the next generation of leaders.
Comments
Post a Comment