2 Kings 11:1-3
When Jehu killed Ahaziah he created quite a problem in the southern kingdom; Athaliah, his mother and the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was now reigning in place of Ahaziah. This woman was born and raised in the presence of an intense evil. She was dedicated to Baal worship. Her reign was actually a brief interruption of line of David on the throne. Athaliah went on to kill Ahaziah's sons to remove any claim to the throne. While her intentions were about her own selfish desires, Satan was using her to try to wipe out the line of David; the bloodline from which the messiah would come.
Ahaziah's recognized or anticipated Athaliah's power grab. She took young Joash, the son or Ahaziah, and hid him away from Athaliah in the house of the Lord. This was probably a very good hiding place at the time. Athaliah was certainly not going to stumble upon him there. It wasn't a place she had much use for.
2 Kings 11:4-12
Jehoida put people and the plan in place to present the real king to his throne. He chose the Sabbath at shift change to have the maximum number of people present without raising suspicion. He then presented Joash to the captains of the army and gave orders to the army regarding the protection of Joash. When the day came he was presented as king when he was 7 years old. The King was crowned, given the Testimony and anointed. This copy of the 'Testimony' was a copy of the law made by him from the law before the preiests as directed by Deuteronomy 17:18.
2 Kings 11:13-16
The king was presented to the people as per the custom. The people celebrated the king and Athaliah knew she was in trouble. How ironic that she would yell, "Treason!" She was the one who was treasonous. Athaliah was taken outside the temple and killed. They were also to kill anyone who followed after her. I wonder if they could find any supporters? Much like Jezebel; if you live a life embracing evil and treating people poorly, there's a good chance of dying lonely.
2 Kings 11:17-21
With Athaliah gone, Jehoida showed great leadership. He made a covenant with the Lord, the king and people. This was quite a move and had God's hand all over it. King Joram had married into Ahab and Jezebel's family, then Ahaziah picked up where his father left off. Baal worship was prevelent and just the evil in the household. Several questions and thoughts come to mind.
- How did Ahaziah's sister have the insight and love to care for Joash?
- If Joash had remained with his family; if Athaliah hadn't killed the others, would he still have been raised up to make a covenant with God?
- Like Samuel, this young man was brought up in the house of the Lord. There were men there taking a stand for what was right when it probably would have cost them their life had Athaliah found out.
- How did Joash get a name that means "Jehovah supports" from such a wicked family?
The king, Jehoiada and the people cleaned up the land from the Baal worship. What a bold move for a young 7 year old. (Jehoash and Joash are variants of the same name meaning 'the Lord gives'.)
©2016 Doug Ford
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