King Ahaziah of Judah is dead. Earlier in our study of the kings we found out that Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, reacted in an unexpected way to the news of his death. This wicked daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, who married into the royal family of Judah as a political alliance between the two kingdoms, seized power for herself. Instead of making certain one of her young grandsons was immediately declared the successor of Ahaziah, she ordered the execution of all of her grandsons! It was only because of the quick action of Jehosheba, the step-daughter of Athaliah and the wife of the priest Jehoaida, that any of these children survived. She was able to snatch up the youngest and conceal him in an unused bedroom of the palace until she could spirit him away to the temple where he was kept hidden for six years.
During those six years Athaliah did not know that the one-year-old escaped the sword. In all the panic and confusion that ensued when the armed soldiers burst into the palace nursery, the executioners weren't aware they missed one of the children. Earlier in the week I proposed the theory that Jehosheba may have been able to rush from the scene with the infant hidden in the folds of her many royal robes. Athaliah thinks she has been reigning unopposed because all the male heirs of her son are dead. But the time has come for the leaders of Judah to reveal the existence of Joash, the sole surviving heir to the throne. The priest Jehoaida is going to make his move.
"In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength." (2 Chronicles 23:1a) How did he do this? "In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king's son." (2 Kings 11:4) Jehoiada calls men he believes feel the same as he does about taking down Athaliah. He calls men he knows he can trust to keep a huge secret. First he puts them under oath not to reveal anything they are told or shown in the temple, then he takes them inside and shows them Joash and tells them how his wife saved the child from slaughter. The men agree to join with him in placing the rightful heir on the throne. Some of these men are mentioned to us by name. "He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishapat son of Zikri." (2 Chronicles 23:1b)
These men secretly go throughout the kingdom and gather more supporters for placing the rightful leader on the throne and overthrowing the wicked Athaliah. "They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God." (2 Chronicles 23:2-3a) Everyone gathered together acknowledges Joash as the king of Judah and bows to him and declare an oath in the name of the Lord to give him their allegiance.
In our next study session Jehoiada will lay out the plan for publicly declaring Joash as king and for taking the power of the kingdom out of Athaliah's hands. But in the meantime I'd like us to conclude today's study by stopping to reflect on the fact that a number of the people responsible for doing the right thing are mentioned to us by name. First of all there is Jehosheba, a brave and godly woman who risked her life and possibly the life of her husband and all their family members by snatching the infant Joash out of harm's way when Athaliah issued a royal decree to kill all of the male children of Ahaziah. No doubt Jehosheba would have saved all the children if possible but the attack on the children happened too quickly for anyone to know about it in advance to prepare to defend them. She did what she was able to do and she is an example of a person who fears God more than she fears human beings. She is an example of a person who is willing to do what is right no matter what it costs her. Her husband, the priest Jehoiada, is the same type of person. If his plan to place Joash on the throne is not successful, it will mean his death and probably the death of his beloved wife too, for having saved the child. The men who are named (and also those who are not named because there are so many of them) who have taken an oath to do what is right are also wonderful examples of godly courage. They are willing to give their lives to continue the dynasty descended from King David---the man to whom the Lord made a promise that he would always have an heir to sit on his throne.
You and I are not living in an era where we can have our names included in the holy Scriptures but we can be certain that the Lord is taking note of every good thing we do in His name. He is aware of every way in which we have ministered to our fellow believers. He has never missed a time we've witnessed to an unbeliever or every time we've behaved in such a way as to give testimony to being a child of God. "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." (Hebrews 6:10) It may seem at times as if this world never recognizes our hard work and our sacrifices but we will be rewarded by our Father in heaven on the day He judges every man's and every woman's deeds. Because we are assured of this, we are to "show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized". (Hebrews 6:11) "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:9-10)
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