We return to Judah (v1-3) and when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she destroyed all the royal heirs, but Azariah’s sister, the daughter of king Joram, whose name was Jehosheba, took Azaraiah’s son Joash and hid him away with his nurse with her in the house of the LORD for six years. So, he was not killed while Athaliah reigned. She had taken advantage of her son’s death to reign as Queen for six years. Let me remind you that she was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. She was a bad influence on King Jehoram of Judah, her husband, as well as her son Ahaziah. She was trying to wreak revenge for Jehu’s getting rid of Ahab’s descendants by trying to wipe out the house of David in Judah. Happy families!
Little is known of Jehosheba, but she obviously was instrumental in preserving the line of David through which the Messiah would come. We don’t have to be well-known for God to use us.
One commentator says that Jehosheba was the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest (2 Chronicles 22:11) therefore, she was probably not Athaliah’s daughter, but Ahaziah’s sister by a different mother. God had promised that the line of David would be preserved, but it was a close thing, as only this one young man, still a very young infant, Joash was preserved.
Jehoiada brought the captains of bodyguards and escorts into the house of the LORD and made a covenant, showing them Joash, the king’s son. Few, if any had seen him since he had been hidden since he was a very young infant. This was six or seven years after he had been hidden, so, he would only have been about one year old when he had hidden him, hence, being with his nurse.
Jehoiada ordered them to split the company of men into three. One-third on the Sabbath to guard the king’s house, one-third to be at the gate of Sur, and one-third behind the escorts at the gate. Two contingents who go off duty on the Sabbaths to watch over the king’s house, to surround the king, armed with weapons and to out to death anyone who came within range (v4-11). The guards were given weapons which had belonged to King David.
Jehoiada was intent on keeping the house of David and removing the line from Ahab and his descendants.
Athaliah had reigned six years because no-one knew of the king’s son, thus Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and made him king, crowning him and anointing him king at the age of seven (v12). He gave him the Testimony, which was the Word of God, the scroll of God’s Word (see Deuteronomy 17:18).
Interestingly it is still the British custom for the monarch to receive a copy of the Bible at the coronation.
I became a Christian at the age of eight as did several of my friends and many others, and some have said that it is not really possible to do so at such a young age. I usually add in reply, that if Joash could be anointed king at such a young age, there is no reason to say that one cannot trust the Lord as Saviour at a young age. It is clear that Joash would have been surrounded by advisers to help him, and it is no different with young ones requiring much help and advice, and nurture to grow as a Christian. I would go so far as to say that we are always in need of nurture and help in our Christian lives.
When Athaliah heard the noise of the cries of ‘Long live the king’ she came to the people in the temple and saw the young king standing against the pillar according to custom, with the leaders and trumpeters, she tore her clothes and shouted ‘Treason, Treason!’ (v13,14). She realised that Joash had escaped her murderous plot. It was treason, indeed, but against a wicked ruler, namely herself.
Jehoiada the priest commanded the officers of the army to take Athaliah outside and put her death outside the LORD’S house. It was a just sentence against a ruthless woman tyrant. Jehoiada had great respect for the LORD’S house, thus she was taken outside (v15,16).
Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people to commit themselves to, and serve God (v17).
Thus, all the people went and tore down the temple of Baal, and broke it in pieces, its altar and images, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal (v18-21). Jehu had destroyed the temple of Baal in Samaria, Jehoiada and the people now did the same to the temple of Baal in Jerusalem. Wicked Athaliah had brought the things of Baal worship into the house of the LORD (see 2 Chronicles 24:7)
Jehoiada had brought the king from the house of the LORD and set him on his throne as the rightful king of Judah, to rule over his people.
