2 Kings 11:1-21 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 11:1-21. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 11:1-21 (NIV)
1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.
3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
4 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.
5 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath–a third of you guarding the royal palace,
6 a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple–
7 and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king.
8 Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
9 The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men–those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty–and came to Jehoiada the priest.
10 Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the LORD.
11 The guards, each with his weapon in his hand, stationed themselves around the king–near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”
13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the LORD.
14 She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason! Treason!”
15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: “Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the temple of the LORD.”
16 So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.
17 Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the LORD.
19 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the LORD and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne,
20 and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.
21 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
On verses 1-21: After talking about the kingdom of Israel and how Jehu became its king in 2 Kings 9 and 10, the author of 2 Kings turns our attention once again to the kingdom of Judah. Judah’s King Ahaziah was killed by Jehu of Israel, but instead of Ahaziah’s brother or son taking over Ahaziah’s throne in Judah, Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah seizes power for herself.
Why would Athaliah the queen mother do such a thing? Here it helps to understand Athaliah’s family tree. Athaliah was the daughter of Israel’s King Ahab and Jezebel. Remember them? Ahab and Jezebel were not only responsible for the spread of Baal worship throughout Israel; they were also responsible for the ruthless murders of hundreds of the Lord’s prophets in Israel. Apparently Athaliah has inherited her parents’ ruthless and idol-worshiping ways. When Athaliah married King Jehoram, she moved from the kingdom of Israel to the kingdom of Judah and became the queen of Judah. There Athaliah led King Jehoram and their son Ahaziah to become idol worshipers as well (see 2 Kings 8:18, 26-27). After her son King Ahaziah is killed by Jehu, Athaliah becomes hell bent on murdering every male descendant of King David who may have a claim to the throne.
Athaliah almost succeeds in wiping out the entire house of David, with one exception: Joash, the son of Ahaziah and a woman called Zibiah, is hidden by his sister and his nurse when he is just a baby. The infant Joash is taken to the temple of the Lord where for 6 years he is raised under the watchful eye of Jehoiada the priest. So this boy Joash, who would have surely been raised to be a worshiper of Baal, is rescued and raised to worship the Lord in God’s temple.
For six years Joash remains hidden from Athaliah’s sight. Guards are constantly watching out for his safety. When Joash is seven years old, Jehoiada the priest and others in Israel proclaim Joash as the new and rightful ruler of Judah. When Athaliah hears that Joash has been announced as king, she cries “Treason!” but is seized and put to death. The temple of Baal in Judah is also destroyed. Joash takes the throne with rejoicing from the people of Judah.
What can we learn from all this? There are 3 lessons I believe the Holy Spirit taught me through this passage:
1. The weight of destiny. Joash was the only descendant of King David who was spared. God had a destiny for Joash to fulfill. Similarly, the reason why you are here and the reason why God has brought you to this moment is because God has a destiny for you that only you can fulfill. Like Joash, your life is not an accident. You were made for a great purpose and for God’s glory.
2. The importance of parenting. Here we can see how important parenting is. Ahab and Jezebel were ruthless rulers and staunch worshipers of Baal, and that’s what their daughter Athaliah became as well. Joash likely would have become a Baal worshiper like his father Ahaziah, but by God’s grace, Joash is rescued from a Baal-worshiping environment and is raised by Jehoiada the priest in God’s temple. The God-fearing and honourable Jehoiada becomes like a father to Joash, who in turn becomes one of the most God-fearing and honourable kings in Judah’s history.
Parents, we must understand that no one is affected more by our character, our spirituality, our emotional intelligence (or lack thereof) and our conduct than our kids. For good or for bad, the chances are good that our kids will learn to live like we do, to value what we value, to treat God the way we treat God, and to treat people the way we treat people. If we want our kids to grow up with godly character, we must model it for them first.
3. The importance of sending your kids to church. Imagine where Joash would have been if Jehoiada the priest had never taken him into the temple. He would been killed, or if his father Ahaziah had survived, he would have become a worshiper of Baal, having access to great wealth but living in a family that was spiritually bankrupt. Instead, Joash grew up in the Lord’s temple, listening every day to God’s Word, living in God’s presence, being raised, disciplined and mentored by godly leaders like Jehoiada. As a result Joash’s life was protected, redeemed, saved and equipped for greatness. I absolutely believe that, other than a home with God-loving parents, there is no better place for children and young people to grow up than in a great church where they can learn to do life with God-loving leaders and peers. It is there where they can be safe, saved and set up for success.
I don’t know where I would be today had it not been for the church where I grew up. So parents, make it your priority to bring your kids to church regularly, that they may learn God’s Word and God’s ways in God-centered community. I don’t mean residential schools of previous centuries where great evil was done and horrendous abuse took place in Christ’s name. I mean a church community where the love of Jesus truly lives in the leaders and members, where God’s Word is honoured and where joy, family, and most of all Jesus are celebrated.
Father, thank You that You chose me and saved me for a specific destiny. Thank You for placing people in my life who have been there to watch out for me, protect me, raise me, discipline me and encourage me. Thank You for Your church which is the best place for a young person to be. Together with my church, may we become everything You made us to be. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
