Please open God's Word and join me in Second Kings Chapter 11.
I am eager to study this chapter together because I'm confident
it will highlight an observation that I I'm sure has not crossed
any of our minds the past few weeks.
Why would I say that? Because you know that we've been
so focused on studying the rise of Jehu to the throne of Israel.
And while we were doing that, we most likely overlooked the fact
that while he was trying to occupy a vacant throne, there
was another vacant throne the entire time, the Kingdom of
Judah. Remember, early in Jehu's
campaign he not only eliminated King Jairam who was the king of
Israel, but he also killed King Ahaziah who was in charge of the
southern Kingdom of Judah. Obviously, such an event would
have massive ripple effects in that Kingdom and it makes you
wonder, how did the people? Respond to this tragedy.
How will they recover from it? Who's going to take his his
place? Who's going to even do it?
Who's going to be chosen for such a task?
Though we will not receive an answer for every question, what
the Holy Spirit will do in Second Kings 11 is unveiled to
us the. Most important transition that
took place shortly after the death of Isaiah.
And I'll tell you this from the start, what we are going to
study in this chapter is perhaps one of the most suspenseful,
dramatic, and significant chapters in all of Judah's
history. And I'm sure that as we read
these verses and as we study this text, you'll realize very
quickly why that is. So I invite you to come to the
second Kings 11. Look at verse one with me.
Let's read the first 3 verses together, please.
Now when Athalia the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was
dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.
But Jehoshiba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Isaiah,
took Joash the son of Isaiah, and stole him away from among
the King's sons, who are being put to death.
And she put him and his nurse in a bedroom.
Thus they hid him from Athalia, so that he was not put to death.
And he remained with her six years, hidden in the House of
the Lord, while Athalia reigned over the land.
Let's pray, Lord, we admit our weakness and we know that this
Bible study will be futile unless You supply the grace in
our minds to understand the Scriptures and in our hearts so
that they would burn in our bosoms.
We pray, Lord, that You would help us understand Your will,
Your character, Your promises, the principles that You want us
to abide by as followers of Your Son, the Lord Jesus.
We trust that even this portion of Your Word is breathed out by
You and is profitable for our transformation and maturity and
godliness. So, Lord, guide us step by step.
Lord, shield us from all distraction, any kind of thing
that would sabotage the transmission of this glorious
truth. We rely on You and we commit
this time together as a family, as students, as disciples of
Your Word. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen. To our great shock, we quickly
discover that Jezebel is not the only wicked woman who made an
impact in this grand narrative of the kings of Israel and
Judah. This.
Chapter introduces us to another vile woman who was.
Greatly ambitious to rule over the people of God and do
whatever it took necessary in order to arrive at that place of
power and authority. Who is she?
How is this possible? Why is this happening?
And every major question concerning this individual is
answered if you just do a simple investigation.
Because, if you recall, this is not the first time that Athalia
by name appears in our study of Second Kings.
So rewind with me and go to chapter 8 of Second Kings and
look at verse 26 briefly. Isaiah was 22.
Years old when he began to reign and he reigned one year in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athalia.
She was a granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel.
Now if Athalia is the daughter of Omri, king of Israel, and
from a study in First Kings chapter 16, it's confirmed that
Omri is the father of who, Ahab, then that makes Athalia the
daughter of who Ahab and who's her mother?
Jezebel. We have Jezebel on the throne in
the Kingdom of Judah. Fascinating and terrifying at
the same time. And you might be wondering, how
did this happen? Good question.
Hopefully you recall King Jehoshaphat.
He was the. Focus of our studying the last
chapters of First Kings and though generally a faithful man,
righteous man according to the testimony of the word of God, he
made one massive mistake in his human wisdom.
He thought that he can make a marriage alliance with the House
of Ahab by giving over his son Jeho Ram to the daughter of Ahab
and Jezebel. And expectedly, you have Jeho
Ram and you have this woman here, Athalia, coming together,
having babies, and one of their children was named.
Ahaziah, who would be the successor to the king of Judah.
Is that only ruled and reigned for one year?
And because of that striking amount of time for somebody to
rule a Kingdom, we left the question, why was it so short?
And we're told based on our previous studies, that it was
because he walked in the ways of the House of Ahab and God
brought his rule to an early end.
He was greatly influenced by his mother, surely.
And so it's no surprise then that after Isaiah is removed
from the throne of the king of Judah that Athalia thirsts for
this position and seeks to seize it with such aggression and evil
to gain the control that she saw her mother chase.
I'm sure in her early years, Athalia is mirroring Jezebel.
She's walking in her footsteps. In addition to this, not only
does she have this innate passion for illegitimate
authority, but I'm sure she's reacting to the news that Jehu
slaughtered the House of Ahab. And so now this triggered a
vengeance and she's now trying to maintain the legacy of her
mother in particular, and she is doing so by attacking the House
of David. And trying to make a comeback
for the House of Ahab in the southern Kingdom.
I'm confident that Jehoshaphat had no idea that that one
decision to be unequally yoked would lead to a bail worshipping
woman sitting on the very throne that David once sat on.
And not just sitting on David's throne, but bringing the royal
line to near extinction. Surely this is yet another
sobering reminder of the gravity of being unequally yoked.
The decisions that we make with our relationships can have
potential generational effect. This is just stay with you.
And so this is yet another nudge from the Holy Spirit, I'm sure,
to remind us to be very wise and who we choose to partner with,
especially in your choice of a spouse.
It can either bring generational blessing or generational harm.
And we're seeing the negative in this case.
But there are so many other aspects that we can explore in
these verses. I want to focus on one
particularly important one. Whether Athalia knew it or not,
her war against the House of David, This is.
This is why this is so significant.
Do you realize that the royal line has now been diminished to
one single descendant of David? Everything now hangs in the
balance. Everything now is depended upon
whether or not this little boy survives.
It hasn't clicked yet. Perhaps.
Just give me a moment. Whether Athalia knew it or not,
her war against the House of David was not just a war with
flesh and blood. She was ultimately at war with
God himself. Why?
Because God made a covenant with the House of David.
You remember what he said to David in Second Samuel 716 that
your house and your Kingdom will endure before me forever.
And now you have Athalia, who is operating and energized by the
same spirit that her mother had, believing that she can thwart
that eternal promise. And this is one of the beauties
of reading the Bible from cover to cover, exploring the path
that has been preserved for us in terms of redemptive history.
What we see. Here is just another indication
that beneath the history of unjust politics, decrees of
tyrants, bloody wars, and the vendettas of powerful figures is
an ancient spiritual war that intersects with it all.
See Athalia. Yes, she has personal ambition
here, but she is fulfilling Satan's agenda.
Ever since the beginning of time, Satan was aware that there
would be a promised Savior who'd come and redeem the sons of
Adam. And he did everything that he
could, at the right opportunity, try to sabotage that promise.
And we see that indication even here.
And here's what's so shocking about this.
What we have before us at the surface seems to be like a
successful attempt on the surface.
It seems as though Satan accomplished the impossible
because the general public did not know that there was a son of
David hidden from the public eye.
And so I want you to put yourself in the shoes of a God
fearing Jew who lived. At this time, under Athalia's
reign, you know God's Word. You believe every promise that
He has ever given, including the promise that He made to David.
Just imagine what kind of threat it would be to your faith to
learn that Athalia successfully exterminated the entire royal
family. What kind of fear would visit
your heart? What kind of doubt would choke
you? What kind of questions would
race in your mind? The promise that God made to
David. Was God unable to keep that
promise? What would you?
What would you think? What would you do?
Who would you run to? That's what we have to
understand. It would be soul crushing to
most people, especially since it wasn't public knowledge that
Isaiah had one of his sons rescued and spared from this
vile woman. So here you have these Jews,
though yes, there is general apostasy.
You always have a remnant who are now trying to make sense of
living in a Kingdom that has been promised by God to be
preserved for eternity. And yet it seems to have been
extinguished. And Athalia rules and reigns for
six years. It's six years before.
This little baby is going to be revealed, so just imagine what
it felt like week after week, month after month, year after
year. And in your mind, David's
dynasty is deleted. And yet the House of Ahab seems
to be gaining more and more traction and strength.
And just to get a glimpse of what it was like to live under
Athalia's reign, look at Second Kings 11 verse 18 quickly.
Then all the people of the land went to the House of bail and
tore it down. Pause.
This is not a description of what was taking place in the
northern tribes. What do I mean?
There is a House of bail in Judah.
Then all the people, the land, went to the House of bail and
tore it down. That's the good part.
That's going to come later on. But I just want you to see that
because of a Thalia, there was this erection, there was this
resurrection of bail worship. Things are bleak.
So again, put yourself in the shoes of a God fearing Jew at
this time, witnessing all of this.
What would be required of your faith?
Here's what would be required of your faith.
Simple childlike trust in the Word of God, even though all the
evidence around you urges you to abandon that faith and to
believe otherwise. If you truly believe in the word
of the Lord, all you had to work with was the word of the Lord.
And it's no different for us. Satan is always ready to present
supposed evidence, proof through culture, politics, pseudo
scientific claims that would challenge you to doubt what God
has said or to make it seem as though God's word is unreliable.
And in those moments. With current events, with new
claims, with discoveries, with fancy ideas and philosophies,
you have to choose. Will I trust God's word and just
simply take him at what He said? That's the choice that a remnant
had to make many, many years ago, and when I was studying
this the other day, I was reminded of the warning that
Peter gave concerning scoffers in the last days.
You don't have to turn the bell. Let me quote second Peter 3-4
Peter says they will say, where is the promise of his coming?
For ever since the Father's fell asleep, all things are
continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.
So one of the signs of the last days is that you're going to
have people mock the idea of the return of Christ.
And here's the argument. Look, if you just review
history. With an honest lens.
It's just the same cycle over and over again.
We've always had wars, we've always had earthquakes, we've
always had all these things that you claim Jesus said would be
prevalent before his return. And is that really the case?
That seems very general. And you can just imagine how the
case could be made to make the believer doubt where.
Where is the definite sign that he's going to come back?
Where are the marks of his return?
That That's not to say that we have a blind faith.
That's not to say that we don't have evidence to work with.
But it does challenge us with the skepticism and the events
that unfold before us that are difficult to reconcile with how
God predicted things or told us how things would be.
And in those moments, you have to trust God's Word.
I can imagine that people, the idolaters in the Kingdom of
Judah at this time, said similar things.
Where's the promise of God to David?
All it took? Oh, you believe in this Yahweh?
All it took was one crazy lady to destroy David's dynasty.
Just. Feel it, Think about it.
What kind of pressure would that put on the chest of your faith,
so to speak? And a similar, though much
longer, waiting took place between Malachi and Matthew, did
it not, for the first arrival of the Messiah?
And now we find ourselves in another waiting period for a
second and final coming. And I'm just so encouraged to
have this testimony in our hands to provide us the fuel to cling
to the Word of God. Whether you perceive things that
support what we see here or might challenge it, He's
trustworthy. He's trustworthy.
Now, can I give another point that's not so specific?
Don't you love here that we have been granted yet another example
of a principle that can be applied across the spectrum?
For six years, it seems like not only David's dynasty was
removed, but that God wasn't working at all.
And yet he was working. He was raising up a little boy.
Yes, they're human means, but he preserved this child and this
was just another. Gust of wind in my sails That
even though I can't see what he's doing, I can trust he's
doing something and it will be revealed at the right time.
At the time that will give him maximum glory and honor.
So what do I do? Trust.
That's what you do. Believe.
Wait. Worship while you wait.
That's it. It's as simple as that.
Oh, I just love to think about it.
My sanctified imagination. All these people, you have this
little group of people that meet that are trying to figure out
how, how did these prophecies reconcile with what we're seeing
here and all the wild God is nurturing and raising up a
descendant of. David and he will be exposed at
the right time. Now, before we move on, because
we're still in the first 3 verses here, I have to
acknowledge another important detail in our introduction.
Here we have the Lord yet again showing us that He uses
ordinary. Not just ordinary, but unlikely
means, more specifically, unlikely people to do glorious
things. What do we have here?
How is this little boy delivered from the jaws of death?
Did the Lord make baby Joash invisible, that he
supernaturally teleport him into a safe haven?
No, He used the love and courage of a woman who intervened,
intercepted and risked her life to honor God and preserving one
of the sons of David. What's your name?
We're told here Jehoshiba. Jehoshiba.
She's the sister of Isaiah. That doesn't necessarily mean
that she is the daughter of Athalia.
She could have shared the same father but had a different
mother. It's not explicitly stated, but
understand that for six years she secretly managed and helped
raise this little boy. Not 6 days.
Not six weeks, not six months. Think about it, Six years.
She kept this boy a secret and concealed him from the venom of
this queen. It's incredible.
And I've made the conclusion myself.
You don't have to share this, but I've decided that Jehoshiba
is one of the greatest Saints in all the Old Testament.
I know she she's not. We don't have much of her
information. We don't much of her history,
But do you realize what role she played in preserving the
Messianic line? Let me put it this way.
Where would you and I be without Jehoshiba's efforts?
We have one descendant of David left, and we have this woman who
steps out to save this child, ultimately preserving the
messianic line, one of the greatest heroes.
And it encourages me that this obscure individual teaches us
that God is able to raise up anyone from anywhere to do
awesome things. And what does he look for then?
He looks for a woman like this, Men like this who love the glory
of God more than their own lives, That's what he looks for,
not anything else, not anything more.
And I was curious because this is only the reference that we
have concerning her there. There is a parallel account of
her, but with a different name. So I just want to know what does
her name mean? And when I discovered it, when I
learned it, it put a giant smile on this face.
You know what the name means. Jehovah has sworn.
So think about it.
I mean, the Lord makes me smile with His ways and His
sovereignty. God uses a woman whose name is
essentially God makes a promise. God keeps His promise to do
what? Demonstrate and show that He
keeps His promise. It's wonderful.
So you have this woman who does something so grand, so
spectacular, but required so much of her.
And if you're curious to know how this worked logistically,
how was she able to take this child and tuck him away in the
House of the Lord of all places? You learn as you continue your
study of God's Word that she didn't work alone.
She had a relationship with someone else who played a
crucial role in this whole endeavor.
And it's not until you go to Second Chronicles to see it.
So I invite you to Second Chronicles 22.
And look at verse 10. This is the parallel account of
the story in Second Kings 11. But let's see the added detail
that helps shed light on how she was able to do this.
Second Chronicles 22, verse 10 reads Now when Thalia, the
mother of Isaiah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and
destroyed all the royal family on the House of the House of
Judah. But Jehovah Shabbath?
That's the same woman and an alternate writing of her name.
The daughter of the king took Joash, the son of Asiah, and
stole him away from among the King's sons who were about to be
put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom.
Thus Joe Shabbath, the daughter of King Joram.
The wife of Jehoiada, the priest, because she was sister
of Asiah, hid him from a Thalia so that she did not put him to
death. You don't have that detail in
verse 11 and 2nd Kings 11. What detail?
That she was the wife of a priest and most believe he was
the high priest. So you have a duo working here,
husband and wife duo. And I present to you yet another
godly couple that you can add to the roster of Scripture,
promoting the beauty and the possibilities of what two people
who love each other but love God more than each other can do.
If they have that shared vision and goal of advancing His
purposes, and the more I study the Bible, the more that is
confirmed in my understanding that so much can be done when
you have a husband and a wife who again, love the glory of God
more than their personal interests.
Miracles can happen both old and new.
You see it I think about it. This woman, Josh Sheba, she was
a Princess. Technically, she was the
daughter of royalty, and because of her status, she was able to
have access to this baby and remove him from the palace.
But her husband, because he was a priest, he had access to what
the House of God, and he was able to spare and shield this
baby. And so we have this picture of
two people coming together who have unique accesses, unique
abilities, glorifying God together.
We need each other, we need one another to do wonderful things
for his name and to overcome the obstacles of the evil 10 This
couple encourages me. You know, while we're in Second
Chronicles, allow me to make another observation because here
you see the the human involvement and application, but
it it doesn't mean that God wasn't at work.
And I want to give you one example of how God honored the
efforts of this couple by supplying the supernatural
element to the success. So it's not in chapter 22, but
go to chapter 24, Second Chronicles, and notice this
commentary for the sons of Athalia, that wicked woman.
That's pretty straightforward, isn't it?
Had broken into the House of God and had also used all the
dedicated things of the House of the Lord for the bales.
So before I I stumble upon this verse, I thought to myself, hey,
that that's pretty intelligent. Take the child and put him in
one of the side chambers of the temple because Athalia had no
access there. She wasn't a priest.
She had she had no right. But then I remember we're
dealing with the daughter of Jezebel here.
I don't think she had any concern about the precepts of
the Lord and the ordinances of the temple.
So we we see here that she had her sons waltz into the temple
whenever they liked to remove the dedicated things, to
consecrate them unto Bale worship.
And if we can assume that this confiscation took place after
the baby was hidden in the temple, then God is obviously at
work, is he not? So you have these servants of
Athalia, scanning the house, going through the temple, and
yet baby Joash has been kept from their vision, has been
hidden from their sight. Has been overlooked.
This has got supernatural work and we've seen this pattern over
and over that when we do our part, God will do his part.
When we do what we can in the natural, God will do what he can
in the supernatural. Let's come back to 2nd Kings 11
in verse 4. But in the 7th year.
Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of
the guards and had them come to him in the House of the Lord,
and he made a covenant with them and put them underoath in the
House of the Lord, and he showed them the King's son.
We're not giving any explanation to.
Why the priest waited until the 7th year?
We're not really told who the Carites are.
That we can make a case if we trace her in references in
scripture. We can be confident that the
priest here took his time to think and plan the most
effective way to make this happen and sought the mind of
the Lord and prayed. And just imagine waiting seven
years to reveal to the public, hey, don't lose hope, God has
kept His word. He was patient and he was smart.
He knew the risk of just. Removing the veil and saying
here he is. And so he worked strategically.
He called some of the military guards, the, the leaders of the
guards rather. And he, he makes a covenant with
them and he, he asked for their oath and he receives it.
And then finally he leads him into the temple.
And he goes to one of the side chambers, and he gently opens
the door. And Can you imagine the awe of
these leaders in the military when they realized he's the
descend of the David? This is one of the the sons of
Isaiah. What did that room feel like?
Maybe this boy was just playing with some toys in there.
And you have these men looking at he he, he kept his word.
He's faithful. You know, there's a day coming
where a lot of people are going to be surprised, namely when
Christ makes himself known again.
And whether people want to admit it or not, they're going to have
to confess. He kept his word.
So what happens?
There's this moment of relief. I'm sure rejoicing, especially
for these people who suffered terribly under the reign of
Athalia. But now I want us to read verse
5 down to verse 9 in one reading, but focus on verse 10.
So let's do this just to get a complete picture.
And he commanded them. This is the thing that you shall
do 1/3 of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and
guard the King's house, another third being at the gate sewer,
and a third of the gate behind the guards shall guard the
palace. And the two divisions of you
which come on duty and force on the Sabbath, and guard.
The House of the Lord on behalf of the King, shall surround the
king, each with his weapons in his hand, and whoever approaches
the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the King when he goes
out, and when he comes in. The captains that according to
all that joy that the priest commanded and they each brought
his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath with those who
are to come on duty on the Sabbath and came to Joya, the
priest. So what do you have here?
Just an elaborate plan, very specific protocol of how they
were going to do this. And he was very smart.
He, he chose to make these movements and adding these
soldiers and surrounding the, the areas on the Sabbath because
that's when transitions would happen.
You would have the, the next set of soldiers taking the place of
those who are on duty earlier. So this would seem seamless.
It wouldn't seem suspicious. Joya is very, very intelligent
as a priest. But notice what happens in verse
10. And the priest gave to the
captains the Spears and Shields that had been King David's,
which were in the House of the Lord.
What a striking twist of fate. We're going to see at the end of
this chapter that Athalia is going to be killed.
And here you have this woman who believed that she could
annihilate the royal family, that she could exterminate every
descendant of David, and yet she is going to be killed with one
of the weapons that David had while he was alive.
Isn't that awesome? God is amazing in his
sovereignty, but there's a practical inspiration behind
this. There's a verse that I
frequently quote from the New Testament that brings comfort to
my soul and I pray brings comfort to those who are anxious
about this life, particularly about dangers that surround them
or diagnosis, anything that deals with the length of their
life, the health of their life, the vibrancy of their life.
And I want you to see it. It's an Acts 13 that deals with
David, and it's a wonderful insight about not just how God
worked in his life, but how he works in every single one of us
who serve him. Acts 1336.
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own
generation, fell asleep and was laid with his father's and saw
corruption. When did David fall asleep?
When did David die? Only after he served the
purposes of God and his generation.
Where's the comfort in that? I'm not going home until I do
the same. Neither are you.
If you're walking with the Lord, if you don't have an early
departure due to unrepentant sin, where the Lord says I love
you son, I love you daughter, but.
Because you're not honoring me. It's time to come home early.
That's possible. I'm talking about those who are
perpetually set on living this brief life for His name's sake.
You will not transition, you will not graduate until you
fulfill His purpose in your life.
That's the comfort that's comforted me on many flights
with intense, you know, shaking and turbulence.
Another scary moment to my life. Lord, I'm not going anywhere
until I And if I do, if it ends here, it means I'm done in your
perfect wisdom. But when studying Second Kings
11, particularly verse 10, there's yet another layer to
that verse in the New Testament. And it is this, that although
David served the purpose of God in his own generation, it
brought blessing to more generations.
What do I mean by that? You have these men who are
fighting for their survival, and they're utilizing the weapons
that David had when he lived and served God's purposes.
David made great investments. To the House of God, did he not?
I mean, that's all he thought about, Psalms tells us.
He lost sleep. He couldn't even imagine going
on in his life or passing off from his life until he brought
every contribution he can make. To the House of God being what
God intended it to be, and that includes the weapons that he had
in the House of God. And so here's what you have
here. You have David who made these
contributions in his life, simply honoring God in his life
and years past, generations past and what he did in his life
brought aid and brought so much help in a generation to come.
Don't underestimate your contribution, your life set
apart for the Lord, the investments that you make in the
House of the Lord today because it has the potential not just to
bless those in your life, but beyond your life.
That's what I see here, that what David did in his life would
end up actually preserving the legacy, even the spiritual
legacy of his family. I wish more people would get
this, that your walk with the Lord today can make an impact on
future walks with the Lord now that that's our goal.
But it's a wonderful byproduct and it's a wonderful thing to
motivate yourself with in times where you feel like maybe this
isn't really making the impact that I thought it would.
Like Jehoshaphat in the positive, at least with David,
I'm sure he didn't think that what he gave to the House of the
Lord would come in handy when a Bale worshipper was ready to
eradicate his descendants. There's nothing that you do for
the Lord that is in vain. There is not one ministry that
you're participating in that is wasteful.
Your holiness today can inspire others to be holy tomorrow.
So yes, he served the purpose of God in his own generation, but
it blessed another one. Believe the same for your own
life, should the Lord tarry. Let's come back to 2nd Kings 11.
In verse 11. In the guard stood every man
with his weapons in his hand, from the South side of the house
to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house
on behalf of the king. Then he brought out the King's
son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony, And
they proclaimed him king, and anointed him, and they clapped
their hands and said long. Live the king.
There's an interesting detail in those verses that I just read
that should stand out to us. I'll give you a hint.
It's an object. If you know it, say it out loud.
That's right. Not only was a crown place on
that small little head, but the testimony was placed in his
hand. What?
Can that testimony be any idea the Word of God?
So you have Jehoiada the priest seeking to recapture God's
original purposes for the kings of Israel.
Let me quote it to you, unless you want to turn there.
Meet me there in Deuteronomy 17 and notice what God's original
instructions were for the kings. Deuteronomy 1718.
Even before 1 king occupied any throne, God intended the
following. Deuteronomy 1718 and when he
sits on the throne of His Kingdom.
He shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law approved
by the Levitical priest, and it shall be with him, and he shall
read it in all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear
the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these
statutes and doing them. You know what I learned from
this? If I am reading my Bible
regularly faithfully and I'm not growing in my fear of the of the
Lord, I'm not reading my Bible right.
That's another point, another sermon for another time.
But notice this non negotiable. Any king was not just to receive
a copy the law. They were to write down their
own version by hand and I had to go through the Levitical priests
and say, all right, everything looks like it honors the
original text. This is yours, and you were to
keep it, and you were to have a daily interaction with it.
Now, though we are not told, Let's just assume
hypothetically, that Jehoiada approached the new king in this
manner. Then we can safely say that he
helped this little boy even write his own copy.
I'd like to think so, that he was there over his shoulder
while the seven-year old was putting together his own
version. Of the law.
And if that's the case, what a model it is for us concerning
our offspring and our children and the ministries to these
little ones that we have in this church, that we should not delay
giving them God's Word and letting them familiarize
themselves with God's Word and to digest God's Word and to
become familiar with the terrain of Scripture from old to new,
all that God has to offer us. Let me remind.
You that this king is not 17. He's 7, he's 7, and this very
intelligent man did not underestimate the ability of the
seven-year old to receive God's word and for it to form and
shape his thinking and develop him as a young man.
So why do we assume that those under our care can't get it?
They can, and God reveals that in many ways, including in this
instance. So the testimony is in His hand
that moves me more than this crown on his brow.
I wonder when the last time a king of Judah did this.
So this is remarkable. This is significant.
Let's come back to our main text.
Somebody is not happy about it. We are.
But there's a lady that's not in verse 13, when Athalia heard the
noise of the guard and other people, she went into the House
of the Lord to the people. And when she looked, there was
the king standing by the pillar according to the custom, and the
captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the
people of the land rejoicing. And blowing trumpets.
And Athalia tore her clothes and cried treason.
Treason. This lady's crazy.
Who's a treasonous 1 here? Her or the rightful heir of the
throne, A descendant of David? No, no, it's not treasonous for
her to murder David's house and to assume that she has the right
to sit on a throne that belonged to one person in his family.
And she's totally convinced of this, by the way.
This is just a reactionary thing.
Down deep inside, she believes that this is treason.
And it's a reminder to us of how sin can warp our thinking.
See, the fact that this boy Joash would now occupy that
throne is in complete agreement with God's will.
And here you have this woman who thought what she did was right
and God's will being performed was actually evil, such as the
ways of those who are overtaken by wickedness.
It literally rewires the way you make judgments, the way you
understand everything. And here you have a woman who is
so corrupt that she can actually justify her actions while
condemning what God desired all along.
And I say that to remind you and your interactions with those who
are living in sin. Do not be surprised at their
convictions, what they believe, what they think about what you
believe. And if anything, that should
give us more reason to rejoice at the miracle of salvation.
It is indeed a miracle. It is.
And so the Bible is never, never, never shy of showing us
the depravity of men and what it is capable of doing and
understanding and our thinking and our actions and our
interactions. So she says treason, treason.
Woe to those who call good evil and evil good.
Verse 15 And then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains
who were set over the army, bring her out between the ranks,
and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.
For the priest that let her not be put to death in the House of
the Lord, so they laid hands on her, and she went through the
horses entrance to the King's house, and there she was put to
death. And Jehoiada made a covenant
between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be
the Lord's people, and also between the king and the people.
Then all the people, the land went to the House of Bail and
tore it down his altars and his images.
They broke in pieces, and they killed Matan, the priest of
Bail, before the altars, and the priest posted Watchmen over the
House of the Lord, and he took the captains, the carrots, the
guards, and all the people of the land.
And they brought the king down from the House of the Lord,
marching through the gate of the guards to the King's.
House And he took his seat on the throne of the kings saw all
the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet after
Athalia had been put to death with the sword at the King's
house. Joash was seven years old when
he began to rain. I read that all in one shot to
hopefully give you a full picture of what happened in this
Kingdom. Simply put, revival breaks out.
A much needed national spiritual renewal was unleashed.
And here's what moves me about this.
It began with a couple. It began with a husband and wife
who are willing to lose their lives for the glory of God.
And what did it lead to Accommodate in verse 18.
Look at verse 18. Then all the people of the land
went to the House of Baal and tore it down.
All the people. But where did it start from?
A godly husband and the godly wife.
They were the catalyst for a move of God in this land.
And that brings me joy to know how God can start something, how
God can move something in a direction that we never thought
or fathom if we are but faithful with whatever opportunities he
presents us. Moreover, there's also
encouragement here about the infectious influence of a
minister. Now, that might sound awkward
coming from the pulpit, but I'm not making any other claim other
than an objective observation from this Bible study.
Yes, Jehoiad, that was not a famous person per SE, but he did
have a platform. He did have spiritual authority,
and he leveraged that. He used it at a time where there
was a great need for a reversal in his culture.
God honored this man's efforts as a leader to speak out to
work. To see things happen, and it
did. And this isn't just reserved for
pastors. I mean, I would use this point
if I was speaking to a room of pastors to remain faithful and
to believe that God can actually change the course of a nation if
you but just be faithful to what he's told you.
If you're willing to stand your ground and speak out against the
atrocities and the compromise around you, God can use you,
yes, you, to inspire millions. That's not promised, but it's
possible. But it's not just limited that
it's for any of us who have any kind of platform, any kind of
influence do not. Hesitate to speak out in honor
of Jesus Christ. Do not hold back.
Do not be intimidated. What would this story be if
Jehoiada made the choice, you know?
Well, I know Thalia is on a rampage here, but I'm a priest.
I mean, I'm just in charge of the temple.
I don't want to step outside of my lane.
So let her do what she has. I'm just going to trust in God's
sovereignty. We wouldn't have the story if he
caved on a cowardice. We wouldn't.
One decision from one man who was willing to risk everything
because he saw that it was worth it.
He could not fathom both him and his wife that the Divinic
dynasty. Which ultimately pointed to
God's faithfulness would be tainted and so he made a stance.
Make a stance. When the opportunity arises,
make a stance. You have no idea how that can
inspire others unto righteousness in your workplace
and your family. Online.
Though I am not a fan of the platforms that have made made
available to anybody as much as the world that we're living in
is a great cost for the gospel that there's also negative side.
Anybody can say anything that they want and usually it's the
junkie stuff that gets popular. That being said, joy that also
has something to teach us about the wisdom of standing for the
truth in an age of moral decay. Because he didn't just.
Run out of the temple and raise his first.
Against Athalia and show everybody that the baby was
still preserved. He didn't do that.
He was calculated. He was, I'm sure, prayerful.
He knew how to wait on the Lord. Because there are people with
good intentions that want to make a case, that want to see
God's glory shine in a time of darkness.
But because of their immaturity, or probably the wrong place, the
wrong time, the wrong word, they do more damage than good.
And So what this man shows us is that you and I need to depend on
the Holy Spirit and ask when it is the right time to say
something, and when is the best thing and the best time to
remain silent. Let me make this final comment,
verse 20. So all the people of the land
rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athalia had been put to
death with the sword at the King's house.
Earlier I made reference to how this is just a brief episode of
a bigger picture, Satan trying to thwart the purposes of God,
and that picture still continues.
Here you have God prevailing, and the last time I make the
case, the last time that the king of Judah knew true
quietness and peace, must have been in days of Solomon when he
was ruling in His righteousness. But it points to a time of
quietness that will be realized when the true Son of David
comes, where Satan's total Kingdom, his complete rule, will
be ransacked, will be destroyed, and Jesus Christ will sit upon
that throne as a declaration for the ages that He has kept His
word. And you and I will know.
Not temporary quietness because unfortunately, Joash, he's not
going to last. I know that might be striking,
but that's the case. You've been studying kings with
us for many months now. The whole point of kings really
is, yes, we're getting practical lessons, but to be reminded that
there's no king like King Jesus. This is a temporary quietness.
But because we serve King Jesus, there is a permanent peace that
will be our inheritance, and we will enjoy it with him forever
and ever. Let's worship
him, though. We thank you.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts that every word in
this book is authored by you. Every story, every account,
every narrative, every maxim, every proverb, every epistle,
every prophecy, it's all from you.
And Lord, if it has not made an impact on our hearts, on our
worship this past hour, whatever may stand as an obstacle, we
pray that you remove it. And even in these final, final
moments of this study, rush our souls with the revelation of
your brilliance, your beauty, your power, your might.
Lord, we, we have not come just to meet with words.
We've come to meet with you and we pray that we would all leave
this place with a greater perception of your person, a
greater sense of your nearness. Thank you for building our faith
that we can draw life altering truths from any part of this
word. You've been faithful to show us
that week after week after week. And Lord, we as your church
afresh crown you as our King with joy.
We say you are All in all. There is none like you.
We will not turn back. By your grace, we want to serve
you. So Lord, give us the wisdom to
know when to speak out and when to stay silent.
Give us the motivation when we feel as though what we're doing
now may not have lasting impact. In your wisdom, if you want us
to see the impact, you will show us, but you may never, and we
should trust that our efforts are never in vain.
Lord, we give you glory tonight and we just ask that in these
final moments you would you would minister to our hearts in
Jesus name, Amen. You join me as we stand and
worship the living King. What a mighty God we serve
tonight. Only a Christian can sing about
his God being sovereign, the supreme ruler of all things, and
in the same song say that he is my sweetest friend.
Only a Christian. There is no God like our God,
and in a Bible study like this, it's possible for there to be a
curious Inquirer. But somebody who has not made
Jesus King, I wonder if you know him.
And if you don't, my question to you is, why not?
This king stooped down and came into this world.
He took on flesh. He lived the perfect life.
There is no sin. There is not even a thought that
dishonored the will of God and he lived this perfect life.
Not so that he can impress historians or have people follow
his example. Merely He lived the perfect life
and then died to death. He didn't deserve so that your
imperfect life and you who deserve to die because of your
sin can receive his righteousness and you can expel
by faith the condemnation that looms over your head.
Let me let me speak as plainly as possible.
Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins even when you
didn't ask for, even when you were an enemy, He still pursued
you in that way. And he makes this move in order
to show you his great love for you and that now there has been
a way made for you to be redeemed for eternity.
And I want to end this way in case.
That somebody who walked in here and might have been
intellectually stimulated, but would walk out without a chance
of knowing how they can come to the knowledge of the Savior.
So let me end it in this way. You must repent and believe what
Christ has done for you. That is what He asks of you.
So you must realize what your sin has done to place the
sinless Son of God on a cross, but you must also realize that
His great love, he is willing to receive you if you turn from
that sin and embrace the gift of God in Christ Jesus.
So have you done that? If you've never consciously made
the choice to say, I hate my sin, I see what my sin has done.
I see the great treason that it is, and now I renounce it and I
realize that I have someone who paid for my sin and paid for my
debt. Yes, only in Jesus.
If you haven't done that, why not make that decision today?
Why not make the conscious choice tonight and you can mark
it on your calendar that this was the moment that I was
transferred from the domain of darkness and was brought to the
Kingdom of His beloved Son. You can know Jesus Christ, not
just hear Bible studies about Him, not just hear your
Christian relatives or friends discuss it to you, but you
yourself can have your heart filled with the knowledge of God
as His Holy Spirit invades your heart.
Once you recognize that you confess your sin, He will
justify you. You will be deemed the child of
God, and you will. Walk this life with the shepherd
of your soul. You have to make that choice,
and I pray that you would. Lord, we ask that every person
in this place tonight would be someone who walks with you.
Every person, Lord, if there's even one person who doesn't know
you, may you in your goodness convict them.
Do what no preacher can do, no matter what kind of eloquence or
insight they might have. Only you can convict the human
heart. And we pray that that would be
the portion of the one who doesn't know you tonight, and
that you would receive maximum glory in their repentance.
Lord, for us who know you, help us fall deeper in love with you.
Rescue us from dangerous familiarity.
Bring us to the place of fresh infatuation with who you are,
and we pray that you use these Friday nights and the Sunday
afternoons and everything in between, Lord, to continue to
stir our affections for Jesus Christ.
Lord, we commit this night to you, thanking you for allowing
us to meet in this way. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and
Amen and Amen.