Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and wife of King Jehoram of Judah, heard that her son Ahaziah was dead. He died visiting his uncle in Israel (Jehu was performing the Word of God and eliminating the House of Ahab). Forty-two of his brothers also went to visit and were killed in the purge. Athaliah heard all this and she took action. She eliminated the rest of Jehoram’s offspring, and Ahaziah’s offspring. Basically, she killed the rest of her kids and her grand kids in order to seize the throne and reign as a full Queen, not just have a position as Queen Mother. She learned her wickedness from her mother, Jezebel. She didn’t necessarily bother with the girls, though, since they couldn’t inherit the throne as long as she was alive. She might have, though. It isn’t clear.

We DO know that she either didn’t kill or missed in the initial purge Jehosheba. This girl was a daughter of King Jehoram and sister to Ahaziah. While the Queen was busy killing her sons and grandsons (and any other children through concubines Jehoram had), Jehosheba stole a young son of Jehoram named Joash. So young he was still nursing – in fact, he was less than a year old. She took him and his nurse and hid them in the temple. Athaliah was not a godly woman, so it was doubtful this dedicated idol worshipper would darken the Temple’s doorway, much less discover the boy there. Jehosheba and Joash stayed in the temple while Athaliah reigned over the land for six years.

According to 2 Chronicles 22:11, Jehosheba was married to a man named Jehoida. He was chief priest of the Temple. Six years was enough for him. In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, he gathered the captains of the bodyguards and escorts of the land and brought them into the Temple. He put them under an oath of secrecy and then showed them Joash, the rightful heir. He asked them to help him in putting Joash in his proper place. They chose to do it on a Sabbath. The people of the land would already be gathering there, so there would be no suspicions. He put a third of them keeping watch over the Temple. A third of them at the gate, and a third behind the gate with the escorts (bodyguard) of the rightful king. The king would be surrounded at all times with weapons in hand and if ANYONE got near, kill them. They were to protect the king at all costs. This was a military coup and a shift from idol worship to proper worship all in one. Athaliah was an illegitimate queen and they were going to depose her and her pagan worship.

On the Sabbath they gathered together, just as they had planned. Jehoida gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that were kept in the temple (2 Samuel 8:7). The bodyguard assembled and gathered around the young king. Jehoida put the crown on the boy and anointed him. Everyone clapped and shouted ‘Long live the king!’. Athaliah heard the noise and she came to the temple. She forced her way until she could see. There was the a boy wearing the crown and all the people rejoicing that he was king. She tore her clothes and started screaming of treachery. Jehoida commanded the officers to seize her, to take her outside the Temple, and to kill her AND whoever was supporting her. That’s what they did. Her reign came to an end.

Jehoida also made a covenant with the people that day, that they should return to proper worship of Yahweh. That He should be their God, they should be His people, Joash should be their king, and they should be his subjects. Naturally, at seven Joash would need someone to rule in his stead, and that would be Jehoida. Everyone agreed. They went and tore down the temple of idols. They broke up all its pillars and images and put the chief priest there to death. Then officers of the land were appointed, and everyone escorted Joash into the palace where he sat on the throne. At seven years old, Joash started ruling as king over Judah. He reigned a total of forty years in Jerusalem. His mother had been Zibiah of Beersheba. He was raised by Jehoida and instructed in the proper worship of Yahweh, but he did not take away the high places. People still burnt incense there and sacrificed on the hills, which they should NOT have done (Deuteronomy 12:10-14).

As time went on, Joash began to rule directly more and more. He was very connected to Temple life, and he had a few questions. He wanted to know why the money that came into the Temple (the census money or assessment money – Exodus 30:12-13) was not being used to repair the Temple. It had been neglected in the years of idol worship and was not at its best. No one had any answers that are recorded, but by the time he was thirty years old (having reigned twenty-three years) nothing had been done about the Temple (this was the same year that Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, became king over Israel). Joash called the priests together and told them he didn’t understand why it hadn’t been done. He asked them to stop receiving the money personally, but dedicate all of it to building the temple. They agreed.

Jehoida took a chest, made a hole in the top, and that was where the money would be put when people gave it. Whenever it got full, it was opened and counted. The money was put into bags and put directly in the hands of the men doing the work of repairing the Temple. It went to the craftsmen and for the stone and supplies they needed. None of it went to fashioning articles of gold or silver for service to the Temple. All of it went to repair costs. The workers were faithful with this money. No one cheated on either side, no one embezzled. Everything went to where it should and everything was above board. Good lesson for all of us.

“Then his servants arose and conspired and killed Joash in the house of the Millo as he was going down toward Silla.” (2 Kings 12:20)

The king of Syria (Hazael) was still romping around causing trouble. He fought against Gath, and then suddenly came and headed toward Jerusalem. Joash bought him off with all the dedicated things and gold things in the Temple, and Hazael went back to Syria. Why would Joash do this? Well, in 2 Chronicles 24 it gives all the reasons. Joash had turned away from following the Lord in everything at this point, and did an ungodly thing. He was judged with this attack from Hazael. He had not done a good thing here and a conspiracy of his servants arose. They murdered him for what he did. He was buried in the City of David and his son Amaziah took the throne.

Back in Israel, Jehu had died. His son Jehoahaz took the throne and reigned seventeen years. He, like his father, worshipped the golden calves. It was evil from God’s point of view (1 Kings 12:26-29). The nation followed him in this idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5). They were living under the Old Covenant of judgment and Hazael, king of Syria, continued to harass Israel. Hazael’s son Ben-Hadad continued the harassment when he became king.

Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and for the sake of His children, He showed mercy to Israel. He lifted the oppression of Syria from them, but they would not give up the golden calves. All Israel could muster as an army was fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand men – which is pitiful when you look at what they USED to be able to muster. This shows the status of their relationship with God. They are not INCREASING as they should (Psalm 23). They are DECREASING. They had turned from God and were reaping the harvest of that decision. Jehoahaz died and was buried with his fathers. His son Jehoash became king in the thirty-seventh year of Joash, king of Judah. Jehoash reigned for sixteen years. He also worshipped the golden calves. He was not a godly king. When he died, his son Jeroboam took the throne.

Before Jehoash died, we went to visit Elisha, who was very sick. It’s interesting that Elisha knew God closely, but did not know Him as Healer. We all experience God dimensionally and walk in the ways we know Him. It shows us that there are always other aspects of God to learn, even as we walk in our calling. At this time, Elisha was probably about eighty years old, having ministered for sixty-five years. Elisha had him take a bow and an arrow and shoot it out the window, which he did. It was a prophetic arrow, an arrow of deliverance, and Jehoash had to strike at Syria at Aphek and destroy them.

Next, Elisha told him to take an arrow and stab at the ground. Jehoash wasn’t a godly man. His heart wasn’t in this. He half-heartedly stabbed the ground three times. Elisha was disappointed. If the king had been forceful and stabbed five or six times, it would have been a success. Because the king didn’t believe the prophetic arrow, he’d only stabbed poorly three times. Three times Israel would win against Syria, but would not fully shake them off. Jehoash hadn’t believed and had not cooperated – two things you have to do to walk in the fullness of what God says to you, and you have to do them aggressively (Matthew 11:12).

Elisha passed away and they buried him. In the spring of a year after this time (it doesn’t say how long, but the body had completely decomposed), there were raiding parties from Moab hitting the land. Some people were going to bury a man when suddenly one of the raiding parties came into the area. The people panicked and threw the body of their friend into the nearest tomb. The body touched Elisha’s bones and the man immediately rose from the dead and sat up. That is SOME anointing that Elisha carried!

Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel the entire time that Jehoahaz was king of Israel. But God was merciful and didn’t let Syria completely destroy them. During the reign of Jehoash, they got back the cities that had been taken by Hazael. At that time Hazael’s son Ben-Hadad was ruling as king of Syria. Three times Jehoash fought Ben-Hadad and all three times they won back some cities. But they did not completely destroy Syria at any time.

Summary

Key Players: God, Athaliah, Jehoida, Joash, Jehoash, Hazael

Key Themes: Prophetic Fulfillment, Judgment, Mercy, Idolatry, Repentance

Key Verse(s): 2 Kings 11:1-3, 13-16; 12:1-3, 9-12, 20-21; 13:3-7, 18-21, 22-25