2 KINGS 11
Read 2 Kings 11:1-21
Sometimes it seems that God’s kingdom here on earth is hanging by a thread. We might feel that way these days with his people in a minority in this world which is dominated by the secular culture of the 21st Century which has no place for God and no time for God. Way back in 2 Samuel 7 God made a promise to David that there would always be a descendant of David on the throne. In this chapter we see that promise under threat.
Up to now we have seen descendants of David rule over the southern kingdom of Judah. Some did what was good in the eyes of the Lord, some did not. After all the political manoeuvrings and assassinations of the last couple of chapters the most powerful political figure was Athaliah, daughter of the evil Ahab of the northern kingdom Israel, and who had married into the royal family of the southern kingdom (these dynastic intrigues do get very complicated – worthy of a TV soap opera!). She wanted power for herself and tried to do away with the entire royal family (v1) so that she could rule. Did this mean the end of David’s line? Was God’s promise going to fall?
Of course not! God keeps his promises and he raised up servants to protect the legitimate heir, a child by the name of Joash. His aunt Jehosheba and the priest Jehoiada managed to smuggle the infant Joash from under the nose of the murderous Athaliah and got him to a place of safety in the temple. Jehosheba is not a household name, but she preserved the Davidic line that led in time to our saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so often the unheralded people who serve the Lord in the greatest ways.
In due course the priest brought out Joash (only seven years old at the time) and had him crowned king in place of the usurping queen Athaliah to much cheering from the crowds (v12). When the queen came out to see what all the noise was about she and her followers were put to death and the legitimate rule of God’s people was re-established.
We can see from this episode that God’s will and God’s promises will not be overthrown by the schemes of evil people and their personal ambition. It sometimes looks like God’s will is being thwarted but we have his promise, again and again in the Bible, Old Testament and New, that he will prevail. It may seem that the kingdom of this earth has supplanted God’s kingdom, but, as in our passage today, God’s kingdom continues in the background and will break through. God’s people may be in the minority, they may be oppressed, but they will survive and the time will come when those that know him “will see his face . . . they will not need the light of a lamp for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever”. (Revelation 22:4-5).