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2 Kings 11:3 And [Joash] remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the LORD, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Athaliah, who had been brought up under the strong influence of her wicked parents, Ahab and Jezebel, would not have been a candidate for ‘Mother of the Year’ in 844BC!  When her 23 year old son, Ahaziah, King of Judah, was killed, she saw the opportunity for personal power and grasped it, regardless of the cost.  She had all other claimants to the throne, including her own many grandchildren, slaughtered, making herself the sole ruler.  Unknown to her, however, God in his providence had saved one grandson, the infant Joash – kept alive by the intervention of the baby’s Aunt Jehosheba, who it seems, by God’s grace, had somehow escaped the influence of the Ahab-Jezebel gene-bank!.

Joash’s existence would eventually be declared and he would come to the throne at the age of 7,  first under the guidance of his uncle, the godly priest Jehoiada, and then in his own right for a total of 40 years.  At least during the time Jehoiada was looking over his shoulder, he achieved many significant reforms, ridding the nation of its entrenched Baal worship and reconstituting the covenant relationship between the LORD, his King, and his people.

There are two important lessons here for us.  Firstly, God is sovereign in all human affairs, and he was able to keep all his promises regarding David’s line regardless of the wickedness and cunning of unscrupulous schemers.

Secondly, God is patient, and often lets sin run its course before he intervenes.  The amount of damage done by Athaliah during her six year rule can only be imagined, but God’s timing was not yet.  Moreover, it would be another eight and a half centuries before the true promised descendant of David would be born, the One who would ultimately rule over God’s people and his world for ever.

There are many things to discourage us today in terms of Jesus’ not yet being universally acknowledged as the King of kings and Lord of lords that he really is.  As we wait for this to happen, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being severely persecuted because of their allegiance to him, and the enemies of Christ seem to have the upper hand in many places throughout our world today.  But we are called on to persevere, to trust and obey, as we pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’, and wait for the Day when ‘before him every knee will bow’ and when “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run, his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more”, and “To him shall endless prayer be made, and praises throng to crown his head.  His name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice”, when “People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song, and infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on his name.” (Isaac Watts.)

– Bruce Christian