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2 Chronicles Chapter 23 (ESV)
3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son! Let him reign, as the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, …
11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, “Long live the king.”…
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king’s house, and they put her to death there.
16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. 19 He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean. 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they set the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.
REFLECTION:
- Seven years after Queen Athaliah usurped the throne, Jehoiada the priest took the courageous action to remove this idol-worshipping ruler. According to God’s law, it was the duty of every priest to admonish the king (or the queen); unfortunately many priests were afraid of shouldering this mission but only a few priests had the courage to do so. Jehoiada risked his life in doing the right thing – restored temple worship and anointed a new king. Reflect in bad situations that require correction by your straight talk. Do you have the courage of Jehoiada to do the right thing and not back down?
- After Athaliah usurped the throne, she killed all the possible heirs to the throne and thought everything was set. However, she missed something even after all the arrangements. Once the truth was revealed, she was overthrown and killed. Reflect no matter how great your power and treasure are, they are unreliable and could suddenly disappear even though you try your best to maintain them. How will you live according to God’s truth so that your life will be built on reliable rock?
PRAYER:
Ask God to give you wisdom to see through worldly fame and power as vain and unreliable. Ask God to give you the courage of Jehoiada to uphold the truth, bear responsibilities, and glorify God’s name in times of need.
HYMN:
“Voice of Truth” – www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kZ1dizcm30
