#501 Seven Years Old

And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

4 And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king's son.

5 And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

6 And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

7 And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the king.

8 And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

9 And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord.

11 And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.

12 And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord.

14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

15 But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.

16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain.

17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people.

18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

19 And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

20 And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house.

21 Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign. 2 Kings 11 KJV

Athaliah was in Judah, but she was a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. So hungry was she for power and revenge, that she killed all those in her extended family, almost. There was one who was hidden, like Moses in his little ark, like Christ in Egypt for a time. This line is a prize to Baal's kingdom, to the proud and obstinate. Is anyone really so insane? Come out of the woods, take a look around the world of men, turn on the news and study politics for a few minutes. Did Hitler come on to the scene shouting murder at the first? What about Stalin or every other cult leader? Did they not talk about peace and prosperity, about brotherhood and love? Did they all not give their parties a common enemy, deciding they were themselves the good? Athaliah does not waste a moment to avenge her own pride, another kingdom, not Judah, not the line of David, but she is a child of her father and God is not her father. For six years there is one rightful king underneath her nose, hidden by Ahaziah's sister, raised up by the priest. In his seventh year, oh the people must mourn, for what does this mean to all of scripture past, has God finally been brought down, beaten in His Prophecy or did someone misspeak? Six years of this woman, and the lamp has gone out, but in his seventh year, look. No, could it be, a candle hid under a bushel? There was hope all this time, but we were unaware. He was right here all along, and just a child, but still a light. 

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16 KJV

The secret is now out and hope is brought back to life for those to whom the priest makes it known. They will pledge themselves to the glory of God's providence, standing against the present rulers of the darkness. Athaliah will come in screaming unfair, it was my turn, "treason", "treason". It is treason to the present rule, but she is not the choice of God, regardless of her brutality. She is the measure of treason herself, to her own family, to God's sovereignty, to sanity, to the humility of a common good. What man or woman is fit to rule when they would design to do so by such ill means? Peace is not the promise to your people, it is your job. Blind adoration is for fools to give, not for good citizens to bestow at the point of the sword. She rents her clothes at her own dishonor, for she cares nothing about the offense she is to God. Those that hold on to the world so tightly end up strangling it in their grasp. When you hold on to what God is saying is not yours, then no matter how long it is, that will be it against an eternity of want. The whole world, is that all you can offer me? Then keep it, for heaven and earth shall pass away, but look here, "God has given", His word still stands. There is nothing to go back to with her, she has failed as a ruler, and she has introduced such abominations that should have never gone up in such a land. Tear down the house of Baal and kill his priest. A little child leads them, and all is quiet for a time. A lovely woman, but just a glimpse of things to come, that spirit of Jezebel is never quiet for long.

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.

6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. Revelation 17: 3-6