But in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada[a] 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, 5 and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”
8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 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.”
Athaliah Executed
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,[b] and she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king's house, and they put her to death there.
Jehoiada's Reforms
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. 2 Chronicles 23 ESV
There are those times, instances in life, where standing up or speaking contrary to the crowd and present rule requires that one take courage. It is not a readily available thing here for Jehoida; it was and always is easier to remain quiet, continue on in your place. You are still a priest, you still have a job, but your wife is probably nagging you, "when are you going to say something?" Athaliah is the purest concentration of Ahab and Jezebel, and though God did not let her completely wipe out the line of David, she does hold the power now. You will have to tell others about the truth that has been hidden in the temple, and in doing this you will expose yourself. What if those you tell decide that they should rather keep their jobs and their positions or be rewarded for turning you in? He tells the captains, and they decide to support the line of David, as it is written by the prophet Samuel, "Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me."
Before Moses could lead the people out of Egypt he had to be hidden in a basket. A young girl, his sister, had to reveal herself to Pharaoh's daughter, to offer a plan that would return him to be nourished and taught by his mother. He had to stand before another Pharaoh, a man who looked down on him, who thought he knew more and was worth more. Jesus would be hidden from Herod, taken to Egypt, for "out of Egypt have I called My Son." The corrupt of this world, which is everyone, if left untouched, desire nothing more than that of the father of lies, to destroy this seed. We are scared silent, all the while He is saying, "if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." Now Jehoiada breaks the silence and starts a conspiracy, a coup d'état. They take the shields and spears of David, and the Levites surround the king to protect him, he is given the testimony (word of God) that instructs him and tells him how to judge righteously. We should so pray for those who have rule over us, for if they do not hold up God's law, then they only hold up the day, their own whims, society's ideals that have gained popularity at the time. They are reeds blowing about in the wind, ever changing and by preferring some they cannot be just to all. Long live the king, but when his grandmother hears it she does not rejoice. She rents her clothes, for she has ridden atop this kingdom for more than 6 years. This time belonged to her, so she is not happy to find her own grandson still alive, "traitors, traitors" she cries. Traitors, like someone who would kill her own grand children, like a woman who would sell out the family of her husband, who would defy the God that made this nation, direct the people to worship an idol, that kind of traitor? She held the power of influence over both her husband and her son, but now she was supreme, and in her mind entitled, more royal than all those around her. The violence that awakens in those whose sovereignty is challenged. Its my body, its my kingdom, I won it fair and square, the end justifies the means, it was time for a woman to rule, but the people are cheering for her grandson. It must have been a horrible 6 years, but now it's over and they repay her for her murders. The people also go of their own accord and rid themselves of the house of Baal, the abomination that she has brought unto them, that she has soiled them with. Thank you Lord for not forgetting Your people, for providing and maintaining the Way. Praise be to the God of David.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Flight to Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Kills the Children
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The Return to Nazareth
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2
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