Tuesday, October 14th, 2025
When I was younger, reading the Old Testament was not necessarily enjoyable. Once I got past the stories of Saul and David, the number of names that I couldn’t pronounce or remember grew longer and longer. I could see some of them did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and some did what was evil, but I essentially glossed over the rest. As I have matured in my walk with the Lord and grown to value my time in the Word, it is amazing how many nuggets of gold are hidden in the Old Testament. 2 Chronicles 23 contains a few of them.
In this chapter, Judah is currently being ruled by Athaliah (the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel). Let’s just say she was one of those rulers that did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Upon the death of her son Ahaziah, she killed all the royal heirs except for Joash who was hidden away in the house of God for six years. Verse 1 of 2 Chronicles 23 says that in the seventh year, the high priest Jehoiada built up his courage and led the Israelites in anointing Joash the rightful king. The way he did it really stirs up my spirit.
Verse 3 of that same chapter says that all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. They knew Joash was the rightful king and they were not going to be censored, silenced or deterred from their mission. The priests and Levites were stationed inside and around the Temple. Some people were stationed in the courts, and some were stationed around the royal palace. They knew that sometimes doing the right thing isn’t the popular opinion and isn’t necessarily resistance-free.
Verse 9 says that Jehoiada gave to the captains spears and large and small shields which had belonged to King David. This isn’t just an, “Oh, here are some items laying around we can use.” This was their heritage. This was akin to the prayers of prior generations that had finally filled up the bowl, and it was at its tipping point. They were agreeing with the power and anointing of their ancestors that had stood firmly for truth and righteousness. These were more than just shields and spears, these carried the presence and authority of the God that they were willing to battle for.
Final Thoughts…
I love the imagery that this story produces. I can just picture this remnant in Israel that knew who their king was supposed to be and they boldly prepared themselves to stand for the cause. They were not going to bow to the wicked woman that was attempting to control the land. They knew that this wasn’t just going to take signing a piece of paper or casting a vote. They picked up their weapons and stood their ground until the rightful king was set in place. Oh, and as you can read at the end of that chapter, Athaliah was soon killed, Jehoiada made a covenant between the people and the king that they would be the Lord’s, and they tore down the temple of Baal and killed its priest. They didn’t just wait to see what happened. They used their authority and inheritance to secure the promises of God.