Year 3, Day 322: 2 Chronicles 23

Political Coup

Jehoida, the priest whose family protected Joash from Athalia’s wrath, gets to make a move in the seventh year of Athalia’s reign.  Jehoida calls the military leaders to his side.  He gets the priests and the Levites to buy into the plan.  Before the coup is over Jehoida has the military and the religious leaders ready to protect the young king.  Jehoida makes sure that those who are coming off duty and those who are going on duty know their role.  The priests will be allowed to enter the temple.  The Levites protect the public spaces.  The military leaders make sure that the military doesn’t get involved and turn this into a military verses religion war.

When everyone was in position, Jehoida brought out the young king.  He presented spears and shields to the gathered assembly.  He made sure that when Joash is presented that he would be protected from Athalia’s wrath.  She had to have known that Joash was never killed.  Her wrath would be devastating when the plot against her should be revealed.

When Joash is presented, we can see Jehoida in proper motion.  Joash is brought before the people.  He is made to be king.  He is given the Law.  The people proclaimed him to be king and they anointed him.  We see Jehoida reaching back almost into the tradition of Samuel as he goes through the motions.  The young boy is brought out.  The people proclaim him king.  He is anointed.  It is as though Jehoida knows that God has asked him to reset the kingly line back to David.

Athalia’s Death

When the regent-queen Athalia hears the commotion, she cannot help but come to the temple where the commotion met.  As she sees what is happening before her, she also cannot help but cry out against the move.  She knows that Jehoida has just held a coronation.  She knows that Jehoida is attempting to wrest power away from her.  She cries out “Treason!”  She tries to rally the people around her.

However, Jehoida does not lose his cool.  Jehoida brings out the military captains just to make sure that Athalia knows that the military will not support her.  Jehoida also has the presence of mind to realize where he is.  He orders the military commanders to arrest Athalia and remove her from the temple area.  The temple space was dedicated for the worship of God, not deciding the political schemes of mankind.  The temple was not the proper place to resolve the coup and kill Athalia.  Jehoida orders Athalia to be removed from the temple and brought to the palace and executed there.  That is precisely what happens.  Athalia is executed at the gate to the palace and finally her rule of wrath is put to an end.

Now the ways of Ahab have been completely dealt with.  Joash will take over the rule of the kingdom and there is once more a hope that the king will rule in accordance with the ways of the God.

The First of Reform

Jehoida makes a covenant with the people.  Part of the covenant was that the people would again be the Lord’s possession.  Joash has been raised in Jehoida’s house and learned the ways of the Lord from him.  Jehoida wastes no time putting the land of Judah in a place of being right with the Lord.

The people respond.  They get the idea.  The first thing they do is to go and rip down the temple to Ba’al that had been erected in Jerusalem. 

This is a really interesting point.  There was a temple of Ba’al in Jerusalem.  It was supposed to be a place for the worship of God.  But somewhere a temple to Ba’al had been erected.  We can’t know if it was Athalia who built the temple or if it was Ahaziah or Jehoram.  None of those three would bring much surprise as all of them were connected to the ways of Ahab.  However, it is fair to say that Athalia’s wrathful rule over the people must have certainly spurned the people to tear down the temple.  The people certainly desired to overthrow Athalia in a coup; there isn’t any reason to think that they wouldn’t want to get rid of not only her but the religion that she sponsored.

With the temple to Ba’al removed, the religious emphasis could once more be upon God.  Jehoida reinstates the priestly and Levitical duties back to what David had intended.  Jehoida brings forth Joash as king and makes sure the people know that Joash is the rightful heir to the throne.  Judah then knows peace for a while.

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