The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Kings 11:14c,
"Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, 'Treason! Treason!'"
When King Ahaziah of Judah died of his wounds in Megiddo, his mother, Athaliah, killed the entire royal family (excepting one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, who was hidden from Athaliah by Ahaziah's sister, Jehosheba). Athaliah seized the throne for herself and ruled for six years.
Joash was hidden with his nurse at the temple in Jerusalem, and in the seventh year, when Joash was seven years old, the priest Jehoiada arranged to bring Joash out, protected by the temple guard and crowned him king. Hearing the commotion of Joash being anointed as king with the people shouting and clapping, Athaliah came to the temple and uttered the above words.
It is a fascinating account and I'll let you look it up to see how it all turns out.
One thing that is clear from Athaliah's cries of "Treason! Treason!", is that she genuinely felt the kingdom of Judah belonged to her. She had established herself on the throne in Judah for six years and now the priest had anointed another. Certainly from her perspective, the move by Jehoiada to anoint another to ascend the throne was clearly an act of treason.
What was missed by Athaliah was that she did not have any legitimate right to the throne. She had seized it for herself and now sat on the throne over God's covenant people: the throne rightfully belonged to whomever the Lord desired to place upon it.
The account brings to mind that often there are those things that some people lay claim to, as if they held a legitimate ownership to them, a legitimate right to them. Often this takes place over things in life that rightfully belong to the Lord. God's covenanted people are his people. He and he alone has always held the authority and legitimacy to place on the throne of Israel whom he decides, for better (or for worse!) for his people.
Just because something has been seized, and held for a time, it never establishes a rightful claim to whatever it may be.
Athaliah found out the hard way that the throne she held claim to really belonged to another. I suspect there are many things in life that are like that - awaiting the time when all wrongs will be righted when the Lord returns - and possibly even before that.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, 'Treason! Treason!'"
When King Ahaziah of Judah died of his wounds in Megiddo, his mother, Athaliah, killed the entire royal family (excepting one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, who was hidden from Athaliah by Ahaziah's sister, Jehosheba). Athaliah seized the throne for herself and ruled for six years.
Joash was hidden with his nurse at the temple in Jerusalem, and in the seventh year, when Joash was seven years old, the priest Jehoiada arranged to bring Joash out, protected by the temple guard and crowned him king. Hearing the commotion of Joash being anointed as king with the people shouting and clapping, Athaliah came to the temple and uttered the above words.
It is a fascinating account and I'll let you look it up to see how it all turns out.
One thing that is clear from Athaliah's cries of "Treason! Treason!", is that she genuinely felt the kingdom of Judah belonged to her. She had established herself on the throne in Judah for six years and now the priest had anointed another. Certainly from her perspective, the move by Jehoiada to anoint another to ascend the throne was clearly an act of treason.
What was missed by Athaliah was that she did not have any legitimate right to the throne. She had seized it for herself and now sat on the throne over God's covenant people: the throne rightfully belonged to whomever the Lord desired to place upon it.
The account brings to mind that often there are those things that some people lay claim to, as if they held a legitimate ownership to them, a legitimate right to them. Often this takes place over things in life that rightfully belong to the Lord. God's covenanted people are his people. He and he alone has always held the authority and legitimacy to place on the throne of Israel whom he decides, for better (or for worse!) for his people.
Just because something has been seized, and held for a time, it never establishes a rightful claim to whatever it may be.
Athaliah found out the hard way that the throne she held claim to really belonged to another. I suspect there are many things in life that are like that - awaiting the time when all wrongs will be righted when the Lord returns - and possibly even before that.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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