[Joash] remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
2 Kings 11:3 (NIV)

Last night, Wendy and I began watching the new season of Slow Horses on AppleTV. The British show centers on an outcast group of MI5 misfits led by the brilliant Gary Oldman. The genre of espionage and political thrillers has always been a favorite of mine. I love the intrigue behind the never-ending human game of thrones.

It’s also another reason I’ve always been a lover of history, because great stories are rooted in source material from real life. Today’s chapter is one of them – an obscure moment in the Great Story that few people know. But it’s a story worthy of its own retelling on the big screen.

The narrative of Kings has largely focused on the northern Kingdom of Israel, but camera shifts in today’s chapter back south to Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. God had made an oath to David that his would be an eternal royal line. Therefore, Judah had always been committed to the royal line of David, with a descendant of David ever on the throne. Suddenly, that reality is threatened.

A few chapters ago, the narrator informed us that evil King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel had successfully married off several of their daughters to the sons of the King of Judah. Ahab’s daughters took Baal worship to Judah and succeeded in corrupting the kingdom. Now, one of those daughters, Athaliah, attempts to slaughter all of David’s descendants (just as Jehu had slaughtered her own family in yesterday’s chapter). She claims the throne. The only woman to sit on Judah’s throne was Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter. God’s promise to David appears to have failed.

Were it not for the swift and courageous actions of a woman in the royal family named Jehosheba. Ironically, her name in Hebrew (Yehosheva) means “Yahweh is an oath” or “Yahweh has sworn.” She is the aunt of the crown princes. As Athaliah begins slaughtering the sons of David, Jehosheba steals away a baby named Joash. She takes him to the Temple, and there the priest hides the only remaining heir of David.

A woman whose name evokes God’s oath becomes the instrument through whom God’s oath to David is preserved. There is a powerful literary contrast between Athaliah and Jehosheba. One woman uses her position to destroy children and preserve her power. The other risks her life and position to preserve a child and protect the future. The narrative doesn’t give Jehosheba a single word of dialogue. Her faithfulness is expressed entirely through action. And, remarkably, the woman who saves David’s dynasty isn’t the one wearing the crown.

Six years pass as evil queen Athaliah and her commitment to Baal worship reign over Judah. When the boy turns seven, the priest and the commanders stage their own coup. Athaliah is killed along with the priest of Baal. The temple of Baal is destroyed. A son of David is back on the throne.

“Jehoiada [the priest] then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.” 2 Kings 11:17 (NIV)

It’s another instance of a pattern throughout the Great Story in which the future of God’s people rests with an extraordinarily vulnerable child.

• Moses survives Pharaoh’s attempt to destroy Hebrew male infants.
• Joash survives Athaliah’s attempt to eliminate the royal heirs.
• Jesus survives Herod’s massacre of children in Bethlehem.

The circumstances are different, and the text doesn’t explicitly identify Joash as a type of Christ. Nevertheless, the recurring pattern is striking. The Level Three kingdoms of this world are where the powerful wield the sword and they will even kill children to maintain their position, but time and time again, the Kingdom of God survives in the nursery.

And as I meditate on that fact, it reminds me that God often does some of His most important work where no one is looking. Athaliah has the throne. She commands the soldiers. She controls the machinery of government. For six years, she appears to have won.

Meanwhile, in an obscure room somewhere in the temple complex, a little boy is growing up. He isn’t issuing proclamations. He isn’t gathering an army. He isn’t leading a movement. He’s simply living. And the entire future of David’s dynasty rests with him.

I find myself thinking about the way I measure what’s happening in my own life.
I tend to look for visible indicators of progress. The business is growing. The audience is expanding. The church is thriving. The numbers are moving in the right direction.

And when those visible indicators aren’t there? It’s easy for me to assume nothing is happening. My Enneagram Type Four pessimism kicks in. Sometimes I spiral into despair.

Today’s chapter offers an alternative perspective I need. The most consequential thing happening in Judah during Athaliah’s reign wasn’t happening in the palace. It was happening in a hidden room. The future was being preserved in obscurity.

Six years.

For six years, Athaliah remains in power. For six years, the rightful heir remains hidden. For six years, the faithful must live with the tension between what God promised and what they can see. And then, in the seventh year, everything changes.

Along the journey, I’ve learned that not every difficult season will resolve neatly or that every injustice will be overturned in my lifetime. But the events of today’s chapter do challenge my assumption that God’s apparent silence means His absence. The delay did not mean the promise had died. It meant the story wasn’t finished.

Jehu could destroy a temple full of Baal worshipers. “And yet,” he couldn’t bring himself to destroy two golden calves. And perhaps those calves reveal more about his heart than all his spectacular achievements.

Please share this post with someone!
If you got something good from it, please “Like” it.
Comments are welcome.

RETURN TO THE MAIN WAYFARER BLOG PAGE

Enter Your Email Address Below, Click “Subscribe,” and Get Every Chapter-a-Day Post Delivered Right to Your Inbox!

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.