“And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.”

– 2 Kings 11:1-3

Let’s take a brief look at who Athaliah is. In 2 Kings 8, we find that Jehoram (or Joram, king Jehoshaphat’s son) ascended the throne at thirty two years old, and reigned for 8 years (verse 17). The next verse (18) is really interesting:

“And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

After king Jehoram’s death, his son, Ahaziah takes the throne for one year (verse 26), before he is killed by king Jehu, who was commanded to kill all of Ahab’s lineage. Ahaziah’s mother was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and she turned out to be just as wicked. 

When Ahaziah died, his mother Athaliah decided she would take the throne of Judah for herself. But something stood in her way…namely, her grandchildren. So she decided to kill all of her son’s sons, so that they would not become king. Her daughter, Jehosheba, was able to grab one of her nephews and his nurse, and hid them in a bedroom while her mother went on a killing spree. 

Jehosheba was married to the high priest Jehoiada, and they hid the child in the temple for six years, while Athaliah reigned over Judah. 

Imagine watching your mother go insane, and kill all of your brother’s children just so that she could be on the throne. Jehosheba managed to save one of them, and raised him in her home for six years. 

Seven years later, Jehoiada called all of the important rulers and brought them into the temple, showing them that the king’s son lived. The priest gave these men King David’s spears and shields, so that they could help protect the child…as Jehoiada was about to do something very dangerous. 

He brought out young Joash, and crowned him, announced him as king, and everyone clapped their hands and proclaimed “God save the king”. 

When the child’s grandmother, Athaliah, heard about this, she came storming into the temple screaming treason. The men guarding the new king grabbed her, took her out of the temple, and then killed her and everyone who followed her. And the young king, with Jehoiada serving as his mentor, did right in the eyes of God, and destroyed all the places where Baal was worshipped. 

Jehosheba was brave, risking death herself, knowing her mother was evil. She didn’t know how to stop her mother, but she knew that she had to save Joash from the fate his siblings suffered. One day, with her husband’s help, they would put this child, the rightful heir, on the throne, and he would have Judah follow God again, undoing his father’s and his grandmother’s wickedness. 

This comes from 2 Kings 11, The Holy Bible, King James Version.

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