Read: 2 Chronicles 22:10-12; 23:12-21; Matthew 2:12-18
Jehoshabeath . . . took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons. (2 Chron. 22:11)
I attended a recent lecture by an historian. Her theme was that without telling some of the bad along with the good aspects of American history, we simply will not be able to accurately tell the story of the heroes of our country.
In comparison to the author of the books of Kings, the Chronicler gives a more positive account of the various kings of Judah. But beginning in 2 Chronicles 21-23, the Chronicler portrays bad examples of the shepherd kings of Judah. One such ruler is the queen of Judah, Athaliah, who murdered many family members to grab the throne. She introduced idols into Judah. But by including dark, truthful history in the biblical story, we come to know heroes such as the priest Jehoiada who rid the Davidic kingdom of Queen Athaliah. We also learn about and celebrate the king’s daughter Jehoshabeath, who saved Joash, the only remaining son descended from David (22:10-12).
The dark story of Queen Athaliah foreshadows the birth of Jesus, when Herod tried to put all the male children of Bethlehem to death (Matt. 2:12-16). Just as Jehoshabeath saved one fragile human life (the last descendant of David), so God preserved Jesus “his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3).
As you pray, give thanks for small ordinary heroes of faith who sustain us as disciples of Jesus Christ.
About the Author
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland Michigan.
