2 Kings 11

2 Kings 11:1

I. Queen Athaliah’s Usurpation in Judah (Chap. 11)Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, was queen of Judah for six years (841835 B.C.; 2 Chronicles 22:1023:21). 11:1 The scene now changes from Israel to Judah. Athaliah seized control when her son Ahaziah was slain by Jehu. To prevent any threat to her rule, she ordered the deaths of all (or so she thought) the sons of Ahaziah. That Athaliah could cold-bloodedly order the execution of her own grandchildren shows just how much like her mother (Jezebel) she was. She was also unwittingly carrying out the curse pronounced on the descendants of Ahab, her father (1Ki_21:21-22). 11:2, 3 Jehosheba, the wife of Jehoiada (2Ch_22:11) and an aunt of the doomed sons, courageously entered the royal house and stole a lad named Joash (same as Jehoash) from among the . . . sons who were being murdered. Athaliah would have cut off the royal line, but the Lord preserved Joash because of the Davidic covenant. The long-range consequences of what she tried to do are staggering. This was a satanic attempt to break the royal Messianic line. Joash was hidden with his nurse in the bedroom of the unused temple. He remained there for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land. 11:4-11 In the seventh year, Jehoiada the high priest called the captains of hundredsof the bodyguards and the escortsshowed them the heir to the throne, and made a covenant with them to overthrow Athaliah and crown Joash as king. Williams comments: The steps taken by Jehoiada to bring about the royal revolution (vv. 4-11) may be thus paraphrased. He sent for the officers of the royal bodyguard. One regiment was ordered to surround the king’s house, and the two remaining regiments to parade in front of the temple. Any person attempting to force his way through the troops was to be put to death. The guard relieved on that morning (v. 9) was not to return to barracks, but to fall in with the relieving guard and join the main body in defense of the king. 11:12 Then Joash was brought out to the people. A crown was placed on his head and a copy of the Testimony (the law) was handed to him. The shout went up from the people, “Long live the king!“11:13-16 When Athaliah was attracted by the noise to the court of the temple and saw what was going on, she cried, “Treason! Treason!” Because Jehoiada did not want her to be killed in the environs of the temple, he ordered that she be taken outside between ranks of soldiers and killed at the horses’ entrance. 11:17-21 A covenant was then made between the LORD, the new king, and the people, that they would serve the Lord. In demonstration of this, the people sacked the temple of Baal, which Athaliah had promoted, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal. The king was escorted to the royal palace in a great procession. The people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been executed.