Spiritual Change

2nd Kings 11

Sometimes reading through 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles can be confusing. I know for me, I get confused with the names because a lot of them look somewhat similar and trying to pronounce them is a challenge. I sometimes need to stop and look back at previous chapters just to see who is king and where are they king over. Is this chapter talking about Israel or Judah or both? 

Reflect from chapter 10: In order for us to understand this chapter we need to read or know what chapter 10 was about. Jehu was king in Israel but wanted to wipe out the old royal family that was before him. That was Ahab and his sons. There were several descendants of Ahab and Jezebeel left and what makes this more complicated is that there was intermarriage between Israel and Judah so the family tree spread even further. 

Jehu was on a killing rampage and the house of Ahab was coming to an end. This was prophecy of the Lord which was spoken about 1st Kings 21:21. Death of the royal family was becoming a very big deal and now it is coming in the land of Judah.

Joash was saved

Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah was upset because her son, Ahaziah was killed. Because of that she wanted to kill any royal boy left alive. Some scholars think Athaliah might be a daughter of Jezebel which shows the apple does not fall too far from the tree. 

She wanted to kill the little baby Joash but his aunt, Jehosheba had other plans. She hid him from this evil woman for 6 years. God had another plan because he was going to save the lineage of David which is prophetic of Jesus family tree. Satan wanted to destroy this in hopes of the Savior Jesus being born but God had other plans. 

The Protector and Counselor:

Jehoiada was the high priest in Jerusalem and he knew that there needed to be change. He brought in the royal bodyguards to protect this seven year old king. They surrounded the palace as well as the temple to make sure this inauguration would not be stopped. Athaliah heard about this new king and she decided she may as well disrupt it. Jehoiada did not want to kill her in the temple so he told the bodyguards to take her outside. They obeyed and Jehoash will be able to reign in Jerusalem.

Change

In verse 17 we see that Jehoiada made a covenant between God and the people of Judah. This was a covenant of getting back to who really is in charge and that is God. In verse 18 we see that all the people went to the house of Baal and destroyed the altar and images. It was not the king but the people who realized they needed to be right before the Lord. So many people think that it takes a powerful man in a high position to make change. The change I am talking about is not political but spiritual. The only way we can have a change is if we realize that Jesus Christ is Lord and repent of our sins. We need forgiveness. The Lord Jesus already came into this earth and died on the cross and rose again for our sins. He did it and now we need to turn and believe. In verse 20 we see that once the person who caused the people to sin was removed from the equation there was peace and quiet in the land. We have distress when we are in sin. True peace and quiet comes from the Lord when we turn to him as our deliverer of sin. Have you asked to be delivered of your sin? Is there no peace and quiet in your heart because you have not given over all of your sin? What are you still holding onto? We need to kill the sin in our life and ask God to reveal the stuff we are hiding because it is holding us back in our relationship with him.