REJOICING OVER RIGHTFUL HEIR MADE KING
When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went out to them in the house of the LORD. And she looked out and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicingH8056 and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!” . . . Moreover, Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicingH8057 and song, as ordained by David. He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason. He also took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate. They seated King Joash on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoicedH8055. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword.
2 Chronicles 23:12-13, 18-21
Athaliah was—in modern lingo—a piece of work! When her son King Ahaziah was killed by Jehu, she proceeded to annihilate all his heirs—her grandsons! Athaliah’s greed for power superseded any maternal or grandmotherly instinct she may have had. However, “Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him” (2 Chronicles 22:11b). He must have been about a year old when his aunt hid him and his nurse. They stayed in hiding for six years. In 2 Chronicles 23, Joash is seven years old; and Jehoiada the priest decides it is time for him to assume his rightful, royal place on his father’s throne as he was a descendant of David. Jehoiada wisely surrounded the young king with armed Levites inside the Temple. When his grandmother—the wicked Athaliah who had used objects from God’s Temple in the worship of Baal and further desecrated the Lord’s house —heard the commotion of the people rejoicing and saw King Joash standing by a pillar in the temple, she tore her robes and had the audacity to call it treason! Jehoiada had her escorted outside the temple and put to death not only because she had usurped the throne by murdering the heirs but because she had worshipped Baal and led the people to worship false gods as well. When King Joash was officially anointed, crowned, and seated on the throne, “all the people of the land rejoiced.”
The people rejoiced to see the rightful heir become king and the Levites and priests worshiping in the Temple as they should. They rejoiced to see good triumph over evil. God’s plan is always the right plan, and He had ordained that David’s descendants should rule. Jehoiada understood that he must be sure the rightful heir was crowned king. Jesus is the final King in the line of David. We should rejoice to see His kingdom grow. We can rejoice right now even when difficulties and trials come because we know the ultimate end of history which is HISstory. We can rejoice that He has made us witnesses to the truth that He is the King of kings. We rejoice because His Holy Spirit lives in us, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b)
Father, remind us to rejoice in the fact that Jesus is already crowned King and seated at Your right hand. Here on earth, Jesus was crowned with thorns, but we know when He comes again, He will be crowned with glory!