2 Kings Chapters 11-12 Commentary

Second Kings Chapters 11-12 Chapter 11

11:1 Normally following the death of a king like Ahaziah, one of his sons would have become the ruler in his place, but the devious queen mother had other plans. As soon as the news of Ahaziah’s assassination reached her, she set about to wipe out all her son’s descendants and claim the throne for herself. The heirs mentioned in verse 1 had to be the sons of Ahaziah, since all his brothers had been previously killed (2 Chron. 22:1), and all his other relatives had been killed

by Jehu (2 Kings 10:13). So Athaliah actually murdered her own grandsons!

Remember, Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. We need to remember, what a difference one single marriage made! Jehoshaphat unwisely allows his son to marry the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (8:18), and we come within one small child—of the Messiah never being born. “None of us are kings, few of us are even ‘movers and shakers’, but if we are in covenant with Yahweh and yet marry the godless we will nearly always wreak havoc and ruin among our descendants” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 169).

Life is cheapened when people do not have the proper respect for God. “She was cruel and ambitious, willing to sacrifice the dearest of her relatives in her drive for power” (Vos p. 171). Through her influence, King Jehoram had introduced Baal into Judah (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chron. 21:5,11). When Ahaziah her son was slain by Jehu, the powerful position of Athaliah as queen mother was jeopardized. The regular line of succession would require the enthronement of one of her grandsons, the eldest son of Ahaziah. This would mean that the position of queen mother would pass on to the widow of Ahaziah. In addition, Athaliah’s murderous rampage is typical, “it is a sample of the instinctive hatred the rulers of this age have for Christ’s kingdom. It is terrible but typical (Matthew 2:13-18; John 3:13)…Do not even be surprised if you see tinges of this fury in your office or shop or school” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 170).

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11:2 It just so happened that the sister of Ahaziah, Jehosheba (juh HAH shuh buh), rescued her nephew Joash from death, God always has His faithful servants. This woman is the human agent responsible for preserving the kingdom of God at this particular time---and our hope of salvation. By this act of courage, see preserved the Messianic line (Matthew 1:8-9). Josephus says that Jehosheba was only the half-sister of Ahaziah, not Athaliah’s daughter, which was probably the case. The faithful courage of one sole individual can alter history! God’s promise to David, that he would never lack a man of his descendants upon his throne looked to be in jeopardy! At this point in time the Messianic line rests on a little child who is in seclusion. Wickedness may seem to be prevailing, but evil will never destroy all faithfulness and goodness. People can overcome their environment. Jehosheba’s mother was extremely wicked, but she was married to one of God’s priests and was faithful. “You may think that you service for Yahweh is not crucial like Jehosheba’s. I am, you might say, seldom or never thrust into dramatic scenarios like the one she faced. You sure?

If you are Christian parent you have responsibility over the church in your house…It’s because my parents that that I am in the kingdom of God. Don’t tell me your kingdom service doesn’t matter” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 171).

11:3 Evidently, Joash and his nurse were quickly moved from the palace quarters into the Temple, for six years they will be hiding. Jehosheba was actually the wife of the high priest Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 22:11), which explains why Joash was brought up in the priest’s quarters in the temple. “There he could pass as one of the priest’s children or a young devotee from another family” (Vos 171).

In addition, it would appear that Athaliah (a Baal worshipper) would have never spent much time in or around the Temple area. Observe the contrast between what is apparent and what is actually the case. Unknown to Athaliah, the true ruler in Israel was alive.

11:4 In the seventh year, with the child now older, the high priest Jehoiada (juh HOI uh duh) mustered his courage (2 Chronicles 23:1) and laid plans to dislodge the usurping queen from her ill-gotten throne. He first secured the allegiance of the military officials and temple personnel. He summoned all the commanders over 100 men and the “Carites”, who are probably the same group called the Cherethites (2 Samuel 8:18), foreign soldiers who had composed David’s personal bodyguard. In addition, he summoned the Levites and heads of families throughout the southern kingdom to Jerusalem and swore them to loyalty to the true king (2 Chronicles 23:2). Apparently, everyone, including the Temple guard, had assumed that all the royal offspring had been killed.

“Neither did this temple guards and escorts of verse 4 seem aware of any rumors 2

that one of the royal heirs had survived. Jehosheba and Jehoiada had guarded their secret well for six years” (Dilday p. 363).

11:5-9 The general nature of the plan for installing Joash as king is given in these verses. “On a normal weekday two companies of soldiers stood guard duty in the palace and one company in the temple. On the Sabbath just the reverse was true. And on the Sabbath two platoons were off duty (had a rest, verse 7). So there were five platoons that served on a rotation basis. Jehoaida planned to strike for Joash at the beginning of the Sabbath. All five platoons would normally be coming or going then, and their movement on this occasion would create no suspicion. He would completely secure the palace and adjacent gates and the route from the palace to the temple, with the three companies that were to serve. The two companies that should go on leave would be retained in the temple as a bodyguard for the prince and were to maintain tight security for him” (Vos p. 172).

11:10-11 To these guards Jehoiada issued shields and spears which had been captured years earlier by David in battle. For some reason, Athaliah had left Jehoiada in charge of the temple, its treasuries, and armory. She had even allowed the temple services to continue (2 Chron. 23:4-7) and had permitted the priests and Levites to serve in their regular courses (23:8). Apparently, such shields were also reserved for state occasions. Their use would have helped the people recognize that the coronation was important as well as official.

11:12 “The Testimony”: This was probably a copy of the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). “It is from this passage that the custom of handing a Bible to the British Monarch as a part of the coronation ceremony comes” (Dilday p. 365).

11:13-14 Evidently, Jehoiada had chosen a time to anoint Joash king when as many people (worshippers of the true God) would be present in the Temple area.

Athaliah immediately hears the uproar, and comes shouting into the courtyard, “Treason! Treason!”. And yet she was the one guilty of treason. “Young Joash, like Samuel before him, his childhood home had been the temple, and his first impressions growing up were the singing of the Levites, the sounds and aromas of daily sacrifices, the white-robed priests, the jubilant worshipers, and the reading of the sacred Scriptures. His early environment was vastly superior to what it might have been had he grown up in the palace next door with all its pagan influences and godless lifestyle. For years, cynics have perpetuated the myth that ‘preacher’s kids’ are typically mischievous delinquents who, because 3

of their strict religious upbringing, usually rebel and turn out to be failures. But that tired, overworked caricature is simply not true. Recent studies show that on the contrary, children of ministers are actually more likely to succeed than the children of any other professionals. Their home environments more often produce the qualities—healthy faith and strong character—that result in successful and meaningful lives” (Dilday p. 365).

11:15-16 Jehoiada immediately has Athaliah removed from the Temple area and executed. Evidently, whatever personal bodyguard she did have was vastly outnumbered and no one seemed interested in risking their lives to save her.

Evil people do reap what they have sown! “The guards led her out of the temple compound by way of the back gate, the one used for horses being led to the royal stables. Choosing such an ignoble spot for her execution was an intentional insult to the wicked woman” (Dilday p. 367). In addition, no consideration is given to the fact that she is a grandmother. Some people are evil until the day of their death.

11:17 Jehoiada then led the people in a rededication of themselves to God. The covenant between the people and the king probably included the idea that the king would lead the people according to the Law and the people would obey the king. 11:18 Immediately the people acted on what they had professed. They immediately began to destroy various pagan shrines. Note, faithfulness to God includes standing up against what is wrong (Ephesians 5:11). “As Jehu had demolished the temple of Baal in Samaria to obliterate all vestiges of the previous regime, so now six years later a popular revolt in Jerusalem destroyed the temple of Baal and its priest” (Vos p. 173). Apparently, “Mattan” (MAT uh), was the top Baal priest in Jerusalem. This verse also reveals that Athaliah, in following the example of her mother Jezebel had tried to turn Judah into a Baal dominated state.

11:19 To complete the process, Jehoiada formed a grand procession of priests, military guard, and common people to usher the new king from the temple to the palace and properly install him on the throne. 11:20-21 The expression, “the city was quiet”, means that the city had peace. Godliness does bring peace, unity and happiness to a nation (Proverbs 14:34). People do get tired of evil.

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Chapter 12 The forty-year reign of Joash may be divided into two parts---before and after the death of his spiritual guardian, Jehoiada. This reminds us that the Davidic kingdom has been stabilized once again. In Judah at least we have some consistency for a while. Let us remember to give God thanks for things we might take for granted, like, stability in a government (1 Timothy 2:2). It might seem like a rather mundane blessing, but it is a great blessing none-the-less.

12:1 The reign of Joash will begin in 835 B.C., when Jehu up in the northern kingdom is seven years into his own reign. He was seven years old when he began to reign as king (11:21), thus being the youngest king to mount the throne in Judah. 12:2 Joash did the will of the Lord as long as his spiritual mentor Jehoiada was alive. When Jehoiada dies, the idolatrous princes of Judah will exert influence over Joash and he will be party even to the stoning of Jehoida’s son Zechariah for his rebuke of the king and his nobles (2 Chronicles 24:17-22).

12:3 These high places were apparently former pagan shrines. They may have been worshipping the true God here, but God wanted everyone to worship Him in Jerusalem. In addition, such places were breeding grounds for idolatry. When people started doing their own thing, it is very easy for the worship of the true God and beliefs about the true God to become corrupted. It is a steady reminder that nothing less that entire faithfulness with God will be accepted. Being eighty percent faithful will not count. Are there any “high places” left in our lives?

12:4-5 From 2 Chronicles 24:7, we learn that the Temple had been abused during the reign of Athaliah. Evidently, too, the priests had failed to assume their responsibility for maintenance. Joash took the lead in launching a fund drive and a plan for repair. First he sent the priests and Levites out to collect money for repairs (2 Chron. 24:5). But the contributions were enough or the priests weren’t aggressive in collecting, so the priests basically took care of themselves with what they had collected (12:7).

12:6 When he was thirty, Joash finally lost his patience and took a new approach to the problem. 12:7-16 “A public chest was set up conspicuously in the temple court near the great altar. Worshippers were encouraged to offer free will offerings for the renovation project. Periodically Jehoiada and a royal secretary would empty the chest and weigh the contents” (Smith p. 585). The money was the paid to the various contractors who were working on the Temple.

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12:13 “A comparison of verse 13 with 2 Chronicles 24:14 indicates that no monies were used for making the sacred vessels so long as the repairs of the temple proceeded” (Gaebelein p. 221). Eventually there would be enough money to replace all the sacred vessels which had been taken by previous kings in order to bribe foreign invaders. 12:15 This is a neat verse. The work was carried out with integrity and honesty, no one tried to take advantage of this program. Note, when people return to the Lord, integrity also returns. 12:16 Money received from the people as part of their guilt and sin offering was used for the support of the priests.

“Several events transpired during the reign of Joash that are not recorded in 2 Kings but do appear in 2 Chronicles. Jehoiada (juh HOI uh duh), the high priest, died at the uncommonly advanced age of 130 years (2 Chron. 24:15-16). After Jehoiada’s voice was silenced Joash followed the counsel of certain Judean officials who advised him to do things that resulted in his turning from the Lord.

When the king did this God sent prophets to warn the nation (2 Chron. 24:17-19).

Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, who had replaced his father as high priest, also sounded a prophetic warning. But Joash had him stoned to death for his rebuke (2 Chron. 24:20-22)” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 562). This was the same prophet mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 23:35.

12:17 Hazael king of Syria had defeated Israel during the reigns of Jehu and Jehoahaz (13:3,22) and then pressed south along the coast into Judah. He captured Gath, the Philistine city that had been taken by Judah (2 Chron. 11:8), then he sent his soldiers against Jerusalem. This unit killed many of the leaders in Judah at the time (2 Chron. 24:3).

12:18 A siege of Jerusalem was averted when Joash stripped the royal treasury and the wealth of the temple as payment to Hazael. “Forking over temple treasures for political or military security never gets positive marks in 1-2 Kings (1 Kings 14:25-26; 15:18-19; 16:8-9; 18:13-16). All of these are but previews of what the Babylonians will do (2 Kings 24:13)” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 184). These events happened after Joash had turned from God. The whole incident illustrates the weakness of Judah at this time which had resulted from Joash’s apostasy. “It is interesting to note that evil Jehoram and Ahaziah had presented donations to the temple along with pious Jehoshaphat and Joash” (Vos p. 175).

12:19-20 Near the end of his reign Joash suffered from battle wounds inflicted at the hands of the Syrians (2 Chronicles 24:25). Two men, an Ammonite and a 6

Moabite (2 Chron. 24:26), assassinated him while he lay incapacitated in Beth Millo, a place near Jerusalem of uncertain location. The 2 Chronicles reference indicates that this assassination was to avenge the death of Jehoiada;s son. Joash was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs, because he was not as respected as his faithful ancestors (2 Chron. 24:25). “Jozacar”(JAHZ uh kahr)) and “Jehozabad” (juh HOE zuh bad) are the names of the two men who assassinated him.

Closing Points Nothing is recorded of any repentance on Joash’s part. From Joash we learn the lesson of remaining faithful to the end, a good start will not make up for an unfaithful ending. In addition, we learn the importance of having your own faith. Joash was faithful as long as he stood next to someone who was spiritually mature, but he became unfaithful as soon as that godly example was gone.

Apparently, Joash had never really developed his own convictions about serving the true God.

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