To hear this Morning Devotion, please click Apathy is not acceptable
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Her courage should be better known.
I hope that this Morning Devotion spreads the story to more people. I also hope that you’ll pass the story on to others, as well.
For we all need to display courage within our family as Jehosheba displayed courage within hers.
As told in 2 Chronicles 22:11, this woman was the daughter of Jehoram, a deceased king who had ruled for eight years over the Southern Kingdom of Old Testament Israel. After her father and stepbrother died, Jehosheba’s stepmother launched a bloodthirsty effort to take over the kingdom herself.
I won’t go into the details of the bloody sequence of events that occurred between Jehoram’s horrible death and Queen Athaliah’s power move to become the ruler of Judah. That sequence described in 2 Chronicles 21-22 shows how cold and ruthless people can become when God is not in control of their lives.
With her son killed during a trip to the Northern Kingdom, and his brothers already dead because of attacks on Jerusalem by marauding criminals, Athaliah saw her chance to be the boss.
So she arranged for the murder of all her grandsons and actually succeeded except for one who was rescued before the killing and hidden away for six years.
Who would risk her life by defying the queen’s wishes and rushing away the prince before Athaliah’s hit squad could reach him?
Jehosheba, that’s who.
The Bible makes a clear inference that Jehosheba was able to get away with her plan only because she was the daughter of a king and was the wife of the ruling priest in Jerusalem.
She had the family connections to gain entrance to the palace in order to grab the toddler named Joash. She had the insight to be spiritually tipped off that a threat to David’s kingly line was about to launch. And she had the faith that gave her strength to do what was right, regardless of the threat against her own survival.
As a wise woman of God, Jehosheba had to have perceived the evil within Athaliah. After all, Athaliah was the daughter of Queen Jezebel, the ultimate role model for evil women. Jehoram had married Jezebel’s daughter in a move aimed at political reconciliation with the arch rival Northern Kingdom.
Despite the evil she faced, Jehosheba acted boldly to save the child in order to save the Promise.
Where was Joash taken?
To the temple to live secretly with Jehosheba and Jehoiada the priest.
Jehosheba and Jehoida raised Joash as their own for six years before declaring him king at age 7. He received an incredible amount of teaching about faith during those years following his rescue. Joash would also receive a lot of governance help, of course, after his appointment and he would eventually reign for 40 years.
Without the help of a courageous Jehosheba when he was a year old, though, Joash would have met the end of a sword while still a baby. And God’s promise to David would have died out.
There are all sorts of life applications from this story. But I simply want to ask you one question: Who among your relatives is God stirring your heart to help because of an attack he or she is facing at home or at work or at school or with his or her health?
You have access into some aspect of that relative’s heart and mind that outsiders don’t have. If the attack is coming from within the family, you know the family dynamics of who is helpful and who is harmful.
You also have access to the wisdom and courage-prompting power of God.
Imitate Jehosheba. Courageously, wisely intercede to help the relative under attack. Pray for direction. God will show you and strengthen you. And He will help you to turn the crisis into a season of teaching about God.
As shown also in the life of Esther, it is for times such as these that God saves us and uses us.
As always, I love you
Martin
