Chapter 361 of 1163

2 Chronicles 22–23

Corruption. The British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called mothers “the holiest thing alive,” but you could not apply those words to Athaliah. Imagine a mother teaching her son how to sin! She was the Old Testament version of Herodias (Matt. 14:1–12), just the opposite of godly Hannah (1 Sam. 1–2). But what else would you expect from the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab? Athaliah was the only woman to rule over the kingdom of Judah, and it was a rule of evil.

Coronation. But God had another woman on the scene, the godly wife of the high priest, and she did the will of God in saving the infant Joash. At the right time, her husband orchestrated the coronation of Joash and the condemnation of Athaliah. Note the three covenants involved: with the army (23:1), with the king (23:3), and with the Lord (23:16).

Contribution. We cannot escape David! He provided the king (23:3), the weapons (23:9), and the temple organization and music (23:18). But how long can Judah live on the dividends of the spiritual investments made by godly men and women of previous generations? How long can God’s church today?

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