THE KING’S BUSINESS The Boy Joash Crowned King
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OCTOBER 31, 1915. LESSON V< 2 Kings 11:4-12. (Commit vs. 11, 12). G olden T ext : “The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.”—Proverbs 14:11.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., Oct. 25—2 Kings 11:1-12. Tues., Oct. 26—2 Kings 11:13-20. Wed., Oct. 27—2. Chron. 34:1-7. Thurs., Oct. 28—Deut. 12:1-7. Fri., Oct, 29—2 Sam. 13 :l-7. Sat., Oct. 30—Jer. 22:1-9. Sun., Oct. 31—Psalm 89 :28-37.
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26) and all the Athaliahs on earth cannot make void the smallest of God’s promises. All the counsels that are formed to make the word of God of non-effect are bound to fail (Prov. 21:30). Jehosheba, the savior of Joash (v. 2), was the wife of Jehoiada, the priest (2 Chron. 22:11). The early formative years of Joash- were spent within the hallowed precincts of the temple, under the.tutelage ,of the pious priest. This had a beneficial effect upon his -future life and- reign (ch. 12:lj 2). So after all, Athaliah’s plot to destroy him had worked out for his good (cf. Rom. 8:28). He was much better off in the temple than he would have been under her tutelage. He was "hid in the house of the LORD” (v. 3) in more senses than one: hid not only from the murderous designs of Athaliah, but also from the evil influences so rife’in all Judhh at this time. Jehoiada proceeded with great caution and great skill. Doubtless with seven years of experience with Athaliah, the people had all they wanted of that sort of rule, and were ready for almost any kind of change; but most of all f6r a change back to the legiti mate heir to the throne. But Jehoiada gath ered about the king a band of men who were thoroughly to be trusted and whose interests were closely identified with those of Joash, and hostile to those of Athaliah (2 Chron. 23:1-3), before publicly proclaim ing Joash king. Jahoiada appealed to the highest and strongest motive, loyalty to Je-
v. 4. "And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with themi and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the kingfs son.” Athaliah’s bloody reign forms one of the blackest pages in Judah’s history, and one of the blackest pages in the history of any nation. Many a king has gained his throne by murder, but those whom Athaliah murdered were her own grand-children. There are very few parallels in all history to this monstrous crime. It shows how ambition hardens the heart against all human feeling, and trans forms even a woman into a demon. All this ruin and dishonor came upon Judah through a mistake of one of the best kings that Judah ever had, namely Jehoshaphat. Je- hoshaphat’s mistake was that he “joined af finity” with the wicked king Ahad, and in consequence of this alliance, Jehoshaphat’s son married a daughter of Ahab and Jeze bel. This daughter was ' this r infamous Athaliah (2 Kings 8:16-18). During the lifetime of her son, she constantly moved him to evil conduct: she was ’his counsel lor to do wickedly” (2 Kings 8:26, 27 ; 2 Chron. 22:3, 4). If Athaliah had had her way the whole race of David would have been exterminated (vs. 1, 2). But God had made a covenant concerning the descendants of David (ch. 8:19; Isa. 7:6, 7; Jer. 33.17-
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