Instrument of change. – May God help us be agents of change in this world that our actions may shine as a vicon of hope for those in need.
Our verse of reference in 2 Chronicles 23 is:
“The whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God.Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.” (2 Chronicles 23:3 NIV).
Reflection
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Historical Commentary.– When Athaliah saw that her son, the king of Judah, had died “she arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.” In that massacre all descendants of David who could have been elected to the throne were killed, with the exception of a little boy named Joas, who hid in the temple with the wife of Jehoiada the priest. For six years the child remained hidden, “while Athaliah reigned over the country.” By the end of this term, “the Levites and all Judah” (2 Chronicles 23:8), joined with Jehoiada the high priest to crown and anoint Joas as king. “Then Athaliah broke her clothes, and cried loudly: Betrayal! Treason! “But Jehoiada commanded the officers to lay hold of her and all her followers, and lead them out of the temple to a place where they were executed. Than all the members of the house of Ahab were destroyed. The terrible evil that resulted from Ahav union with Jezebel persisted until the last of his descendants was destroyed. PR 160, 161.
- Jehoiada helped to restore the Davidic reign.- Jehoiada and his wife were agents of change in the kingdom of Judah. They promoted the restoration of the sole heir to the Davidic dynasty as king instead of the illegitimate Athaliah. They hid Joash in their house for six years, then together with a group of priests and Levites help him take his place as king. With this act, Jehoiada fulfilled the promise made by God to David, that his descendants would occupy the reign of the South.
- Jehoiada promoted religious reform.- As Joas mentor, Jehoiada led the destruction of the temple of Baal, the pagan altars and idols that had been established as part of idolatrous worship. As an instrument of change, Jehoiada renewed the covenant and re-established the worship of the true God.
Prayer
Dear Loving Father, we ask you to make us agents of change. That your word may be fulfilled through us, we want to be instruments of reform and revival. In the name of Jesus, amen.
By Dr. Franz Rios and Pablo J. Rios.
