Jehoiada God's Priest In Revival
2 Chronicles 22-24
What is the greatest need in America today?
It's not new climate control laws, it's not a better defence of terrorism, and it's not the economy, it's not even a new president!
America needs revival!
What is revival?
The revival that is needed in America is a renewed and a more active attention to the Word of God and an awakening of all Americans to their spiritual concerns!
America was founded by a people seeking the freedom to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, and we need to return to our roots!
America is beginning to see the wrath of God and there is only one way to avoid that wrath and that is through true repentance and a returning to the Word of God!
How can revival come? We must first pray for revival!
Hab 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
As we know God uses people to do His work until He returns and we will meet a true Priest of God that brought revival to Judah at a time of darkness and downfall.
We will also see how Satan made an attempt to prevent prophesy from being fulfilled!
Jehoiada was the Jewish High Priest at the time of Queen Athaliah's reign over Judah.
Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of the Northern Kingdom who married Jehoram of the Southern Kingdom and she had every trait of her evil mother if not more.
Once Jehu had caused the death of her son Ahaziah, she was determined to rule Judah and did so for several years.
The High Priest Jehoiada was married to Jehosheba who was the daughter of King Jehoram but probably not the daughter of Athaliah.
It was Jehosheba, the wife of this High Priest who had the courage to preserve the life of the only remaining legitimate heir to the throne of Judah, Joash who was only a baby at that time.
Let's begin:
*****2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
Ahaziah was a wicked king himself who followed not the counselors of Judah but the counseling of his mother and of his grandparents who were King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the Northern tribes in King Ahab's attempt to unite all of Israel under his rule.
2Ch 22:4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.
Athaliah was maddened by the death of of her son Ahaziah but she was even more so by the death of Ahab and Jezebel which were her parents.
Athaliah was so maddened by the death of all the royal house of Ahab that she decided the royal house of King David would suffer the same fate!
Athaliah set out to destroy the remaining house of King David!
What had God promised King David?
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
This was an oath that was sworn by Jehovah to King David and will not be totally fulfilled until King Jesus sits on the throne of David at His Second Coming!
God made this promise and God never breaks a promise!
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
It is for this reason that we can see the hands of Satan and his use of Athaliah in an attempt to thwart the Word of God!
God simply will not allow the Word of His mouth to be so easily discarded!
God simply will not allow His plan of salvation to cease by some mere human!
And Satan can never win a battle with the Lord, we are on the winning side!
We should also see that this evil woman had decided to murder her own grandchildren.
God has only one answer to those that would cause the harm to children and Jesus Christ said it best.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The wife of Jehoiada who was a sister to King Ahaziah, preserved the youngest of Ahaziah's children.
*****2Ch 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
Just as baby Moses was protected from the evil government of Egypt so was baby Joash protected from the evil government of Judah, as was baby Jesus protected from the evil government of King Herod.
God will always intervene in the things of this world that affect the Scriptures and the truth of them!
And, God will certainly not allow any government of this world to change the outcome of prophesy!
God does not do evil things but He certainly will not allow evil to triumph in a way to change the outcome of prophecy!
*****2Ch 22:12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
When King Solomon built the Temple, there were certain rooms built into the outer wall but within the outer wall and certain persons of the priesthood had the right to occupy those rooms.
1Ki 6:5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
Jehoiada and his family resided in what could be called the apartments of the Temple.
And Queen Athaliah became the only sitting Queen of Judah and she actually ruled for 6 years.
2Ki 11:3 And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
The morals of Judah sank to their lowest level under this Queen.
All the things of Baal worship came to the forefront.
The sodomites roamed freely.
The children were sacrificed in the name of worship.
She steered the people away from Jehovah God.
Kind of sounds like the America of today does it not?
During the reign of her husband Jehoram she had already caused the death of all royalty who favored the God of the Bible.
2Ch 21:4 Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and "slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel".
Before the death of her sons she had ordered the ransacking of the Temple.
2Ch 24:7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.
We can only imagine the evil that she accomplished as absolute monarch.
But God brought an end to her evil reign!
It was time for revival in Judah and God had a Priest who would cause things to change.
*****2Ch 23:3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David.
Jehoiada stood in the gap that day between the people and a Holy God and reminded them of God's national covenant with Israel when it was Moses who had also stood in the gap.
God had made a covenant with Israel in the days of Moses:
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
God had made a covenant with King David that it would be one of his descendants that would sit on the throne of Israel until the Messiah came.
It was time for Israel to decide if they would follow in the ways of Satan or in the ways of Jehovah.
Great men of God have stood in the gap throughout the history of Israel to remind them of the covenants of God.
We have great men of God today who stand in the gap, such as our own pastor, to remind us of the covenant promises of God to the Church, but the truth is there is only one true Mediator between God and God's people and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Mediator of the New Covenant simply because He offered the only sacrifice that could please God, which was Himself!
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
It was only after this covenant was made with the people, that Jehoiada brought out the child, who would be King, Joash.
*****2Ch 23:11 Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.
Joash was only 7 years old and had been hidden and protected all the days of his life and was finally presented to the people.
The crown was placed on his head and a copy of the Word of God was placed into his hands.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
The original scroll of the ancient Scriptures were kept in the sanctuary under the custody of the priests.
Each new king was furnished with a true and faithful copy of the preserved Word of God, which he was to keep by his side to study and read that he might rule God's people accordingly.
It was the Word of God that was to be each kings scepter!
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Since that day the phrase "God save the King" has since become a custom in several kingdoms that exist today and a song by that title is the national anthem of Great Britain, where it is said that the ruling monarch still receives a copy of the Word of God, when they are crowned.
That phrase has the meaning of "that the desire of the people was that his reign might be long, fruitful and blessed by Jehovah God"!
Queen Athaliah, who had murdered her own grandchildren to obtain the throne cried treason, treason!
These would be the last words she spoke!
*****2Ch 23:18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.
How does revival come to a nation?
The leader of that nation must be obedient to the written Word of God!
This includes our own President, but it also includes the Governors and all the way down to the Mayors of our cities and should include everyone in a leadership position!
It takes a very foolish people to vote ungodly people into positions of power!
How does revival come to the Church?
God's chosen men must take the Church back to it's roots.
1) Jehoiada restored worship in Judah, according to the Laws of Moses.
2) Jehoiada restored the courses of the priest and the musical arrangements according to the arrangements of King David.
The Church must return to the written Word of God and not some of the butchered up versions that exist today that twist the truth into something false!
Tit 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
The Church must be led by the right people.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
The people must be reverent in the House of God.
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The people must not be ashamed of the Gospel.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The Church must have the right music.
King David had written many Psalms that told the wondrous things of God!
The music in every Church should be inspirational but also contain the truth of the Word of God!
The music used in every Church should be able connect us to the Lord Jesus and the "Gospel"!
Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The Lord Jesus said to look for Him in the Psalms of the Church!
Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, "and in the psalms, concerning me".
And we must all rededicate ourselves to the Lord!
*****2Ch 23:16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD'S people.
Earlier we saw where the government, the priests, and the people had made a covenant to return to the Lord.
This was a renewal of the national God had made with Israel in the time of Moses!
Deu 27:9 And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.
This was also a promise that the government of Joash would rule according to the Word of God!
Now we see that Jehoiada himself makes a personal covenant with the people and also with the government.
This covenant assured the government and the people, that the Church would abide by the laws of man as long as those laws were according to the written Word of God.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Real revival begins with the individual believer, but true revival can only come when we are all in one accord!
No revival can begin until God's people repent of their sins and forsake all the evil that is among them!
It is only then that the Church can be led into a right relationship with the Lord!
It is only after that that the right people will be put in the place of leadership!
There was only one other thing to do!
*****2Ch 23:17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
Once the government had removed itself from sponsoring false religion, it was time for the people to put an end to false worship and this began by tearing down those places of worship.
Ordinarily we of the Church are to be at peace with all people!
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
If those of false religions will allow the Church to live in peace then there can be peace but that is not always possible!
SO, God also says there will come times when we must do other things!
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
It was time to tear down these things in Judah that brought that nation into the wrath of God!
It was the people, the believers that tore down the house of Baal and destroyed the sacrificial alters where not only animals had been sacrificed but also children had been sacrificed.
They not only destroyed the altars but they also broke those idols into pieces, and even destroyed the false priests.
This could only be done after the government quit sponsoring false religion and no longer protected those false things.
We can see that Baal had no power to stop these things because all false religions are a thing dreamed up in the minds of foolish people!
It was then that those same people could return to the building up of the Temple and restore proper worship to Jehovah God.
We must remove all the obstacles that come between us and God or we are no more than idol worshipers ourselves!
The most import thing that keeps revival going is to remain obedient to God!
*****2Ch 24:15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.
God had extended the life of Jehoiada far beyond the average life span of that day which was much like it is today of about 70 years.
Jehoiada had spent his entire life in the service to the nation and the people he loved and he had honored God all his life!
Jehoiada was "almost" solely responsible for preserving, under the guiding hand of God, the heritage of the House of King David.
Jehoiada was "almost" solely responsible of preserving the true worship of Jehovah God.
God again, as He had already done so many times in the past, took one dedicated man and turned Judah back to the Lord.
The downfall brought on by Ahab, Jezebel, and Athaliah finally ended and Judah had been restored to true worship of Jehovah once again!
One family had brought the Jewish people to the brink of extermination and one man had turned those things around in Judah.
Because Jehoiada was just a man, even his days were numbered and it was time for him to go to be with the Lord and he then joined Abraham in Paradise.
Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old which means he lived 10 more years than even Moses had lived.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
We must all remember our life on this Earth is only a pilgrimage.
Jehoiada's name might not have been mentioned in the Book of Hebrews but he had the same faith as these others!
His work did not go unnoticed by the people!
*****2Ch 24:16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
The epitaph of the High Priest Jehoiada was very short: "He did good in Israel, both toward his God and toward his own house".
All who read these words could get a clear understanding of what kind of man Jehoiada was, all the days of his life.
There is not one of us, who knows the Lord Jesus as our Savior, who would not like to be remembered in this way as Jehoiada was!
This great man of God was buried amongst the good kings of Israel in the city of God!
God will certainly honor those who love Him and show it in the way they live!
Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
But as we know, the world suffers every time a great man of God goes home to be with the Lord!
Every child of God brings a joy in Heaven but each one is a terrible loss to this world!
Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
*****2Ch 24:17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
These, who by family heritage, are now the political leaders of Judah came to the King seeking to have freedom to worship as they please.
Israel was born as a nation to serve Jehovah God and Jehoiada had made sure the Laws of God were followed.
We also know that America was born as a nation to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah God and our own politicians continue to insist that America follow the ways of the world that can only lead to death and destruction.
We have elected men who are fools who are just like these of Judah in that day!
These who would destroy Israel, induced the King to abandon God and worship idols and idolatry was once again restored in Judah.
Joash had only been a follower only because of Jehoiada much like those of today that worship the pastor and not the God of that pastor.
Pastor worship reigns in many houses of God today!
Their can be no doubt that this king knew the Word of God, but he had just never accepted the Word of God as the supreme law of the land!
Under his own power, without God's man at his side, he succumbed to the will of the politicians.
What does God say?
Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required": and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Joash's apostasy was a sin of willful rebellion against God!
When Joash had an opportunity to be a true King, he became a people pleaser and being popular is never an accurate test of being right or wrong!
Anything that goes against the Word of God is always the wrong thing to do!
And, anytime we rebel against the Word of God we fall into the hands of a very jealous God!
Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
Again the Jewish people returned to idolatry.
*****2Ch 24:18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
They left off the worship at the House of God as described in the Laws of Moses.
What does God say?
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Many will tell you that attending the house of God is not necessary but that goes against what God says.
And if we believe we are in the last days, then we need to attend more often and not less often.
Those "groves" were places of worship to particular false gods who were said to be so powerful that they could not be bound within buildings and the worship of such things was forbidden by the Word of God and Joash knew this!
And we know that an idol is anything that is worshiped in place of our true God!
There is only one thing that can follow such things in the eyes of God and that is the wrath of God!
We must not be fooled!
The wrath of God is always the just thing and the right thing to do!
God's love and God's compassion for His people is always closely connected to God's divine anger.
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Jer 10:24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
God simply does not want to see any part of His creation end up in Hell!
Even during His wrath, God will always send some one who can teach us the truth of the Word of God!
*****2Ch 24:19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.
God will always offer an opportunity to repent of our sin, but only God knows how many opportunities He will allow!
Thank goodness, God always has more mercy than He has judgment!
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound":
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Those that question the love of God do not know how much love God actually has for each and every human being!
God will teach us and warn us time after time until God finally has to bring "judgment" but even "judgment" is a sign of God's love!
What is God's ultimate goal with His created beings?
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, "not willing that any should perish", but that all should come to repentance.
Over and over again we see that in order to end up in a burning Hell, a person would have to totally disregard the Word of God!
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
God had not only sent Elisha and his many miracles.
God had also sent Micah, Jehu son of Hanani, Jahaziel son of Zechariah, and Eliezer son of Dadavah but their words were refused and ignored.
SO, Those that end up in Hell can blame no one but themselves!
And God sent Zechariah.
*****2Ch 24:20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
Zechariah explained why the Lord would forsake His people but in the downfall of King Joash, he allowed Zechariah to be stoned in the Temple.
Zachariah was the last of the Old Testament martyrs who died simply because he preached the truth!
The Lord Jesus Christ remembers everyone of His saints that died because they taught the truth by name!
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
In the end those that have forsaken the Lord "will be forsaken by the Lord" and those that question the love of God simply do not know God!
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Salvation is a simple thing.
BUT, Revival can only come to a people who truly understand the "Love Of God!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
2 Chronicles 22-24
What is the greatest need in America today?
It's not new climate control laws, it's not a better defence of terrorism, and it's not the economy, it's not even a new president!
America needs revival!
What is revival?
The revival that is needed in America is a renewed and a more active attention to the Word of God and an awakening of all Americans to their spiritual concerns!
America was founded by a people seeking the freedom to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, and we need to return to our roots!
America is beginning to see the wrath of God and there is only one way to avoid that wrath and that is through true repentance and a returning to the Word of God!
How can revival come? We must first pray for revival!
Hab 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
As we know God uses people to do His work until He returns and we will meet a true Priest of God that brought revival to Judah at a time of darkness and downfall.
We will also see how Satan made an attempt to prevent prophesy from being fulfilled!
Jehoiada was the Jewish High Priest at the time of Queen Athaliah's reign over Judah.
Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of the Northern Kingdom who married Jehoram of the Southern Kingdom and she had every trait of her evil mother if not more.
Once Jehu had caused the death of her son Ahaziah, she was determined to rule Judah and did so for several years.
The High Priest Jehoiada was married to Jehosheba who was the daughter of King Jehoram but probably not the daughter of Athaliah.
It was Jehosheba, the wife of this High Priest who had the courage to preserve the life of the only remaining legitimate heir to the throne of Judah, Joash who was only a baby at that time.
Let's begin:
*****2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
Ahaziah was a wicked king himself who followed not the counselors of Judah but the counseling of his mother and of his grandparents who were King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the Northern tribes in King Ahab's attempt to unite all of Israel under his rule.
2Ch 22:4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.
Athaliah was maddened by the death of of her son Ahaziah but she was even more so by the death of Ahab and Jezebel which were her parents.
Athaliah was so maddened by the death of all the royal house of Ahab that she decided the royal house of King David would suffer the same fate!
Athaliah set out to destroy the remaining house of King David!
What had God promised King David?
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
This was an oath that was sworn by Jehovah to King David and will not be totally fulfilled until King Jesus sits on the throne of David at His Second Coming!
God made this promise and God never breaks a promise!
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
It is for this reason that we can see the hands of Satan and his use of Athaliah in an attempt to thwart the Word of God!
God simply will not allow the Word of His mouth to be so easily discarded!
God simply will not allow His plan of salvation to cease by some mere human!
And Satan can never win a battle with the Lord, we are on the winning side!
We should also see that this evil woman had decided to murder her own grandchildren.
God has only one answer to those that would cause the harm to children and Jesus Christ said it best.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The wife of Jehoiada who was a sister to King Ahaziah, preserved the youngest of Ahaziah's children.
*****2Ch 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
Just as baby Moses was protected from the evil government of Egypt so was baby Joash protected from the evil government of Judah, as was baby Jesus protected from the evil government of King Herod.
God will always intervene in the things of this world that affect the Scriptures and the truth of them!
And, God will certainly not allow any government of this world to change the outcome of prophesy!
God does not do evil things but He certainly will not allow evil to triumph in a way to change the outcome of prophecy!
*****2Ch 22:12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
When King Solomon built the Temple, there were certain rooms built into the outer wall but within the outer wall and certain persons of the priesthood had the right to occupy those rooms.
1Ki 6:5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
Jehoiada and his family resided in what could be called the apartments of the Temple.
And Queen Athaliah became the only sitting Queen of Judah and she actually ruled for 6 years.
2Ki 11:3 And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
The morals of Judah sank to their lowest level under this Queen.
All the things of Baal worship came to the forefront.
The sodomites roamed freely.
The children were sacrificed in the name of worship.
She steered the people away from Jehovah God.
Kind of sounds like the America of today does it not?
During the reign of her husband Jehoram she had already caused the death of all royalty who favored the God of the Bible.
2Ch 21:4 Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and "slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel".
Before the death of her sons she had ordered the ransacking of the Temple.
2Ch 24:7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.
We can only imagine the evil that she accomplished as absolute monarch.
But God brought an end to her evil reign!
It was time for revival in Judah and God had a Priest who would cause things to change.
*****2Ch 23:3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David.
Jehoiada stood in the gap that day between the people and a Holy God and reminded them of God's national covenant with Israel when it was Moses who had also stood in the gap.
God had made a covenant with Israel in the days of Moses:
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
God had made a covenant with King David that it would be one of his descendants that would sit on the throne of Israel until the Messiah came.
It was time for Israel to decide if they would follow in the ways of Satan or in the ways of Jehovah.
Great men of God have stood in the gap throughout the history of Israel to remind them of the covenants of God.
We have great men of God today who stand in the gap, such as our own pastor, to remind us of the covenant promises of God to the Church, but the truth is there is only one true Mediator between God and God's people and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Mediator of the New Covenant simply because He offered the only sacrifice that could please God, which was Himself!
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
It was only after this covenant was made with the people, that Jehoiada brought out the child, who would be King, Joash.
*****2Ch 23:11 Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.
Joash was only 7 years old and had been hidden and protected all the days of his life and was finally presented to the people.
The crown was placed on his head and a copy of the Word of God was placed into his hands.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
The original scroll of the ancient Scriptures were kept in the sanctuary under the custody of the priests.
Each new king was furnished with a true and faithful copy of the preserved Word of God, which he was to keep by his side to study and read that he might rule God's people accordingly.
It was the Word of God that was to be each kings scepter!
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Since that day the phrase "God save the King" has since become a custom in several kingdoms that exist today and a song by that title is the national anthem of Great Britain, where it is said that the ruling monarch still receives a copy of the Word of God, when they are crowned.
That phrase has the meaning of "that the desire of the people was that his reign might be long, fruitful and blessed by Jehovah God"!
Queen Athaliah, who had murdered her own grandchildren to obtain the throne cried treason, treason!
These would be the last words she spoke!
*****2Ch 23:18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.
How does revival come to a nation?
The leader of that nation must be obedient to the written Word of God!
This includes our own President, but it also includes the Governors and all the way down to the Mayors of our cities and should include everyone in a leadership position!
It takes a very foolish people to vote ungodly people into positions of power!
How does revival come to the Church?
God's chosen men must take the Church back to it's roots.
1) Jehoiada restored worship in Judah, according to the Laws of Moses.
2) Jehoiada restored the courses of the priest and the musical arrangements according to the arrangements of King David.
The Church must return to the written Word of God and not some of the butchered up versions that exist today that twist the truth into something false!
Tit 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
The Church must be led by the right people.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
The people must be reverent in the House of God.
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The people must not be ashamed of the Gospel.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The Church must have the right music.
King David had written many Psalms that told the wondrous things of God!
The music in every Church should be inspirational but also contain the truth of the Word of God!
The music used in every Church should be able connect us to the Lord Jesus and the "Gospel"!
Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The Lord Jesus said to look for Him in the Psalms of the Church!
Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, "and in the psalms, concerning me".
And we must all rededicate ourselves to the Lord!
*****2Ch 23:16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD'S people.
Earlier we saw where the government, the priests, and the people had made a covenant to return to the Lord.
This was a renewal of the national God had made with Israel in the time of Moses!
Deu 27:9 And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.
This was also a promise that the government of Joash would rule according to the Word of God!
Now we see that Jehoiada himself makes a personal covenant with the people and also with the government.
This covenant assured the government and the people, that the Church would abide by the laws of man as long as those laws were according to the written Word of God.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Real revival begins with the individual believer, but true revival can only come when we are all in one accord!
No revival can begin until God's people repent of their sins and forsake all the evil that is among them!
It is only then that the Church can be led into a right relationship with the Lord!
It is only after that that the right people will be put in the place of leadership!
There was only one other thing to do!
*****2Ch 23:17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
Once the government had removed itself from sponsoring false religion, it was time for the people to put an end to false worship and this began by tearing down those places of worship.
Ordinarily we of the Church are to be at peace with all people!
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
If those of false religions will allow the Church to live in peace then there can be peace but that is not always possible!
SO, God also says there will come times when we must do other things!
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
It was time to tear down these things in Judah that brought that nation into the wrath of God!
It was the people, the believers that tore down the house of Baal and destroyed the sacrificial alters where not only animals had been sacrificed but also children had been sacrificed.
They not only destroyed the altars but they also broke those idols into pieces, and even destroyed the false priests.
This could only be done after the government quit sponsoring false religion and no longer protected those false things.
We can see that Baal had no power to stop these things because all false religions are a thing dreamed up in the minds of foolish people!
It was then that those same people could return to the building up of the Temple and restore proper worship to Jehovah God.
We must remove all the obstacles that come between us and God or we are no more than idol worshipers ourselves!
The most import thing that keeps revival going is to remain obedient to God!
*****2Ch 24:15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.
God had extended the life of Jehoiada far beyond the average life span of that day which was much like it is today of about 70 years.
Jehoiada had spent his entire life in the service to the nation and the people he loved and he had honored God all his life!
Jehoiada was "almost" solely responsible for preserving, under the guiding hand of God, the heritage of the House of King David.
Jehoiada was "almost" solely responsible of preserving the true worship of Jehovah God.
God again, as He had already done so many times in the past, took one dedicated man and turned Judah back to the Lord.
The downfall brought on by Ahab, Jezebel, and Athaliah finally ended and Judah had been restored to true worship of Jehovah once again!
One family had brought the Jewish people to the brink of extermination and one man had turned those things around in Judah.
Because Jehoiada was just a man, even his days were numbered and it was time for him to go to be with the Lord and he then joined Abraham in Paradise.
Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old which means he lived 10 more years than even Moses had lived.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
We must all remember our life on this Earth is only a pilgrimage.
Jehoiada's name might not have been mentioned in the Book of Hebrews but he had the same faith as these others!
His work did not go unnoticed by the people!
*****2Ch 24:16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
The epitaph of the High Priest Jehoiada was very short: "He did good in Israel, both toward his God and toward his own house".
All who read these words could get a clear understanding of what kind of man Jehoiada was, all the days of his life.
There is not one of us, who knows the Lord Jesus as our Savior, who would not like to be remembered in this way as Jehoiada was!
This great man of God was buried amongst the good kings of Israel in the city of God!
God will certainly honor those who love Him and show it in the way they live!
Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
But as we know, the world suffers every time a great man of God goes home to be with the Lord!
Every child of God brings a joy in Heaven but each one is a terrible loss to this world!
Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
*****2Ch 24:17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
These, who by family heritage, are now the political leaders of Judah came to the King seeking to have freedom to worship as they please.
Israel was born as a nation to serve Jehovah God and Jehoiada had made sure the Laws of God were followed.
We also know that America was born as a nation to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah God and our own politicians continue to insist that America follow the ways of the world that can only lead to death and destruction.
We have elected men who are fools who are just like these of Judah in that day!
These who would destroy Israel, induced the King to abandon God and worship idols and idolatry was once again restored in Judah.
Joash had only been a follower only because of Jehoiada much like those of today that worship the pastor and not the God of that pastor.
Pastor worship reigns in many houses of God today!
Their can be no doubt that this king knew the Word of God, but he had just never accepted the Word of God as the supreme law of the land!
Under his own power, without God's man at his side, he succumbed to the will of the politicians.
What does God say?
Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required": and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Joash's apostasy was a sin of willful rebellion against God!
When Joash had an opportunity to be a true King, he became a people pleaser and being popular is never an accurate test of being right or wrong!
Anything that goes against the Word of God is always the wrong thing to do!
And, anytime we rebel against the Word of God we fall into the hands of a very jealous God!
Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
Again the Jewish people returned to idolatry.
*****2Ch 24:18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
They left off the worship at the House of God as described in the Laws of Moses.
What does God say?
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Many will tell you that attending the house of God is not necessary but that goes against what God says.
And if we believe we are in the last days, then we need to attend more often and not less often.
Those "groves" were places of worship to particular false gods who were said to be so powerful that they could not be bound within buildings and the worship of such things was forbidden by the Word of God and Joash knew this!
And we know that an idol is anything that is worshiped in place of our true God!
There is only one thing that can follow such things in the eyes of God and that is the wrath of God!
We must not be fooled!
The wrath of God is always the just thing and the right thing to do!
God's love and God's compassion for His people is always closely connected to God's divine anger.
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Jer 10:24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
God simply does not want to see any part of His creation end up in Hell!
Even during His wrath, God will always send some one who can teach us the truth of the Word of God!
*****2Ch 24:19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.
God will always offer an opportunity to repent of our sin, but only God knows how many opportunities He will allow!
Thank goodness, God always has more mercy than He has judgment!
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound":
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Those that question the love of God do not know how much love God actually has for each and every human being!
God will teach us and warn us time after time until God finally has to bring "judgment" but even "judgment" is a sign of God's love!
What is God's ultimate goal with His created beings?
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, "not willing that any should perish", but that all should come to repentance.
Over and over again we see that in order to end up in a burning Hell, a person would have to totally disregard the Word of God!
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
God had not only sent Elisha and his many miracles.
God had also sent Micah, Jehu son of Hanani, Jahaziel son of Zechariah, and Eliezer son of Dadavah but their words were refused and ignored.
SO, Those that end up in Hell can blame no one but themselves!
And God sent Zechariah.
*****2Ch 24:20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
Zechariah explained why the Lord would forsake His people but in the downfall of King Joash, he allowed Zechariah to be stoned in the Temple.
Zachariah was the last of the Old Testament martyrs who died simply because he preached the truth!
The Lord Jesus Christ remembers everyone of His saints that died because they taught the truth by name!
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
In the end those that have forsaken the Lord "will be forsaken by the Lord" and those that question the love of God simply do not know God!
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Salvation is a simple thing.
BUT, Revival can only come to a people who truly understand the "Love Of God!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
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