11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line.

 

Queen Athaliah of Judah was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. She married into the Davidic line of Judah. Her son Ahaziah became the next king of Judah. Jehu killed her son, so Athaliah made herself queen of Judah. She wanted to restore Baalism in Judah. She also wanted to exterminate the Davidic line.

 

God promised David that his Davidic line would continue forever and eventually produce the Messiah. When the Messiah arrives on earth, He will crush the head of Satan. Therefore, Satan has spent much of his Old Testament energy on attempting to exterminate the messianic line of David. If Satan could exterminate the Davidic line, then the Messiah would not be born. There would be no Messiah to crush the head of Satan. Satan attempted to use Athaliah as his instrument of evil to eliminate the Davidic line from this earth.

 

11:2 So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution.

 

Jehosheba was most likely the half-sister of Athaliah. Most kings possessed a harem of many wives and many children.  Jehosheba hid little Joash from the rest of the royal descendants so that Queen Athaliah could not kill him. God used her to protect the messianic line from Satan’s wrath.

 

11:3 He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land. 

 

Little Joash lived in secret quarters for six years. Satan must have known about little Joash’s location, but God did not allow Satan to touch him. For six years, Athaliah could have bragged that Jehovah was not as great as Baal, because he could not stop her from exterminating the Davidic line. For six years, the people believed that Baal was greater than Jehovah.

 

11:4 In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians and the royal bodyguard. He met with them in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son.

 

Queen Athaliah’s seventh year of reign was 835 B.C. Jehoida was the High Priest of Judah and the husband of Jehosheba. The High Priest of Judah was protecting the messianic line of David.

 

The Carians were associated with the Pelethites. The Pelethites were mercenary soldiers, possibly from the Phoenicians, who were serving as royal bodyguards. Jehoiada the High Priest received an agreement of support from the royal guards to protect the messianic line. After they made an oath to do so, Jehoida, the High Priest, presented Joash to them as the last remaining descendant of the house of David.

 

11:5 He ordered them, “This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. 

 

Jehoida, the High Priest, made plans to execute Queen Athaliah and place a descendant of the house of David on the throne. He ordered the coup to begin on the next Sabbath. One third of the royal guard was to guard the palace, as usual.

 

11:6 Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. You will take turns guarding the palace.

 

The exact location of this gate is unknown, but it connected the temple with the palace.

 

11:7 The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord’s temple and protect the king.

 

The two off-duty guard units were to encircle and protect little Joash.

 

11:8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.”

 

Little Joash was the last descendant of David. If Satan could kill little Joash, then the Messiah would not be born.

 

11:9 The officers of the units of hundreds did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported to Jehoiada the priest.

 

The coup began on the next Sabbath. No one worked on the Sabbath in Judah, so the coup would be kept quiet from this reduced force.

 

11:10 The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and the shields that were kept in the Lord’s temple. 

 

The royal soldiers were armed with the spears and shields which David had acquired and stored in his earlier conquests. It is very interesting that David collected these weapons not for his own personal glory, but for a future coup which would protect his last descendant from the forces of Satan.

 

11:11 The royal bodyguard took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.

 

The coup was about to be executed.

 

11:12 Jehoiada led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!” 

 

The Hebrew word for “royal insignia” is הָ֣עֵד֔וּת (ha-adot), meaning the testimony. The testimony was a copy of the entire Mosaic Law. According to Deuteronomy 17:18-20, a copy of the Mosaic Law was to be kept with the king at all times. The king was to study it daily and make it a part of his life. Modern politicians should never be elected to office unless they have mastered bible doctrine. Pastors and elders should never be chosen to office unless they have mastered bible doctrine.

 

Little Joash was only eight years old at this time, but he was declared as the King of Judah. A prophet or priest usually anointed the kings of Israel, as was done here.

 

11:13 When Athaliah heard the royal guard shout, she joined the crowd at the Lord’s temple. 

 

Queen Athaliah heard the shout of the royal guard, so she joined the large crowd who was gathering at the temple.

 

11:14 Then she saw the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

 

Little Joash was made king by the pillar of the temple. This pillar was either Jachin or Boaz. Both of these pillars stood on the temple’s front porch. The front porch was elevated so that all could see the coronation. The military showed their support of the new king by blowing trumpets. Trumpets were used for announcements and for moving military personnel. Jehoida chose to stage this coup on the Sabbath during one of the major religious festivals, meaning that only those in Judah who were loyal to Jehovah would be at this feast. The supporters of Jehovah were not supporters of Queen Athaliah. Queen Athaliah recognized the coronation and shouted treason. However, no one came to her rescue.

 

11:15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards. Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple.

 

Jehoida the priest did not want the blood of a Baal queen shed in the temple. Therefore, she was arrested and taken outside of the temple.

 

11:16 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. There she was executed. 

 

Queen Athaliah was executed outside of one of the temple gates.

 

11:17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord.

 

Jehoida drew up a new covenant between the house of David and the people of Judah.

 

11:18 All the people of the land went and demolished the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols to bits. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest then placed guards at the Lord’s temple. 

 

The people loyal to Jehovah eliminated Baal worship from Judah. Jehovah did not allow religious toleration in Israel. Religious toleration is a political scheme contrived by the enemy in order to equalize satanism with Scripture. All religions are not equal. Christianity is the truth and all others are an invention of Satan. For this reason, multiculturalism is a great threat to any nation. 

 

11:19 He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal bodyguard, and all the people of land, and together they led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the Royal Bodyguard, and the king sat down on the royal throne. 

 

A king is only as strong as his army. The army sided with the King of Judah instead of Queen Athaliah, so there was a forced exchange of dynasties.

 

11:20 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace. 

 

After Baalism was removed, then the curses of the Mosaic Law were removed. The land received rest and became more prosperous.