Friday, June 17, 2016

Reflection - Athaliah and Jehosheba

Source Website: https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/women-of-the-bible/2014/07/21
Posted by BibleGateway on Monday, 21 July 2014 - Women of the Bible


Jehosheba saved Joash from Athaliah (Death)
PHOTO: Jehosheba saved Joash from Athaliah (Death)
"When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land." (2 Kings 11:1-3)
When Jehosheba saved Joash from Death he was only one year old. He was raised in secret by Jehosheba's husband, a priest named Jehoiada.
Picture posted by GoodSalt Inc. - Jehosheba saved Joash from Death
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJFQ5CJaNdBKP5C-6u8WysKXsVophOeJ7o2OIyzzmZbx7EfxPEMM9PSd-RuVLYwWZsIsIoBdm78Phl9xF06ZpuyNT-K9ZzG_1bUy0KtlnZdmGdmqfKBR8eRVGDQeAttr2spMHBy_S7SY/s1600/joash-saved-from-death-1-GoodSalt-prcas1871-1.png
https://1920332912.rsc.cdn77.org/view/joash-saved-from-death-1-GoodSalt-prcas1871.jpg
http://www.goodsalt.com/details/prcas1871.html


ATHALIAH
Her name means: "The Lord Is Great"

Her character: Granddaughter of Omri, one of Israel's most idolatrous and evil kings, she was the daughter of Ahab and most likely of Jezebel as well. She was the only woman to rule over Judah. While Ahab and Jezebel spread Baal worship in the northern kingdom of Israel, Athaliah was busy promoting it a few years later in the southern kingdom of Judah. Controlled by her need for power, she murdered her own family members to secure it.
Her sorrow: That her attempt to destroy the royal line of Judah failed.
Her joy: That her ruthlessness paid off, at least for a time, making her the ruler of Judah.
Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 22; 23:11-21


Athaliah as queen
PHOTO: Athaliah as queen
Athaliah as the daughter of Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Athaliah was one of the players in the supremely bloodthirsty struggles over the crown of Judah in the Old Testament. When her husband the king died and left her son in charge, she became the highest-ranking woman in the country - but her son and all 70 of her male relatives were murdered in an incredibly bloody coup. Athaliah escaped. Athaliah took her chance, wrestled her way to power, and reigned as queen for six or so years, until (obviously) she was murdered too. (The Old Testament puts forward the idea that she had all her male relatives slaughtered so she could get the crown.)
Painting by Jose Aparicio (1770-1838), Spanish - Athaliah and Joash, 1804, oil/canvas.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E47LBU5LW4GHQn-w6fcHoTW0YcV0KK9UHcd_w0JcFFWkrtk_LnWP1_BEUWfhCVo31Ueqkwh6Zmx8Q3qh62ihJRlhLrqAgezozukHocPSvZDh7gMdfjskVWiow0RVL6dxR9lwgn_CL6Y/s1600/tumblr_n74a9xmcwJ1rqqedro1_1280.jpg
http://65.media.tumblr.com/05efb9ee9795fe5ab4908edae3e1d0b2/tumblr_n74a9xmcwJ1rqqedro1_1280.jpg
http://hadrian6.tumblr.com/page/174


JEHOSHEBA
Her name means: "The Lord Is Great"
Her character: A princess and the wife of the high priest, she was a courageous woman whose actions preserved the line of Judah, from which the Messiah would come.
Her sorrow: To have endured Athaliah's reign in Judah and to have suffered the loss of many of her nephews at the queen's hand.
Her joy: To have preserved the life of her brother's youngest son, Joash, so that he could become the rightful king of Judah.
Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 11:2; 2 Chronicles 22:11


Johosheba was a princess and the wife of the high priest, she was a courageous woman whose actions preserved the line of Judah, from which the Messiah would come.

PHOTO: Johosheba was a princess and the wife of the high priest, she was a courageous woman whose actions preserved the line of Judah, from which the Messiah would come.
Painting by Charles-Antoine Coypel (11 July 1694 – 15 June 1752), a French painter, art commentator, and playwright. He lived in Paris. - Athaliah questions Joash
Picture posted by loveisspeed....... on Sunday, 10 March 2013
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5JIZ_cF3CzTZ1ZInpnAeOzt1CMvuHKe20UcxhEklo1HzHZQBw4I0RBoHNZ69c5y52uWJNCF1Kj6vBcEM47pZIo7a-XAOssbDCw2ihx7kurBuZhh6PL6197rjqO2al5rnbZkemmTNkd4/s1600/Coypel_Athalie_interroge_Joas.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrt73N0grBEhk0z8KoBbI0i_wnIckMPUewatzHAXQfldLYf7S2bK_zrU1TV8ZqMZWyb_1xFsOXa7fQl_SNvbn6yqPjLx26suNHZTsmv7u03U3g51V7wknJLj0RpaUYXamykRnY70xpx0/s1600/Coypel_Athalie_interroge_Joas.jpg
http://loveisspeed.blogspot.sg/2013/03/charles-antoine-coypel-11-july-1694-15.html


Their Story
Wicked queens are the stuff of fairy tales. Remember the snow queen in the tales of Hans Christian Andersen, or the evil queen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Athaliah was at least as bad as her fairy-tale counterparts, a queen who chilled the hearts of God's people by murdering her own grandsons and promoting Baal worship in the southern kingdom of Judah, just as her parents, Ahab and Jezebel, had promoted it in the north.


Wicked queens are the stuff of fairy tales.

PHOTO: Wicked queens are the stuff of fairy tales. Athaliah was at least as bad as her fairy-tale counterparts, a queen who chilled the hearts of God's people by murdering her own grandsons and promoting Baal worship in the southern kingdom of Judah, just as her parents, Ahab and Jezebel, had promoted it in the north.
Picture posted by  from Voice of Nature (Pinterest)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9E-X-Jxi60mkgt_98ZQCtiLZnr76mC_1H0lwS6qqTVEjVdFLljIRrZnpWD3DgXsRJV8GuiivIjc4NF69fvhUM8eAxBDH2T8Go2SsOgMUMrXZiEbMPBSM1c1oWgoZ0hhgdFHqBvM-z6I/s1600/a87a2235f976dba24a80ffd13f6dcca5.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a8/7a/22/a87a2235f976dba24a80ffd13f6dcca5.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/168040629823541892/?from_navigate=true


Athaliah married the king of Judah, thereby cementing an alliance between the northern and southern kingdoms. But after a few years he died and was succeeded by Athaliah's son, Ahaziah. In just a few months, Jehu, Jezebel's nemesis (the inescapable agent of Jezebel's downfall), slaughtered the new king.

After Queen Athaliah's husband and son were killed, she must have felt vulnerable and isolated, doubly so since her father Ahab's line had also been destroyed in Israel. Her paranoia and lust for power formed a toxic mixture, moving her to murder her own son's children to secure Judah's throne for herself. Indeed she may even have gloated that she, Baal's emissary, had snuffed out Judah's royal heirs, making it impossible for God to fulfill his promise of a future Messiah from David's line in the tribe of Judah.


Joash Saved from the Massacre of the Royal Family

PHOTO: Joash Saved from the Massacre of the Royal Family
Jehosheba, had hidden the infant, Joash, before the queen could murder him along with Ahaziah's other sons.
Painting by Henri Leopold Levy France (1840 - 1904) - Joash Saved from the Massacre of the Royal Family
Picture posted by anhbuiart on 22 January 2016
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCo3MFzn8aE1gpWQVIHQKfDpReXhVhaGgyw8ZOpwEbVzWNCvQNrDXok0kaOpqb_k_ocuc9Vk4HeObG8_YiemZuBw4aPL8w6A3wkc5HKg3dj-xAg7GzKM46tBKVKEypifEV2lm754B2wE/s1600/tumblr_nbbeamusgb1s3lnryo1_540.jpg
https://anhbuiartblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/tumblr_nbbeamusgb1s3lnryo1_540.jpg
https://anhbuiart.com/2016/01/22/divine-nipslip/


For a few years, from about 841-835 bc, Athaliah reigned in Judah, promoting Baal worship and leading the people further and further from God. But right under her nose a conspiracy was brewing. Unknown to her, one of her grandsons still lived. Her own stepdaughter, Jehosheba, had hidden the infant, Joash, before the queen could murder him along with Ahaziah's other sons. Married to the high priest, Jehosheba risked her life by tucking the royal heir away in the temple for six years. Then, when the boy turned seven, her husband arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.


Then, when the boy turned seven, her husband arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.

PHOTO: Then, when the boy turned seven, her husband arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.
Picture posted by Goodsalt.com - king Joash
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiILjK4nC5d3VmC1JGSUkHRlx4gFpkCGC6tzvZv-_Q8M4FD9p6RFAjpFp8SsxS3mSdSRbiD7ybyt5VYqWpD2KafTGeD-2RcOEyH2lYa1n8kqHS39RLct64rMS1nnIuNyO4YzusHvB6QyE/s1600/king-joash-1.png
http://www.goodsalt.com/view/king-joash-GoodSalt-pppas0311.jpg
http://nl.goodsalt.com/details/pppas0311.html


As soon as Athaliah caught wind of the plot, she rushed to the temple, tearing her robes and screaming, "Treason! Treason!" But like her mother, Jezebel, before her, no one paid the slightest attention. Instead, Queen Athaliah was promptly seized and executed just outside the temple. As soon as the queen was dispatched, the people of Judah celebrated by destroying the temple of Baal along with its chief priest.


As queen, Athaliah used her power to establish the worship of Baal in Judah. Six years later, Athaliah was surprised when Jehoiada revealed that Jehoash lived and proclaimed him king of Judah. She rushed to stop the rebellion.

PHOTO: As queen, Athaliah used her power to establish the worship of Baal in Judah. Six years later, Athaliah was surprised when Jehoiada revealed that Jehoash lived and proclaimed him king of Judah. She rushed to stop the rebellion.
Painting by William Brassey Hole - The coronation of Joash and death of Athaliah William
Picture posted by Alchetron
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwVfQosy6TPY-o2SYmQBGCCxNY9Bqa3AEAk1eftsqO-0OPThamw30F58_t91kdHXr5xgmZK7mJXoLM6KHigA1w-XVPYgcEO_sh34kIijz6auzDMK3DroaDELrJRvn4rjwyeTvhQVmvls/s1600/The-Coronation-Of-Joash-And-Death-Of-Athaliah.jpg
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/237553/1/The-Coronation-Of-Joash-And-Death-Of-Athaliah.jpg
http://alchetron.com/Athaliah-1045101-W

When Joash turned seven, Jehosheba's husband, the priest Jehoiada, arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.
PHOTO: When Joash turned seven, Jehosheba's husband, the priest Jehoiada, arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.
Painting by  Solomon Alexander Hart (1806–1881), British, English - Athaliah's Dismay at the Coronation of Joash
Artist: Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ilK2EzAgAxUZaWH4c6S_QfgawehvhQWDZOY00v0Wsw4zg3pZweQG6wIwZXivlKKEA0XXDQiKP1kagmGejHey_HKPWe_PHvrFSGTgsx0CZmSqGlxl0qoliEyQlwbshgM12FUIoUVywug/s1600/gioas-10.png 
http://www.andrea-brown-music.com/covers/gioas.jpg
http://andrea-brown-music.com/?page_id=531

 
As soon as Athaliah caught wind of the plot, she rushed to the temple, tearing her robes and screaming, 'Treason! Treason!'
PHOTO: As soon as Athaliah caught wind of the plot, she rushed to the temple, tearing her robes and screaming, "Treason! Treason!"
Painting by Solomon Alexander Hart (1806–1881), British, English - Athaliah's Dismay at the Coronation of Joash
Artist: Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6zw9x9Mw1N8DPnOLLAfMPynGtGqsF_2KdrtgB6Gh5f4LJg5aJlJnIQ2g_L0ipJV2eEC-6bIakjGh_RN9WkZghizLLJ30sJ9_pcbri-ORrTLFJZbpY7Qfes61xfLQlZKPWkdCTapF-8c/s1600/gioas-11.png
http://www.andrea-brown-music.com/covers/gioas.jpg
http://andrea-brown-music.com/?page_id=531


Queen Athaliah was promptly seized and executed just outside the temple.
PHOTO: Queen Athaliah was promptly seized and executed just outside the temple.
Engraving by Gustav Doré (1832-1883) - The Death of Athaliah
Public domain reproduction of a public domain work. Photographed from The Bible in Pictures (1934) in full sun with a Panasonic DMC-LX7, RAW format, contrast and sharpness enhanced with Lightroom.
Picture posted by Ed Suominen
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio4j-D7hOr1n8O7vWW4UdFLYVzjiivhtNSZdlmT4H9obaASEl_aBXuDsairDtjeXLgvWoR3R_FbJayTzlEOddWYhCuYNg-BoB1RmM4iWFTn4ngO7lcMlU0Z4M3VpPmnNJevq_1ycRatc/s1600/14972042265_1799367edc_b.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3900/14972042265_1799367edc_b.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/edsuom/14972042265


While the comparisons between Athaliah and Jezebel are all too obvious, their story reminds us of another that took place seven hundred years before. Egypt's Pharaoh, determined to destroy God's people, had ordered every male baby drowned in the Nile River. Like Pharaoh, hoodwinked by one of his own children (his daughter saved Moses and raised him as her own), Athaliah was fooled by her stepdaughter, Jehosheba. Once again a woman's courage and compassion helped to subvert evil and keep the promise alive.
Like Pharaoh, hoodwinked by one of his own children (his daughter saved Moses and raised him as her own), Athaliah was fooled by her stepdaughter, Jehosheba. Once again a woman's courage and compassion helped to subvert evil and keep the promise alive.
PHOTO: Like Pharaoh, hoodwinked by one of his own children (his daughter saved Moses and raised him as her own), Athaliah was fooled by her stepdaughter, Jehosheba. Once again a woman's courage and compassion helped to subvert evil and keep the promise alive.
Painting by Edward Bird (1772–1819) - Proclaiming Joash King
Picture posted by Art UK, Photo credit: Royal Academy of Arts
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBFyk61uh2gpwzASp83ykSNG4cIH57j2n9xzMEGrs8ZRGiFAIpWt_JX9ag-eI0ucsjzoDI7uMHpRk57c3s7xb-sj2GfVRcAeCQ7x1f_uY5anFZ_Pdegq1De0UIRxxFSXjtN5N4outJO4/s1600/WMR_RAA_PL004517.jpg
http://static.artuk.org/w1200h1200/WMR/WMR_RAA_PL004517.jpg
http://artuk.org/discover/artworks/proclaiming-joash-king-148516


The Promise
God always wins. That's a pretty simplistic way of saying it, but it's true nonetheless. Even when people like Athaliah try to stomp out an entire family and put an end to God's plan for redemption, when people like the priests of Baal lead others to worship idols instead of the true God, God will always triumph in the end. The negative forces of our culture make us wonder where we're headed as a people. We show little integrity or morality, and dishonesty is overlooked in the workplace. Kindness is often the exception rather than the rule. But don't despair. This is not a battle God plans to lose. In the end, he will prevail!


Dear Lord, We pray that we do not fall into the negative forces of our culture. Please help us to have integrity, morality, honesty and kindness. Amen!

PHOTO: "Dear Lord, We pray that we do not fall into the negative forces of our culture. Please help us to have integrity, morality, honesty and kindness. Amen!"
Picture posted by Liberal free on 01 January 2015 at 10:58 AM -Esther, Persian Queen
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDH5XQ4zvxwObh_IsWb8_f0Lr-3v5Lp_N16sYJ_JhCF9H_pMuVJ4YVn01_FUgoasbNyqr4rO0EqXr6xsXfUkK8tPNbys985PNZLrL6Jx9U6bSiBLjY5x5goat8IT4lhgXAbA5l3ZIAlWo/s1600/cropped-dovom-1.png
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ffkLTaqBY50/Uhsw-XK-u0I/AAAAAAAADJs/wvqeDD-X47Y/w885-h590/cropped-dovom.jpg
https://liberalls.org/vb/showthread.php?t=78635&page=2
Posted by BibleGateway on Monday, 21 July 2014 - Women of the Bible



Reference
[1] Women of the Bible, posted by  BibleGateway on Monday, 21 July 2014, https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/women-of-the-bible/2014/07/21
(This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Used with permission.)

NIV, New International Version, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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