King Athaliah Was No Lady

Did you know that a woman once sat upon the throne of King David?  I do not mean that she sat on it for a few minutes either.  She was king for six years, and so she presents a most interesting biographical study.  Her life is summed up in 2 Chronicles 24:7 where she is referred to as "That wicked woman". Athaliah was probably the daughter of the infamous Ahab and Jezebel, rulers over the northern  portion of the divided Kingdom, known in the Bible as Israel, and sometimes referred to in modern times as the "lost 10 tribes" (God always knew where they were.)  She grew up during the time when Israel was getting along rather well with Judah, (the name given to the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin).  Jehoshaphat, king of Judah arranged with Ahab and Jezebel to marry off his son, Prince Jehoram to Athaliah in what must be seen as a political arrangement.  As I said in my article "The Battle is The Lord's" in the December 1997 issue, it is a dark spot in Jehoshaphat's impressive reign. (Click here to see “The Battle is the Lord’s”) 

A look at the list of the kings of Israel and Judah reveals that this woman was not only the granddaughter and daughter Omri and Ahab kings of Israel respectively, but also the sister of a king of Israel, the mother and grandmother of kings of Judah, the Queen of Judah, the Queen mother of Judah, and last but not least, the king of Judah.  But her fame as a princess a queen and a king is overshadowed by the role she played in protecting first her son and then herself from potential heirs to the throne by murdering them.

When Jehoshaphat died, his son Jehoram succeeded him to the throne, and Athaliah became queen of Judah.  Like Jezebel, her mother before her, Athaliah had a fanatical devotion to the worship of Baal.  No doubt her resolve in this worship was strengthened when Elijah did a job on the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel. The first recorded act of Jehoram, undoubtedly instigated by Athaliah was to murder the six younger brothers of the king along with some princes who were committed to the royal line in Judah. (II Chron. 21:4). 

King Jehoram died after only eight years on the throne and his dear wife Athaliah having enjoyed the royal life, became a widow and a queen mother to her son Ahaziah.  This position actually expanded her power beyond the palace to the level of national politics.  Within a year, her son was dead, and the only thing standing between her and the throne of Judah was her own grandchildren. The massacre that took place is recorded for us:

And when Athalia the mother of Ahaziah saw
that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed
all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter
of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash
the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among
the king's sons which were slain; and they hid
him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber
from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
(II Kings 11:1,2)

Once this foul deed was accomplished, Athaliah simply had herself proclaimed ruler of the land.  It is a tribute to her power that she remained on the throne for six years while the child Joash grew.

2 chron 24:7 reveals another one of the acts of Athaliah, when she had her sons strip the Temple of its valuables to be use towards the construction of a temple to Baal.

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.

All this time, Jehoiada the high priest, with his wife Jehosheba, were hiding Joash (sometimes spelled Jehoash) the son of Ahaziah in the Temple apartments, waiting for the day when they could end Athaliah's rule and place the legitimate king on the throne.  In the seventh year of her reign the counter-revolution was planned. II Chronicles 23 and II Kings 11 record the details of the plot to restore the "son of David" to the throne. 

On the day of her overthrow, she was resting in her palace when she heard the shouts and jubilation coming from the Temple.  No doubt these particular sounds were unique to a coronation.  She made a valiant effort to short-circuit the proceedings by rushing into the Temple court with her guards.  But Jehoiada the high priest had given orders to let no armed person into the Temple on penalty of instant death.  So Athaliah was standing alone when she beheld the young king standing in the Temple. The soldiers were going to kill her on the spot, but the high priest did not want to pollute the Temple with human blood, so he had them take her elsewhere and slay her that very hour.  The first century Jewish historian Josephus gives an exciting account in some detail about the whole drama. (see below).  Josephus tells of the gathering of the priests and levites and general population from all over Judah, of the intrigue and mystery surrounding the plot and finally of the death of this fiend Athaliah. 

II Kings 12:1 says that In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. We understand by this that he began his public reign in the 7th year of Jehu, and that he reigned 40 years counting from the time of his father's death.  This allows for any variation in chronology.  A more modern event, very similar in detail occurred in England when Charles II was placed on the throne in 1660 after an eleven year interruption in the reign of the House of Stuart when his father, Charles I was beheaded and replaced with the Commonwealth led by the Cromwells.  All documents of Charles II actually date from the death of Charles I even though the son was not actively ruling during that eleven year period.

So we have a relatively happy ending.  Not for all the slaughtered folks of course, but for the nation, the house of Joash and the house of David.  Joash was a good king, lacking only in that he did not break down the high places.  Thus ends the saga of Athaliah.  But know this, God was in control of the situation from the start.  This house of David was prophesied to bring forth a Son, born of a Virgin, who would rule forever.  No Athaliah, then or now can thwart the fulfilling of the promises of God to His people.  Earthly rulers come and go. Some are good, some are bad, some are lukewarm.  But our God reigns through the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

The following Quote is from the works of the Jewish Historian  Josephus:  
Antiquities of the Jews Book 9, Chapter 7, Sections 1,2 and 3  

1. Now when Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, heard of the death of her brother Joram, and of her son Ahaziah, and of the royal family, she endeavored that none of the house of David might be left alive, but that the whole family might be exterminated, that no king might arise out of it afterward; and, as she thought, she had actually done it; but one of Ahaziah’s sons was preserved, who escaped death after the manner following: Ahaziah had a sister by the same father, whose name was Jehosheba, and she was married to the high priest Jehoiada. She went into the king’s palace, and found Jehoash, for that was the little child’s name, who was not above a year old, among those that were slain, but concealed with his nurse; so she took him with her into a secret bed-chamber, and shut him up there, and she and her husband Jehoiada brought him up privately in the temple six years, during which time Athaliah reigned over Jerusalem and the two tribes.

2. Now, on the Seventh year, Jehoiada communicated the matter to certain of the captains of hundreds, five in number, and persuaded them to be assisting to what attempts he was making against Athaliah, and to join with him in asserting the kingdom to the child. He also received such oaths from them as are proper to secure those that assist one another from the fear of discovery; and he was then of good hope that they should depose Athaliah. Now those men whom Jehoiada the priest had taken to be his partners went into all the country, and gathered together the priests and the Levites, and the heads of the tribes out of it, and came and brought them to Jerusalem to the high priest. So he demanded the security of an oath of them, to keep private whatsoever he should discover to them, which required both their silence and their assistance. So when they had taken the oath, and had thereby made it safe for him to speak, he produced the child that he had brought up of the family of David, and said to them, “This is your king, of that house which you know God hath foretold should reign over you for all time to come. I exhort you therefore that one-third part of you guard him in the temple, and that a fourth part keep watch at all the gates of the temple, and that the next part of you keep guard at the gate which opens and leads to the king’s palace, and let the rest of the multitude be unarmed in the temple, and let no armed person go into the temple, but the priest only.” He also gave them this order besides, “That a part of the priests and the Levites should be about the king himself, and be a guard to him, with their drawn swords, and to kill that man immediately, whoever he be, that should be so bold as to enter armed into the temple; and bid them be afraid of nobody, but persevere in guarding the king.” So these men obeyed what the high priest advised them to, and declared the reality of their resolution by their actions. Jehoiada also opened that armory which David had made in the temple, and distributed to the captains of hundreds, as also to the priests and Levites, all the spears and quivers, and what kind of weapons soever it contained, and set them armed in a circle round about the temple, so as to touch one another’s hands, and by that means excluding those from entering that ought not to enter. So they brought the child into the midst of them, and put on him the royal crown, and Jehoiada anointed him with the oil, and made him king; and the multitude rejoiced, and made a noise, and cried, “God save the king!”

3. When Athaliah unexpectedly heard the tumult and the acclamations, she was greatly disturbed in her mind, and suddenly issued out of the royal palace with her own army; and when she was come to the temple, the priests received her; but as for those that stood round about the temple, as they were ordered by the high priest to do, they hindered the armed inert that followed her from going in. But when Athaliah saw the child standing upon a pillar, with the royal crown upon his head, she rent her clothes, and cried out vehemently, and commanded her guards to kill him that had laid snares for her, and endeavored to deprive her of the government. But Jehoiada called for the captains of hundreds, and commanded them to bring Athaliah to the valley of Cedron, and slay her there, for he would not have the temple defiled with the punishments of this pernicious woman; and he gave order, that if any one came near to help her, he should be slain also; wherefore those that had the charge of her slaughter took hold of her, and led her to the gate of the king’s mules, arid slew her there.