CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
2 Kings 11:4. And the seventh year Jehoiada sent, &c.—There are numerous points of difference between this account and its parallel in the Chronicles; but probably both accounts are summarised records of a longer original account. Their divergences are not disagreements.
2 Kings 11:5. The watch of the king’s house—This בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ must be, not the royal palace, but part of the temple buildings occupied by Joash, the young king.
2 Kings 11:12. Gave him the testimony—Presented to him the הָעֵדוֹת, book of the law, as the rule of his personal conduct and royal government, for “The Testimony” (Exodus 25:21; Exodus 16:34) was the law for rulers as well as for those ruled (Deuteronomy 17:18, sq.).
2 Kings 11:14. Athaliah cried, Treason! Treason!—Josephus supplies the record that she went from her own palace attended by her troops (μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας στρατιᾶς), but that these troops were prevented going with her into the temple.
2 Kings 11:16. And they laid hands on her—Though the Sept., Vulg., Luther, and others take the words as the A. V. gives them; yet the Chald., Syr., Kimchi, Maurer, and others render יָשִׂימוּ לָהּ יָרַיִם. They made for her two sides—i.e., they opened in ranks on both sides for her to pass through.
HOMILETICS OF 2 Kings 11:4-16
THE RESTORATION OF REGAL AND NATIONAL RIGHTS
The coronation of the youthful Joash was not a revolutionary act, but the just and legal restoration of a right that had been cruelly wrested from him. Athaliah was the revolutionary, and the wrong her usurpation had inflicted sank deep into the national conscience. The usurper was hated while she was feared, and the ease with which her overthrow was accomplished showed the slight hold she had on the popular affection. There was none who had the courage or the disposition to defend her. From this paragraph we learn That the restoration of regal and national rights—
I. Is often the work of one capable and resolute mind. Jehoiada, the high priest, was in every way a remarkable man for his time. He was evidently not influenced by selfish and ambitious motives, or he might have aimed to raise his own wife Jehosheba to the throne, who, as the sister of Ahaziah, had certainly a better and stronger claim than Athaliah. But as the servant of Jehovah, he was more concerned to carry out the Divine purpose; and he was no doubt strengthened in his resolve by the counsels and exhortations of the prophets of the time. He showed great shrewdness and capacity in the way in which he managed every detail in the restoration of the line of David to the throne of Judah.
1. He knew the right time to act. “The seventh year” (2 Kings 11:4). He had narrowly watched the course of events, he carefully estimated the influence of Athaliah and the true feeling of the nation, and had sufficient reasons why he should not act before or after the period he fixed upon. It may seem to us that, as the king was but a child, a few years either way could make but little difference. But Jehoiada was a man “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). In all great national movements much wisdom and insight are needed in order not unduly to precipitate or delay the right moment to act. Many a great battle has been lost by not knowing when to attack, or when to wait.
2. He wins over the leading representatives of the nation (2 Kings 11:4). He consults all classes—civil, military, and ecclesiastical—and when the day of trial comes, he is surrounded and sustained by an enthusiastic and united people. He succeeded in convincing the national conscience of the existence of a great wrong, and the people rallied round him to seek its redress. “Men’s hearts,” says Carlyle, “ought not be set against one another, but set with one another, and all against the evil thing only.”
3. He makes elaborate provision against possible defeat (2 Kings 11:5-11). He took advantage of a public and solemn festival, when a great number might assemble in the neighbourhood of the temple without suspicion; he secured two relays of Levites within the temple; he transformed the priests into soldiers, and furnished them with weapons that David had deposited in the temple years before, little dreaming that they would be used to defend his throne under such circumstances; and he surrounded the boy-king with a strong bodyguard.
“When any great designs thou dost intend,
Think on the means, the manner, and the end.”
The prudence and foresight of Jehoiada not only indicated his ability, but ensured success. A great man cannot be more nobly employed than when he is planning the best means to promote the prosperity and elevation of his own country.
II. Is accomplished with becoming ceremonies, and attended with demonstrations of public joy (2 Kings 11:12).
1. There was the coronation. “He put the crown upon him.” The kings of Judah generally succeeded each other with little, if any ceremony, the solemn inauguration of the founder of the dynasty being usually considered sufficient for his descendants. The only kings whose accession was attended with ceremonial observances were Saul, the first king; David, the first of his line; Solomon, who had an elder brother aspiring to the crown; and now Joash, in whose person the broken line was restored. By this it is seen that the coronation was rather an exceptional than a customary ceremony, resorted to only when peculiar circumstances seemed to require the solemn public recognition which it involved (Kitto).
2. There was the solemn anointing. “They made him king and anointed him.” There is nothing in the law respecting the anointing of kings. It speaks only of high priests; but as Samuel anointed the two first kings, and as it was an ancient custom to anoint them, this came to be regarded as an essential part of the ceremony. The king was anointed in the form of a diadem encircling his head, to show that he was the head of the people; but the high priest was anointed in the form of a cross, one line drawn in the oil running down his forehead, crossed by another line drawn between his eyebrows.
3. There was the recognition of the Divine law. “And gave him the testimony.” The book of the law was put into the royal hands, and while he held it, he entered into a covenant with God to observe and keep His commandments as set forth therein. The king does more honour to himself than to the Word of God when he openly accepts that Word as the guide and directory of his regal career.
4. There was the public rejoicing. “And they clapped their hands and said, God save the King.” The feeling of the people, so long suppressed, breaks out in joyous acclamation.
“One hour of joy dispels the cares
And sufferings of a thousand years.”
Little joys, says Richter, refresh us constantly like housebread, and never bring disgust: joys are our wings, and sorrows are our spurs. Well might the people be glad—they saw in the restoration of their king the restoration of the national rights of which they had been wickedly defrauded.
III. Is made the more secure by the ignominious overthrow of the usurper (2 Kings 11:13-16). The noise of the people reached the ears of Athaliah in her palace. What did it all mean? Had she a presentiment that it boded no good to her and her rule? Prompted by the undaunted spirit that animated her mother Jezebel to the last, she determined to ascertain for herself the cause of the tumult. Unguarded and alone she entered the temple, and the scene that met her gaze revealed the true state of affairs. She must have felt her fate was sealed. Her wild shrieks were unheeded: no one lifted a finger in her defence. She was seized, hurried beyond the precincts of the temple, which was not to be desecrated with her blood, and was instantly slain. Her overthrow was complete; and the throne of Joash was firmly established.
“Though usurpers sway the rule a while,
Yet heaven is just, and time suppresseth wrongs.”—Shakespeare.
LESSONS:—
1. No government is strong that is not based on the affections of the people.
2. Time and the providence of God are always on the side of right.
3. The purpose of God, though hidden and apparently defeated for a time, will inevitably come to the front.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
2 Kings 11:4-12. Joash’s elevation to the throne. I. How it was determined upon and prepared. Jehoiada took the initiative, for it was his right and duty. It was no rebellion and conspiracy against a just authority, but a fact by itself. Rebels violate law and right in order that they may rule: Jehoiada restored law and right, and did not wish to rule; he remained what he was. He conducted himself with courage, but also with wisdom and prudence.
II. How it was carried out and accomplished. With the participation and approval of the different classes of the entire people, without conspiracy, bloodshed, or violence; in the house of God whose servant the king was; the crown and the law were given into his hands; he was anointed—significant symbols of his calling as king of the people of God.
2 Kings 11:4. Jehoiada a faithful priest. It is not hard to proclaim the word of God when the mighty and great of this world hold to it; but the faithfulness which is needed in the stewards of God’s mysteries is that which will not be stayed or impaired when the great of this world despise and persecute the word, which will sail against the wind of courtly or popular favour, and will persevere in patience. The servants of the Church in the New Testament have not the same calling as the high priests in the Old, so that they have not to meddle with worldly affairs. Where spiritual and worldly authority go hand in hand, where both unite for the sake of God and for His cause, there the Lord gives blessing and prosperity.—Lange.
2 Kings 11:10. New uses for old trophies. After Solomon had built the temple, the trophies of David’s victories were hung up there. So they adorned the walls. So they illustrated the valour of noble sires. So they served to kindle emulation in the breasts of true-hearted sons. Thus it was while generations sprung up and passed away; till at length other days dawned, darker scenes transpired, and sadder things filled up the chronicles of the nation. I. It is well for us to hang all our trophies in the house of the Lord. We, too, are warriors. Every genuine Christian has to fight. Sometimes we have victories, a presage of that final victory we shall enjoy with our Great Captain for ever. We have been defeated when we have gone in our own strength; but when we have been victorious it has always been because the strength of the Lord was put forth for our deliverance. Hang up the shield, hang up the spear, let Jehovah’s name be exalted. Bring forth the forgotten memorials of loving-kindness, expose them to public view, put them before your mind’s eye, gratefully remember them, lovingly praise Him and magnify His name. If we have any victories, let all the trophies be dedicated to the Lord. II. These trophies may come in useful at such times as we cannot foresee, and under such circumstances as we wot not of. When in after years David hung up the swords and shields which he had taken from Philistine heroes, he did not surmise that one of his descendants, of the seed royal, would find the need to employ his own, his grandsire’s, or further back from himself—his forefather’s trophies—in order to establish himself on the throne. In all the battles we fight, the trophies we win should be stored, for they may come in for future use. There is no experience of a Christian that will not have some ultimate service to render him. You know not what may be the history of your life, it is unfinished yet; if you did know, you would see that in this present trial there is a preparation for some future emergency, which will enable you to come out of it in triumph. The shields and spears of David are hung up for future action. III. Ancient weapons are good for present use. Turn to the seventy-seventh Psalm, and you have a battle there. By looking through this psalm you will see David’s shields and spears, and will soon learn how to screen yourself with the one, and how to do exploits with the other. The first weapon he drew out of the scabbard was the weapon of all prayer—another, that of remembering God—another, the teaching of tradition (he “considered the days of old”)—another, his own experience—another an appeal to God’s mercy (Psalms 51). But the great master weapon was the blood—“Purge me with hyssop,” &c. Let sins come on, and let them be more than the hairs of my head, loftier than mountains, and deeper than the unfathomed ocean; let them come on. God’s flaming wrath behind them, hell itself coming to devour me; yet if I can but take the cross and hold it up before me, if I can plead the precious blood, I shall be safe, and prove a conqueror. See that in all your fights you use the old, old weapons of David himself—his shields and spears—by these same weapons shall you also win the day. IV. Did not David herein pre figure Him that was to come—David Son and David’s Lord? Jesus Christ our King, has hung up many shields and spears in the house of the Lord. Sin—Christ has borne it in himself, endured its penalty, and overcome it; he has hung up the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, as a trophy in the house of the Lord. Satan, our great foe—He met him foot to foot in the wilderness, and discomfited him—met him in the garden—overcame him on the cross. Now hell, too, is vanquished—Christ is Lord. Death, too, the last enemy—Christ hath taken spoils from him. And the enmity of the human heart. How many of these enmities has Christ hung up in the hall, for he has conquered that enmity, and made the hater into a lover. There are some great sinners at this day who are wonderful tokens of the power of His love. What will heaven be when all of us shall be trophies of His power to save!—C. H. Spurgeon.
2 Kings 11:11. The true safe-guard of a king.
1. Not the weapons of the military.
2. But the legality and righteousness of his claims.
3. The respect and affection of his people.
4. The overshadowing presence and blessing of Jehovah.
2 Kings 11:12. How a bright morning became a dark night—a lesson for the young. The priest Jehoiada was a very wise man, and the young king had sense enough to be led by him; with his death began sins and misfortunes which ended the life and the glory of king Joash. LEARN:—
1. That a good start is not everything. It does not follow, because as boys and girls you live in a comfortable home and have all you want, that it will be always so. Joash was a king, and of course had many delightful things even when a child; but he came to know the want of them before his death. There is a wretched tramp on the roads to-day, who will sleep in the casual ward of some workhouse, who has had a better education than the master of the place. There are lads in the forecastle of merchant ships whose real names are not those entered on the ship’s books, but who might have been graduates at Oxford if they had chosen to do well. Have a care, boys and girls, lest the comforts you now have be exchanged for self-made misery, and the good start only land you in darker depths than you would otherwise have known. LEARN:—
2. That crowns do not make kings.The boy never was the ruler of the country. His uncle was master. Solomon says something about a jewel in a swine’s snout; that seems a strange place to put a jewel, but you might as well look for it there as expect a coarse nature to become gentle because it is wearing a fine coat. Perhaps you have yet to learn that power means much more than strength. Joash was crowned; but when the old man died his real self came to the front. He chose foolish companions, turned aside to sin, caused the son of his benefactor to be murdered (2 Chronicles 24:21), and finished his poor vain life in shame, and was buried away from his kingly ancestors, while the priest was laid among those who ruled the land (ib., 2 Chronicles 11:16 and 25). It will pay us to think, when we are tempted to do wrong—How will this appear when I am dead? What will people say as they carry me to my grave? Have you some gift which, like that crown on Joash’s head, lifts you up above your companions? Be it money, strength, beauty, or learning, it will only make you kingly and keep you crowned, as you use it in the service of God, and in unselfish efforts to make others good and happy.—T. Champness.
—The oil wherewith he was anointed signified his designation to that high service and those endowments from heaven that might enable him to so great a function. The crown wherewith he was adorned signified that glory and majesty which should both encourage and attend his princely cares. The book of the testimony signified the divine rules and directions whereto he must frame his heart and actions in the wielding of that crown. These three—the oil, the crown, the testimony—that is, inward powers, outward magnificence, true piety and justice—make up a perfect prince. None of these may be wanting. If there be not a due calling of God, and abilities meet for that greatness, the oil faileth: if there be not a majestic grace and royalty that may command reverence, the crown is missing: if there be not a careful respect to the law of God as the absolute guide of all counsels and determinations, the testimony is neglected: all of them concurring make both king and people happy.—Bp. Hall.
2 Kings 11:13-16. Athaliah’s fall. I. Her last appearance. She comes boldly and impudently into the midst of the people, blinded to their disposition towards her. Insolently relying on her imagined majesty, she commands resistance to the movement which is in progress—a faithful type of many tyrants. Pride goes before a fall. II. Her terrible end. Abandoned, despised, and hated by all the people, who rejoice over her fall, she goes to meet her doom, and receives the fate which her deeds deserve. She is punished by that by which she has sinned. Sedition! treason! is the cry of Joram, Jezebel, and Athaliah, and of all those who are themselves most to blame for it (Acts 16:5).—Lange.
2 Kings 11:14. O Athaliah! to whom dost thou complain? They are thy just executioners wherewith thou art encompassed. If it be treason to set up the true heir of Ahaziah, thou appealest to thy traitors—the treason was thine; theirs is justice. The time is now come of thy reckonings for all the royal blood of Judah which thy ambition shed. Wonder rather at the patience of this long forbearance than the rigour of this execution.
2 Kings 11:16. How like is Athaliah to her mother Jezebel! as in conditions and carriage, so even in death. Both killed violently, both killed under their own walls, both slain with treason in their mouths, both slain in the entrance of a changed government; one trode on by the horses, the other slain in the horsegate; both paid their own blood for the innocent blood of others.—Bp. Hall.