“But
Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him
from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his
nurse in the bedroom. 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 would not put him to death.” (v.11)
There are
many women of faith in the history of the church who worked behind the scenes
and provided incalculable influence to it. Here in chapter 22 we find Jehosheba,
daughter of king Jehoram and the sister of king Ahaziah who will preserve the
kingly line of David. Though she was Jehoram's
daughter and Ahaziah's sister, she did not walk in their sinful ways but was
instead, obedient to the Lord.
When the ruthless Athaliah (Ahaziah's mother), murdered the royal family and seized
the throne of Judah, Jehosheba rescued baby Joash and his nurse, no doubt at
tremendous personal risk. Then she and her husband, Jehoiada the priest, hid
the boy in the temple for six years (similar to the story of baby Moses), to preserve the kingly line and eventually, to help turn the nation back to God.
One
woman, full of faith, devoted to God, moved by the Holy Spirit to action, preserved the kingly
line and returned a nation back to God. Imagine what two women could do.
The Truth
“I
(Jesus) say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you
will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and
nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
