The Perfect Plan

"Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister, secretly rescued Joash (son of Ahaziah) from among the king's sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athalia and was not killed. Joash was in hiding with her in the Lord's temple six years while Athalia reigned over the land."
                                                                2 Kings 11:2-3




There always has been and always will be two powers at play in this world in which we live. There is the Kingdom of Light  and the kingdom of darkness that continually fights against one another in an epic battle that will ultimately  reach its crescendo at the end of the Tribulation. Each kingdom has warriors that fight on its behalf. And, sometimes people unknowingly fight on the wrong side, all the while convinced that they are doing the right thing.

This is what King Jehu did. He was the King of the Northern kingdom of Israel and had twenty-eight years of experience under his belt. While he prided himself on being zealous for the Lord, he also had allowed idolatry to also be a part of his reign. Jehu did some things that were right in God's eyes but he also was the ultimate politician and did whatever he could to stay in power, even if he had to murder innocents to achieve this ambition. No one ever succeeds once they give way to the slippery slope of compromise. In the end, he succumbed to peer pressure and the worshipping of golden calves.

Because Jehu had killed King Ahaziah in the southern kingdom of Israel, the throne was now empty and ready to be occupied by evil forces. And, that is exactly what happened. Athalia had been the queen mother and was also the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab. She seized the throne and then began her sole mission to eliminate the lineage of King David because she only wanted Baal worship to be allowed in Judah. She was very fierce in what she did because she was also angry at how King Jehu had tried to eliminate both Ahab's family and Baal worship in the land.

Athalia believed that she was successful in eliminating the Davidic line, and from what she could see, she really was. However, this was not God's plan. God had made covenant promises to His people and He was not about to let one evil queen have her way. Despite the fact that their situation looked grim, God had the perfect plan and He intended to use the High Priest named Jehoiada and his wife named Jehosheba to carry it out.

Jehoiada and Jehosheba were genuine believers and followers of God. They were not influenced by ambition and deceit, and they certainly were not moved by peer pressure. Instead, they let faith and courage direct their steps as they humbly sought to only do God's will.

Jehosheba was not only the wife of the High Priest, but she also was a princess in her own right. She was a daughter to King Jehoram and a sister to King Ahaziah, who Jehu had killed. This made her the aunt of Joash who was a young child at this time. It definitely was an anomaly that this godly princess could come from such an evil lineage but God always raises up a remnant to stand against the forces of evil.

Jehosheba became aware of Athalia's evil plans and she and her husband stole baby Joash and his nurse and hid them away in a room where old bedding was stored. Later, they would move him to the temple where he could move about in an inconspicuous way. During these six years that he was hidden, he was never recognized as a legitimate heir to the throne so that his safety could be ensured.

Jehoiada and Jehosheba continued to pray and seek God's timing as the boy grew. At just the right time, God gave them wisdom in how to remove Athalia from the throne and put Joash in her stead. The plan succeeded and at age seven Joash became the new king of the southern kingdom and continued on the legacy and lineage of King David.

Athalia was executed. Baal worship was eliminated. And, the Davidic dynasty continued, just as God had planned.

When you read this story, it sounds almost like a modern day soap opera. Or, maybe even a Disney movie. And yet, these were the people of God who had been thrust right smack in the middle of a major mess. There had to have been moments and times when these believers could not understand what was happening. There had to have been times when it looked as if evil would win and God's children would be defeated. And yet, that did not happen.

God's plan prevailed just as it always does. This is because God has initiated the plan even before the problem occurs. Often, it is hid in obscurity for a while just as baby Joash was. However, at just the right moment, it will always be revealed.

Circumstances may even worsen before there is a reprieve, but God is always masterfully orchestrating His victorious plan. Just as in this story, there can be so many moving parts and people who are operating in their free wills, but God is sovereign over every part of it. We can take comfort in knowing that God is never caught off-guard. Nor, is He ever scrambling trying to keep up with what is happening. We may be, but He is not.

What Jehosheba and Jehoiada did in private mattered. It mattered in the time in which they lived and it still matters to us today. Sometimes we think that then little things we do that no one sees has no importance and yet it always does. It can affect generations.

God molded Jehosheba and Jehoiada in the secret place and He raised them up to stand against wickedness in their day. This is what he longs to do in each one of our lives today, as well. As we learn to fully surrender to Him and trust in what He is doing, we will find that He is accomplishing things that are far greater than we can even imagine. He is masterfully executing the smallest of details to finish the work He has started and present to the world His Perfect Plan!


"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
                                                           Hebrews 13:20-21