Hello friends, welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast. It's wonderful to be with you again as we continue our verse by verse study through Chronicles. These are a pair of books that show us again and again how God works even in the darkest moments of his people's lives and his people's history. Today's episode is entitled When There Seems No Hope of a Solution. Now I'm sure we've all faced a situation where it looked as though there was no way through, no hope, no way forward, no clear answer, no visible path out of the darkness of the situation we're facing. And Israel once faced a moment just like that. When we exited yesterday's chapter chapter twenty two, a murderous woman now sat on the throne as queen. The only surviving Davidic heir was a seven year old boy, and he was hidden away, unrecognized and unknown, and unable to rule. The nation was also steeped in Baal worship, so the spiritual condition of Judah, the southern nation of Israel, was at its lowest point, and the promise of God that a male descendant of David would sit on the throne, well that seemed a very way, long way off, maybe even on the brink of collapse. There was not much hope for a spiritual revival, and there seemed no hope either of any prospect of national restoration. In fact there was not much hope for anything at all. So what happened? What changed the situation? And how did God intervene when there seemed to be no hope of a solution humanly? Well the answer is found for us in the next chapter we're looking at today, chapter 23 of Two Chronicles. So, welcome to today's episode, and together let's explore a situation where there seemed to really be no hope of a solution, but God had other ideas. Welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast. Because the Chronicler is doing something very intentional here. The writer of One and Two Chronicles, the guy who I refer to as the Chronicler, had little interest in this queen Athela, this wicked woman who seized the throne. The events have been described, but no more. She was not of the Davidic line. She was the daughter of Ahab, her father, who himself had gone astray, and she was an intruder, a usupper, a usurper, and therefore she was not central to the chronicler's purpose in writing these books. He records what she did, but little more than that. His concern in the chapter is not to give us an account of Athala's reign particularly, but the events that brought the next Davidic king to the throne, this young boy Joash. Now, up to this point we've seen that every bad king has neglected the temple, and every good king of Judah has protected the temple, but now, interestingly, it is the temple that is protecting the boy, the boy king, the future king. The temple becomes the visible symbol of God's covenant with David, and it is a reminder that even though there is no visible king on the throne, God has not abandoned his promise. The lamp of David still burns, the covenant still stood, and the future promise that the next Davidic king would reign while he was hiding as a young lad, seven years old, inside the temple itself. So with that background in mind, let's look at how God worked in what seemed a hopeless situation. First of all, we see in the opening verse, covenant is made again. Verse 1 says, In the seventh year, Jehoiada showed his strength, and he made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred. Azariah, son of Jehorahim, Ishmael, son of Jehoiahim, Azariah, son of Obad, Masaiah, son of Adeah, and Elishapat, son of Zikri. Now, this chapter has introduced us now to a group of men whose names are not really familiar to us so far. They are the military captains, the leaders and the Levites, but the key figure is Jehoiada, the high priest behind this situation and this covenant being agreed amongst them. For six long years, Jehoiada, Jehoiada has hidden Joash in the temple. The flame of devotion to the Lord has burned low in Judah, yes, but it has not been extinguished, and it's not been extinguished because of this man, Jehoiada. In the absence of a king, God has raised up a priest to lead his people. And in the seventh year, which we understand from Bible experts, around 835 BC, Jehoiada strengthened his situation and the situation around the temple. He gathered trusted military captains and he makes a covenant with them. He begins to plan the overthrow of Athaliah. But there's more than a political coup going on here. This is the beginning of a spiritual restoration. Next verse. They went through out Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of the Israelite families from all the towns when they came to Jerusalem. So Jehoiada's captains, these people he's just made the covenant with, they traveled through the southern kingdom of Judah, gathering Levites from every city in Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and also, including the remaining leaders, from those northern tribes who had stayed faithful and perhaps moved south, and he brings them all to Jerusalem. Now the parallel account of these events found in 2 Kings 11 emphasizes the role of the royal bodyguard, but Chronicles here, as to be expected, always emphasizes the roles of the Levites and the spiritual leaders of the nation. So Jehoiada here is orchestrating a sort of holy restoration, not merely the political transition described in King's account of these events. Then another covenant is made. Verse 3, the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiad said to them, The king's son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David. That is the heart of this chapter and what's going on. The people enter into a covenant, not with Jehoiada, not just with one another, but now with the king, the seven-year-old son of Joash. And Jehoiada declares, The king's son shall now reign, referring to Joash, the rightful, next in line. So not Athalalah, and certainly not Baal, the king's son Joash, the son of David, a son of David, shall reign, because the Lord promised it. This is what is called covenanting theology, but it's covenanting theology in action. The people are visibly aligning themselves with God's promise, God's King, the very Davidic covenant that God has given them. Then the plan for protection is revealed. Verses 4 to 6. Now this is what you're to do, he says. A third of the priests and the Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the door, a third of you keep guard at the royal palace, and a third at the foundation gate. And all the others are to be in the courtyard of the temple of the Lord. No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and the Levites on duty, and they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe the Lord's commands not to enter. So we see Jehoiada here divide the priests and the Levites into three groups one third stationed at the temple doors, one third at the king's house, and one third at what is called the foundation gate. So Jehoiada here is carefully obeying the law. Only priests and Levites may enter the temple. Everyone else must remain outside, guarding the perimeter and protecting the boy king. Now the phrase, all the other men are to guard what the Lord has assigned to them, means they were to uphold the law, protect the sanctity of the temple, whilst also at the same time ensuring Joash's safety. Verse 7. The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with a weapon in their hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes. So this, in my mind, is a sort of ancient equivalent of the secret service. The Levites are to perform a protective ring around Joas, and anyone who attempts to enter the temple unlawfully is to be killed, and the king must also be guarded at all times. Verse 8. The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men, those who were going on duty on the Sabbath, and those who were going off duty, for Jehoiada had not released any of the divisions. Now, what does this mean? Well, this, frankly, is brilliant. Jehoiada here is using the rotation of priestly divisions to gather a large force without drawing suspicion. As one shift finishes, he doesn't dismiss them, he keeps them in place, and the next shift arrives, and then the next. So he has a massive number of Levites and leaders gathering now all under the guise of normal rotating temple service. It then says Jehoiada the priest gave the commander spears and large and small shields that had belonged to King David that were in the temple of God. Now this is a lovely little detail here. Jehoiadam arms the captain with David's own weapons. These are the relics of King David that have been stored in the temple for generations. So, as well as being weapons, they are symbolic as well, because they represent in themselves the covenant with David, the promise of a lasting dynasty, and the faithfulness of God across the centuries. And the men stand armed with the reminders of God's past victories in their hands, guarding the temple, the king, and the area, and the whole holy area. Verse ten He stationed all the men, each with a weapon in his hand, around the king, near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. There you go. They form a protective ring around the place where Joiah, where Joash will appear. Every man stands ready, every entrance is guarded, and every approach is secure. The nation is holding its breath, and the coronation of the boy king can finally take place. Verse eleven. Jehoida and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him. They presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted Long live the king. This is one of the most dramatic moments in all of the Old Testament. They bring out the seven year old boy and they place the crown on his head. This is a coronation. They also give him a copy of a covenant. Likely experts say the scroll of the law as Moses commanded in Deuteronomy 17. Now some scholars believe they may have given the original copy of the law, the one kept near or in the ark, but whether it is the original or not, the symbolism is absolutely clear. The king will rule, but he must rule under the authority of God's written word. And Joash is crowned, anointed, and publicly declared king. The temple is then to seen to erupt with praise, and we hear that call that has echoed down the generations of the coronations of earthly kings ever since. Long live the king. But someone else also hears the noise and the commotion. Athaliah, verses twelve and thirteen. When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athelia tore her clothes and shouted, Treason, treason. So she hears the commotion, she hears the sighting and the rejoicing, and she rushes to the temple to investigate. And she sees this young boy king standing in the exact place where King stood following a coronation, and the officers and the trumpeters are beside them, and the people are rejoicing, and the singers are leading praise, and the instruments are sounding forth. This is a full royal ceremony and celebration. And Athalia, furious, it says, tears her robe and cries, Treason, treason. But no one listens to her, for she is the usurper. Joash is the rightful king, and the people stand firmly with him. Then the text continues, picking up in verse 14. Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of the units of a hundred who were in charge of the troops, and said to them, Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword any one who follows her. For the priest had said, Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord. So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the horse gate on the palace grounds, and they put her to death. So Jehoiada remains in complete control of the situation. The priest of the temple will not allow bloodshed in the temple, so he orders her to be taken outside, and he also adds that anyone who tries to defend her, they too are to be killed. So we see Athaliah executed, but not in the temple, at the horse gate, which is near the palace, but not in the palace, and her reign ends as it began in blood. Verse 16. Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people, and the king would be the Lord's people. So we now see Jehoiada lead the entire nation in a renewal of their covenant with God. This is a spiritual renewal. They pledge themselves to the Lord, they pledge themselves to the Lord's King, and they pledge himself to his ways, revealed through his word. Then verse 17 tells us all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and the idols, and they killed Matan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars. So this is a really thorough cleansing being described here. They destroy Baal's temple, they smash up all the idols, they break the altars, and they even execute Baal's priest. So Jehoiada's reforms are sweeping, wide-ranging. He is restoring Judah to the worship of the true God and he is cleansing the nation from idolatry. And then the temple worship is restored. Picking up in verse 18. God's temple worship is restored. Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord into the hands of the Levitical priests to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present burnt offerings to the Lord as written in the law of Moses, and to do it with rejoicing and singing as David had ordered. He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord's temple, so no one was in any way on who might in any way be unclean might enter in. So Jehoiada restores those priestly duties and the Levit's responsibilities for running the whole sacrificial system, including musical worship. All those things David established. He puts everything back in order. The temple is holy again, the worship is pure again, the nation is returning to God again, and this is revival. And Jehoiadin knows that revival always begins in the house of the Lord. Verse 20. Jehoiadim took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the temple to the Lord, and they went to the palace through the upper gate, and they seated the king on the royal throne. So Joash, this young lad, is finally, finally brought out of the temple, and he's escorted by the leaders, the nobles, the captains, and indeed the people themselves, and they all move through the upper gate, that ceremonial entrance into the palace. And there at last the seven-year-old boy is seated on the throne of the kingdom. And at this point the Davidic line is fully restored. The covenant promise is preserved, and the rightful king has been enthroned. And then the final verse of this chapter tells us all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword. The people rejoice, the city becomes quiet again, peace returns to the nation of Judah. This is classic chronicler theology being described here. Wherever the Lord's will is followed, wherever the temple is established, the people rejoice, and the land finds rest. So after years and years of fear, idolatry, and tyranny, Judah finally breathes again. They can begin to look forward with hope again. They are grateful that at last a son of David sits on the throne again, and they anticipate a new season of peace under Joash. Now this is a remarkable chapter, especially in contrast to the darkness that we saw yesterday in chapter 22. When there seemed no hope of for a descendant of David to sit on the throne, we've seen God raise up the single man as a courageous priest. Jehoiada protected the rightful heir, and he crowns the seven-year-old boy as king in today's chapter. And he executed the wicked king, he restored temple worship, they've torn down bells, altars, and re-established the holiness of the land and the holiness and the holy worship and service in the house of the Lord. So when it looked like there was no solution, God raised up a man who took the courage to do what the word said should be done. And that I believe is the core spiritual lesson of this chapter, being that when a situation looks hopeless, take courage to what God's word says and trust the Lord to do the rest. That's simply all this high priest did. Now it may not seem like much, it may seem small, just doing what God says, it may not feel like enough in the situation you're facing, you may feel it is inadequate, but God works through these small acts of faithful obedience, even when the odds seem impossible. Now there's also something worth noting here about the restoration of a community. Many years later, the returning exiles will face a very similar situation to this again. There will be no Davidic king on the throne, effectively, they have become a province of the Persian Empire, and they could not crown their own king, they could not restore the Davidic monarchy, but they could rebuild the temple that had been destroyed at that point. And rebuilding the temple was the thing that gave them hope. Hope that one day a son of David would again sit on the throne. Hope that God's promise had not failed, and hope that the covenant still stood. And again the temple again becomes the protector of the promise of God. And that promise still stands for you and I today. Encourage you to take courage, encourage you just simply to cling to God's word and to trust him even when a situation looks impossible. He is always working, often behind the scenes, often through ordinary people, often through just simple acts of obedience. And the temple he is building today for us is in your body, friend, and in your life, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And God continues to build that in us under the new covenant, the New Testament promise. So, once again, a heartfelt thank you for all of you who've chosen to listen to this wherever you get your podcast from. You can subscribe and follow along wherever you do that. And a special thank you for any of you who recommend this podcast to someone else. And another special thank you for those who support my ministry through Patreon. Your generosity is the thing that makes this work possible, and I'm deeply grateful for that. Now in our next episode tomorrow, we'll move, now you'll not be surprised to hear, into 2 Chronicles 24, where Joash finally begins her reign and he discovers the importance, and we discover the importance of recognizing good advice, receiving it, and the important thing is acting upon it. It's a chapter that is filled with practical wisdom for our everyday lives, and I do hope you'll join me for that study tomorrow. But until then, may God Himself keep your heart courageous, your steps obedience, and may He rekindle the hope that is anchored in His promises that He's made to you. And may He also continue to build His temple in your heart and mind today. I'll see you in the next episode. Bye bye for now.