Satan’s Other Daughter (Part C)

That's a picture of Bible-believing Christians coming to church, is it not, from Satan's perspective? From Satan's perspective, you are a threat if you believe in your scripture and are determined to submit to the Lord. Even in your worst times of failure, you return and you stick and abide with the Lord. Well, he ordered them to do this in verse 8.

Every Christian with their sword, Ephesians 6.17, this would be the obvious one. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 2 Kings.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Today, Pastor Rick will continue his message called Satan's Other Daughter in 2 Kings chapter 11. God's temple is so deserted at this time. Look at how God works here. He lets the temple be trashed because this is what the people are doing. And then he uses the temple as a safe, as a refuge for the boy because nobody's going to look there. We're not going to the temple. We're going over to the Ba'al's temple. All the bad people were avoiding the house of God where he was being hid.

So Corey Tambounish, you know, when they were in the prison and their barracks had fleas and the guards didn't want to come in. So they had Bible studies and things like that. Just the hand of the Lord. Anyway, the safest place to conceal the child king was the house of God because nobody was going there except righteous people and they weren't in the majority.

2 Chronicles 24 verse 7, giving us a little bit more on the story. For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, you see, pause there. You see, when they're wicked, they call them wicked.

You don't say, well now, you know, you got to respect the office. She's wicked. I'm not talking about Athaliah now.

I'm talking about the ones about 300 miles north. Anyway, for the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman had broken into the house of God and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of Yahweh to the Ba'al's. And so she was stealing all the good stuff from God's house and putting it in use in the house of these demonic gods. And Jehoiada and Jehoshiba, they knew what to do with this. Let's hide the boy or they'll never look in plain sight. Verse 4, in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the hundreds, the body gods and the escorts and brought them into the house of Yahweh to him and he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of Yahweh and showed them the king's son. Now it's time. Now the story shifts. It was seven years later now and Jehoiada says it's time.

We can do this. He's been working the whole time, it seems. Second Chronicles 23 verse 2 speaks of him and these men that he makes his covenant with. They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the chief fathers of Israel and they came to Jerusalem.

And now they're going to get rid of this woman. Verse 5, then he commanded them saying, this is what you shall do. One third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king's house. One third shall be at the gate, verse 6, of Sir and one third at the gate behind the escorts. You should keep a watch of the house lest it be broken down.

So he is setting up a safe zone for the boy, putting up a perimeter. It's around the Sabbath. Because of the heightened activity at the temple, even in these troublesome times, they would increase the Levites, the servants, the security. After the Sabbath they would go back to their regular shifts. So he's planned it when he's got all these men there already so no one, if he does it on a Tuesday, like why are you bringing in all these Levites?

But if he does it on a Sunday, well they're expected because it's the heightened activity. So it's just well coordinated. He's taking these careful measures to ensure that the death of Athaliah and the crowning of Joash take place simultaneously.

He's going to succeed. Now he's using that common three-pronged attack approach, splitting up his forces. David used it, Gideon used it, Abimelech, the self-appointed failed king of Israel did it, Saul did it, the Philistines did it. That's the military note for the night, the three-pronged attack. Verse 7, two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch on the house of Yahweh for the king. Interesting, the lad is their king. He's already discussed this with him. He's let him know we've kept him alive.

They're like, what? The line of David is alive? I knew it!

You know, that kind of a thing. And so that's their king. They never acknowledged Athaliah as king.

The memory phrase for pronouncing her name is liar, Athaliah. In their hearts, this was just a dream come true, the six-year-old. So they had to restrain themselves for all this time.

And they did it. Verse 8, but you shall, that is the keepers and then when they told the story, the keepers had to restrain themselves for six years. Verse 8, and you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapon in his hand and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in. These are the bodyguards. Second Chronicles says the Levites shall surround the king on all sides. So these guys, they are serious and nothing going to stop them. This is now a military operation and nothing is going to interfere. She's dead.

She's a dead woman walking. Anyway, verse 9, so the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada, the priests commanded. Each of them took his men who were on duty on the Sabbath with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath and came to Jehoiada, the priests.

And so they had four times, you know, they had the regular shift and the shifts that were the three on the Sabbath that were going off, so they were ready. I love seeing loyalty amongst the righteous in the Bible. Who doesn't? Who does not love to hear the speech of Ruth or Jonathan, his armor bearer saying, whatever you do, Jonathan, I've got your back. We love this loyalty. Anyway, we love loyalty anywhere in the cause of righteousness. But I have learned that sometimes loyalty has to be taught. Some folks, they think they have loyalty and they don't. You can only find out if you're loyal when the pressure's on. There's no such thing as loyalty when you're just relaxing and everything is fine. It's when there's the challenge. Are you going to stick to the king or the place where God has you or are you going to flee? You have to use a straight edge, you know, in life.

Straight edge, if you're cutting a piece of wood or something, you know, you put a board there to keep your saw straight to the line. Well, loyalty is that way and it comes in the form usually of a friend that can help you say, well, I'm not running. I'm going to stay. I think this is right.

It's a Passover. Let's not be so quick. Let's give the benefit of the doubt when there is doubt. Now, I'm not talking about loyalty to known, you know, devilish work. If Ichabod, if the glory departs, then you need to go with it. But if the glory's still there and it's just a little, you know, stuff's a little ugly, just tough it out and God will straighten it out. So anyway, I've watched too many good Christians lose sight of loyalty and abandon their post over lint, dust, nothing. No one was there to demand them stick by their post, saying now's not the time to flee.

Stick to your post. The incidentals will pass. We will overcome them.

These are not grounds for desertion. And to get loyalty, if you don't have it, you have to begin with resolve and you begin in the time of peace, if you can. Before the trouble comes, you start building yourself up. You know, loading your weapon at the beginning of the firefight is not ideal.

And so go in ready. Keep the swords sharp and don't flee in the day of discord. Proverbs 24 10.

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Sums it up for me. Anyway, he instructs the shifts to be on alert and to kill anybody that is a threat.

As soon as they come into your area, you kill them. Verse 10. These are the days.

This is how it was at this time. Verse 10. And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields which had belonged to King David that were in the temple of Yahweh. Well, that's in your face, Satan. You tried to destroy the king.

He's still alive. And we're going to use weapons that are connected to the very David that you despise. This was symbolic and it was powerful. The king of Egypt, Shishak, had come in, 1 Kings 14, and he took all the gold and silver shields. He ignored these. These are just common weapons.

I got better ones in Egypt or just the same, whatever. He leaves these behind. How many times did the priest go past the closet where these weapons were, the armory where these weapons were, and not know they were going to be used to save the messianic line or hope that there would be some righteous use to overthrow Athaliah? David's influence is all over this. One of the greatest men in the Bible. Oh man, just the mercy that he received from God alone catapults him to the top on my list.

Not the tip top, but the top. Anyway, Jehoi's use of these weapons symbolizes the return of the Davidic line, the Davidic heir, and this Joash here, the descendant of David. The temple was designed by David. The temple mount was purchased by David. David ordered much of the temple worship that they're benefiting now from these shifts with the divisions of the Levites. David set that up.

He perfected it, developed it. It was his protocol for worship. David wrote many of the psalms that were sung in worship by these Levites. David contributed to the building of the temple from his own bank account, his private accounts, his own money, and the money that was seized in his wars. His name is all over this, and rightfully so, because this is God. God did it all.

He's the author of all of it. This had to stoke these men. These Levites, not from the tribe of Judah, but Levites. They would say, I'm from the tribe of God. They could say that. This had to stoke them. This was more than memorabilia.

You wouldn't know there's a collected item. Don't use them. They're going to use these to kill people, and they did. This was God's history, and it was being reactivated for war against the devil, and they knew it, and Satan knew it, and Satan couldn't do anything about it.

His precious Athaliah, his instrument for six years, or 15 years, is about to end. Well, it says that we're in the temple of the Lord. It galled these men to have to be under the authority of such a demon. Verse 11, like, you know, it galls us when we see evil, get away with evil and get elected. Anyhow, verse 11, then the escort stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar of the house.

Do you want to picture the escort stood, every man with his weapons in his hand? That's a picture of Bible-believing Christians coming to church, is it not, from Satan's perspective? From Satan's perspective, you are a threat if you believe in your scripture and are determined to submit to the Lord. Even in your worst times of failure, you return and you stick and abide with the Lord.

Well, he ordered them to do this in verse 8. Every Christian with their sword, Ephesians 6, 17, this would be the obvious one, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, metaphorically, metaphorically for us, from hell's perspective is real. Hebrews 4, 12, the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and the spirit and the joints and the marrow. It cuts deep and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. So when we, the Christians, see this, this is not just a historical lesson for us.

If you were teaching this in high school in Israel, which I don't think they do, but they may take part, some Yeshiva may get into it, but we look at this as this is God in action, even if God does not do these things on my behalf. Again, I mentioned Saul, Paul, the apostle wasn't called to face the machine gun fire initially, but ultimately he did. He stoned enough times to tell people to stop bugging him, he bears in his body the marks of Christ. Catch the superlative nouns here, the king, the temple, the altar, the house, and that sword, sharper, it cuts deeper than any blacksmith's sword, all rich with suggestion, realization, even if we don't remember the sermon, if we're exposed to sermons that point these things out, it makes us stronger all around the king. That's the throne on earth for them, the king, they thought he was dead. From the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, their place of worship, by the altar, their place of sacrifice, by the house, the place of dwelling for the little king, his hiding place. Verse three again, going back to verse three, so he was hidden with her in the house of Yahweh for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land. Verse 12, and he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony, they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said long live the king. Well Deuteronomy, instructions were given long before Israel had a king and they were commanded to give the king a copy of the law for him to meditate on it, the Torah, and he was to write by hand in his own handwriting, the Torah, Genesis through Deuteronomy. Maybe that's how he was taught, he certainly was homeschooled, that's not a slight on public school, but it's true to the story. He is homeschooled, what are they teaching him, how do they teach him to read and write, and they were big on this, it wasn't like they were all ignorant, they were smart people to educated people. Maybe they had him write the law in part of those six years, begin to writing, and maybe that's part of the testimony they gave him.

Either way it was scripture, whether it was with his penmanship or it was handed to him. Verse 13, now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of Yahweh. Well it's not uncommon to find devils of any rank enter the places of true worship and that's what's happening here. This is a devil of high rank and she's entering into the true place of worship. You want to yell at her, why don't you back at bowels, what are you doing here? Anyway, it's going to be worse than yelling at her what's coming, verse 14. When she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar according to custom, and the leaders and the trumpeters were with the king.

All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, so Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, treason, treason. I love this part. This is my favorite part. Well it's not, but I like it a lot.

The look on her face when she realizes what's happening. You know, we don't have a bunch of Levites with their cameras out. Perhaps it was one of the two pillars outside the temple of Jacob or Boaz, because this is Solomon's temple.

God will establish Jacob, you know, in him is strength, Boaz. And the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. Now the majority is against her.

The majority is uprising here and they're going to blow their horns, man. And the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Oh man, this was death notes to her. Paul said to one, talking about the incense, it's the fragrance of victory, to the other the fragrance of death.

They were glad to see her go. Something to toot your horn about. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, treason, treason. Typical of evil.

Accusing the innocent of the crimes they commit. She's the one that committed treason. She had no claim to the throne. But they're not following her.

When Satan engulfs the mind, the mind is only out for itself and behaves ridiculously evil. She felt slaying her own family to protect her quest to rule was okay. That wasn't treason. She felt anyone who protested her right to do this, who denied her, did an injustice to her. All self-centered. She was the standard, not man, not the Jews, certainly not Yahweh. She is the standard of treason in her sick head. Again, the scary thought is that throughout history there's never been a shortage of people like this.

Many of them become dictators of countries. Vile criminals demanding their rights be respected, demanding they be treated with decency. Well, the decency that they denied their victims of. You know the whole thing about the, you know, the policeman putting the guy in the car and watching, watch your head. I would be looking for the camera. And if I didn't see one, okay. You know, it's the flesh, you know. I'm really a pastor.

I wouldn't do that. But I see these things. I see them in my flesh. And I'm always saying, well, Lord, what should I do with this one? And he's always correcting me, it seems like.

I just can't figure it out on my own. Anyway, verse 11, and Joao the priest commanded the captains and the hundreds of officers of the army and said to them, take her outside under guard and slay with the sword whoever follows her. Well, the priest had said, do not let her be killed in the house of Yahweh. She's going to be executed and any of her advocates that dare demonstrate their allegiance, they're going to be killed with her. Verse 16, so they seized her and she went by way of the horse's entrance into the king's house and there she was killed. Isn't it ironic that she died by the horse gate and her mother Jezebel was trampled by horses?

Hmm, things that make you go, hmm, that's one of them. Now on the way, they said to her, you have the right to remain silent and we hope you do. But it really doesn't matter because in just a few, we'll be through with you. That all rhymed. Anyway, verse 17, and Johanna made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people that they should be Yahweh's people and also between the king and the people. Now this is a reformation. Repentance and restoration is the beginning of this process. In the end, God knows who truly is turning back to him and who is not, who is going to retain the idols. Verse 18, and all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They thoroughly broke it in pieces, its altars, its images, and killed Matthan, the priest of Baal, before the altars and the priest appointed officers over the house of Yahweh. So remember, Jehu did this in the north.

We read that last week. He reduced the temple of Baal in the north to a dump, a public latrine really, and here they are raising the temple and killing the high priest and guarding the house of God against retaliation. Verse 19, then he took captains of hundreds, this is all Johanna, he's just in control now, and it was a righteous, righteous thing. Then he took, verse 19, captains of the hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh and went by way of the gate to the escorts, to the king's house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings, so all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet.

They had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. Verse 21, Joash was seven years old when he became king. He is the eighth king of Judah, he's the youngest of all the kings both north and south to ever be coronated and placed on the throne, and he's going to reign for 40 years.

Just a quick review will be done. His father was an idolater at Ahaziah, reigned for a year and was killed by Jehu. His grandmother, Athaliah, was the witch of the south who slaughtered her own grandchildren. The Lord's seed, he is, of the Davidic line, he had an aunt named Rehoshiba, she was a heroic aunt. He had special wives as he grew older, handpicked by Jehoiada.

He arranged these marriages because he was just a sharp cookie and he just knew that's what had to be done in those days for that king. There was a moment of hope with Joash, we'll get to that in the coming chapters, when he repairs the house of God. A lot of lessons in that, a lot of rebukes for a lot of churchianity too baked into that, we'll get to that. And Jehoiada, this uncle, a husband of Jehoshiba, he was just an exceptional mentor. 2 Kings chapter 12, Joash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him, the power of discipleship.

But again, once Jehoiada goes, dies, things change. We see this, there's a boxer, a famous boxer today, that was kind of this, this man took him under his wing, took him off the streets, made him a champion boxer. And as long as that man was alive, this prize fighter, this boxer, was relatively decent as boxers go. But when that man died, that boxer turned into a monster. Did time in jail, I mean just, he's still around today, and I wouldn't want to share a cab with him.

But just the influence is a big deal, it's not a little deal. Thanks for joining us for today's edition on Cross-Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

We trust that what you've heard today in the book of 2nd Kings has been something to remember. If you'd like to listen to more teachings from this series, go to crossreferenceradio.com. Once more, that's crossreferenceradio.com. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast too, so you'll never miss another edition. Just go to your favorite podcast app to subscribe. Our time is about up, but we hope you'll tune in again next time as we continue on in the book of 2nd Kings. We look forward to that time with you, so make a note in your calendar to join Pastor Rick as he teaches from the Bible right here on Cross-Reference Radio.