 The
Lamp of Israel
Rev. Stephen Donovan
2 Kings 11We turn again this morning to the book of 2 Kings.
Please turn to chapter 11 where we take one final look at events
set in motion when Elisha anointed Hazael king of Aram (in
chapter 8) and Jehu king of Israel (in chapter 9). As we
approach the events of chapter 11, we must bear in mind the
everlasting covenant the LORD had made with King David and his
descendents – his seed. The LORD made this promise to David in 2
Samuel 7:12: “When your days are over and you rest with your
fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will
come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom…. Your
house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your
throne will be established forever.” The LORD established the
twelve tribes of Israel as a united kingdom under Solomon –
David’s son. It reached its zenith when Solomon completed the
Temple in Jerusalem. Because Solomon sinned by worshipping the
false gods of his many wives, the LORD tore the kingdom from him
but – “for the sake of David [His] servant” – not completely.
Speaking of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:36, the LORD told Jeroboam: “I
will take the kingdom from his hands and give you ten tribes. I
will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may
always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I
chose to put my name.” We sang of this very promise from Psalm
132 a moment ago. The one tribe was Judah, and the descendents
of David – the lamp of Israel – ruled in Jerusalem until the
seventh generation, when the LORD struck down Ahaziah at the
hand of Jehu. It was then, as we will see in our story, that the
lamp of Israel was apparently extinguished, before being raised
up as promised and established in covenant once again. The
Lamp Apparently Extinguished
2 Kings 11:1-3 set the stage for the rest of the story by
telling us how for six years, the lamp of Israel was apparently
extinguished. Our text begins by telling us the time: “When
Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead….” With
the arrival in Jerusalem of King Ahaziah’s dead body in his war
chariot came the news of what we learned in chapters 9 and 10.
Jehu – a commander in the army of Israel – had just destroyed
the entire household of Athaliah's father Ahab in Israel – most
notably her son, but also her brother Joram (king of Israel),
and her mother Jezebel – not to mention all the rest of her
relatives in Israel as well as some who were visiting from
Judah.
Most of us would be paralyzed by shock or incapacitated by
grief if we received news of such staggering loss. But not
Athaliah! The sight of her dead son and the news that came with
him provoked her to immediate and vigorous action. With no more
sons who could be named king, she knew that she would lose her
powerful position in the palace of Judah as soon as another king
was named.
She had married into the house of David for a purpose – to
bring Judah under the influence of Ahab her father. Under her
influence, two kings of Judah – her husband Jehoram and their
son Ahaziah – did not walk in the ways of their father David.
Instead, they “walked in the ways of the house of Ahab.” She had
already done much – but there was much left to do. Therefore, in
the second half of verse 1 we hear the severe and unsettling
announcement that was the undeniable truth as far as the people
of Judah could know: “She proceeded to destroy the whole royal
family.” She seized the throne to become the only queen to ever
rule in Judah, and the only ruler who was not a descendent of
David. To all appearances, she had destroyed “the seed of the
kingdom” – each and every descendent of David – including her
own grandchildren. The promise of the LORD seemed to have failed
for she had apparently extinguished “the lamp of Israel”! The
false god Baal seemed to have triumphed in Judah, and the people
followed Athaliah in her idolatry. Not only was the temple of
the LORD neglected and in disrepair, its walls had been breached
and its sacred objects plundered for use in a temple of Baal
that was built in Jerusalem. It appeared that the LORD was
powerless to stop her and that He was absent from His people.
Judah was plunged into deep darkness – a darkness that seemed
absolute.
But appearances can be misleading. Athaliah did not know –
and the people of Judah did not know – what we know from verses
2 and 3: “Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of
Ahaziah [by a different mother], took Joash son of Ahaziah and
stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to
be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him
from Athaliah; so he was not killed.” Contrary to all
appearances, Athaliah had not destroyed all the seed of David –
she had not extinguished “the lamp of Israel.” The promise of
the LORD had not failed: an heir to the throne remained,
although hidden away from the eyes of all but a very few.
Jehosheba initially hid Joash and his nurse in “a bedroom” of
the palace. This was not a sleeping chamber, but a storage
chamber for spare furniture and mattresses. In good time she
sneaked them out of the palace and into the temple complex where
she lived with her husband – Jehoiada, the high priest.
Therefore we read, “He remained hidden with his nurse at the
temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.”
These were dark days in the history of Israel, but there were
darker days to come. Ultimately the northern kingdom was
dispersed to the nations and the kingdom of Judah was exiled to
Babylon. Jerusalem and the temple of the LORD were destroyed –
and the line of David was cut off... or so it seemed. The LORD
returned them to the land – where they restored the city walls
and built a second temple – but the seed of David did not return
to the throne. Through the prophets, the LORD reminded them of
His promise that one day David’s Seed – David’s greater Son –
would sit upon the throne and “the lamp of Israel” would shine
forever. But then the prophets stopped speaking – and for 400
years they waited in darkness. Into that darkness came the
“the lamp of Israel” – the Light of the World – David’s greater
Son – Jesus the Christ. He was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the
promise given in the prophecy of Micah 5:2 - “But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of
you will come for Me one who will rule over Israel…. He will
stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the
majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live
securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the
earth – and He will be their peace.” But as soon as the Light
appeared, the darkness opposed Him. When King Herod – who ruled
at the pleasure of Rome – heard that a “king of the Jews” had
been born, he did his utmost to have Him killed. When the Magi
from the East did not lead Him to the child – he pulled an
Athaliah. He “gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and
its vicinity who were two years old and under” – trying to
exterminate the promised Seed of David – to extinguish “the lamp
of Israel”. Like Joash before Him, Jesus was taken away and
hidden. After a few years in Egypt, He returned to the land and
hid in plain sight until He was about 30 – a carpenter’s son in
the village of Nazareth.
The Lamp of Israel Raised Up As Promised
How this was accomplished is set forth with great detail in
verses 4 through 16. It happened “in the seventh year” of
Athaliah’s reign – and Joash’s life. Jehoaida, the high priest,
started by recruiting a few key men whom he believed would be
loyal to the seed of David. In verse 4, Jehoiada called to
himself “the commanders of the units of a hundred” over two
groups: “the Carites” and the “guards.” The Carites were highly
trained mercenary bodyguards first hired by King David. The
“guards” were the Levite temple guards – over which there were
five commanders according to 2 Chronicles. Having
gathered this handful of men at the temple of the LORD, “[Jehoaida]
made a covenant with them and put them under oath.” It is clear
from what follows that they vowed at least three things: first,
their allegiance to a rightful heir to the throne – a seed of
David; second, their silence regarding his existence; and third,
their submission to Jehoiada and his plan for putting an heir on
the throne. It was then, according to verse 4, that “he showed
them the king’s son.” According to 2 Chronicles, Jehoiada
revealed Joash saying, “The king’s son shall reign, as the LORD
promised concerning the [sons] of David.” Can you imagine their
reaction?! Shock? Disbelief? Relief? Excitement? For six years
they have been serving a treasonous queen – because they
believed there was no seed of David to serve. Now here was this
boy who would be king – and they were at his service. In
verses 5 through 8, Jehoida gave these leaders their marching
orders. In verses 9 through 12 they carried them out. When the
appointed day arrived – a Sabbath day – the temple courts were
full of worshippers of the LORD. 2 Chronicles tells us that the
commanders had gathered from Judah “Levites and heads of
Israelite families from all the towns… [to assemble] at the
temple of God” that day. When temple guards arrived to begin
their normal week-long tour of duty, their commanders set up a
perimeter. Each commander stationed his men to guard one of
three positions – “the royal palace”, “the Sur Gate”, and “the
gate behind the guard” – protecting the temple grounds against
attack from the North, South, and West.
The two commanders and the temple guards who were due to go
off duty stayed in the temple and took up positions to the East
– forming ranks that arched out from the front corners of the
temple as far as the altar of sacrifice. To these men Jehoiada
issued special armor reserved only for official ceremonies of
the kingdom – “the spears and the shields that had belonged to
King David and that were in the temple of the LORD.” He gave
them this order: “Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put
to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.” When all
were in position, Jehoida revealed the rightful heir to the
throne of Judah – Joash – the seed of David – “the lamp of
Israel”. Verses 12 through 16 tell what happened then – Joash
was raised up and Athaliah was cast down. Jehoiada proclaimed
Joash king with a crown on his head to identify his office and a
copy of the covenant to identify his purpose – as commanded by
God in Deuteronomy chapter 17. The priests anointed him with oil
to signify that his authority and power came from the LORD – and
the people gladly received him shouting, “Long live the king!”
Joash took his place on the king’s platform by one of the
pillars at the front of the temple – raised up above the crowd.
The trumpeters blew a coronation fanfare and the people rejoiced
and clapped their hands – together making a great noise – which
Athaliah heard. As we have seen, Athaliah was a woman of action!
Whether she went to the temple alone or with an entourage we are
not told. What we know is that when she got there she knew that
her end had come. In vain, this illegitimate queen – who had
committed treason to take the throne of David – tried to rally
support by charging the rightful heir and his entourage with
treason. It would sound comical if it weren’t so tragic.
Jehoiada made it clear that “she must not be put to death in
the temple of the LORD,” so He issued the command to “bring her
out [of the temple] between the ranks and put to the sword
anyone who follows her.” When she reached the place where horses
entered the palace, the guards killed her – and the house of
Ahab died with her. Chapter 12 records the reign of Joash that
introduced over 100 years of consecutive rule by four good kings
– the longest continuous span of God-approved leadership in
Judah’s history. He began well and restored the temple of the
LORD – but he finished badly by allowing idol worship to return
to Judah and by emptying the treasuries of the palace and the
temple to pay off an invader to Jerusalem. Do you remember
Hazael – the man who would be king in Aram – anointed by Elisha
and appointed by the LORD to punish Israel for her sins? More
importantly, however, in the history of redemption, Joash
provided the one-man-bridge for the line of David to survive the
destruction wrought by the house of Ahab through his grandmother
Athaliah. Through him runs the unbroken lineage in Matthew
chapter 1 from Abraham down through David down to “Joseph, the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
Joash is there in verse 8 – though unwritten – between his
grandfather Jehoram and his son Uzziah. Jesus Christ – the
descendent of Joash – is David’s greater Son – the true lamp of
Israel. He remained hidden in plain sight until the appointed
time arrived for His coronation. People didn’t recognize Him
when He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and announced by God the
Father at His baptism.
Even when they got a glimpse of who He is through His
teaching and by His miracles – they misunderstood His kingdom.
The Apostle John tells how after He fed the 5000, “Jesus,
knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force,
withdrew….” His disciples James and John asked to be seated at
His right and at His left – when He took up His throne. They
didn’t know what they were asking.
Peter rebuked Him when Jesus told them that He was going to
Jerusalem to “be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
It didn’t fit with his expectation for Jesus’ coronation! When
Jesus arrived at Jerusalem, a great crowd gathered to line the
road with palm branches and to praise Him crying out, “Blessed
is the King of Israel!” No one understood that He would wear a
crown of thorns instead of gold; that His entire life was a
fulfillment of the Book of the Covenant – not for Himself, but
for His people; that instead of being anointed with oil, He
would be spat upon and beaten. They did not expect that when
He was raised up it would not be near the pillar of the Temple –
surrounded by an honor guard, the fanfare of trumpets, and the
praise of those who loved Him but outside the city on a cross –
surrounded by Roman centurions, the groans of dying men, and the
ridicule of those who hated Him; that He would not be hailed as
David’s greater Son – the True Lamp of Israel but derided as the
so-called “king of the Jews.” This was His coronation –
through it He was lifted up and His enemy, the Devil, was cast
down. In John 12:31, Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment
on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to
myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to
die. There is more to becoming king than a coronation
ceremony. The one anointed king must still ascend to the throne.
And so it was with Joash. Having raised up Joash and cast down
the pretender to the throne, Jehoiada went on to see the Lamp of
Israel established in Covenant.
The Lamp of Israel Established in Covenant
The apostasy of Judah that began with her husband and her son
was complete when Athaliah seized the throne. Under her
illegitimate rule, Judah radically broke covenant with the LORD.
Therefore, in verse 17 we read that “Jehoiada then made a
covenant....” It was more specific than that! “Jehoiada cut THE
covenant – between the LORD and the king and the people – that
they would be the LORD’s people.” We find a more complete
picture of what this means when we look to the coronation of
King Josiah in 2 Kings, chapter 23.
There we read that Josiah “went up to the temple of the LORD
with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and
the prophets – all the people from the least to the greatest. He
read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the
Covenant…. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant
in the presence of the LORD – to follow the LORD and keep his
commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his
soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this
book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”
Both the king and the people renewed the original covenant which
the LORD made with Israel at Mount Sinai. The first two
commandments of that covenant required them to worship the LORD
alone and to put away all idolatry. Their obedience to these
commandments is recorded in verse 18 – even though it was likely
done after verse 20 – “All the people of the land went to the
temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and
idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of
the altars.”
Verse 17 goes on to say that Jehoiada “also made a covenant
between the king and the people.” He made explicit what was
implicit when they rejoiced at the announcement of Joash as king
– that the king promised to govern the people according to the
Law of God and that the people promised to him their obedience
and allegiance. Having reestablished the Lamp of Israel in
covenant with the LORD and His people, Jehoiada secured the
temple before leading a procession from the temple to the palace
where the king then took his place on the royal throne. “All the
people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet….” Jesus
Christ – the true Lamp of Israel – took His place on His throne
after His resurrection from the dead and upon His ascension into
heaven. Paul explains in Ephesians 1 that God exerted His mighty
strength “in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated
Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule
and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be
given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under His feet and appointed him to be
head over everything for the church, which is His body, the
fullness of Him Who fills everything in every way.” For the
church – as members of the body of Christ – there is no need to
renew the covenant given to Moses. Jesus Christ has already
fulfilled all that it requires and thereby merited – earned –
the grace of God that is given to all who believe in Christ and
who are joined to Him in the New Covenant in His blood. In 1
Peter 2:4, we are told that all who “come to Him, the living
Stone… like living stones are being built into a spiritual
house” – a temple where God dwells by His Spirit. There is no
longer any need for an earthly temple, for the temple of God is
being built in Christ – and it is eternally secure. In Christ,
we are God’s chosen people. In Christ we are a royal priesthood.
He has ascended to His throne and we in Him – yet we must wait
until He returns in glory to experience it to the full.
In the meantime: rejoice! – I’ll say it again – rejoice! –
for Jesus Christ, the True Lamp of Israel, is on the Throne. He
is our peace and security not only until that day but also for
eternity.
Amen.
Rev. Stephen Donovan
Pastor
Escondido United Reformed Church
Escondido, CA
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