I recently watched a movie where a rather conniving cousin almost thwarted a would-be king. It was a holiday romance with a royal twist: a riddle that needed to be solved to ensure the rightful heir was installed on the throne. The riddle was solved by a precocious young woman who, you guessed it, marries the new king.
But on the way to their happily ever after, they did stumble. Lies that had been told for generations came to light, and for a while, it seemed that there was no unwinding what had been done. Deception threatened their happiness in multiple ways, but a clue hidden in the riddle unlocked the victory for the true king.
This section of 2 Chronicles shares some ideas with that plot: a series of familial murders threatened to keep a rightful king (Joash) from the throne until a precocious princess stepped in to save the day.
The stories of Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash are hard to read. Jehoram inherited the throne but killed all his brothers to ensure it would be his. He was a terrible king who didn’t honor the Lord. He “built high places in the hills of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, and he led Judah astray” (2Chronicles 21:11). The Lord sent the prophet Elijah to tell Jehoram that he would die of a horrible intestinal illness. Then his son Ahaziah became king, and he led the people toward idols and away from the Lord. After his death, Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, took over and killed all of Ahaziah’s heirs to prevent them from stealing the throne from her.
Except that Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash, and hid him in the temple for six years. Like Moses in the reed basket, a baby was saved to carry the promise forward. Jesus was saved when His family fled to Egypt, and Herod sought to kill all the baby boys under two years old.
So goes the family of Jehoram, and so goes Israel. Israel kept forgetting God, worshiping idols, and breaking God’s law. And while God showed His judgment to them and they suffered through exile, God left a remnant of hope through the line of David. A good king—a forever king—King Jesus was promised. Through all the mess, tragedy, and epic family drama, God kept His promise to Israel and established His forever kingdom through their True King.
This devotional was updated on March 22, 2023 at 11:04 a.m. An earlier version of this devotional incorrectly identified Jehoshabeath as Ahaziah’s daughter.
Hi ladies, jumping back on to give a praise!! I got a call today from one of the jobs I applied for as a preschool teacher at a local Christian school, and I have an interview on Monday! Praying for wisdom and discernment, and that the Lord would guide me to the best job that he wants for me in this next season of life. Thank you for your prayers!!
Happy Wednesday she’s, I hope you all are doing well and in great moods.
Today’s reading is really heavy. It is the demonstration of how evil company can quickly corrupt good character (1 Corinthians 15:33), even the evil company of a mother- a sacred bond- can also corrupt her son’s personality and decisions, a whole nation real quick (2 Chronicles 22:3-4). Power, wealth and influence can do weird things to people, even cause them to kill their own grandsons. So sometimes having just enough is a real blessing (Proverbs 30:8-9). That’s why I think many bad corruptions/temptations happen first at leadership level (government and church), since that’s the quickest way to “kill/steal/destroy/corrupt” the whole nation/congregation. Joining our dear she’s to pray for godly leadership for our governments and churches.
Thank you so much sisters for praying for my parents (thank you @SEARCHING, KELLY NEO, FOSTER MAMA, TERRI MARSHALL, VICTORIA E, KIM SCHFFERT, and other she’s who pray), that means so much to me and my parents. Thank you that you “carry” many of us through our trial season, like the 4 friends who carried the paralyzed man to find healing when he had no emotional or physical capacity to find healing on his own. You stepped in! What amazing precious friendships we have cultivated throughout the years.
@MICHELLE PATIRE: thank you for sharing the court victory, you are a tough cookie! Praise Jesus. I was thinking of diamond too.
@RHONDA J: praying for comfort and ease for your foot. I really can sense the excitement you have to get back to the activities. May God give grace and make it possible for your longing heart.
@TRACI: you are a wonderful mom. I teared up hearing how you shared that you couldn’t be there as you wished. That’s what my mom told my aunt too (she never told me). My mom wished she could be there for me in my times of need, she shared her regrets with my aunt- that sets me free from the lies of the devil. Because the longest time, my mom lived a separate life. I love her dearly and I never want her to be tormented by guilt ever. I am sure Tanner would feel the same for you.
“God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end”. Therefore, God remains a beautiful mystery. We can only see in parts, but we need to trust that it’s a beautiful overall picture that God has designed.
Be blessed dear sisters.
Praise God, I was found not guilty. Not because they believed my testimony, but because they didn’t have paperwork for the radar gun they used to track my speed. They hadn’t calibrated it since 2020 and weren’t sure how long it should go without calibration. So the judge said after the not guilt judgement that “I got lucky, because the radar guns are never wrong.” But I beg to differ lol. The cop even tried to get me to come to an agreement beforehand and lower the fine, but I knew my conviction was to stand for truth – that I didn’t speed. She looked at me like I was nuts, but hey, I won!
I believe the Lord used this experience to test my character and conviction. One of Chris Renzema’s songs I listened to before the case goes,
“And blessed are the hard-pressed
‘Cause like diamonds, they will shine
They will shine”
Amen, Rebecca and thank you <3
@Lehua- good to hear your fighting spirit has come back. Praise God!
Be blessed and listen and follow what you hear the LORD saying NOT the world.
* to follow the Lord in what you’re doing each day, I know He will be with you, guide you, and strengthen you. Also your dating comment reminded me of a single friend of my husband’s who loves the Lord. He lives in north AL, works as a nurse, and is 28. If you’d ever like to connect with him, I’d love to pass on contact info. – social media, name/email, etc. :)
Taylor — I don’t comment often, but try my best to read and pray through comments if time allows after my devotion. I recently left a job where I felt like I didn’t have enough training. I also felt like it wasn’t a good culture. It was my “dream” job, one that I’d spent more energy on than the Lord. I’ve since moved and will start a new job soon. It “felt” like the right decision. I’m trying to let the Lord lead this time around, though I’m learning what that means, how to discern God’s voice. He’s perused me and given me so much in this difficult season. I see this looking back but not always in the middle. Because you seek to
Good morning She’s! I’m a little behind on the reading and comments but I wanted to thank y’all for praying for me. I could feel your prayers – when I woke up this morning it was like a huge cloud was lifted and I just kept thinking “I need to change.” I’ve been coasting through life this season and playing victim, getting into a habit of laziness and not liking myself very much, spiraling into anxiety and depression. And I know it’s not me but the battlefield in my mind has been so real. It’s as if God nudged my thoughts this morning and said “You’re free. The prison door is unlocked, it’s been unlocked but I’m here to walk you out of here. Together.”
I don’t simply want to change… I NEED to. For the mission God has given me. To grow into my God-given potential. For my loved ones and our team who are counting on me. For these things, I will grow and change. Not because I’m the one but because He who is in me is greater. He deserves my all and my best. ❤️
Have a blessed day ladies.
The words that jumped out to me were, “God left a remnant of hope through the line of David” And it continues to be our life line today! As everyone has mentioned we live in a time much like those kings of Israel and need to cling tightly to the Word of God. Help us all, Jesus.
@Michelle P- prayers for your court appearance and that you would get a favorable verdict. But as you said, God is using this season of pressure to make you the diamond your are, sweet woman of faith!
@Rhonda- So glad your healing is coming and you can continue with your prison ministry! ❤️