Studying the great heros of the Bible is a profitable way to spend our time. It provides practical suggestions for Christian growth; it can expose dangers which still exist today. Of course, there are the prominent people like David and Daniel, but then there are many more hidden. And in some ways those lesser known people can be a greater blessing than the famous folk.
We have in Jehoiada an excellent subject for study – no matter who we are – old, young, male or female. He is not of the same caliber as Elijah, John Baptist or Paul. He didn’t possess some of the gifts and responsibilities of the great prophets. This man appears more ordinary and common, and thus a more practical example for us. The only difference is that he was a priest and possibly one of the High Priests in Israel. Perhaps Caiaphas should have spent some time considering this man. Don’t we find him living in days like our own? Isn’t he still in touch with our society? There was political turmoil and even open warfare. There was economic uncertainty. And morally the nation of Israel was much like our own, with debauchery almost universal.
God’s nation was divided into two regions by this time: Israel to the north and Judah to the south. The northern half of the nation was liberal and wicked, and the south had followed quickly on its heels. Ahab and Jezebel have been king and queen of the north. One of their children – a girl named Athaliah – was a Jezebel clone. This daughter entered into a political marriage with the prince of Judah – Jehoram. When weak and wicked Joram died, there was hardly a tear shed anywhere in Judah. Nor was anyone particularly pleased when their son Ahaziah was made king. Because although he sat on the throne, his mother, Jezebel II was really the person in charge. To shorten the story – that new king lasted a year, and then mother took the reigns of Judah directly. The first thing that she did as queen was to slaughter every possible rival to her power. The only to slip through her genocide was an infant grandson, who was hidden from her sight. So when we come to II Kings 11, Judah has a daughter of Jezebel sitting as queen. But unknown to her is the true heir toddling around some of the living quarters in the Temple of God. And there is a priest of the Lord who is determined to raise that child to be a honorable servant of God. The priest’s name is Jehoiada, and he is well worth our consideration.
Jehoiada was a man of GREAT COURAGE.
If some Hollywood script writer ever got a hold of this story it could really be a money maker. Change the names to diminish the confusion & give the bad guys automatic weapons, instead of swords. Cast a really wicked woman in the roll of queen Athaliah; make a really nice guy play Jehoiada. The money should be rolling in. In the opening scene the viewer sees a blood-bath, all the rivals to the throne are covered with blood. Out of the carnage, perhaps mortally wounded, staggers young mother with a baby in her arms – toward the temple. A priest is on the wall of the temple praying for the peace of Israel & for the coming of the Messiah. Briefly he opens his eyes and sees something in the shadows below him. He leans over the parapet and stares down into a dark corner. Yes, he does see something, and he hears a moan as well, and then the whimpering of a tiny child. Quickly and quietly he runs down stairs and out a side entrance until he locates the falling mother. Even as he hears the queen’s soldiers, drunk with the blood of the innocent, he barely escapes back into the Temple with the dying woman and her little baby.
There was great personal risk in giving asylum to the heir of the throne that day. Athaliah had proven herself worthy of her murderous mother. But it was a justified risk on Jehoiada’s part. Justified because it involved saving the life of another human being. And it was further justified when it was learned that this was the heir to the royal throne of King David. Proper risks require proper courage. It is certainly all right to be cautious, but “even a turtle has to stick his neck out to go places.” To jeopardize one’s life to save the life of another – to do what is right – is always right.
Here are some men to admire. The one who is willing to risk his job by going to his boss after work and telling him about Christ. And the man who is willing to risk his job by refusing to do something illegal or immoral. The man who is willing to take responsibilities for his actions, no matter what the cost. The man who will love the unlovely in the faint hopes of winning them to the Lord. It takes courage to befriend the outcast, those that other so-called Christians cast further out. But the Lord calls it “ministry,” and one of benefits of ministry is the smile of God. Walter Anderson wrote book about great feats of some famous people and said, “Courage is a three letter word.” He says that it’s the word “Yes.” “Yes, I see that need, and yes, I’m going to do something about it.” Jehoiada was a great “Yes man.”
And, as a result, he was also a man of GREAT INFLUENCE.
When it comes to skills, a person may be an expert in some and a failure in others. One man may be great speaker but a poor listener. A man may be a good carpenter, but can’t construct a very good story or letter. Another may be filled with great ideas, a thinker, but a poor leader and implementer. Skills are one thing, but character is another. And the characteristics of character run in packs. Rarely do we find people who are compassionate and who are not generous at the same time. If someone is wise, the he’s usually influential, and spiritual, and caring, etc. Jehoiada was a couragous man, whose courage was marinated in wisdom. His courage, wisdom, hospitality and conviction also made him a man of influence.
This priest of God risked his life to preserve, tutor and prepare the true heir to the throne of David. The little boy who came to him as a baby, grew up under his wing, and blossomed into a good man. In some ways he reminds us of young Samuel. But in this case he needed to throw off the character and heritage of his parents and grandparents. They were dark and evil, but he became as bright as the noon day sun. Joash was successful because he had the nurturing of a good mentor, Jehoiada, the priest. To be men and women of positive influence, we need to be people of character. And to become people of character we need to be filled with the Spirit and Word of God. We need to be men of prayer and Bible study, women of the House of God, and of service to God. Part of godly character is a heart filled with the love of God. I once saw a TV commercial where a little boy in clean clothes was standing in the bright sunlight. Then all of a sudden the dark shadow of a black cloud covered him. At that point the announcer said, “There’s only one thing we can’t wash out.” Sometimes the shadow that some people leave is indeed, very difficult to wash away. Jehoiada was not that sort of surrogate father; but was throughly consistent before his family.
And thus he not only was a man of influence before Joash, but also with all the people around him. When little Joash was 7-years-old, the time for his coronation had arrived. It could have been a very dangerous day, knowing what we do about Athaliah. But Jehoiada had earned the respect of the Levites with whom he worked. He had a positive influence over other priests and portions of the military as well. So when the moment came for the unveiling of the prince, there were many people there to protect them.
What was the source of Jehoiada’s courage, wisdom, character and influence?
This man was a gentlemen of great faith.
As I have already said, the source of great character is the Word of God. And with the Word of God comes the blessing of a maturing faith. The best people of this world are not the gold-medal winners of the Olympic Games. God’s great prize is not given to the swift or the strong. Paul basically said, “Even I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Jehoiada believed the promise of God which protected the heir of king David. He believed that if the idolatry of the nation was removed, God’s blessings would return. He believed that there was still a remnant of people who were concerned about holiness and Truth. He believed that God was still upon the throne, and He would judge the wicked and bless the righteous.
This is the kind of man that the world needs – more than any other. It wasn’t that Jehoiada was a priest, but that he was a believer, which made him who he was. It wasn’t that he was a master minister, but that he was a simple servant of the Saviour.
If we want to leave a positive mark upon this world, we have to begin with the Lord. And then we must try to end in the heart of someone who remains behind when we are gone. We need to be like Jehoiada.