2 Kings 11: God Fulfills His Promises

"Then he brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, 'Long live the king!'" 2 Kings 11:12

Have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt as if God's promises simply weren't true? Amidst the darkness, it is often difficult to trust in the Lord. When things are going great, it is perhaps easy to bless him, yet with things go awry, trusting in him gets harder. In the story of 2 Kings 11, the Israelites learned this lesson, and as we look at the chapter some thousands of years later, I hope we can learn this lesson as well.

In 2 Kings 11, we find Athaliah, the mother of Judah's previous king, killing all of her family members in order that she might become king. She is truly an evil, power-hungry mom who is willing to murder all of her grandchildren so that she might become the queen of Judah.* However, in 2 Samuel 7, the Lord has promised that there would always be a son of David sitting on the throne. Theologians refer to this idea as the "Messianic line," that is, the "line" or posterity that came from David that would eventually lead to Christ, as the ultimate Messiah who would deliver Israel from its sin. However, amidst this time, Athaliah has killed the entire Messianic line...except for one.

In God's sovereign providence. one of the daughters of the royal family took Joash, the last remaining male of the Messianic line, and hid him for six whole years while Athaliah continued her evil reign. However, after these six years, God raised up a godly priest by the name of Jehoida to scheme a plan to have Joash anointed as king. The plan worked, and Joash was set up as king, and the evil Athaliah was executed. Furthermore, Jehoida sparks a revival in Judah, destroys the false god of Baal, and leads the people in worshiping the Lord. In the end, although the only thing that could be seen was darkness and evil, God had a plan.

Likewise, the Lord has a plan in our own lives. The promises made still apply to us in our day. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us that the Lord will never leave us. Romans 8:28-29 tells us that God is working everything for the good of our sanctification (becoming like Christ). Although life often seems as dark as can be, we must trust that these promises, as well as others, are still coming to pass. God is a God of promises, and he will not let his children see destruction. He will deliver us, even if not in this life, in then in the next one.

So, have you lost hope in God during a fearful time? Let me encourage you: God is building your faith. In those fearful times, hope in the Lord. Although you might feel like you have nothing to hold onto, God is who you can hold on to. If he can save the Messianic line from the reign of an evil king, he can surely save you from your troubles. Furthermore, if he can save a rebellious people like me and you by sending Christ to the world to die on a cross, he can definitely save us from our troubles now. For if God is for us, who can be against us? If he has already given us his son, how will he now along with him give us all things (Romans 8)? The Lord is good, even though the darkness often hides him. Trust in his goodness, and believe in his Christ. Amen.

*Although this certainly isn't the best application of the story, for those of you who think your mom "isn't fair," consider Athaliah, and thank the Lord for your mom.