And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains of the hundreds, of the bodyguard and the couriers, and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Jehovah, and shewed them the king's son.
Athaliah seized the throne after the murder of the royal children and held it for six years. One boy survived, hidden in the temple — and this verse is where the priest Jehoiada lets the officers of the guard in on the secret.
One writer explains why the sixth year and the seventh matter, and what Jehoiada asked of the officers first:
The vile usurper was allowed to hold her false position for six years only. This shows how fully man's day was hers. Man reaches only to the number six (Rev. 13:18), while God's number, seven, stands for spiritual perfection. In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada called the officers of the army together into the house of Jehovah; He told them first that he had a most important thing to tell them. Then he required them to take an oath to be entirely at his bidding and to do just as he ordered.
William Kelly sees religious form giving way to something higher — and a small boy who was already the rightful king:
Here again we see that mere ritual cannot stand against what is moral. It cannot stand against the word of God as it is worked out for the one whom God had set over His people Israel. The king's son was only a little boy, but he was the lawful king of Israel — in fact only king of Judah, but by title really of Israel.
The same writer explains what making a covenant involved, and what it points to:
After they took this oath, a covenant confirmed it. In those days people sealed a covenant by cutting an animal in half, and the two sides then walked between the parts. This shows how seriously they took the shedding of blood, or the taking of life. Again, a will had no force as long as the man who made it was alive (Heb. 9:17). Here too the one who made it had to die. In our case the Lord Jesus died and rose again. On that basis God has made with His people an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure (2 Sam. 23:5).
Jehoiada does more than announce the heir. He puts men in charge of guarding him:
In the seventh year, the true year of jubilee and of deliverance, Jehoiada presents the king's son to the officers of the army. He sets them over the safe-keeping of this sacred person with the most careful precautions. Without this precious jewel the house of David would die out. No ordinary person could come near him without paying for it with his life, and his bodyguards went with him wherever he went. One feels that Jehoiada's heart is aflame for the son of David, his only hope and the hope of the kingdom; To lose him would be to lose everything, and he did not want to lose him at any cost.
Until this moment only a few knew that a king was alive:
There were, however, those favoured few who knew that the king's son was hidden in the house of God — just as the Lord said to the disciples, "The world will see me no more, but you will see me." A little later others came to know the secret, and the mighty men too. They in turn went throughout Judah, gathering the Levites and the heads of the families, and they came to God's earthly centre, Jerusalem... The result of that testimony about the king's son was that those who were faithful to the Lord gathered around the king at the divine centre.
Leslie Grant points out what this news meant to the officers, and what Athaliah cost her own descendants:
Certainly it would be a relief to these men to find that there was a living heir to the throne, especially after the ordeal of bearing with Athaliah's callous authority. Satan was behind the murder of all these children, but God made sure one was left to carry on the title to Judah's throne. Yet in the family record of Matthew 1 the names of Ahaziah and Amaziah are missing, because Athaliah was their ancestor.
- Hidden. For six years the heir lived out of sight in the house of the Lord. Six is the limit of man's day; the seventh year is the year of deliverance.
- Shown. Jehoiada's plan begins with one act: he shows them the king's son, a little boy who is already the lawful king.
- Sworn. The officers swore before they heard the plan. Blood sealed that covenant, pointing on to the everlasting covenant that Christ made sure by dying and rising.
- Guarded. Jehoiada set armed men over one precious life. To lose the boy was to lose the kingdom and the house of David with it.
- Spread. What a few men knew became the testimony that gathered the faithful to Jerusalem. God kept David's title alive against every attempt to end it.
And he commanded them saying, This is the thing which ye shall do a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;
Athaliah has held the throne of Judah for six years. All that time the rightful heir, the boy Joash, has been safe in the temple, out of sight. Now the priest Jehoiada gathers the military captains and gives them their orders. Every detail serves one purpose: keep the king's son alive and bring him out safely.
Writers see the timing as part of the message: six years of stolen rule, then the seventh.
In the seventh year, the true year of jubilee and of deliverance, Jehoiada presents the king's son to the officers of the army. With the most careful precautions, he puts them in charge of keeping this sacred person safe. He is a precious jewel; without him the house of David would have died out.
While the king stays out of sight, the priest acts and gives the orders.
The priest is prominent while the king is hidden. How true this is now of our Lord. In His own Person He is both the high priest who is at work now and the King He will be later.
The orders turn on who comes on duty that Sabbath and who goes off.
Arrangements were then made for the most unusual coronation ever known. Everything was arranged with great care and secrecy, so that no one would grow suspicious. Trusted men, mainly Levites, stood at important points around the king's house and the temple. The Sabbath day may have been chosen on purpose, along with the time when the priests and Levites changed shifts. Then the unusually large crowd around the temple would not make Athaliah and her Baal-worshipping servants suspicious.
The command splits the men three ways, and each third gets a named post.
Jehoiada gave his instructions. One third of the officers on duty that Sabbath would watch over the king's house. One third would guard the gate of Sur, and one third the gate behind the escorts. These were to guard against any possibility of an assault on the house (vv. 5-6). Two groups of those who went off duty on the Sabbath were also to keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king (v. 7). Armed men were to surround the king, Joash, on all sides. They were to kill anyone who came within range. The king was to stay guarded at all times.
The plan holds three things together at once: the throne, judgment on the wicked, and a temple kept clean.
No blood is to stain the temple. In this day of righteous judgment the wicked are to be cut off without mercy. And "the king's son" is to be brought out from the house of the Lord. These three things are to be carefully noted on this great occasion. The king is to be enthroned, the wicked are to be killed, but the temple is to be kept undefiled. All this must be done according to God.
One writer applies these posted watches to our own day, when the King is out of sight. Each station carries its own trust.
Here they are divided into thirds… What a trust this is again during these days of the hidden King! The heavens must receive Him until the times of restoration. To guard the true rest of the saints in Christ; to guard the person of the hidden King of glory; to guard foundation truth.
The same writer presses the point on the reader, and names the weapon for it.
Is Jehoiada not an example for us? Our own time is difficult, and despite all appearances it is more dangerous than Athaliah's. Will we allow anyone to touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, each one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not physical ones; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
- Hidden — For six years the rightful king was out of sight, and the priest acted for him. Writers see our own day here: Christ is Priest now, and King later.
- Timed — The seventh year is the true year of jubilee and deliverance. The Sabbath shift change gave cover, so a large crowd at the temple raised no alarm.
- Posted — Each third had a named station: the king's house, the gate of Sur, the gate behind the guard. Armed men ringed the boy king at all times.
- Undefiled — The plan put the king on the throne and cut off the wicked. Yet no blood was to stain the temple. All of it was done according to God.
- Ours — The same trust stands today. Guard the rest of the saints, the person of the hidden King, and foundation truth. The weapon is the Word of God.
and a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the couriers; and ye shall keep the watch of the house for a defence.
Jehoiada's orders read like a security plan: three groups of men, three fixed posts, one aim — that the house be guarded. Why did the rightful king of Judah need armed guards at the gates before he could be crowned?
Judah's throne was held by a woman who wanted this child dead. She was his own grandmother, and William Kelly marks how unlikely the boy's hiding place was.
This very Athaliah, Joash's own grandmother — the one who above all should have been the guardian of that one descendant of her own blood — seeks to destroy the last remaining descendant of the house of David... He was hidden then, and hidden where no one could have expected — in the temple. A time like that called for no ordinary hiding place for a royal child, and God was surely with the shelter given to him. That temple was built for priests, not for a king in distress. Yet the grace of the Lord rises above all such merely ritual arrangements.
Everything turned on who this child was.
The king's son was only a little boy, but he was the lawful king of Israel. In practice he was king of Judah only, yet by title he was king of Israel.
Each third had its own post, and together they closed every approach.
Jehoiada gave instructions that one third of the officers on duty on the Sabbath would watch over the king's house. One third stood guard at the gate of Sur, and one third at the gate behind the escorts. These were to guard against any possibility of an attack on the house (vv. 5-6)... The king, Joash, was to be surrounded on all sides by armed men. Anyone who came within range was to be put to death. The king was to be kept guarded at all times.
The care matched the worth of the one they guarded.
In the seventh year, true year of jubilee and of deliverance, Jehoiada presents the king's son to the officers of the army. With the most careful precautions, he puts them in charge of keeping this sacred person safe. He is the precious jewel, and without him the house of David would die out... You can feel that Jehoiada's heart is on fire for the son of David. He was his only hope and the hope of the kingdom. To lose him would be to lose everything, and he would not give him up at any price.
2 Chronicles 23 records the same guard, and one writer draws out what those posts stood for.
In 2 Chronicles 23, we find the gatekeepers are the royal guards of the hidden king. Here they are divided into thirds... What a trust here again during these the days of the hidden King, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restoration! To guard the true rest of the saints in Christ; to guard the person of the hidden King of glory; to guard foundation-truth.
That last post carried its own warning:
At the gate of the foundation the last company had their station. If the enemy had been let into the foundations, what harm he would have done... we are to watch over the foundations. We must allow nothing, in doctrine or in conduct, that weakens or attacks the truth of God laid in the hearts of the saints.
The men at those gates did not bring their own equipment. Jehoiada handed them the arms stored in the temple.
Jehoiada, to defend the kingship, has recourse to David's weapons... So he went back to the origin of the kingship as God set it up. These weapons were good and were kept in the house of God. So we too must defend "that which was from the beginning." We do not seek this Word in human arsenals, but in the temple of God.
Rossier turns the posting order into a direct appeal to readers who have their own King out of sight.
Is not Jehoiada an example for us? This difficult time of ours is more dangerous than Athaliah's, despite all appearances. Will we let anyone touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, every one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not carnal; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us press together around Him, be we but a few, and God will be with us as He was with the faithful group that surrounded Joash.
- Hidden. The heir survived only because the temple hid him. That house was built for priests, not for a hunted king, but grace rose above the ritual arrangements.
- Valued. Jehoiada's careful precautions show the worth of the one guarded. Lose him, and the house of David is finished.
- Divided. Three companies at three gates left no unwatched approach, with the king ringed by armed men at all times.
- Founded. One post stood at the foundation gate. What is laid at the base, in doctrine and in conduct, needs guarding as much as the door.
- Armed. The guards used David's own weapons, kept in the house of God. We still defend the King's rights with the sword of the Spirit, not with human resources.
And the two parts of you, all those that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of Jehovah about the king.
Athaliah had ruled Judah for six years while the rightful heir, a small boy, lay hidden inside the temple. In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada planned a coronation, and verse 7 gives one piece of it: two divisions of the guard must stay at the temple and protect it for the king.
The plan makes sense only because the boy king was hiding in God's house. One writer reads that hiding as a picture of something later:
Notice this carefully. After the boy was drawn out of the place of death, the priest of God hid him in "the house of the Lord," and kept him there "till the seventh year." This is a striking picture of God's far-off purposes for the true Heir to the throne of Judah. Jesus too was drawn out of the place of death by resurrection. He is now hidden for a whole age in the house of God, for heaven has received Him as the High Priest of God's present house.
The orders in verses 5 to 8 divide the men so that no approach is left open:
Jehoiada gave his orders. One third of the officers who served on the Sabbath would watch over the king's house, one third would guard the gate of Sur, and one third the gate behind the escorts. These men were to guard the house against any attack. Two groups of those who went off duty on the Sabbath were also to keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king. Armed men were to surround the king on every side, and they were to kill anyone who came within reach. They were to guard the king at all times.
The orders covered the temple itself, not only the boy:
No blood must stain the Temple. The wicked must be cut off without mercy in this day of righteous judgment. And "the king's son" must be brought out from the house of the Lord. These three things must be kept with care on this great occasion. The king must take the throne, the wicked must die, but the Temple must be left undefiled. All this must be done according to God.
The watch was not a general precaution. It was kept for the king, and commentators draw a lesson from that:
But all the people were to keep watch, for this is typical of the concern of the saints of God that the Lord Jesus should be fully honored, with nothing allowed that would in any way compromise that honor.
The same posture is pressed as a habit, not a single day's assignment:
What word can best tell of what should mark the saints of God in all their ways? Surely the word "Watch!"… A life of watchfulness suits us. We live among enemies, and they seek more than our harm: they seek the dishonour of Him who is hidden in the house of God. The king will soon be revealed in His glory. Keep that always in mind, and it will help us hold a watchful spirit in a place where we are never out of danger.
The men who ringed the king carried weapons from the temple itself:
They were to surround the king on every side, every man with his weapons in his hand… We are in conflict all the days that our Master is hidden in God's house! But the weapons of our warfare are not physical; they are spiritual. Our enemies are the devil and the great array of spiritual powers of darkness. In our own strength we are no match for them, but God has armed us well against them. King David's spears and shields and small shields were kept in the house of the Lord, and the men who surrounded the king carried them. So too, if we draw our weapons from the place where the Lord Jesus is, we will be well armed for the conflict He has called us to.
The privilege of guarding the king came with a matching demand:
The priest then told these officers that their privileges were great, and their responsibilities just as deep. They had to guard their young king night and day. They had to watch him when he went out and when he came in, and they were never to let a single enemy come near him. Does this not show the believer his own direct responsibility — to walk with the Lord, and to stay always in subjection to Him and in communion with Him?
- Hidden. Athaliah held the throne, but the true king was safe in God's house — a picture of Christ, raised and now hidden in heaven.
- Posted. Jehoiada left no gap: divisions at the palace, the gates, and the temple, with the king surrounded at all times.
- Guarded. The watch protected the sanctuary too; the throne was never to be recovered by defiling the house of God.
- Armed. The guards carried David's own weapons from the temple — our strength comes from where the Lord is.
- Watching. The king lives and will appear in glory. That knowledge turns duty into a daily habit of watchfulness for His honour.
And ye shall encompass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that comes within the ranks shall be put to death; and ye shall be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.
Athaliah held the throne of Judah, and the rightful heir of David's line lay hidden in the temple until Jehoiada the priest brought him out to be crowned. Verse 8 is the priest's order for the boy's safety, and it raises a question: why does a king need armed guards inside God's own house?
Everything hung on this one child, and Jehoiada's care shows he knew it.
In the seventh year, the true year of jubilee and of deliverance, Jehoiada presents the king's son to the officers of the army. With the most careful precautions, he puts them in charge of keeping this sacred person safe. He is a precious jewel; without him the house of David would die out. Nobody without authority could come near him and live. His bodyguards go with him when he goes out and when he comes in. You can feel how Jehoiada's heart burns for the son of David. This child is his only hope, and the kingdom's. To lose him would be to lose everything, and he would not give him up at any cost.
One word in the order needs explaining. What are "the ranks" that nobody may approach?
The 'ranks' drawn up to protect the king.
The men who formed that circle were the Levites, the temple's own servants, and their weapons came out of the house of the Lord.
There was, however, another special service to perform. It belonged to the Levites. They were to surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and they were to be with the king when he came in and when he went out. How varied were the services of the Levites! They served the priests in the house, they were doorkeepers in the house, they played the musical instruments and took part in the service of song. Now they carry the weapons of war as men attached to the person of the king. And are we not called to put on the whole armour of God, as strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? Truly we are in conflict all the days that our Master is hidden in God's house! But the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but spiritual... King David's spears and shields, which were in the house of the Lord, were the weapons used by those who surrounded the king. So too, if we draw our weapons from the place where the Lord Jesus is, we shall be properly armed for the conflict He has called us to.
The words about going out and coming in point to a real journey.
As the priest, Jehoiada had guarded the young king through the years the throne was stolen. Now he arranges the whole matter of the coronation and public showing. He draws up a line of bodyguards from the house of the Lord to the house of the king, from the sanctuary to the palace. Their business was to watch the king from his going out to his coming in. Their line covered the whole way from the one house to the other.
Commentators read the guarded child as a picture of Christ, and the guard as a picture of believers now.
Is not Jehoiada an example for us? Our own time is more dangerous than Athaliah's, whatever it looks like. Will we let anyone touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, each one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not fleshly; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us press together around Him, even if we are only a few. Then God will be with us, as He was with the faithful group that surrounded Joash. The enemy is working to destroy the name of the holy Son of God and to ruin His testimony, and he will fail.
That guard has a day in view.
The day is approaching when the true Joash will be brought out of the Sanctuary where He is now hidden (2 Kings 11). He will assert His kingly rights, for He is the "Prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5).
- Threatened. The house of David rested on one boy. Losing him meant losing everything, so Jehoiada guarded him at any cost.
- Surrounded. Armed men on every side, each with his weapon in hand, and death for anyone who pushes into the ranks.
- Armed. The weapons came from the house of the Lord. Draw yours from where the Lord Jesus is, and you are ready for the conflict He calls you to.
- Accompanied. The guard covered the whole route, from the sanctuary to the palace. Not one step went unwatched.
- Awaiting. The King is still hidden in the sanctuary. Press around Him now with the sword of the Spirit. The day is coming when He is brought out to claim His rights.
And the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go forth on the sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest.
Athaliah had seized Judah's throne and killed the royal children, but the priest Jehoiada hid one baby heir, Joash, in the temple. Six years later Jehoiada acts, and this verse shows the officers doing exactly what he commanded.
A priest, not a king, runs this rescue. One writer reads the seventh year and the hidden king as reasons to trust God:
When the seventh year came — the complete time according to the ways of God — "in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself" (2 Chronicles 23). He was the priest. The priest is prominent while the king is hidden. How true this is now in our Lord's case. In His own Person He combines both the high priest who is in action and the King who will reign later… There could be no clearer proof that we may fully trust Him. Nothing ever looked more helpless than this young king Joash before Athaliah. No king of Judah ever stood lower; but people have said, and truly, that "man's extremity is God's opportunity."
The verse speaks of men "going off duty" and men "coming on duty" on the Sabbath. The priests and Levites served in turns, and each turn ran a week:
Ezra restored the courses of the priests and Levites when the people returned from captivity (Ezra 6:18). They were still running in New Testament times. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to the course of Abia. This doubtless refers to Abijah, the eighth name listed in 1 Chronicles 24:10. At the end of his service he went home (Luke 1:5, 23). Each turn of service lasted a week, starting from the Sabbath (2 Chronicles 23:8).
So Jehoiada keeps both shifts. Instead of half the men going home, he has double the strength on hand.
The day was also cover. One writer explains why the changeover hid what was coming:
They then made arrangements for the most unusual coronation ever known. They planned every step with great care and secrecy, so that nothing would rouse suspicion. Trusted men, mostly Levites, stood at key points around the king's house and the temple. The Sabbath day and the changeover of the courses of the priests and Levites may have been chosen on purpose. A very large crowd around the temple would then stir up no suspicion in the minds of Athaliah and her Baal-worshipping servants.
The officers change nothing; they carry out the orders and report back to the priest who gave them. That exactness had a result:
The captains followed these instructions, and Jehoiada gave them spears and shields that had belonged to David and were kept in the temple of the Lord (vv. 9-10). So the captains surrounded and protected the king. Any friends of Athaliah had no chance to oppose the crowning of Joash.
Jehoiada had already shown these men the king's son and bound them by covenant. One writer traces both halves of his work:
At the right time Jehoiada prepares a remnant in Judah to stand with him. He makes a covenant with them in the house of the Lord, and he shows them "the king's son." Then, having prepared them, he uses them. He fits them out from David's armoury with weapons of war and equipment for the day of battle. He sets them all in order, to throw the bold usurper off the throne. And he does all this with the same perfect and holy grasp of God's mind that had guided the hiding of the king in the sanctuary.
One writer turns the guard around Joash into a question for us:
Is not Jehoiada an example for us? Our own difficult time is more dangerous than Athaliah's, despite all appearances. Will we allow anyone to touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, every one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not physical ones; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us press together around Him, even if we are only a few, and God will be with us as He was with the faithful group that surrounded Joash.
- Hidden king. The heir stayed out of sight and the priest stood in front. It pictures Christ: high priest in action now, King in open glory later.
- Chosen day. Jehoiada held back both Sabbath shifts. The temple had double strength on the one day when a crowd raised no alarm.
- Obeyed word. The captains did everything Jehoiada commanded and came back to him. No one improved on the plan, and the crowning held.
- Armed guard. Jehoiada armed the prepared men from David's own store and set them in order around the king. Athaliah's friends never got an opening.
- Our guard. One writer applies that ring of men to us: stand close to the Son of God, each with the sword of the Spirit, however small the company.
And the priest gave to the captains of the hundreds king David's spears and shields which were in the house of Jehovah.
Athaliah had tried to wipe out David's line, and for six years the only surviving heir lay hidden inside the temple. Now, in the seventh year, the priest Jehoiada arms the officers with David's own weapons, kept all these years in God's house.
Jehoiada had to make the seven-year-old boy safe before he could crown him. Arming the captains was the last step, and it worked:
The captains followed these instructions. Jehoiada gave them David's own spears and shields, which were kept in the temple of the LORD (vv. 9-10). This is how the king was surrounded and protected. If there were any friends of Athaliah, they had no chance to do anything against the coronation of Joash.
One commentator sees in this choice a return to the source, and draws a lesson for us:
To defend the kingship, Jehoiada turns to David's weapons. In this way he went back to the origin of the divine institution of the kingship. These weapons were good, and they were kept in the house of God. So we too must defend "that which was from the beginning." We do not look for this Word in human arsenals, but in the temple of God. It is hidden there in the most holy place, where the Spirit of God alone can reveal it to us and make us take hold of it.
These particular arms had a history of their own:
They were no ordinary arms that were in the house of God. They were King David's spears, with shields both large and small. It is remarkable. These same weapons of war had brought David to the throne of Judah and Israel. Now they protected the helpless descendant of his house and let him reign.
The weapons come back as part of a wider recovery:
And the land is now full of David again. The king's guard carried the spears and the shields of David. Those weapons had been stored away and left, as it were, to rust from disuse while the heir lay hidden in the sanctuary. And the recovery goes further. The ordinances of David and the music of David are kept and heard again (2 Chron. 23:18). The priest is careful to fill the scene with reminders of David. Baal and his servants are put away, and the God of Israel is in His place again.
Every precaution in this chapter circles one small boy:
Everything that could work together for the restoration of the people gathers around the anointed one. Jehoiada puts the officers in charge of guarding this sacred person, this precious jewel. Without him the house of David would be extinguished. Anyone unholy who came near this untouchable person would be put to death; his bodyguards go with him when he enters and when he leaves. You feel that Jehoiada's heart is on fire for the son of David. The boy is his only hope and the only hope of the kingdom. To lose him would be to lose everything, and he would not be robbed of him at any cost.
The same writer turns the picture on the reader, and names our weapon:
Our own difficult time is more dangerous than Athaliah's, whatever it looks like. Will we let anyone touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, every one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not carnal; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us press together around Him, even if we are only a few. God will be with us, as He was with the faithful group around Joash.
One commentator reads the coronation as a picture, and marks where the likeness stops:
Of course this is a picture of Christ recognized as King. At His coming in glory He will displace every usurper. The power to reign was not in Joash, however, as it will be in the One who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
- Hidden. The heir survived six years inside God's house; the throne of David hung on one boy's life.
- Armed. Jehoiada hands out David's own spears and shields from the temple store. The arms that first won him the throne now guard his last descendant.
- Sourced. Jehoiada goes back to the origin of the kingship for his weapons. We too defend what was from the beginning with the Word kept in God's temple, not in human arsenals.
- Surrounded. Jehoiada's whole plan protects one person. The same care for the person of the Son of God calls for one weapon: the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
- Restored. With the king crowned, David's ordinances and music return and Baal goes. It is a small picture of the day the true King displaces every usurper.
And the couriers stood by the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, toward the altar and the house.
Athaliah murdered the royal family and ruled for six years. All that time one child of David's line lay hidden inside the temple. Now the boy is about to be shown to the nation, and the first thing this verse records is not his crown but the ring of armed men around him.
Protection comes before the crown. Jehoiada arms the guard, and opposition never gets a chance to form.
The captains followed these instructions. Jehoiada gave them spears and shields that had belonged to David and were kept in the temple of the Lord (vv.9-10). This way the king was surrounded and protected. If there were any friends of Athaliah, they had no opportunity to do anything to oppose the coronation of Joash.
The weapons in every man's hand came from the temple, and they had belonged to David.
Jehoiada, to defend the kingship, turns to David's weapons. In this way he returned to the origin of the divine institution of the kingship. These weapons were good and they were kept in the house of God. So we too must defend "that which was from the beginning." We do not look for this Word in human arsenals, but in the temple of God.
Another writer looks at the history of those weapons, and at a store that never runs out:
Jehoiada handed out king David's spears and shields to all the faithful warriors. These weapons had already been through many a hard battle. Each one was long tried and proved. This shows in a beautiful way how every Christian ought to be equipped with the whole armour of God. King David's psalms still hold the divine store of supply. They give the soul the experiences of a most varied and eventful life. Whatever the state of your soul, you can always find a psalm that pictures those same experiences.
The verse fixes where each man stood. One writer ties that position to the altar they faced.
And so, as the king is about to come out, each man has his right place in the house, facing the altar. Surely this means they recognise that the king comes out because of all that was done there. Before He entered the presence of God, He completed the great work of redemption.
The same writer lists what the Levites, the temple servants, had done before, and what is new here.
They were to surround the king on every side, every man with his weapons in his hand. They were to be with the king when he came in and when he went out. How varied the services of the Levites were. They served the priests in the house, they were doorkeepers in the house, they played the musical instruments and took part in the service of song. Now they carry the weapons of war as men attached to the person of the king.
Rossier turns the picture into a direct appeal, and names our weapons:
Is Jehoiada not an example for us? Our time is harder and, despite all appearances, more dangerous than the time of Athaliah. Will we allow anyone to touch the person of the Son of God? Let us surround Him, every one with his weapon in his hand. Our weapons are not fleshly; they are the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us press together around Him, even if we are only a few, and God will be with us as He was with the faithful group that surrounded Joash. Then the enemy's efforts to destroy the name of the holy Son of God and His testimony will fail.
One writer sets the whole scene beside a greater one still to come.
The company was brought together, armed with King David's shields and spears. The king's son was brought into their midst. Jehoiada put the crown on his head and anointed him with oil. They clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!" The scene will be greater still when He is crowned King of Kings, the One whose right it is to reign.
- Hidden. Athaliah held the throne while the rightful king stayed out of sight in the house of God. The guard forms just before he appears.
- Armed. The weapons were David's own, kept in the temple. The guard defended the kingship from its own beginning, not from a human arsenal.
- Proven. Those spears and shields had already seen hard battle. One writer says the Psalms are the same: a tested store for every state of soul.
- Positioned. Each man stood in his own place, facing the altar. The king comes out on the strength of what was done there.
- Surrounded. Stand close around the king, weapon in hand. Writers apply that picture to guarding the honour of the Son of God until the greater coronation comes.
And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and [gave him] the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, Long live the king!
The rightful king of Judah had been in hiding, while a usurper reigned and people thought the whole royal line was dead. Now the priest brings him out and gives him a crown, a book and oil on his head, while the crowd claps and shouts.
Joash receives three things at once, and each means something different. One writer explains what "the testimony" was — the law that a king had to copy out for himself:
Then they bring Joash out to the entrance of the house, into its court. The king's son now wears the anointing oil that sets him apart, and the crown that marks his royal dignity, and he holds "the testimony" — the law. Once he was seated on his throne, the king had to copy that law out for himself. From it he was to learn to fear the Lord and to keep His statutes (Deut. 17:18-20).
The crown and the testimony told the new king two different things:
So they bring the king out of the Temple. Just outside it, at the pillar, they proclaim him king while the people shout. They give him the testimony as well as the crown: the testimony shows him that he is under the Lord's authority, the crown that he rules over Israel.
Judah did not anoint every one of its kings. One writer sets out when the oil was used:
Anointing the king over Israel was not a fixed custom or rule. They did it when the circumstances were out of the ordinary, or when someone might question his right to the crown. Samuel anointed both Saul and David — the one as the first king, the other as the head of a new line (1 Sam. 9:16; 16:12). Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet together anointed Solomon, because of the rival party behind Adonijah (1 Kings 1:34)... And so they anointed the boy king Joash (2 Kings 11:12).
Handing the king "the testimony" also answers a claim people make about the law book that the priest Hilkiah found in the temple many years later:
Joash was crowned as a boy king two hundred and fifty years before the time of Josiah, and part of the ceremony was that they "gave him the testimony" (2 Kings 11:12). These Scriptures are enough to disprove the claim some make today: that the book Hilkiah found in the temple had been put together not long before, with the name of Moses attached to it to give it authority with the king and his people. The claim is as absurd as it is wicked.
Commentators read the scene as a preview. A small group loyal to the priest saw the king before the nation did, and shouted what older translations give as "God save the King" and the ESV as "Long live the king!":
A remnant chosen by Jehoiada saw the king first... They brought the king's son into their midst, and Jehoiada put the crown on his head and anointed him with oil. They clapped their hands and shouted "God save the King." Far greater will be the scene when He is crowned King of kings, the One whose right it is to reign.
The same reading is applied to the years before the crowning, when the heir was alive but unseen:
Israel cut off the Man Christ Jesus, the royal Seed of the house of David, just as had been foretold. But God raised Him from among the dead, and He is now hidden in the heavens until the time comes for Him to be shown to the nation again. The hiding of Joash pictured this, when people thought the whole royal line had been killed. But at the right time they showed Joash to the nation, crowned and anointed, with joyful cries of "GOD SAVE THE KING."
The same day fell two ways, depending on whose side a person had taken:
Faith was now answered, patience rewarded, and the promise fulfilled. It was a day of light, joy and rejoicing for Joash, and for all who had sided with him while he was rejected. But for Athaliah, and for all who had sided with her during her reign, it was a day of darkness, gloom and terrible despair.
- Hidden. The true heir was alive all through Athaliah's reign, known only to a few. Writers see here a picture of Christ, hidden now and shown later.
- Crowned. The crown marked his rule over Israel. The throne belonged to him as David's heir.
- Subject. The testimony marked that he stood under God's authority. A king had to copy out the law himself and learn from it to fear the Lord.
- Anointed. Judah anointed a king when his right to the crown could be questioned. A rescued boy claiming an occupied throne needed that oil.
- Acclaimed. The clapping meant joy for everyone who had stood with him while he was hidden. For everyone who had backed the usurper it meant ruin.
And Athaliah heard the noise of the couriers [and] of the people; and she came to the people into the house of Jehovah.
For six years Athaliah had ruled Judah, after murdering what she thought was the whole royal family. Then trumpets from the temple drew her out to the one thing she believed was gone: a living son of David, crowned and cheered by his people.
The noise pulled her to the one building she had no love for. William Kelly notes how strange it was that she came at all, and what she found when she looked:
Athaliah was not long without hearing the noise. So she comes to the people and to the temple of the LORD. A strange place for her, the one who hated the LORD and promoted idolatry in its worst form! She comes, and looks, and there — the king stood by a pillar. The king! And this was all that her murderous policy had led to and ended in.
She shouted "Treason!" at what she saw. One writer points out that the crime she named was her own, and that her guilt ran deeper:
Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason, Treason!" But Joash was the true king. Athaliah was guilty of far worse than treason — she was a mass murderer and a usurper who had no right to the throne.
She came in to the people, but the people were not hers. When Jehoiada had her taken outside, no one followed:
She was alone, not alone in her evil, but now her evil had not one sympathizer.
Miller reads the pillar where the boy stood as a promise Athaliah could not undo. One look at it was enough:
"She looked, and there was the king, standing at his pillar." The pillar of immovable promise. This was enough; the first glimpse of Joash filled her whole soul with the terrors of judgment … Then Athaliah tore her clothes, and said, Treason! treason! But Jehoiada answered her empty cry with Judgment! judgment!
The same day meant opposite things to two groups. Miller calls it a day of "light and joy and rejoicing to Joash, and to all who had sided with him during his rejection." It was "a day of darkness, and gloom, and terrible despair to Athaliah, and to all who had sided with her during her reign."
Her cry settled nothing. Rossier sets her beside Jehoram of Israel, who cried out in the same way and kept nothing by it:
To Athaliah (vv. 13-16), the restoration of the kingship according to God was a conspiracy. She cries, "Conspiracy!" just as Jehoram of Israel had cried, "Treason." Neither of them could assert their rights for a moment. Jehoram falls under the rod of God. Athaliah cannot claim any of these rights once the Lord's chosen one is revealed. So it will be for Christ's enemies before the judgment and before the appearing of the glory of His kingdom.
Rossier uses an older translation, which reads "Conspiracy" where the ESV has "Treason! Treason!"
Writers read Joash — hidden in God's house, then shown to the people — as a picture of Christ. One of them sets the day of Christ's appearing beside this scene:
The day is coming when God will bring the true Joash out of the sanctuary where He is hidden now (2 Kings 11). He will assert His kingly rights, for He is the "ruler of kings on earth" (Rev. 1:5). But what is the answer on man's part? When the seventh trumpet sounds and brings Him in, heaven worships and owns His title, while there is fury on earth. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. The nations raged" (Rev. 11:15-18).
Rossier draws his lesson from the years Jehoiada and his wife guarded the child. They did not lose heart, and they did not use human means to push the king's cause forward. So, he says, "Our Joash is still in the secret place of the sanctuary. Let us learn there, day by day and year by year, to know Him better."
- Noise. The celebration she could not ignore drew Athaliah into the temple she despised. It was the one place her plans had never reached.
- Sight. She saw the king standing at his pillar — the pillar of immovable promise. One glimpse of the rightful heir filled her with the terror of judgment.
- Cry. She shouted "Treason!" — but she was the traitor. She had seized a throne that was not hers and murdered the royal family.
- Verdict. Once the Lord's chosen king stood in the open, she could not press her claim for a moment. Commentators see here how it will go for Christ's enemies when His kingdom appears.
- Waiting. The true King is still hidden in the sanctuary. Jehoiada and his wife guarded the child through six long years. Those who love Christ use the waiting years to know Him better.
And she looked, and behold, the king stood on the dais, according to the custom, and the princes and the trumpeters were by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets. And Athaliah rent her garments and cried, Conspiracy! Conspiracy!
Athaliah had ruled Judah for six years, never knowing that one grandson had survived her killing of the royal family and was hidden in the temple. The shouting brings her there, and she sees the boy crowned in the king's own place — so which of the two was the rebel?
Joash stood in the place kings of Judah always stood. One look at him was all Athaliah needed:
"The king stood at his pillar." The pillar of a promise that cannot be moved. This was enough; the first sight of Joash filled her whole soul with the terrors of judgment.
Athaliah's accusation was the charge that belonged to her. One writer follows her into the crowd and marks how alone she was by the end:
She comes to the people and to the temple of the Lord. A strange place for her — a hater of the Lord, a supporter of idolatry at its worst! She comes, looks, and there the king stood by a pillar. The king! And this was all that her murderous policy had led to and ended in... The old voice — the voice of her mother before her, and the voice of her son after her, and now her own. But the truth was, it was she who was the traitor. It was she who had tried to blot out the king from the throne; and so she meets with the just reward of a traitor... There was no one to follow. She was alone — not alone in her evil, but now her evil had not one sympathiser.
Was her own rule ever lawful? One writer answers by naming what she was:
Athaliah was guilty of far worse than treason — she was a mass murderer and a usurper who had no right to the throne.
The scene looks small — a child, a few captains, some trumpeters. Yet one writer counts what that small gathering held, and finds nothing missing:
Despite the poverty all around and the spread of apostasy, what in fact was lacking for this restoration? The temple of God, His dwelling among His own, was there. The high priest, the mediator between the Lord and the people, was there. The son of David was there, no doubt recognised only by some, but soon to be acclaimed by all the people. The anointing, the Holy Spirit, was there. And a small remnant acclaimed the anointed of the Lord and surrounded him, just as David's mighty men had once surrounded the king.
The trumpets that meant joy to the people meant ruin to the woman on the throne:
How long this state of things lasted we are not told; but the great day for the revealing of the young king dawned at last. What a day for every faithful, devoted, loyal heart! And what a day for the murderess on the throne and her idolatrous crew!
Writers differ on the word she shouted — some give "Treason," others "Conspiracy." One writer sets her collapse beside the joy of those who had waited for this day:
To Athaliah, the restoration of the kingship according to God was a conspiracy... Athaliah cannot assert any claim to these rights when the chosen of the Lord is made manifest. So it will be for Christ's enemies before the judgment and before the appearing of the glory of His kingdom. But what joy for the heart of Jehoiada and his faithful wife! They had waited patiently for years for the Lord's time to show His anointed. They never let themselves grow discouraged, and impatience never pushed them into using human means to win the king's cause. At last they were receiving the glorious result of their faith.
Joash stayed alive in the house of God while a usurper held the throne. Writers see the same pattern in Christ, hidden now and revealed later:
The day is approaching when the true Joash will be brought out of the Sanctuary where He is now hidden (2 Kings 11). He will assert His kingly rights, for He is the "ruler of kings on earth" (Rev. 1:5). But what is man's answer? When the seventh trumpet is blown, which brings Him in, there is worship and the acknowledgment of His title in heaven, but fury on earth.
- Hidden. For six years the true king was alive but out of sight. A usurper reigned, and the nation thought David's line was finished.
- Revealed. The pillar was the king's customary place. Joash standing there made the promise visible, and one look ended Athaliah's claim.
- Reversed. The woman shouting "Treason!" was the real traitor, murderer and usurper. Her charge came back on her, and not one person followed her out.
- Divided. The same trumpets brought joy to those who had owned the hidden king, and terror to those who had backed the usurper. One day, two opposite outcomes.
- Awaited. Writers see a picture of Christ here. He is hidden now in the house of God above, and will be brought out and crowned. Until then, the call is to patience, like the patience of those who waited for Joash.
And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds that were set over the host, and said to them, Lead her forth without the ranks; and whosoever follows her, slay with the sword; for the priest said, Let her not be put to death in the house of Jehovah.
Athaliah seized the throne of Judah by murder. Six years later the rescued boy Joash stands crowned in the temple, and she runs in crying treason. Jehoiada's order settles two things at once: the usurper must die, and she must not die inside God's house.
Athaliah shouts an accusation that fits her own record better than anyone else's.
She comes and looks, and there stands the king by a pillar. The king! This was all that her murderous policy had led to and ended in. … "Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, 'Treason! Treason!'" It was the old voice — her mother's voice before her, her son's voice after her, and now her own. But the truth was, she was the traitor. She was the one who had tried to blot out the king from the throne, and so she meets with the just reward of a traitor.
The order also covers anyone who takes her side. That part of it was never needed.
There was no one to follow. She was alone — not alone in her evil, but now her evil had not one sympathizer.
The priest gives his own reason for moving her outside. One writer sets that order beside the other choices of that day, and none of the three is an accident.
No blood is to stain the temple. The wicked are to be cut off in this day of righteous judgment without mercy. And "the king's son" is to be brought out from the house of the Lord. These three things must be carefully kept on this great occasion. The king must take the throne, the wicked must die, but the temple must stay undefiled. All this must be done according to God.
Athaliah's mother Jezebel had died in the northern kingdom not long before. The two deaths were not carried out in the same spirit.
They lead Athaliah into the king's house by the way of the horse-gate, and there they put her to death. Joash enters by another gate, the gate of the couriers, so that he might sit in peace on the throne of David. Blood must not defile the path to this throne. It was not so for Jehu with Jezebel. Her blood sprinkled the wall and the horses, and Jehu trampled her underfoot and went into the house to eat and drink. That whole scene, though decreed by God, breathes "the fury" of the man who caused it. In Judah, everything happens in solemn calm and in the awareness of God's presence, kept there by the high priest.
The men Jehoiada commands are described by a title with a longer history than one might expect. The Greek translation of the Old Testament uses a word here that readers of the New Testament know in another setting.
In matters civil (Isaiah 60:17; Neh. 11:9, 14, 22) as well as military (Num. 31:14; 2 Kings 11:15), and in matters concerning the oversight of priestly service (Num. 4:16), we meet in that translation with those called overseers or bishops.
The end of Athaliah's six years is read as a picture of how this world ends.
Judgment — judgment with nothing to soften it — closed the six years' reign of the guilty Athaliah and all her deluded followers. It is a solemn, deeply solemn foreshadowing of the final doom of this guilty world and all its deluded followers. They choose not to know that the true heir is alive in the house of God on high, and that He rightly claims our allegiance!
The same writer looks past Athaliah to the day Christ appears.
Athaliah can claim no royal rights once the Lord's chosen king is revealed. So it will be for Christ's enemies before the judgment and before the appearing of the glory of His kingdom.
- Traitor. She cried treason. But she was the one who had tried to blot out the king from the throne, so she got a traitor's reward.
- Alone. The order covered anyone following her; no one did. Evil that once ruled a kingdom ended with not a single supporter.
- Undefiled. They took her outside before killing her. The king on the throne, the wicked cut off, the temple kept clean — three aims held together in one day.
- Calm. Jehu killed Jezebel in fury. In Judah everything moved in solemn calm, under the high priest, in the awareness of God's presence.
- Preview. A usurper holds power while the true heir stays hidden. She loses it the moment he appears. Commentators read it as a sketch of this world's final doom and Christ's appearing.
And they made way for her, and she went by the way by which the horses entered the king's house, and there was she put to death.
Athaliah ruled Judah for six years after destroying the royal family. Now the guards march her out of the temple courts and kill her. Why outside the house of the Lord, and why by the gate the horses use?
She had tried to blot out the royal line, yet her one cry accuses everyone else. One writer points out the irony, and how alone she stood at the end:
"And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, 'Treason! Treason!'" The old voice — the voice of her mother before her, and the voice of her son after her, and now her own. But the truth was, it was she who was the traitor. It was she who had tried to blot out the king from the throne; and so she meets the just reward of a traitor... There was no one to follow. She was alone — not alone in her evil, but now her evil had not one sympathiser.
No one holds a hearing. No one reads a charge. The record moves straight from the order to the killing:
She required no trial. Everyone knew her wickedness that demanded her death. Jehoiada gave orders to the captains and officers of the army to take her outside, for she must not be executed in the house of the Lord. If anyone took her side, that person must be killed also (v.15). She was taken out by way of the horse gate and executed. Solemn end for this wicked daughter of a wicked couple!
The judgment reaches a whole family line, and it comes through one man's faithfulness:
In 2 Kings 11, the judgment of God falls upon the family which had corrupted Israel, and even Judah also. Athaliah was the daughter of the house of Ahab and the usurper of the throne of Judah. The high priest's faithfulness cut her off. His wife had preserved one of the offspring of David.
Jehoiada could have had her struck down where she stood. He sent her outside instead:
Athaliah the usurper is then killed — but outside the Temple grounds. The priest would not sacrifice the holiness of the Temple, not even to restore the king and bring peace to the kingdom. This beautifully shows the Lord keeping all His glories in all His ways. He never clouds one while another shines.
The text names her exit, and later the king's. One writer sets the two routes side by side, and compares Jehu's killing of Jezebel:
They lead Athaliah into the king's house by way of the horse-gate and put her to death there. Joash enters by another gate, that of the couriers, so that he might sit peacefully upon the throne of David. Blood must not defile the path to this throne. It was not so for Jehu with Jezebel. Her blood spattered the wall and the horses. Jehu trampled her underfoot, then went into the house to eat and drink (2 Kings 9:33-34). That whole scene, though decreed by God, breathes the fury of the man behind it. In Judah, everything takes place in solemn calm and in the awareness of God's presence, kept up by the high priest.
The same trumpet blast meant opposite things to the two sides. What crowned the boy king condemned the queen:
For Joash it was a day of light and joy and rejoicing, and the same for all who had sided with him while he was rejected. For Athaliah it was a day of darkness, gloom and terrible despair, and the same for all who had sided with her during her reign. The day of vengeance had come... The first glimpse of Joash filled her whole soul with the terrors of judgment... Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!" But Jehoiada answered her useless cry with, "Judgment! Judgment!"
Miller draws a line from this scene to the world's own ending:
So judgment, and judgment alone, closed the six-year reign of the guilty Athaliah and all her deluded followers. This is a solemn, deeply solemn foreshadowing of the final doom of this guilty world and all its deluded followers. They choose not to know that the true heir is alive in the house of God on high, and that He has a just claim on our allegiance!
Others make the same point in terms of the day when the rightful King appears:
She is face to face with the crowned king and now receives her well-deserved punishment outside the house of the LORD... All these blessed results are faint foreshadowings of what is yet to be when the usurper is cast out, when the true King is crowned.
- Usurper. Athaliah held a throne that was never hers. She screamed "Treason!" — but she was the traitor who had tried to blot out the king.
- Sentence. Her guilt was so plain that she needed no trial. Judgment on the house that had corrupted both kingdoms came through one priest's faithfulness.
- Outside. Jehoiada would not restore the king at the cost of the temple's holiness. She died outside its walls. God never dims one glory to make another shine.
- Two gates. She went out by the horse gate to her death. The king came in by another gate, so that no blood defiled the path to David's throne. Calm, not fury.
- Foreshadowing. The day that crowned Joash doomed Athaliah. It foreshadows the doom of this world, which will not know that the true heir is alive in the house of God on high and has a just claim on our allegiance.
And Jehoiada made a covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, that they should be the people of Jehovah; and between the king and the people.
Athaliah has fallen, and the boy king Joash now sits on the throne of Judah. The priest Jehoiada's next act is a covenant that binds king and people to the Lord, and then binds them to each other.
The verse names two agreements. One writer sets out who is bound to whom, and what the second agreement adds:
A covenant supposes two parties: here, under the law, they bind themselves to each other, the Lord on the one side, the king and the people on the other. It is as if the king were answering for the people and the people for the king, as forming one whole in relation to the Lord. But this engagement is made still more solemn by the covenant between the king and the people. They bind themselves to each other to follow the same path.
The words "that they should be the LORD's people" were not a slogan. One commentator shows where such a claim has to start:
The beginning was in a solemn covenant. It was a covenant which bound the young ruler and the people together to be true to the LORD, as the LORD's people must be. There was also a covenant between the king and the people. The revival came under the priest's direction. It began by destroying the idols and false worship, and returning to the LORD and the true worship of His name. Every true revival must begin the same way. Tested by this standard, most revivals today fall short.
One writer points to who tore the idolatry down, and how long the result lasted:
The whole people laid claim to their title as the people of the Lord. Closely bound to the king whom God had given them, they rooted out Baal, his house and his worship. For about 180 years, until the reign of the ungodly Manasseh, this hateful idolatry disappeared from the house of Judah.
Earlier, Jehoiada had taken an oath from only a few men who guarded the hidden child. This covenant reaches wider:
And a larger covenant is now struck, as we have already noticed. It is not merely the priest taking an oath from some in favour of the hidden Joash, and showing him only to them. It is the priest bringing all the people, the king, and the Lord into holy, gracious covenant again, so that they should be the Lord's people. Then he shows the rightful heir of all the glory — not to some, but to all the congregation of Israel.
Should believers make vows and covenants today? One commentator answers by separating the two periods:
Jehoiada acted as a priest of God should act, beginning by making a covenant between the Lord, the king and the people. This matched the age of the law of God, under which Israel was living at the time. Under grace today, vows and covenants are forbidden (Matthew 5:33-37). But Jehoiada sought to bring Israel back to obedience to the law, which was right at the time.
Two figures stand at the centre of the scene: a priest who makes the covenant, and a crowned king. One commentator sees both offices meeting in Christ:
After the wicked queen is destroyed, Jehoiada makes a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they should be the people of the LORD. When the Lord Jesus comes out He shall be both priest and king. The offices of Jehoiada and Joash are both His, as Zechariah 6 shows: "He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and shall be a priest upon His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." When the king comes out, a new covenant will be made with Israel. One of its terms is "They shall be my people." Everything connected with idolatry will be set aside and removed for ever.
Rossier applies the same picture to believers now:
Our Joash is still in the secret place of the sanctuary. Let us learn there, day by day and year by year, to know Him better. May He increase in our eyes. Soon He will appear, and all will rejoice at the sight.
- Hidden. While Athaliah held the throne, the rightful heir stayed hidden in the house of the Lord. Believers wait for their King in the same way.
- Revealed. The priest brings the whole nation, the king and the Lord into covenant, and then shows the rightful heir to all Israel — not to a few men only.
- Bound. Two agreements stand in the verse: the Lord with king and people, and king with people. They form one whole, walking one path.
- Cleansed. Claiming the title "the LORD's people" meant Baal, his house and his worship had to go. One commentator makes this the test of any real revival.
- Fulfilled. Priest and king stand side by side here. Both offices meet in Christ, and the promise "they shall be my people" waits on His appearing.