The Covenantal Coup Text: 2 Kings 11:4-12
Introduction: When Tyrants Reign
We live in an age that is deeply suspicious of authority and yet strangely compliant in the face of tyranny. We are told to question everything, except the prevailing orthodoxies of the secular state. We are encouraged to be rebels, but only in the service of a larger, more insidious rebellion against God Himself. The result is a people who have forgotten what true loyalty is, what righteous government looks like, and what a man of God is supposed to do when the throne is occupied by a monster.
The story before us in 2 Kings 11 is a bracing tonic for our compromised and confused times. It is the story of a righteous conspiracy, a holy treason, a covenantal coup. For six years, the kingdom of Judah had been under the thumb of a usurper, the bloody queen Athaliah. She was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which tells you everything you need to know about her spiritual pedigree. After her son, King Ahaziah, was killed, she seized power in the most direct way possible: she murdered all her grandchildren, wiping out the royal seed of David. Or so she thought.
For six years, the promise of God to David, that he would never lack a man to sit on the throne, appeared to be null and void. For six years, Baal worship, imported from the northern kingdom, had the royal seal of approval in Jerusalem. For six years, it seemed that the devil had won. But God always keeps a remnant. He always has His man. In this case, the remnant was a single infant boy named Joash, rescued by his aunt and hidden away. And God's man was a priest named Jehoiada, a man who feared God more than he feared the queen.
This passage is a master class in applied theology. It demonstrates what happens when a man of God understands that faith is not passive resignation to evil. It is not quietism. It is not a retreat into the purely "spiritual" realm while the world burns down. True faith is robust. It plans, it strategizes, it acts. Jehoiada shows us that when the state becomes apostate and murderous, the Church does not simply have a right to act; it has a duty. This is not a story about the separation of church and state. It is a story about the priest anointing the king, reminding the state where its authority comes from and calling it to account when it forgets.
The Text
Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for and took the commanders of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him in the house of Yahweh. Then he cut a covenant with them and had them swear in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king’s son. And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: one-third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house (one-third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense. And two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of Yahweh for the king. And you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
So the commanders of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of Yahweh. And the guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on 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!”
(2 Kings 11:4-12 LSB)
The Righteous Conspiracy (v. 4-8)
The action begins with the priest, Jehoiada. For six years he has been patient. He has been waiting. But this is not a passive waiting; it is a strategic waiting. In the seventh year, the time is right.
"Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for and took the commanders of hundreds... and brought them to him in the house of Yahweh. Then he cut a covenant with them and had them swear in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king’s son." (2 Kings 11:4)
Notice the location: this all happens "in the house of Yahweh." This is not a backroom political deal. This is a sacred act of covenantal restoration, undertaken in the presence of God. Jehoiada does not act alone. He summons the military leaders, the men with the swords. He brings them into the temple and binds them with an oath. He "cut a covenant" with them. This is the language of solemn, binding agreement before God. Before he shows them the solution, the hidden king, he secures their loyalty to the covenant. He is ensuring that their allegiance is not to a personality, but to the God-ordained principle of rightful rule.
Then he unveils the secret he has kept for six years: he shows them the king's son. This is the moment of truth. The line of David is not extinct. God's promise has not failed. The sight of this boy is a tangible manifestation of God's covenant faithfulness. And it provides the legal and moral basis for the dangerous action they are about to undertake. This is not a rebellion against authority; it is the restoration of authority against a usurper.
Jehoiada then lays out a detailed, practical plan. He divides the guards, assigning them specific posts. He leverages the changing of the guard on the Sabbath for tactical advantage. This is sanctified shrewdness. He is not just praying for God to drop a king out of the sky; he is using the mind God gave him to create a plan that will work. And the plan is not for a bloodless debate. He commands them, "whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death." This is a recognition that evil is not dislodged by polite requests. Athaliah took the throne by the sword, and she will be removed by the sword. This is the necessary, righteous application of force to remove a tyrant and restore order.
The Consecrated Armory (v. 9-11)
The commanders, bound by their covenant oath, obey the priest's command. And here we find a detail of immense theological significance.
"Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of Yahweh." (2 Kings 11:10)
Why is this detail here? It is not simply that the temple was a convenient place to store old armaments. These were not just any weapons; they were King David's weapons. They were spoils of war that David had dedicated to the Lord and stored in the temple. By arming the guards with these specific weapons, Jehoiada is making a powerful statement. He is connecting this new king, Joash, directly to the founder of the dynasty, David. He is clothing this revolution in the fabric of covenant history. They are not just fighting for a seven-year-old boy; they are fighting for the promise God made to David. They are taking up the instruments of a past victory, consecrated to God, to secure a future victory for God's anointed king. This is a picture of how we are to fight. We do not fight with the world's weapons, but with the old weapons, the consecrated weapons of God's covenant faithfulness throughout history.
The guards then take their positions, forming a protective cordon around the young king. They are stationed "by the altar and by the house." Again, the geography is theological. The king is surrounded by armed men, and the entire operation is surrounded by the sacred space of God's house. The altar speaks of sacrifice and atonement, and the house speaks of God's presence. This is a military operation, to be sure, but it is bracketed, defined, and sanctified by worship.
The Covenant Coronation (v. 12)
With the stage set and the guards in place, the climax arrives. This verse is a compact theology of godly government.
"Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on 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!'" (2 Kings 11:12)
There are four distinct actions here, and each is essential. First, Jehoiada "brought the king's son out." The truth that was hidden is now proclaimed. The legitimate king is revealed to the people.
Second, he "put the crown on him." The crown is the symbol of royal authority. This boy is not just a symbol; he is the rightful ruler. God delegates civil authority, and this is the visible sign of that delegation.
Third, and this is the most crucial part, he "gave him the testimony." What is this? It is a copy of the Law of God, the Torah. This is the constitutional foundation of the kingdom. The king is crowned, but he is immediately handed the law. His authority is not absolute. It is a derived authority, and it must operate under the authority of God's Word. He is to be a constitutional monarch, and the constitution is the Bible. This is the principle that destroys all forms of tyranny. The king is under the law, not above it. Any ruler who rejects the testimony of God's law is, by definition, a tyrant.
Fourth, "they made him king and anointed him." The anointing with oil signifies God's blessing and setting apart for the task. And the people acclaim him. This is covenantal consent. A godly government involves the anointing of God, the authority of the ruler, the submission of that ruler to God's law, and the glad consent of the governed. When all these elements are in place, the only proper response is to clap your hands and shout, "Long live the king!"
Conclusion: Crowning King Jesus
This is a glorious story of reformation and restoration. But it is not just a history lesson. It is a paradigm for us. We too live in a world where a usurper reigns in many places. The bloody and chaotic spirit of Athaliah sits on many thrones, whether they be in government, in education, in media, or sometimes, even in the church.
And God is calling for modern Jehoiadas. He is calling for men of God who are not content to hide in the temple while the world is overrun. He is calling for men who know how to wait patiently and plan strategically. He is calling for men who will make covenants of faithfulness and arm God's people with the consecrated weapons of our history, the great doctrines of the faith.
Our task is to reveal the true king. We must bring out the Son of David, Jesus Christ, from the obscurity into which our culture has tried to place Him. We must declare that He is the rightful king, not just of our hearts, not just of our churches, but of this nation and every nation. We must place the crown on His head, acknowledging His total sovereignty.
And as we crown Him, we must insist on the testimony. We must declare that all of life, including politics, must be brought under the authority of the Word of God. We do not have the right to edit His law or to declare it irrelevant to the public square. The king must be given the testimony. Our culture must be given the testimony. This is our task. To work and pray and plan and build for the day when the people of this land will once again clap their hands and joyfully shout, "Long live King Jesus!"