The Hidden King and the Unfailing Covenant Text: 2 Chronicles 22:10-12
Introduction: The Devil's Countermove
History is not a random series of unfortunate events. It is a story, and it has a plot. That plot is the age-old war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. From the moment God made His promise in the Garden, that the seed of Eve would crush the serpent's head, the devil has been engaged in a frantic, bloody, and ultimately futile campaign to cut the line. He is always trying to get at the promised seed. He tried with Cain and Abel. He tried with Pharaoh and the Hebrew infants. He tried with Haman. He tried with Herod. And here, in our text, he tries again, through a woman who was the very incarnation of the spirit of Jezebel, her mother.
The story of Athaliah is not some dusty, obscure palace intrigue. It is a frontline report from this cosmic war. It is a story of satanic fury unleashed against the covenant promises of God. And it is a story of how God, in His inscrutable providence, preserves His purposes through the most unlikely means. Through the courageous faith of one woman, and through the quiet sanctity of His own house, God hides His king. He preserves the royal line of David, the line that would one day produce the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in an age that is just as hostile to God's anointed King as Athaliah was. The spirit of our age is a murderous, revolutionary spirit that seeks to destroy every royal heir of Christ's kingdom. It wants to erase the name of Christ from our public life, from our schools, from our laws, and from our hearts. And so, this text is not just history for us; it is a lesson in spiritual warfare. It teaches us about the nature of tyranny, the courage of the faithful remnant, and the absolute sovereignty of God to preserve His covenant, even when all seems lost.
The Text
Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.
But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so she did not put him to death.
So he was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah was reigning over the land.
(2 Chronicles 22:10-12 LSB)
The Serpent's Fury (v. 10)
We begin with the bloody ambition of a wicked queen.
"Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah." (2 Chronicles 22:10)
Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which tells you everything you need to know about her spiritual pedigree. She was a viper from a nest of vipers, married into the royal line of Judah as a disastrous political alliance. When her son, King Ahaziah, is killed, she sees not a tragedy, but an opportunity. There is no grief here, only a cold, calculating lust for power. She "rose and destroyed." This is the language of usurpation and tyranny.
But we must see this for what it is. This is not merely a political coup. This is a theological assault. Athaliah is not just trying to secure a throne for herself; she is trying to annihilate the promise of God. God had sworn an oath to David, saying, "Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Every king in Judah was a living reminder of that covenant. The "royal seed" was the tangible link in the chain that would lead to the Messiah. Athaliah's massacre was the serpent's attempt to sever that chain. It was an attack aimed directly at the gospel.
This is how godless tyranny always operates. It cannot stand the existence of a rival king or a higher law. It must eliminate all contenders. This is why Pharaoh killed the infants, and why Herod killed the infants. The ungodly ruler knows, instinctively, that the true royal seed is a threat to his illegitimate reign. Modern secularism is no different. It is a jealous god. It seeks to destroy the royal seed of Christian influence in every sphere of life because it cannot tolerate a rival claimant to the throne of culture.
The Courage of the Remnant (v. 11)
But the serpent never has the last word. God always preserves a remnant. In this dark moment, that remnant is embodied in one faithful woman.
"But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so she did not put him to death." (2 Chronicles 22:11)
Notice the glorious, defiant conjunction: "But Jehoshabeath." Athaliah arose to destroy, "but" God had already prepared His answer. Jehoshabeath is one of the great unsung heroines of Scripture. She was the daughter of a king (Jehoram) and the wife of the high priest (Jehoiada). She stood at the intersection of the royal and priestly offices, and she acted with the courage that befitted both. While a queen was murdering her own grandchildren, a princess risked her life to save her nephew.
Her action is described as stealing: "stole him from among the king's sons." This was a holy theft, a righteous abduction. In a world turned upside down by wickedness, true loyalty to God sometimes looks like subversion to the reigning authorities. She was disobedient to the murderous tyrant in order to be obedient to the King of Heaven. She understood that Athaliah's decree was null and void because it contradicted the decree of God concerning the Davidic line. This is the principle of faithful resistance. When the state commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, our duty is clear.
Jehoshabeath's courage was not reckless. It was shrewd. She hid the child and his nurse "in the bedroom." This was likely a storeroom for bedding within the palace complex, a place no one would think to look. Faith is not foolish. It acts with wisdom and prudence to accomplish God's purposes. God did not airlift the child to safety with a legion of angels. He used the courageous, intelligent, and risky actions of a faithful woman. This is how He almost always works in the world: through the faithfulness of His people in their stations.
The Sanctuary of God (v. 12)
The child's initial hiding place was temporary. His long-term security was found in a place of ultimate significance.
"So he was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah was reigning over the land." (2 Chronicles 22:12)
For six years, the true king of Judah was hidden in the Temple. Think of the glorious irony. While the illegitimate queen sat on the throne in the palace, flaunting her power, the rightful king was dwelling in the house of the true King. While the land was overrun with the Baalism of Athaliah, the future of the covenant was being nurtured right next to the Holy of Holies. The state was apostate, but the church, in the person of the high priest and his wife, was the guardian of the kingdom.
This is a profound picture of the role of the church in times of cultural decay and tyranny. The "house of God" is to be a sanctuary, a place of refuge and preservation for the things of God that the world is trying to destroy. It is in the household of faith that the truth is preserved, that the royal seed is nurtured, and that the future is prepared. For six years, Joash was catechized by the high priest. He grew up surrounded by the Scriptures, the sacrifices, and the worship of the one true God. When he was finally revealed to the nation, he was not just a political figure; he was a covenant king, prepared by God in the secret place.
The world may have its Athaliahs. They may reign for a time. They may seem to have absolute power. But God is always hiding His Joash. He is always preserving His future king. The six years of hiding were not years of defeat; they were years of preparation. God was letting the evil of Athaliah's reign come to full fruition, even as He was preparing the instrument of its overthrow. This is the patience of God, and it is the confidence of the saints.
The Hidden King Revealed
This entire narrative is a beautiful foreshadowing of a greater King and a greater hiding. After Athaliah, another usurper, Herod, would seek to destroy another royal seed. But that infant King, Jesus, was also hidden. He was stolen away by night and hidden in Egypt. For thirty years, the King of the universe was hidden in obscurity in Nazareth. The world did not know Him. He was hidden from the powers that be.
And when He came, He was rejected and killed. It seemed, once again, that the serpent had won. The royal seed was cut off. But He was hidden again, this time in the tomb. And on the third day, the true King was revealed in power and glory. The usurpation of Satan was overthrown, and the kingdom of God was established forever.
Because of this, we who are in Christ are also hidden. Paul tells us, "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). In this age, while the spirit of Athaliah still rages and the world is governed by usurpers, our true identity and our future glory are hidden. We are like Joash in the temple. The world looks at the church and sees nothing impressive. We seem weak, irrelevant, a footnote to the real story of power and politics.
But we are hidden with the King. We are being nurtured in the house of God. And the day is coming when the trumpets will sound, and the King will be revealed. "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). On that day, every illegitimate ruler will be cast down, and the hidden kingdom will be revealed in all its splendor. The six years will be over, and the seventh year, the year of coronation and sabbath rest, will begin. Therefore, let us be like Jehoshabeath: courageous in our loyalty to the true King, wise in our resistance to tyranny, and confident that the One who is hidden in the sanctuary of God will one day reign over all the earth.