The Tabernacle, the Refuge

BIBLE STUDY #784- CHURCH IN THE HOUSES TUESDAY SEPT 17 - SEPT 23, 2013

Topic: “The Tabernacle, the Refuge” Psalms 27:5 & 2 Chronicles 21:1-6 Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram, King of Judah. This wicked woman had a great influence over her son Ahaziah, who because of her horrendous advices killed almost all of his own brothers. Because of Athaliah, Ahaziah became dominated by a spirit like the one that dominated the evil Ahab, King of Israel. 2 Chronicles 22:3 “He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.” Ahaziah requested by his mother, killed his brothers who were princes, except one named Joash who was hidden and delivered from death. Athaliah was the daughter of the perverse Jezebel, wife of the King of Israel Ahab. The evilness of the mother of Athaliah was within her and that is why she provoked in her husband Jehoram and her son Ahaziah to kill almost all of King David’s descendants. She wanted to destroy totally David’s throne, not wanting anyone else to reign over the land of Judah except her; she wanted a temple for Baal, the false god of the Canaanites (2 Chronicles 21:1-6). Jehoram, King of Judah was guided by Athaliah; just as Jezebel lead Ahab to do evilness. Jehoram had also taken all his brothers to death. They killed Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 22:8, 9 “While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them. He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.” Athaliah wanted revenge against Jehu. She wanted to reign, so she became ferocious because of all that ambition she possessed and she killed everyone she could. (2 Chronicles 22:10 “When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah.”) The princes of Judah fell in the criminal hands of Athaliah. They needed to escape from such a perverse person. But, how would they escape? At that moment there wasn’t a secure place in Judah where anyone could hide. Nevertheless, they were able to take away Joash, son of Ahaziah, from the hands of Athaliah. His aunt, Jehosheba, a daughter of Jehoram, delivered the boy from death. She was able to help him in a bad day by hiding him in the tabernacle. (2 Chronicles 22:11,12 “But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal family who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.” Athaliah did not want David’s family to survive hers; well she knew that Jehu, sent by God, was going to destroy Ahab’s family. This is the sad fruit of the unequal alliance between Jehoram, the son of the merciful Jehoshaphat, and Athaliah, a daughter of the wicked and idolatrous house of Ahab. Jehosheba was the daughter of Jehoram, therefore she was Joash’ aunt. Jehosheba hid Joash in one of the chambers of the temple for six years. She was the wife of the priest Jehoiada. Athaliah never thought that the king’s son would be in a chamber of the temple. She couldn’t imagine the evil that would come to her there. She thought: “I’ll kill everyone and become the queen!” She was full of vanity and arrogance. She didn’t know that from the most austere place would be the end of her. The little boy, Joash, was hidden in the chamber where the beds were, an uncomfortable place, with no luxury or big meals. He didn’t have with him the royal tunics, nothing to boast about or feel great. The use was for the priest, not for the king’s son, so Joash had to experience what it was to be a servant in order to conserve his life. He was in a small room where the mattresses were kept, not in an apartment. It could had been the most indicated place to recover from the wounds of the death of his brothers. That chamber was the hideout for the royal child to be delivered from the evilness of that perverse woman who would surely kill him. Now let’s apply this to our lives. Where do you hide when evil wants to destroy you? Do you escape or do you hide using your own strength far from the temple, far from your place? Where does your guidance come from, does it come from the temple, from the place that God chose to protect you? Joash was blessed while he was “buried alive in the darkness.” The temple is not the place for vanity or vainglory, but rather it is the place where the walls of the blessing are and the cautions that guard and protect you from the devil and the evil. In those times the people were fed up with Athaliah’s tyranny. The people matured and wanted a king who would be guided by a righteous priest and in this way be able to defeat idolatry. 2 Chronicles 24:2 “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.” The high priest Jehoiada was a man of authority because of his duty. He was related to the royal family, his wife Jehosheba was the daughter of Jehoram; Jehosheba was able to offer Joash the best service, she delivered him from Athaliah’s usurpation. This is how Joash received the victory and became the king. The temple was a great blessing for Joash since he was hidden and protected there. For that reason, when he became the king he made the decision to restore Jehovah’s house together with Jehoiada, the priest (2 Chronicles 24:12,13). But, the wrong advices come to Joash and he received it. It so happened that when Jehoiada died full of days, at 130 years of age, the officials from Judah came and filled his ears with evil and the king listened to them. Joash no longer needed Jehovah’s house to hide from, well Athaliah was no longer there. But, the evilness was indeed within him. Joash remained faithful while the priest Jehoiada, righteous man, was alive. Now, without that good influence, Joash became an idolatrous. He would no longer have God’s favor who protected him in his worst moment; God sent prophets to him and he did not listen to them. He became wicked and killed Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the one who helped him, who guided him and gave his life to protect him. Zechariah was stoned to death ordered by Joash.

Syria came along and destroyed everyone when Joash was also oppressed with his illnesses. Evilness came to him because he did not remember the mercy that Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had for him. They grew up together and were cared for together; but the voices of those vain officials (princes) were more to him than the voice of God’s prophet companion. Jehoiada, after living long years, was buried with all the honors in the City of David “with the kings.” That righteous man had done much well for Israel, for God and his house while Joash left his shelter, which was God’s House leaving Jehovah his God. The world and the vanity he chose brought him an early death, dishonorable and tragic. Let us learn from this and watch our steps to never leave the protection and shelter of the House of God. Let us be faithful and righteous like Jehoiada, and not ungrateful and vain as Joash was when the Priest Jehoiada died. Amen.