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102
Royalty and Ruin
At the end of this time, “the Levites and all Judah” (
2 Chronicles
23:8
) united with Jehoiada the high priest in crowning the child
Joash and proclaiming him their king. “And they clapped their hands
and said, ‘Long live the king!’”
2 Kings 11:12
.
“When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and prais-
ing the king, she came to the people to the temple of the Lord.”
2
Chronicles 23:12
.
“When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar ac-
cording to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the
king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.
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“Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, ‘Treason! Treason!’”
2 Kings 11:14
. But Jehoiada commanded the officers to lay hold
of Athaliah and her followers and lead them out of the temple to be
executed.
In this way the last member of the house of Ahab died. The ter-
rible evil that Ahab’s alliance with Jezebel had unleashed continued
till the last of his descendants was destroyed. Immediately after the
execution of the unrepentant Queen Athaliah, “all the people of the
land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly
broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of
Baal.”
2 Kings 11:18
.
Reformation followed. Those who took part in recognizing Joash
as king had made a solemn pact “that they should be the Lord’s
people.” And now that the daughter of Jezebel had been removed
from Judah and the priests of Baal had been killed and their temple
destroyed, “all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was
quiet.”
2 Chronicles 23:16, 21
.
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