2 Kings 11: Light dispels darkness.

Verses 1-2: When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy all the royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah so he was not killed.

◇ After the division of Israel into north and south, for over 400 years, the only time someone not of David's line ruled the kingdom of Judah was during this period. Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab who had married into Judah's royal family, ruled the kingdom of Judah for seven years, just as Ahab had.

When her son Ahaziah was killed by Jehu, Athaliah murdered all the royal heirs and took the throne herself. For a long seven years, she ruled the kingdom of Judah in the manner of Ahab, building temples for Baal, appointing priests, and conducting sacrifices.

It seemed as if the line of David had been cut off and God's promise had come to naught. However, amidst the slaughter of the princes, Joash, the son of King Ahaziah, was spared. He was secretly raised in the temple by a priest for seven years, unknown to all. And he was established as king. Athaliah was put to death as she fled by the way the horses entered the palace grounds.

How dark must those seven years of Athaliah's rule have been? Seven years without a descendant of David, seven years where it seemed as if God's promise had been broken, seven years of seemingly endless darkness—could they have been anything but despairing?

Darkness disappears when light comes. God, the Light, was alive. He did not cut off the line of David. He did not leave the wicked unpunished. The merciful and faithful God preserved Joash and established him as king. The righteous God judged Athaliah, who had attempted to exterminate the royal line and had filled the land with idols.

Are you living through a day as dark as any during those long seven years of Athaliah's reign? Let us revere God and persevere. Light dispels darkness.

♧ God, because You are alive, we believe that Your love and justice will come as light that drives out darkness. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!