The royal family vs. an old priest and his wife – who had the power?

Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Bern Leckie answers:

What did I like about today’s passage?

There’s a lot of palace intrigue and power play in these chapters, with lots of the gory details which made Shakespeare and history interesting when I was a boy. I love the savage write up Jehoram’s rotten rule receives. He was such a let-down after his father Jehoshaphat’s faithfulness – but why? He could have brought Judah and Israel back together, but he married into corrupt power which had turned from God. At the same time, he lost a big chunk of his own kingdom as Edom split off and remained antagonists for centuries. His evil and misguided leadership ended with God making his bowels fall out and “he passed away, to no-one’s regret…” Ouch! Doesn’t that hurt the most?

As all but one of Jehoram’s sons were killed too, this left his youngest, Ahaziah, in charge. He was rotten too, with his mother Athaliah’s encouragement, and God brought him down in a year. Athaliah’s move to kill every royal relative and seize power for herself showed how much people in high places could get away with. Who could oppose power like that?

Enter the priest Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba. She hid Ahaziah’s tiny son Joash where they were based, at the temple, faithful to God and, it turned out, empowered by him. I love how God used his priests and his house to turn his kingdom around, led by Jehoiada who was at least 90 years old at the time of this holy rebellion.

It was quite a clash of power – not just a ruler against a priest, but the power of God overturning the power of greed, insecurity, anger, pride and whatever else was making Athaliah cling to the throne in an empty shell of a kingdom which had almost lost its original purpose to point people to God.

I love how the influence of this priest and his wife led to Joash being a good ruler and restoring the temple connection with God while Jehoiada lived (to 130!) But when we see what happened as soon as the king stopped being guided by God’s faithful people, it’s clear where the real power lay.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

To this day, many credit God for placing leaders in authority, quoting Paul as he wrote to the Romans, “there is no authority except that which is from God.” But even if we don’t get this from our time’s rotten rulers, we can understand from this scripture that the office of a ruler and the power which comes from God’s authority can be two different things. If they clash, God wins.

God fulfils his kingdom purposes through faithful people who might not be King, President or Prime Minister. They might just be priests and, as Peter wrote to all followers of Jesus, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…”

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Thank God for the power he gives to priests, and for making us priests in Christ.

Who am I going to share this with?

Other people I pray with about politics, for leaders and our own potential active roles.