Consecrated Courage

"In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength."
2 Chronicles 23:1a

There are moments when truth and rightness are ruthlessly attacked. Moments when God-ordained wisdom is purposefully maligned or obscured. In such moments a consecrated courage is required to stand up for what is pure and noble. After all, it takes spiritual valor to speak out against mankind’s wickedness and remind others that holy instruction and doctrine should not be ignored. As much as this world would seek to silence the voice of God’s followers we should never be beholden to fear or intimidation for if we are on the side of God then our cause is the correct one. As disciples for Christ we are sure to encounter pessimism and persecution, but we must stay the course and address injustice and ungodliness in a compassionate, yet courageous, way.

The events of 2 Chronicles 23 illustrate how powerfully the consecrated, courageous actions of but a few can change the course of a nation. According to 2 Chronicles 22 Ahaziah’s reign as king of Judah suddenly ended when he went to visit the king of Israel (Joram), who had been badly wounded in a battle against the Arameans. During the course of Ahaziah’s visit with the king of Israel a man named Jehu, a man anointed by God to eradicate Ahab’s family line from Israel’s royal dynasty, was in the process of executing judgment on the house of Ahab. Ahaziah and the relatives who accompanied him to see King Joram soon found themselves in the middle of the episode, which culminated in both Joram's and Ahaziah’s deaths. Shortly thereafter, Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, proceeded to murder all of Ahaziah’s children in order to stabilize her place as Judah’s sole successor to the throne. But thankfully a woman named Jehosheba interceded and rescued Joash, a baby son of Ahaziah, and hid him from Athaliah's reach for six years. 

As it turns out, Jehosheba was married to a priest: Jehoiada. Jehoiada not only supported Jehosheba’s desire to protect Joash from Athaliah’s wrath he set out to devise a plan in which Joash could be crowned as Judah’s king. To that end, Jehoiada advocated his heart's desire to various military commanders, family elders, and Levites throughout Judah. Jehoiada was so disgusted with the religious idolatry Athaliah was allowing to spiritually pollute Jerusalem that he put himself in harm's way. He was willing to risk his life in an effort to establish Joash in his rightful place as ruler because he recognized Athaliah was out of God's will and cared nothing for God's Word. In fact, Athaliah was so out of touch with the Lord that Jehoiada and Jehosheba were able to conceal Joash inside the temple, which should have been a frequented place for a royal leader of Judah.   

God blessed Jehoiada's efforts. At the tender age of seven Joash was crowned king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem quickly rallied to support the boy ruler. In an instant, Athaliah's grip on Judah was lost. The queen attempted to label Jehoiada's actions as treasonous, but her attempt to thwart what had transpired was futile. She was summarily and swiftly executed. The law of the harvest, in that you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7), proved itself true through this account. Athaliah lived by the sword and she died by the sword. She tried to build a kingdom through force and manipulation, and that is effectively how it was ripped away from her.  

But returning to the courageous work of Jehoiada and Jehosheba, there comes a point when a God-honoring move is required. Jehoiada and Jehosheba were obviously discouraged by the spiritual apathy and ignorance Athaliah helped cultivate in the people of Judah. But rather than determine it to be a lost cause, Jehoiada and Jehosheba committed themselves to surrendering much in hopes of changing the religious culture of their nation. Taking on a royal leader is no easy or slight endeavor, especially when it is a royal leader as ruthless and vicious as Athaliah. But Jehoiada and Jehosheba chose not to dwell on the power or position of their enemy. Instead, they chose to dwell on the power and position of God, Who is able to raise and tear down earthly kingdoms at will.   

The exploits captured in 2 Chronicles 23 on the part of Jehoiada and Jehosheba called for wisdom, conviction, and consecrated courage. Jehoiada and Jehosheba refused to let Judah spiritually crumble apart on their watch. They understood that Queen Athaliah had no good intentions, or motives, for her reign as civil leader of Judah. So Jehoiada and Jehosheba took it upon themselves to steer Judah away from idolatry and carnality. And such is the heart of the God-movers, the ones who make bold stances because of their fierce love and reverence for God and His Word. The ones who recognize even the seemingly impossible feats are possible through God. The ones who choose to exercise consecrated courage, even when the world around them is mired in cowardice and complacency.