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Athaliah - The Books of 2 Kings & 2 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. But when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah,
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  Speaker 1: saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed
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  Speaker 1: all the seed royal of the house of Judah. 2
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  Speaker 1: Chronicles 22.10 Dear God, through the life of Queen Athaliah,
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  Speaker 1: I will make sure that as I step into my
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  Speaker 1: position of leadership, I will not be motivated by power, prestige,
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  Speaker 1: or position. Instead, I will do everything within my power
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  Speaker 1: to make sure that everything I do is motivated by love.
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  Speaker 1: I will not seek leadership merely to gain power over
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  Speaker 1: others or to revel in a smug feeling of superiority,
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  Speaker 1: but will focus my motive to meet the needs and
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  Speaker 1: grow the cause of your kingdom. Increase your godly character
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  Speaker 1: in my life. Fortify the walls of my faith so
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  Speaker 1: that my pursuit will be one of love and service
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  Speaker 1: to others, which ultimately leads to you being glorified, God.
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  Speaker 1: I'm ready and willing to step up and to be
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  Speaker 1: used to show people the magnitude of how much you
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  Speaker 1: love them. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for making
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  Speaker 1: prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about
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  Speaker 1: the Bible, stay tuned for today's story. Brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Athaliah In our last story, Jehu was used by God
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  Speaker 2: to rid Israel of evil. He killed Jezebel and all
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  Speaker 2: the remnants of King Ahab. He also toppled the temples
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  Speaker 2: of Baal along with all its followers. Jehu killed thousands
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  Speaker 2: in the name of a truly free Israel, but the
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  Speaker 2: process claimed his heart. Eventually, he succumbed to his own
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  Speaker 2: inner evils and strayed away from God. Jehu would forever
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  Speaker 2: be honored by God for what he did. But his
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  Speaker 2: time as king was marked with suffering, and the kingdom
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  Speaker 2: of Israel shrunk under his rule. Now we peer into
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  Speaker 2: the life of Athaliah and get a better understanding of
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  Speaker 2: how Judah and Israel descended into further dysfunction and pain,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the books of 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our last time together, we
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  Speaker 3: learned how Jehu cleansed Israel of Ahab's family and and
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  Speaker 3: brought judgment upon those who carried out his evil and
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  Speaker 3: idolatrous legacy. Though Jehu did great things for the Lord,
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  Speaker 3: he failed to hold fast to God all the days
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  Speaker 3: of his life, and as a result failed to fully
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  Speaker 3: witness to God's glory throughout his lifetime. Today we look
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  Speaker 3: at Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, whose marriage
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  Speaker 3: to Jehoram, the king of Judah, had disastrous consequences on
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  Speaker 3: the southern kingdoms. once again leading Judah into idolatry and
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  Speaker 3: unfaithfulness and disobedience to God. So, listen now to the
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  Speaker 3: Word of God.
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  Speaker 2: The kingdom of Judah was thriving under King Jehoshaphat. He
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  Speaker 2: ruled with a fear of the Lord and a genuine
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  Speaker 2: love for his people. Surrounding nations respected him, his people
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  Speaker 2: loved him, and he had the Spirit of God resting
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  Speaker 2: on his soul. For all Jehoshaphat's triumphs as king over
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  Speaker 2: Judah He made one fateful mistake, a mistake that would
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  Speaker 2: alter the course of Judah and Israel for several generations.
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  Speaker 2: Jehoshaphat learned to broker peace with many surrounding nations, yet
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  Speaker 2: there was still disdain between Judah and their sister nation, Israel.
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  Speaker 2: In an attempt to broker peace, Jehoshaphat betrothed his son, Jerome,
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  Speaker 2: to the daughter of Ahab, Athaliah. Athaliah was the daughter
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  Speaker 2: of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab's corrupt mind and Jezebel's wicked
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  Speaker 2: heart had seeped their way into their daughter. Athaliah had
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  Speaker 2: the seductive qualities of her mother. Her silver tongue lured
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  Speaker 2: Yerom into straying away from the Lord. All of Jehoshaphat's
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  Speaker 2: positive influence began to melt as Athaliah spun webs of
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  Speaker 2: lies around her husband's mind. Jehoshaphat eventually passed to be
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  Speaker 2: with his forefathers. His life was celebrated as one of
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  Speaker 2: Judah's truest kings. However, Yerom had no such legacy. He
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  Speaker 2: and his wife practiced ancient pagan rituals. Their selfish and
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  Speaker 2: lewd practices trickled down into the culture of Judah. King
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  Speaker 2: Jehoshaphat had such a peace with God that he was
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  Speaker 2: able to stand in the face of vast armies without fear.
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  Speaker 2: King Yerom had no such peace. His mind was clouded
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  Speaker 2: with paranoia and pride. In an attempt to secure his
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  Speaker 2: legacy forever, he killed all six of his brothers. Corruption
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  Speaker 2: drenched his thoughts, and Athaliah reveled in her husband's downward spiral. Elisha,
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  Speaker 2: the prophet, kept a close eye on the king of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: He watched as Athaliah sewed lies into the fabric of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: He watched as Yoram secured his line by murdering his brothers.
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  Speaker 2: Elisha knew the heart of God. He knew that a
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  Speaker 2: king's heart eventually reached the heart of his people. He
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  Speaker 2: sent King Duram a message, saying, You have caused the
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  Speaker 2: people of Judah to fall into false worship. You have
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  Speaker 2: slain your brothers, good men who served the Lord. Because
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  Speaker 2: of this, you and your sons will be blotted out
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  Speaker 2: from the kingdom. Slowly, Judah's prosperity and favor shifted. With
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  Speaker 2: each battle, Judah tallied more and more lost. Nations that
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  Speaker 2: were once at peace with Judah began to take away
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  Speaker 2: more and more land. Yerom felt his kingdom slipping away
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  Speaker 2: from him. To add to his woes, Yerom was plagued
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  Speaker 2: with a crippling stomach illness. For two years, he writhed
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  Speaker 2: in pain. Each night, he screamed for mercy. Eventually, Yerom
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  Speaker 2: and all his sons perished by the same illness. All
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  Speaker 2: his sons, but one. Nobody mourned for Yerom's death. He
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  Speaker 2: was a corrupt man and brought nothing but sorrow to
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  Speaker 2: the people of Judah. There was hope for his son, Ahaziah.
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  Speaker 2: Hope that he could restore the heart of David and Jehoshaphat.
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  Speaker 2: Hope that he might rise above his father's sins and
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  Speaker 2: reach out to God for guidance. However, King Ahaziah was
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  Speaker 2: also muddled by the doctrine of his mother. Athaliah tutored
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  Speaker 2: her son in the ways of Jezebel. She weaved his
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  Speaker 2: wicked heart like a tapestry. Eventually, Ahaziah went to visit
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  Speaker 2: his uncle, the king of Israel, who had been wounded
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  Speaker 2: on the battlefield. There he met Jehu, who sent a
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  Speaker 2: sea of arrows to drown him in blood. So Athaliah
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  Speaker 2: found herself a widow and childless. Her husband and her
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  Speaker 2: sons were weak. Their minds and hearts were malleable and
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  Speaker 2: easy to sway, but not hers. Athaliah had a will
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  Speaker 2: of iron. She was the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab.
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  Speaker 2: She would find a way to remain in power. Athaliah
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  Speaker 2: knew that only men from the line of David were
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  Speaker 2: chosen as rulers over Judah. As long as the line
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  Speaker 2: of David lived, there would be a possibility to be overthrown.
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  Speaker 2: So Athaliah conspired to kill all of her grandchildren. Anyone
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  Speaker 2: with David's blood running through their veins would feel the
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  Speaker 2: cold iron of her dagger. Athaliah conspired with a few
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  Speaker 2: of her servants, not knowing that a child of God
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  Speaker 2: stood in her midst. Athaliah's daughter peered into her mother's
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  Speaker 2: chambers and listened. She heard of Athaliah's plan to murder
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  Speaker 2: the line of David to gain power. Athaliah's daughter was
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  Speaker 2: married to the high priest Jehoiada. Together they worshipped God
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  Speaker 2: and served the people of Judah. She would not allow
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  Speaker 2: her mother to murder her child. Before Athaliah sent her
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  Speaker 2: guards to murder her grandchildren, her daughter grabbed her baby, Joash,
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  Speaker 2: and hid him in the Temple of God. Tears streamed
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  Speaker 2: down her face as she held her son close. In
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  Speaker 2: the distance, she could hear the boots of Athaliah's men,
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  Speaker 2: each one of them scattered throughout the city to find
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  Speaker 2: the descendants of David. All the small children were killed,
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  Speaker 2: all but Joash, who was held safely in the arms
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  Speaker 2: of his mother. Athaliah stood proud in front of the
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  Speaker 2: people of Judah, confident she had slain all the descendants
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  Speaker 2: of David. She stood proud as the new ruler of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: For six years she corrupted the nation with the sins
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  Speaker 2: of Jezebel. All the while Joash was kept safe with
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  Speaker 2: his father in the temple of God. For seven years
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  Speaker 2: he remained there and studied the word of God. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 2: the people who still worshipped the Lord became restless for
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  Speaker 2: a king. Jehoiada, the high priest, and Joash's father gathered
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  Speaker 2: the trusted leaders and elders of Judah together. They all
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  Speaker 2: conversed in secret about Queen Athaliah. They spoke of revolt.
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  Speaker 2: They spoke of rebellion. This is when Jehoiada felt comfortable
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  Speaker 2: to ask the question, The people paused for a moment,
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  Speaker 2: then nodded in agreement. We would make him king, of course,
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  Speaker 2: they shouted. Jehoiada nodded and got up from his seat.
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  Speaker 2: He went into the other room and brought in his
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  Speaker 2: seven-year-old son. Joash stood shyly in front of the crowd.
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  Speaker 2: This is Joash, your next king. Gasps filled the room.
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  Speaker 2: There in the temple, they bowed to the Lord's preserved
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  Speaker 2: hope for Judah. Together, the elders devised a plan to
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  Speaker 2: bring Joash in front of the people. They rallied troops
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  Speaker 2: who were not loyal to the queen and ushered Joash
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  Speaker 2: forward in front of the people. His father anointed his
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  Speaker 2: head and placed a crown on his head. The people
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  Speaker 2: erupted in praise to God in honor of their king.
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  Speaker 2: The sounds of applause, music, and laughter echoed through the city.
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  Speaker 2: It woke the slumbering Athaliah. She looked out her window
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  Speaker 2: to see what was happening. She beheld citizens running through
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  Speaker 2: the streets in praise of their new king. Her blood
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  Speaker 2: began to boil with hatred. All she had built had
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  Speaker 2: begun to crumble. All the murder and lies had been
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  Speaker 2: for nothing. She would not admit defeat easily. She rallied
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  Speaker 2: some of her guards and stormed the temple of God.
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  Speaker 2: There she saw the seven-year-old Joash sitting upon his throne.
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  Speaker 2: She cackled towards him, then lifted her finger. Treason, she screamed.
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  Speaker 2: Her voice was broken and without control. Her eyes revealed
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  Speaker 2: an inner madness. Her hunger for power had driven her insane.
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  Speaker 2: Joash was just a child and unable to truly rule
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  Speaker 2: on his own. Jehoiada and the elders stood behind him.
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  Speaker 2: They were pillars of strength and guidance for him. With
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  Speaker 2: resolute strength in God, they stood their ground. Take her
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  Speaker 2: away from here. They ordered the guards. To Athaliah's surprise,
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  Speaker 2: her men did nothing to help her. As she was
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  Speaker 2: swept away out of the temple, they dragged her to
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  Speaker 2: the horse corral.
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  Speaker 1: And executed her without a spectacle.
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  Speaker 2: Slowly, the hearts of Judah began to heal. They tore
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  Speaker 2: down the idols in the city and renewed a culture
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  Speaker 2: of worship.
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  Speaker 3: As we open today's passage, we're reminded of the righteous
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  Speaker 3: reign of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. His heart was like David's,
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  Speaker 3: and he earnestly sought to be close to the Lord
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  Speaker 3: and to lead his people to do the same. His
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  Speaker 3: rule was marked by success and a glorious time in
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  Speaker 3: Judah's history. But in his efforts to secure peace with
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  Speaker 3: the northern kingdom of Israel, Jehoshaphat had united with Ahab
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  Speaker 3: through the marriage of his son Jehoram to Ahab and
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  Speaker 3: Jezebel's daughter Athaliah. Athaliah was cut from the same cloth
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  Speaker 3: as her evil parents and was deeply involved in pagan
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  Speaker 3: worship and idolatry. So when Jehoshaphat died and left a
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  Speaker 3: flourishing kingdom for Jehoram to rule, things took an unfortunate turn.
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  Speaker 3: Athaliah's influence upon Jehoram was stronger than Jehoshaphat's, and soon
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  Speaker 3: the royal couple brought back the pagan rituals that poisoned
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  Speaker 3: Israel and of which Jehoshaphat had worked so hard to
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  Speaker 3: rid from Judah. But as Jehoram discovered, when we turn
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  Speaker 3: from God to other sources of power and peace, we
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  Speaker 3: will end up with neither. Rather than peace, Jehoram was
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  Speaker 3: tortured by insecurity and fear, which in the end left
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  Speaker 3: him powerless to resist even the gravest of sins, like
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  Speaker 3: the murder of his six brothers, whom he feared were
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  Speaker 3: after his throne. Elisha, the great man of God, watched
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  Speaker 3: as all of this transpired. He saw the evil that
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  Speaker 3: was growing in Judah and sent word of God's judgment
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  Speaker 3: to Jehoram. His sins had not gone unnoticed, and as
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  Speaker 3: a result, God was going to wipe out the king
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  Speaker 3: and his sons. Just as the prophet had said, Jehoram
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  Speaker 3: and his sons all died. The last of which was Ahaziah,
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  Speaker 3: the king who we learned died when Jehu came to power.
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  Speaker 3: Ahaziah and Israel's king, Joram, both died at the hand
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  Speaker 3: of Jehu. Athaliah was left without a husband or any children.
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  Speaker 3: But rather than being fearful for her future or turn
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  Speaker 3: to God in repentance of her own sins, Athaliah doubled down.
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  Speaker 3: She saw the threat to her power, David's line, and
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  Speaker 3: proposed to destroy every descendant of King David. This included
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  Speaker 3: her own grandchildren. We could view this as simply the
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  Speaker 3: evil plot of a woman hungry for power and unwilling
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  Speaker 3: to repent. But we know that there was something much
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  Speaker 3: deeper going on here. There was a spiritual battle taking place,
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  Speaker 3: a cosmic war. Our greatest enemy, the devil, knows God's
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  Speaker 3: plan to bring the Savior, the Lord Jesus, as Messiah
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  Speaker 3: through David's line. Seen in that light, Athaliah's plot to
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  Speaker 3: wipe out David's lineage was the work of Satan, who
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  Speaker 3: seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. But God's plans are
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  Speaker 3: impossible to stop. And even as Athaliah plotted death, one
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  Speaker 3: of God's servants was in her midst. And in 2
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  Speaker 3: Kings 11-2, here's what we find. But Jehoshibah, the daughter
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  Speaker 3: of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Johas, the
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  Speaker 3: son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the
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  Speaker 3: king's sons who were about to be put to death.
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  Speaker 3: And she put him and his nurse in a bedroom.
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  Speaker 3: Thus they hid him from Athaliah so that he was
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  Speaker 3: not put to death. Queen Athaliah's reign of terror lasted
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  Speaker 3: six years, and in the seventh year, Jehoshibah revealed that
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  Speaker 3: her son Joash was alive, as is the line of David.
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  Speaker 3: His father Jehodah, the priest, anointed the child as king,
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  Speaker 3: and the seven-year-old child was placed under strong protection. The
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  Speaker 3: people were quick to welcome a new king, as Queen
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  Speaker 3: Athaliah had brought them nothing but pain and suffering. And
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  Speaker 3: when she tried to seize the child to kill him,
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  Speaker 3: her guards refused to help her. Instead, she was taken
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  Speaker 3: to a stable and executed. Though the plans of Satan
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  Speaker 3: may seem to prevail for a time, God will always
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  Speaker 3: accomplish his will and his purpose. And so this child,
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  Speaker 3: the anointed one, Joash, carried on the line of David
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  Speaker 3: and ushered in an era of peace and obedience to God.
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  Speaker 3: As a result of Jehoshibah's faithfulness to God, The child
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  Speaker 3: was preserved and God's plan carried on. And one day
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  Speaker 3: the Messiah would indeed come through the line of David.
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  Speaker 3: Lord God, we remember today that no plot against you,
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  Speaker 3: no plan against your work and your will will ever prosper.
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  Speaker 3: We're reminded of this today through the life of Joash
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  Speaker 3: and the bravery, the courage of his mother to preserve him.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for doing your will and accomplish your purposes
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  Speaker 3: in our lives. We know that we have a destiny
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  Speaker 3: with you, and our destiny is found in our relationship
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  Speaker 3: through our Lord Jesus Christ with you, our God and Father. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: app and make prayer and Bible study a priority in
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  Speaker 3: your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell someone
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  Speaker 3: else about it. We would love to connect with you
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  Speaker 3: at jackgram.org for there are resources and opportunities for you
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  Speaker 3: to continue to grow in your faith through this ministry.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you.