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“Joash, come here! Joash!” The young nurse maid called her
fast growing charge before muttering to herself, “Where is that boy?”
She looked around the courtyard. There were too many columns, curtains and
passageways where a boy and his friends could hide. They liked to hide because there wasn’t much
else to do while confined to the temple grounds; a series of courtyards with
small rooms around the edges. She
glanced towards the entrance to the sanctuary.
Recently, Joash had taken to going in there to visit his Uncle and
guardian, the High Priest Jehoiada, knowing full well that she couldn’t follow
as the area was forbidden to women.
Nevertheless, she walked over to the doorway where a young priest was
lounging against the wall.
“Has the young Master come by?” She asked. Everyone knew who, or rather what, the young Master
was (except possibly the young master himself) but no one said the word out
loud or even whispered it, to do so was treason. The pesky young Joash, at seven years old,
was the rightful King of Judah. However,
his grandmother the evil (another widely understood but never mentioned word)
Queen Athaliah was currently ruling the Kingdom.
The priest dipped his head slightly in confirmation.
“Can you please ask him to come out? It is time for his lessons.”
The priest half shrugged as he straightened himself up and
turned to look through the doorway. The
nurse saw him wave at someone hidden from her view. The next she knew, High Priest Jehoiada
filled the doorway, his hands on Joash’s shoulders.
“I have been giving him lessons of a different kind. I apologise for the delay.” Jehoiada gently
pushed Joash towards his nurse.
“I do not want more lessons.” said Joash more politely than
his nurse expected. “I would like to
leave the temple, to go outside and see the world.”
“Soon, my boy. Soon.”
Jehoiada promised, “The time is not right yet and you still have a little more
to learn. Be good and go with your
nurse.”
“Yes, Uncle.” He sighed and followed his nurse to his aunt,
Jehosheba, who was waiting under a portico, sitting on a stool in the shade.
Jehosheba was teaching Joash the history of his people, the
Chosen People of the one true God. She was
near the end of the story of their wise ancestor Solomon and wondered how Joash
would feel when she told the stories of their more recent ancestors. She wouldn’t tell him his own story or the
story of his father and Grandparents; not yet, that was a story for another
time when he was older and could better cope with the horror of it all. However, he knew enough about his grandmother
that perhaps he would not be too shocked.
Jehosheba hoped and prayed that Joash, having grown up in the Temple,
would do better than many of his ancestors and not turn away from the right
path. She feared history was against
him.
Just then, a horse galloped into the courtyard. A dusty man rapidly dismounted and ran
towards the sanctuary, leaving a passing priest to grab the reigns. He wore the robes and jewels of a
priest. Jehosheba saw his priestly
breastplate bouncing on his chest as he ran to the sanctuary door, flashing
jewelled colours.
“He’s in a hurry.” noted Joash, easily distracted from his
lessons.
“Indeed he is. He
must have an urgent message for your Uncle.”
She didn’t comment on the rusty red streaks she had observed on the
man’s robes. It was an all too frequent
sight under her mother’s rule. Jehosheba
was also now distracted.
The sound of a scuffle came from the temples gates. It was closely followed by the sounds of the
gates slamming shut.
“Hmph. I will never
get to go outside.” Joash complained.
“Not if you don’t learn not to sulk. You must learn to be patient and wait for the
right time. Your Uncle will know. Be guided by him.” Jehosheba counselled,
privately thinking that the boy King would leave the Temple all too soon,
either alive or dead. The news from
outside grew grimmer each day.
The outrages her mother, Queen Athaliah, committed were
getting worse. Like her nephew, it was
too long since Jehosheba had left the Temple, fearing for her life, so she only
heard the news second hand and she wondered if the worst outrages were kept
from her. Having rescued her nephew from
certain death in the Palace, she was high on her mother’s hit list. The Queen had callously killed all of Joash’s
brothers to take the throne. Jehosheba
shuddered, unable to comprehend how a mother, a grandmother, could do such a
thing. She smiled at her beloved Nephew,
relived that her mother’s depravity had not yet breached the sanctity of the
temple. She feared it was only a matter
of time.
“Can we finish the lesson now so that I can watch was is
going on? It looks exciting.” said
Joash.
The two of them watched as men dashed back and forth across
the courtyard. Over the next little while,
it looked like all of the men in the Temple were converging on the sanctuary.
Joash looked up at his Aunt, “Can I go too? To see what’s
happening?”
Jehosheba smiled gently at him to hide both her fear and her
curiosity, “Wait. Your Uncle will send
for you when it is the right time.”
“But it is never the right time.” Joash sighed.
“Ah, but it will be the right time once, and only once. Every other time is wrong. So you must wait. And so must I.” Jehosheba wished once again that she was
allowed to go beyond the door into the Sanctuary. It did not seem fair but then, not much did. “Now, Back to your lessons.”
Joash groaned as he slumped back down onto his stool.
Not much later, the young priest who had been guarding the
door earlier emerged from the sanctuary and came over to the pair sitting in
the Portico.
“Jehoiada would like Joash to join him. He has a plan and it
must be enacted quickly to take her by surprise.” The man explained, without needing to clarify
who “her” was.
“But he is not old enough.” Jehosheba gasped as she pulled
Joash to her. Still seeing the babe she
had smuggled out of the palace six long years ago.
The priest shrugged.
“He will have to be, Mother.
There is no more time. She has
plans too and this sanctuary may no longer be safe.”
She sighed and let go of her Nephew, pushing him towards the
priest, her son.
“Do whatever your Uncle says.” Jehosheba urged, trusting her
husband’s judgement completely.
“Always.” The boy smiled
his promise at her with a shout as he ran for the doorway.
Waiting there, Jehoiada raised a sceptical eyebrow before
saying, “Before you do anything, I will tell you a story. Your story.”
************************************************
A little earlier…
Jehoiada took a deep breath, knowing he that in this moment
was finally stepping beyond the point of no return. He was now fully committed to a plan that was
treason; but only if they lost. Looking
at the bloodied priest who had dashed into the temple only a few hours ago, he
knew that both paths could end abruptly in death, so really, looking at it like
that, they had nothing to lose. He had
gone into the Holy of Holies uncertain and come out confident that only his
plan gave them a chance of life. He stood in front of a crowd of men: priests and
soldiers. He spoke of what had happened
and of what was to come.
“Find the commanders, both Azariahs, Ishmael, Masseiah and
Elishaphat. Be discrete.” Jehoiada ordered four of the junior priests.
“Her latest plans will be beyond anything they can stand, so they will be for
us.”
The priests ran to the Temple gate before slowing down to a
nonchalant walk outside so as not to attract unwanted attention from those
loyal to the Palace. Next, Jehoiada
pulled a large wooden key from a deep pocket and looked at it with some
satisfaction.
“Come! Follow me.” He
waved over several more of the young priests, who were also his sons.
He led them through the temple to a less used corner where
there was a sturdy door in the wall with a guard standing nearby. Jehoiada nodded to the guard before inserting
the solid wooden key into the keyhole and carefully turning it, not wanting to
break the fragile old mechanism.
Pushing the door open, Jehoiada revealed a storeroom; a room
full of spears and shields. The other
priests gasped.
“You are responsible for these. They are relics from the army of the great
King David. See that they are ready for battle or at least appear to be so.” He
told the priests. “They will be given to
the soldiers who the Queen has disarmed.
She rightly fears a coup.” With
that, he handed the key over to one of the priests, his oldest son, and left
them to inspect the weapons and returned to the inner courtyard.
It was at this point that Jehoiada called for his nephew to
reveal to him his story. Every man in
the courtyard listened in, many hearing the details for the first time.
When the tale was finished, Jehoiada was called to the outer
courtyard where Jehosheba and the nurse were watching from the shadows.
Five soldiers stood in the outer courtyard; all had the
stance of those used to command.
“Thank you for coming.” Jehoiada started. “As you may be
aware, She is planning to disband the currently army and bring in mercenaries
in your place. She insults you, the
inherited army of Judah. I have a promise
for you, if you support the rightful King Joash, the heir of Ahaziah, and the
return to the laws of David and Moses, you will retain your command and your
sons after you.”
The five men nodded sharply, almost in unison.
The first Azariah spoke first, “Joash survives? There were
rumours.”
The second Azariah asked, “What do you intend?”
“A show of force, on the next Sabbath, the day of the true
God.” Jehoiada replied.
“She has taken our weapons.” advised Ishmael.
“We have David’s weapons.”
“You have an answer for everything. I am impressed.” said Masseiah
“Why did you wait so long?” asked Elishaphat
“Joash was a babe when my wife rescued him from the
palace. He is old enough now and time
has run out, the clock* is dry.”
The five men nodded again, apparently accepting Jehoiada’s
explanation.
“And the plan?” the second Azariah asked again.
“Go to all corners of Judah and bring back the Levites and
men of Judah by the next Sabbath day for a show of force and to guard the
King.”
“Her personal guard is small in number and ill-disciplined.
She has not built up their strength yet.” reported Elishaphat.
The five men looked at each other and yet again nodded.
“We will hold you to your promise” said Ishmael.
“Of course.” agreed Jehoiada.
“We will go. Look for
us on the eve of the Sabbath. We will
send others ahead of us.”
“I will spread rumours of a festival so that we can gather
unnoticed.” Jehoiada assured them.
The five men saluted the High Priest and departed from the
temple.
****************************************************
By the Sabbath eve, most areas of the temple were crowded with Levite men. As each group arrived, Jehoiada reminded them of the promise, “A descendant of the great King David shall once again sit on the throne.”
He explained to them the plan, “A third of the Levites and
priests on duty will watch the door, a third the Queen’s palace and a third the
city gate. The rest will be in the courtyard.
The Levites will guard the King.”
The Levites and other men of Judah promised their loyalty to
the true King, the boy Joash, and their willingness to stand against the evil
Queen.
The Levite woman who had come with their menfolk saw to
their comfort, making sure there was sufficient food and enough space and
comfort to rest overnight.
Early on the Sabbath day, Jehoiaida’s priestly sons brought
the soldiers King David’s weapons. The soldiers
took guard around the King. The Levites
and other men of Judah were in place and ready for action.
High Priest Jehoiada and his sons brought young Joash to the
centre of the crowd, near the Altar.
Joash stood proudly, pleased to be the centre of attention, and surveyed
the crowed as Jehoiada places a crown on his head. He looked as regal as any follower could wish.
“Long live the King!” rang out followed by spontaneous cheers.
Jehoiada smiled. His could
not have planned it any better.
****************************************************
The sound of yelling and of stomping feet penetrated even
the thick palace walls, disturbing Queen Athaliah, who was having a late
breakfast after a night of what she had thought was delightful debauchery.
“What is that noise?” She demanded of her companions.
The two bleary eyed men who were sharing her breakfast
shrugged as they continued to eat. They had
been awake most of the night, performing unspeakable acts.
She gave both a disgusted look as she approached a small
window, disappointed by their lack of stamina.
A cheer rose up. She turned her
ear to the space to try and grasp the words.
“I am Queen! Why does not one tell me what is
happening? I must know.” She glanced at the men, who were oblivious to
everything other than food and drink, and left the room in frustration.
She walked along the very corridor through which her
daughter, Jehosheba, had fled with Joash six years earlier.
Her personal guards were waiting at the palace entrance and they
followed as she crossed the courtyard to the gate.
“My lady, it may not be wise to go out, there is a
disturbance.” the senior officer warned.
“No one dare threaten me. I am the Queen. I must know what is going on.” She strode through the gate towards the
noise. No words could be distinguished
now. There were trumpets and drums and
singing; happy sounds, which revolted her.
As she approached the Temple, she saw Jehoiada through the
gate, with a crowned boy beside him; a boy who looked very like her son,
Ahaziah. Standing behind them was her
treacherous daughter.
Feeling betrayed, Athaliah tore at her clothes and cried
out, “Treason! Arrest them! Treason!”
The crowd turned as one to look at her and suddenly, she was
alone. Her guards had faded into the
crowd.
“Bring her here!” called Jehoiada.
She was surrounded by soldiers loyal to the true King.
And that was the end of the Queen of Judah.
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*Clocks at this time were water clocks with time measured by
how much water had drained out of a container.
The story of Athaliah and Jehosheba is told in 2 Kings 8:26 to 11:16 & 2 Chronicles 22:10 to 23-15.
Athaliah became queen c. 841 BC.
There appears to be some debate about the exact details of the how the various people mentioned were related, so I have gone with what I think makes the best story.
Ahab and Jehu are mentioned in non-biblical contemporaneous sources. Like anything biblical, the interpretations have been questioned.
The story of Athaliah and Jehosheba is told in 2 Kings 8:26 to 11:16 & 2 Chronicles 22:10 to 23-15.
Athaliah became queen c. 841 BC.
There appears to be some debate about the exact details of the how the various people mentioned were related, so I have gone with what I think makes the best story.
Ahab and Jehu are mentioned in non-biblical contemporaneous sources. Like anything biblical, the interpretations have been questioned.
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