2 Kings 11:13 says, And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord. When she heard the sound of the guard coming, Athaliah went to the temple of the Lord. Matthew Henry points out that she came alone without even a guard. She may have believed that she was too powerful to be defied, but the kingdom had already passed to another. There are still people who believe themselves to be too important to ever be defied and who stand alone defying God and His people, but the kingdom has already passed, and Jesus Christ is the eternal King. Verse fourteen adds, And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason. When she looked, Athaliah saw the king standing by a pillar and the people rejoicing and blowing trumpets in his honor. When we look today, we may not see it, and too many will not accept it, but Jesus Christ is already crowned King. When we accept Him, we should rejoice and sing praises to Him. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled treason when she saw what had happened. One day, those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will go away to everlasting punishment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, but it won't be because anyone betrayed them. It will be because they betrayed God by not accepting His gift of salvation. Verse fifteen continues, But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord. Jehoiada the priest told the captains to bring Athaliah out of the temple and slay her and anyone who followed her. Her blood was not to be shed in the temple. If you are not a Christian, you cannot find safety in a chirch building, and if you are, you certainly don't want to shed anyone's blood there. Verse sixteen states, And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain. They took out of the temple and she went by the way that the king's horse travelled, and there she was slain. Matthew Heny says she was trying to escape by the back way to the palace, but that didn't work, just as there is no way to escape from God's judgment if you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ. Verse seventeen adds, And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people. Jehoiada then made a convent between the people and God that they would be God's people. This covenant would also apply to the relationship of the people to each other. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we enter into a covenant prelateship with Him, but we also enter into a covenant relationship with other Christians, because we all become a part of God's kingdom. Verse eighteen continues, And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord. The people then destroyed the images to Baal and his temple and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal. As followers of Christ, we must tear down all the idols that stand between God and us, and we cannot follow the advice of anyone who would lead us to worship anyone or anything else. Verse nineteen says, And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. They then brought Jehoash from the temple to the king's house and sat him on the throne. As Christians, we must put Jesus Christ on the throne of our life and be obedient to God alone. Verse twenty adds, And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house. All the people then rejoiced when the king was on the throne, just as we should rejoice when we put Jesus on the throne of our life. Verse twenty continues, Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign. Jehoash was only seven years old when he began to reign. He was anointed by God's direction, so his age really didn't matter. It also doesn't matter what age we are when we accept Jesus Christas our Savior and Lord. We should come as soon as well feel His call.
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