2 Chronicles 23 Commentary
The New Testament church has come to know Jezebel for her sexual immorality. But there is more to the Jezebel spirit: insatiable and murderous appetite for control and power, in addition to active evangelization of evil.
After the killing of Athaliah, the people turned on the temple of Baal and tore it down. Paganism had been elevated to a national religion. A temple to Baal, rivaling the temple of the LORD, had been built.
Athaliah won’t just show up in the neighborhood without seeking to establish her position and rule. Saints are mistaken when they think righteousness and evil can coexist on friendly terms.
By the temple to Baal, right in the midst of God’s people, evil was effectively evangelized and marketed to all.
The Jezebel spirit seeks to mislead by false teachings. Baal temples may exist as logical structures in the form of morally wrong laws that encourage rebellion against the law of the Creator God.
In the meantime, Jehoiada has hosted the only surviving prince, Joash. How the LORD enjoys delicately balanced plans! Suppose the lone prince is discovered. Suppose the lone prince catches a terrible disease and dies. These fears only exist in our minds. The LORD’s plans are always risk-free. Elements of nature know when to obey the instructions of the Creator God. And so the infant prince survives.
Plot Jesus survives and is celebrated with a coronation and peace in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the evil plot perpetrated by Athaliah dies, together with the perpetrators. What had looked weak and a non-starter plan eventually wins the day.
The saint’s life may look dull and boring, and the world thinks it actually is – but it is such chapters as this which tell us not to apologize for having this kind of life. Eventually, the obedient saint wins, regardless.
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