Athaliah Murdered
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the [d]trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments [e]leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out [f]between the ranks; and whoever follows her, put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they [g]seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they put her to death there.
Reforms Carried Out
16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the [h]authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses—with rejoicing and singing according to the [i]order of David. 19 He stationed the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. 20 He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they placed the king upon the royal throne. 21 So all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.
Verse 21 is the fulfillment of 7 years of waiting and planning during the reign of evil. And when evil was put to rest, the land rejoiced and was “quiet” or had peace. When evil reigns, there can be no peace in the land. This has especially become evident in our country as of late. I don’t know that we’ll ever have anything close to “peace” in our country again.
While many try to stay out of the political quagmire, the evil that conspires to divide us has dragged many into a fight that cannot be “won”. Whatever your political ideology, our government is being used to push an agenda that is not in line with God’s character. That said, it’s entirely possible he is allowing it on purpose, to accomplish a plan to which we cannot see the end. And so we may not see anything resembling peace in our world again.
The only peace to be had is in doing what God has asked us to do. That is different for each individual, but certainly includes making our voice heard via voting, and doing what we can to make His name and character known. Far too many are content to stay on the sidelines, and while I don’t believe God is on the side of any particular party (remember Joshua asking, “are you for us or for our enemies?”), God does not call us to inaction.
So open your ears to hear what God is speaking to you today. What does His will look like for you? Once you know, do it, and don’t hesitate. Whether or not you see “peace” around you, the peace of God will dwell in you when you are following His will.