Jehoiada and Jehosheba
One of the most interesting accounts of the Jewish experience in Europe during the years of 1942-1944 is an account written by a young lady named Anne Frank. Her story is one of her entire family hidden in a canal house located in the middle of Amsterdam, a city occupied by the Nazi soldiers and sympathizers. There is some debate on all the truths of the account, but there is no doubt that it is a compelling tale for consideration. As a girl, I remember reading Anne’s journal and imagining the challenges that she and her family faced. For two years they lived undiscovered and undetected in a busy city with the challenge of cooking meals, communicating, and even moving about within the confines of a small living space, without being seen or heard.
It is an amazing story. It is an account of courage and purpose, one of love and determination. Yes, Anne’s family demonstrated strength and resilience, but perhaps the most courageous people of all those discussed by Anne are the two Dutch citizens who loved this family well enough to protect them, ensure their wellbeing, and guard and keep them from those who would harm them. When the occupying forces found the family in hiding, all four people who knew of their hiding were taken into custody. Two were jailed, and all were questioned and in danger of death for being part of the resistance.
Do you remember Joash? He was a baby when his father, Ahaziah, died and was buried, and we read in 2 Kings 11 starting in verse 1, “When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land. In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son.”
Jehoiada and Jehosheba were married. Jehoiada was a respected and righteous priest in Judah during the years of Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash. Jehosheba was the daughter of King Jehoram of Judah and the half-sibling of Ahaziah (with different mothers) the father of Joash. They are both noted in Jewish history among the most righteous leaders of Israel. I would argue that they are also among the most courageous leaders of Israel, and amazingly not known by all.
I try to imagine the adrenaline and purpose that filled Jehosheba on the day that she realized the intended fate of all the descendants of Ahaziah; thinking fast on her feet, she would grab the baby Joash and his nurse and hide them from those ordered, by Athaliah, to search for all the heirs of Ahaziah and kill them on the spot. She would wisely wait for a safe time then to transport the baby from the palace to the Temple, where her husband worked his regular duties before the Lord. I am not sure what Jehosheba anticipated about the chances for success of the get-away and salvation of this child – my guess is she acted without much consideration of the outcome. When she arrived at the Temple, it appears that Jehoiada was just as committed to ensuring this injustice was averted as his wife. The couple took Joash from the clutches of death, hid him first in a bedroom of the palace, and then for six years in the Temple of our Lord.
I think about how difficult and dangerous this activity must have been. A baby will cry at any given time; a toddler learning to walk and talk is anything but quiet and inconspicuous. A four-year-old little boy does not sit still well; a six-year-old is not aware of the dangers facing him. Hiding a child in the center of all the Judean citizens’ religious activity was risky; this is a location that each member of the nation would certainly have felt compelled to visit during the nearly seven years that Joash was kept there.
Jehoiada and Jehosheba would wonderfully preserve the promise that God had made to David when he assured him that his family would continue to sit on the throne of Israel -“ordaining a lamp for his anointed”- a promise that Athaliah threatened to extinguish. I would assume that Jehosheba would have saved all her nephews had she been able to do so. It is impossible to imagine the bloodshed of her own brother’s children that she had witnessed. Her heart must have been broken, and her hope for her nation crushed due to the orders of this evil woman. It is hard for us to imagine the overwhelming emotion that welled up within this woman as she quickly acted to save her small nephew and ensure the promise given to David.
We know little else about the lives of Jehoiada and Jehosheba; we know that Jehoiada was a faithful and righteous priest, we know that Jehoiada was a Levite and that Jehosheba was of the lineage of David and from the tribe of Judah, we know they were married, and we know they worked together for the good of God’s people. There are many missing details, but there is no doubt that this is a beautiful story of courage and redemption. It is a wonderful account of a woman who responded to evil and used wisdom and commitment to avert wickedness. It is a tale of a marriage strengthened in the focus of doing good. Jehoiada and Jehosheba both had position and talent, they were both born into well respected families of prominence, and they were both front-row witnesses of good and evil leadership. Together they were of great service to their God; they encouraged and supported each other in the doing of good. The scriptures certainly indicate that they both loved and cared for Joash, the child they rescued. We are told of the great influence Jehoiada would have over Joash as he ascended the throne: “Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kings 11:2). We can’t underestimate the good this couple did; they are remarkable and mostly unknown.
I would love to meet them – to talk to them about the daily challenges of hiding a small child in the Temple. I would love to hear the unheard stories of the “almost seen and heard” incidents concerning this child. I would love to hear about their conversations concerning the importance of a nation’s worship of our Lord, the commitment to each other, the understanding of good and evil, the knowledge of God’s word and promises. I would love to ask them about Athaliah and teaching Joash in his most formidable years. It is certain they did not understand fully all they preserved in their service;what an encouragement they are for all of us. By faith, they chose to do good. I would love to know them.
