The Lord is my Keeper! 2 Kings 11.1-12
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Now when Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she set about to destroy all the royal family.
But Jehosheba, King Joram’s daughter, Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s children who were about to be killed; she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed;
he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
But in the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carites and of the guards and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord; then he showed them the king’s son.
He commanded them, “This is what you are to do: one-third of you, those who go off duty on the sabbath and guard the king’s house
(another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards), shall guard the palace;
and your two divisions that come on duty in force on the sabbath and guard the house of the Lord
shall surround the king, each with weapons in hand; and whoever approaches the ranks is to be killed. Be with the king in his comings and goings.”
The captains did according to all that the priest Jehoiada commanded; each brought his men who were to go off duty on the sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath, and came to the priest Jehoiada.
The priest delivered to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord;
the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house, to guard the king on every side.
Then he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and anointed him; they clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”
Intro:
This morning I want to talk about the protective nature of God in how God acts for our benefit.....
.......and the main reason I point to this part of God’s activity in our lives is not to sedate us spiritually.......
But my hopes is that we will saturate ourselves so much with gratitude
when we realize that God is keeping us......
.......and God is keeping us for a reason!
(pause)
And so then if there is a God reason for our being kept......
.......then maybe it would be our mindset that suggests,
The cost of inaction was too much for God to just stand still when God knew what was already deliberately designed into our lives through God’s purpose.
(pause and expound)
Look at it now.....
In 2 Kings 11.1 we discover that there is chaos in the palace!
Now when Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she set about to destroy all the royal family.
According to the text....
Athaliah is devising a plot to attack the royal family.....
She is the Queen Mother......
.....and her son has just been killed by Jehu.
......and according to the text when she realizes that her son is gone she immediately begins planning to secure her spot in the palace.
Because.......
......if she does nothing.......
the succession plan of the kingship says that one of her grandsons will become king, and the widow of the king is now Queen Mother.....
......and Jehu has communicated that if you pick yourself a leader and kill all of the royal seed
.....its all good!
And.....
So she reaches this decision in her mind......
.......that the best thing to do is to kill off everything behind her from a generational perspective.
(pause)
Meaning......
.......she would rather kill off all of her grandchildren instead of giving up her position.
And I need to pause long enough here to explain to somebody in here today that....
......when the wrong thing gets into position and sets up shop in your house
.....it would rather take everybody else out than give up its position!!
(long pause and optional expound)
Listen......
I wanted to know where did this woman come from?
I mean.......
Who thinks like this?
(pause)
And what I found out is........
This woman we are discovering here in verse 1 is the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab..
........was married to Jehoram who slew all of his brothers when he became king.....
(pause)
Now I don’t know who this is for......
But be careful who you hook up with!!!!!!
(pause a little longer)
Look at it now.....
But Jehosheba, King Joram’s daughter, Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s children who were about to be killed; she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed; he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
The text says.......
The plan would have worked.........
Everything was going according to schedule to tear up the palace......
(pause)
But there was another ACTION taking place.....
And according to the text....
The sister of Ahaziah = Jehosheba did something
(pause)
And what impresses me the most about her......
is that she sees something wrong getting ready to happen
And she says.......
Wait a minute.......
.....I’ve got to do something!
(pause)
And then I started thinking to myself.....
Self......
.......what causes a person to decide to do something in the middle of chaos?
Because the easy alternative is to just allow the chaos to happen......
.....and mind her own business.
(pause)
But in my spiritual imagination God nudges her......
.....and says,
“I’ve got too much riding on this!”
And the bible says,
“She took Joash, and stole him away from among the king’s children who were being killed!”
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination.....
Jehosheba tip toes into the middle of this horrific biblical murder scene......
.......and without being noticed
She slips her hands into the crib.......
.......and grabs this infant who is supposed to be next!
And according to the text......
.....once she gets him out of the murder room covered with the bloodshed of his siblings
......she sneaks him and his nurse to a storage room called the “Chamber of matressses” where they hide until things calmed down....
(pause)
And then......
.......she comes back later on and takes them to what will be their next hiding place for the next 6 years.....
And.....
.....because her husband Jehoida is the high priest
......this next 6 year hiding place is the “House of the Lord”
Now.....
.....I don’t have a lot of time
.....or else I would deal with this hiding place
Because.....
......regardless of what anybody says,
........I believe she chose the best hiding place she could have possible chosen.......
......because the House of the Lord is a good place to be!
And watch this.....
Joash is not hiding to be weakened......
Joash is being hidden in a place where he can become stronger!
(pause)
Look at it now.....
he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
And Freedom family,
I believe that sometimes we discount the value of these 6 year experiences of our lives....
I believe sometimes.......
.......because we so greatly desire to receive the things that we know God has promised us
.........that we overlook what God is proving in experiences like this one in verse 3!
(pause)
Because the text says......
For six years God is keeping Joash safe while he matures and grows in a safe place!
(pause)
And so.....
because God needs Joash for his purpose......
God is keeping him......
(slight pause)
.......because God has designed another plan
God is keeping him......
(slight pause)
Let me ask you something.......
(pause)
WHO........??????
.....did you think was keeping you?
(slight pause)
.....With all of the stuff you have been facing
.....through All of the DRAMA
......ALL of this CHAOS
WHO did you think..........?????
(pause and expound)
I dare someone............
to recognize that God is holding you together.........
(Somebody type #God is a Keeper!)
Now here’s why God is KEEPING Joash through his Aunty Jehosheba and Uncle Jehoida.....
........the reason God is KEEPING him, is because of what God promised his ancestor David.
.........there is a Divine favour that is connected to his bloodline!
(pause)
And somebody in here needs to understand the power of a God promise!
And I’m sure there were some outsiders who had no idea that Joash was being kept.......
I’m sure there were some people who were wondering......
Where is God?
How is God allowing the house of David to be destroyed?
(pause)
And i’m sure........
.......that I’m preaching to somebody who may be wondering
Where is God?
and.......
How is God allowing this to happen?
(pause)
But can I help that person who’s watching now.......
because what you don’t know just yet........
.....is that at the right time
God is going to reveal.........
........what God has been KEEPING safe through all this CHAOS!!
But the key to all of this is called........
Patience!
(pause)
Yeah that’s it.......
......because when God is keeping us.........
We must be able.......
........to learn the art of Patience!
(slight pause)
At least 3 or 4 people had to be Patient in this text.....
Jehoaida has to be patient........
As a Hight Priest he understands the voice of God, and that he cannot move until God says so.
......and so he has to wait on God to say “now is the time...”
Jehosheba and the nurse of Joash has to be patient.........
I am sure they are both dealing with the tension of trying to manage this hiding experience....
The text does not share the details......
......but I can only imagine the difficulty in keeping a growing child hidden
He can’t play outside with the other children because no doubt he looks like his mother and his father....
.......and if somebody sees him he will blow his cover
He is confined to the inner chambers of the Lord’s house to conceal his royal bloodline.
(pause)
And sometimes.......
.........we find ourselves waiting for the right time.
(pause)
But no matter how difficult it is.....
Never get so anxious to be comfortable......
........that you forget you are being kept!
(pause)
And sometimes when God is keeping us.......
......it does not feel comfortable
(pause)
But.......
At the right time!
God will bring exposure to the very thing God has been keeping!
And God realizes in God’s wisdom....
......that if exposure comes too soon
........we would be too premature to be purposeful.
And so we must be Patient.........
because we are not being Kept by God according to our plan.
.....but we are being kept by God according to God’s plan.
(slight pause)
The bible declares....
“Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand!”
Stop making plans without purpose!
(pause)
If Jehosheba and Jehoiada start making plans.......
.......without understanding what God is doing
.......it would have never worked
(slight pause)
But because they understand what God is up to...........
........they now understand what they are supposed to be doing!
(pause)
And not only that but they got the kind of faith that says,
“I know God is in this.....”
(slight pause)
And......
You know you got to believe in God when you stick your neck out there like they are.....
......You know they got to have some crazy faith in God to be out here making the kind of moves they are making...
The bible says in......
therefore thus says the Lord God,
See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:
“One who trusts will not panic.”
“The one who trusts in me will not panic!”
That’s why they are able to be so smooth in this scenario
This is why they are able to keep their cool.........
It is because........
.......they are not trusting in they’re planning alone
But.........
........they are trusting in what God promised David to get them through this!
(pause)
And anybody who has ever been included in the Keeping Process of God will tell you........
.......that you don’t go into it knowing EVERYTHING...
But.........
.......you go into it knowing ONE THING!
(pause)
Baby I may not know EVERYTHING......
But this ONE THING I do know.......
“If God be for us, who can be against us?”
(pause and expound)
Watch the text......
But in the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carites and of the guards and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord; then he showed them the king’s son.
Here it is........
“When Joash turns 7 years old”
Jehoida said,
I need to see the 5 Captains of the Carites, and these royal bodyguards.......
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination as he called them into the House of the Lord.....
he said,
“I’m about to show yall something, but I can’t show you until we come into agreement!”
(pause)
Because at the time......
.....these fellas had been serving under Queen Athaliah based on the fact that they believed the house of David no longer existed...
In other words.......
They had no idea that God was KEEPING God’s Word!
(pause)
But Jehoida understands........
........there is a strong attachment between these captains and David and the seeds of David!
(pause)
And once he shares with them what’s going on.....
.......they’re going to support Joash!
(pause)
And Freedom family.......
......I came to let somebody know
“......you got support!”
(pause)
See.....
..........they didn’t know God was KEEPING you
........they had no idea what God was doing behind the scenes
(pause and expound optional)
And the bible says....
Jehoida showed them the kings son and said,
“Look at who God has been Keeping!”
(pause)
And.....
.....I don’t know who I’m preaching to?
But......
.......somebody needs to let your support know
“GOD has been KEEPING me!”
(pause and expound)
Watch this now........
He commanded them, “This is what you are to do: one-third of you, those who go off duty on the sabbath and guard the king’s house (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards), shall guard the palace; and your two divisions that come on duty in force on the sabbath and guard the house of the Lord shall surround the king, each with weapons in hand; and whoever approaches the ranks is to be killed. Be with the king in his comings and goings.”
According to the text.....
In verses 5-8 instructions are given to everyone who is supposed to be supporting the King..........
And here’s what I love about this verse......
There’s No need for support without “ a Joash”
(pause)
And some of you are wondering why you can’t get any support......
But support is waiting on something “God kept” to hook up with!
(pause)
And according to the text......
Everybody got into position......
And then Jehoiada the High Priest starts passing out King David’s weapons that he had been keeping in the House of the Lord......
(pause)
And then in verse 12.......
In my spiritual imagination,
This 7 year old Joash walks out with his Uncle...........
And I hear Jehoiada saying,
This is why God has been keeping you son........
“.......it’s because your life has purpose”
And I hear Joash asking,
Am I ready for this right now........?
And I hear Jehoaida responding,
“The same God that’s been KEEPING you so far,
is the same God that’s going to keep on KEEPING you!”
God didn’t protect you as an Infant.......
......just to let you die as a child!
(pause)
If God was interested in keeping you earlier........
God is interested in keeping you later.........
(pause)
And Freedom family I hear God saying,
“I have been KEEPING you..........
......because you have purpose!”
(pause)
Now.......
“PUT your crown on!”
(REPEAT!)
Freedom family.......
I almost called this a PROMOTION.......
But it’s wrong to call this a PROMOTION.........
(pause)
Because........
Promotion says that he was in a lesser status.......
......and then was graduated to a higher level.
(pause)
But that’s not what happened......
What happened is........
God KEPT him..........
Not to PROMOTE HIM
But to........
POSITION HIM!
And all the while that the grandmother of Joash is trying to destroy him.......
God is KEEPING him for POSITION.......
And I hear God singing Joash a lullaby in the middle of confusion to keep him calm......
I hear him saying,
“I promised your great great grandaddy David........
that I would establish his throne forever!”
Stay calm now............
.......because I’m getting ready to get you out of this.......
And I’m going to keep you COVERED........
.....until the right time!!!
I am a God that is..........
......Committed to KEEPING you!
.....You are tied up in my WORD
........and I always KEEP my WORD!
And so........
I’m KEEPING you, because I’m KEEPING my WORD!
(pause and expound)
And for those of us that GOD has been KEEPING
You are not waiting on PROMOTION........
But because your life has PURPOSE.......
God is KEEPING you
.......to POSITION you to walk in what he PROMISED you!
(pause)
And when you turn 7!!!!
when this thing reaches COMPLETION!
watch how the SUPPORT is going to show up!
(pause)
And what I love about this.......
......is that the enemy that was after Joash’s life thought it had got everybody!!!!
But the enemy is getting ready to find out......
“YOU missed ONE!!!!”
(pause)
I almost titled this sermon......
“YOU missed ONE!”
(pause)
And for everyone of you who God has ever kept.........
you ought to holler at your enemy and tell them........
“You MISSED ONE!”
Look at my growth
Look at how I am maturing
Watch me put on my crown
“You MISSED ONE!”
(pause)
Because.........
The Lord is my KEEPER!