ATHALIAH (Grandmas and Grandkids)

A for Athaliah- First post in a series of articles....@ A to Z

Source Confident Living

Solomon said, “Children’s children are the crown of old men” (Proverb 17:6).  My wife and I  have twelve grandchildren whom we love dearly.  Someone said that a woman begins to show her age at about the same time she begins to show pictures of her grandchildren.  I have watched my wife force perfect strangers to look at pictures of our grandchildren.

NAME: “The Time of Jehovah”

DATE: 9TH Century BC

IDENTIFICATION: Judah’s only queen, daughter of Ahab and Jezubel

STORY LINE: Athaliah killed her grandsons, but God saved Joash

READ IN THE BIBLE: 2 Kings 11:1-16

Not all grandmothers are a proud of their grandchildren as my wife is of ours.  Take Athaliah, for example.  She was married to King Jehoram (Joram), the son of Jehoshaphat, but her values were forged in her early years as the daughter of King Ahab of Israel and his notoriously wicked wife, Jezebel.

Like her mother, Athaliah worshiped the Canaanite god Baal and browbeat her husband to do the same.  After Jehoram died, their son Ahaziah become king, and Athaliah exerted the same evil influence over him.

Ahaziah was killed after only one year, and Athaliah saw an opportunity to seize Judah’s throne for herself.  That required, however, destroying all the males in the royal family.  Grandma Athaliah never flinched as she killed her own grandchildren to become Judah’s only queen.

But Jehoshaphat, Jehoram’s daughter rescued one of her infant nephews, Joash, and hid him away for seven years.  Finally, in a secret ceremony in the temple, Joash was crowned king, and when his surprised grandmother showed up she was executed.

Dr. Kroll

There are two particularly memorable grandmothers in the Bible.  Athaliah is remembered for her ruthlessness toward her grandchildren. Lois is remembered for having taught her grandson God’s Word from childhood.  One grandmother was a miserable failure, the other an undeniable success.  What will you be remembered for.

                                            by Woodrow Kroll

Source:
Confident Living Magazine
Secunderabad