The Lord’s Message:  Jehosheba:  Courageous and Bold in Her Faith

The Lord’s Message:  Jehosheba:  Courageous and Bold in Her Faith 
Date:  August 23, 2026
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  2 Kings 11:1-3

            In October 1943, a woman named Irena Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo for smuggling Jewish children out of the ghetto in Warsaw during World War II.  She was tortured and sentenced to death.  The Polish underground bribed the guard to save her from execution.  Even after her escape from the Gestapo, she changed her name and went back into the ghetto to save more children.  After the war it was discovered that she had saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling the little ones out in suitcases and the older ones out in ambulances and sewer tunnels.  After smuggling the children out, they would be given false papers and put in orphanages, convents, and foster homes. 

            We are continuing our Faithful Women of the Bible sermon series.  This morning, we are going to be focusing on a woman, Jehosheba, who saved only one child, a boy named Joash.  Like Irena, Jehosheba had the courage to put her life on the line to save Joash.  Because she saved Joash, she saved the Davidic line through which Jesus came. 

            Let us pray.

            I need to us to understand the background on this chapter, so that we can completely understand what God has to say to us.  The nation of Israel was divided with Israel to the north and Judah to the south.  This happened after Solomon died.  The kings of Israel did not follow God.  Some of the kings of Judah followed God, a lot did not, especially the later kings of Judah.  The reason for this occurred when the worship of Baal was introduced into the Judean kingdom.  That happened when the daughter of Israel’s King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, Athaliah was given in political marriage to Judah’s King Jehoram.  This union united the nation of Israel and Judah.  Athaliah knew nothing of worshipping God.  She knew the worship of Baal.  She also knew her mother’s distaste for God and His prophets.  One of those prophets being Elijah who had in 1 Kings 18:40, 450 prophets of Baal killed in the Kishon Valley.  Jezebel was quite upset by his action, that she had a bounty placed on Elijah to have him killed.  This did not happen, because God stepped in and rescued Elijah and took him to heaven in the chariot of heaven.  Jezebel is killed by being pushed out a window and trampled to death by horses, 2 Kings 9:32-33.  I do not think that Athaliah ever forgot all that happened to her mother at the hands of God and God’s prophets.  She used her political power to force the Judeans to worship Baal and the evil practices that went with it.

            The union of King Jehoram and Athaliah produced a son named Ahaziah.  King Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king.  He reigned for 8 years.  King Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king at the death of his father, he reigned for one year and was killed when he went to help his cousin, King Joram of Israel fight the king of Aram.   He was not killed by the battle, but by one of King Joram’s generals, Jehu, who had staged an overthrow of King Joram.  Jehu had killed King Joram and, in the process, also killed King Ahaziah. 

            Athaliah flew into a rage and started the slaughter of King Ahaziah’s sons, which were her grandsons.  These sons were mostly likely conceived by concubines because there is no wife or wives mentioned for King Ahaziah. 

            In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, God promised David that his house and kingdom would stand forever.  In Matthew 1:1-17, we have the lineage of Jesus with David firmly established in that lineage. 

            If all the sons of Ahaziah are killed, then the Davidic lineage ends and so does the lineage of Jesus.  This would have been the fate, if it was not for the courageous action of Ahaziah’s half-sister, Jehosheba.  Jehosheba in Hebrew means, “God has sworn.”  God swore an oath to David.  It is Jehosheba that steps in and keeps God’s promise.  Jehosheba is married to the high priest, Jehoiada.  Jehoiada in Hebrew means, “God knows.”

            Jehosheba saves one year old, Joash, son of Ahaziah and his nurse by hiding them in the Temple of God.  They keep him in hiding for six years.  During this time, Jehoiada is teaching little Joash about God and His love for him.  When Joash is seven years old, Jehoiada puts together a plan to get rid of Athaliah who has been ruling Judah for six years.  This plan that Jehoiada concocts is to have the military leaders made a covenant to protect little Joash at all costs and establish him as the rightful king of Judah.  The military leaders did just as Jehoiada told them and Joash, at the tender age of seven, became the Davidic king of Judah.  Athaliah was killed in the palace. 

            Under the guidance of Jehoiada who lived for 130 years, Joash followed and worshiped God.  Joash had the temple rebuilt. 

            It is not important how you start out, but how one’s life ends.  I think that it is very important for us, as moms and dads, to educate our children about God, so that when they become older, they can decide for themselves if they want to have a relationship with Him. 

Once you have established that relationship with God, it is also important, even as adults, to surround yourselves with friends, who can give you guidance in your walk with the Lord.  It is also important for us to listen to God.  The ways that we do this are by reading His word daily, by praying to Him, and by worshipping God with others.  We need to continue to live our life for Jesus. 

After the death of Jehoiada, Joash started listening not to God, but to the officials of Judah who turned his life and heart away from God.  We find this in 2 Chronicles 24:17-25.

In conclusion, it is because of the courageous and bold faith of Jehosheba, that the lineage of both David and our Lord and Savior Jesus was saved.  As long as Joash listened and followed Jehoiada, Joash listened and followed God.  Soon as Joash started to listen to others who did not follow God, then Joash turned away his heart and relationship from God.  This brought about his downfall.  We always need to listen to God.  We cannot use the crutch that we did not start off in a Christian family or we had no one to tell us about Jesus.  God is always actively trying for us to understand that He loves us and wants a relationship with us.  So, we may not start off knowing God, but it is how we finish this life that is important.  As Christians, as follower of Jesus, God is using us to bring others into relationship with Him.  We need to be faithful and do our part to tell others about Jesus. God is not asking us to save people, that is His job.  God is asking us to point people to His Son, Jesus Christ for Him to save them.  So, let us continue to be faithful and point people to Christ.

We need to continue to listen to God and do what He says.  Amen.