The King's Son

by JAMES BROWN, New Zealand | Category: General | Oct 1943

Read 2 Kings, Chapter 11.

"Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal." The young child Joash, whose name means "Jehovah gave," the only one to escape, was hid in the house of the LORD. and protected from the wicked Athaliah for six years, while she reigned over the land. Lawless, wicked deeds characterised those days of departure from God and His truth. Judah, no longer walking in the fear of the LORD, had sunk almost as low as Israel in transgressing the Law of Jehovah. The house of God, in those lawless times, proved to be a safe place wherein the heir could be hid and cared for by loving hearts and hands. It was therefore the one place for him to be seen and known in order to be crowned. He must now be given his rightful place and no longer be hidden.

To bring this about, Jehoiada, whose name means "Jehovah knows," firstly strengthened himself and then got into touch with others in whom he confided.

The story of how the king's son had been so wonderfully preserved, and was to be seen in the house of God, stirred them as nothing else could.

It kindled within them a desire not only to see him, but to, give him the place which was his by right.

And Jehoiada "made, a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son." To see and know him were enough. The sight touched and thrilled their hearts as they gazed on him whom Jehovah gave to be their king. "Behold," said Jehoiada, "the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath spoken concerning the sons of David " (2 Chronicles 23.8). They were determined that he should be given his true place; no longer should the wicked Athaliah be allowed to reign; and there, within the house of God, they dedicated themselves to be rid of this wicked woman with her lawless deeds.

Brave words, needful as they are to rouse men to action, are not enough. Deeds, as well as words, are needed if the solemn covenant entered into with Him "who knows" is to be carried into effect. And so, from the armoury of David weapons are chosen which had proved their worth in many a hard fought battle with the enemy, weapons which rang true, and which when handled aright were known to be powerful in both offence and defence. Thus armed they take their appointed places to guard the house and the king's son against danger from without and possible defection from, within.

The Gate of Sur (Sur means "turning aside") has to be watched, for here no doubt is to be seen an ever present danger from within. "Then he brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown and the testimony;. and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands and said, Let the king live" (2 Kings ii. 12, R.V.M.). "And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD'S people" (verse 17).

Shall we now try to use in another direction this portion of the Word

God on which we have briefly commented? The covenant, into which we have entered with Him who knows, demands that He who is both Lord and Christ should be given the paramount place in our midst. He must not be hid, and the House of God is the place where God expects Him continually to be seen and known as Lord.

How, you ask, is this to be done? The answer can be given in few words, but it is when we attempt to translate this answer into deeds that we so often fail.

We must sanctify Christ in our hearts as Lord.

The measure in which we individually live Christ will be the measure in which He will be seen in and through us. "If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments" (John 14. 15). To keep His commandments is to live (Proverbs 4.4), and all His commandments are sure (Psalm 111. 7 A.V.). To see and know Him whom God has made both Lord and Christ, and to whom we owe everything for time and eternity, are surely enough. He must and will reign. Such love as His love to us demands our hearts, our lives, our all.

"The plot of lentils," no matter how small or insignificant it may appear to others, must be held. It belongs to David's Lord and cannot be handed over to the enemy. We cannot give it up and remain loyal to Him. Truths that we are assured of, such as the house of God and kindred truths associated with God's habitation on earth, must be constantly protected against any raids made upon them. Our spiritual fathers "have not followed cunningly devised fables" when making known these truths to us.

There is no mystery in the New Testament about the church and churches of God, the fellowship of these assemblies with each other and their constitution and government.

The spiritual house of God, consisting of the assemblies of God, is clearly shown to be the one place where He, who is Son over God's house, is also to be seen and known as Lord. It is here that the child of God who, like Mary Magdalene, desires to know where the Lord is, can find Him. We must defend the sacred heritage handed down to us, and seek to give Him His true place in the midst. Truth has to be affirmed constantly and confidently (Titus 3.8), and the fight to hold Zion never ceases. So from the armoury of our David we must continue to draw those weapons which have proved their worth in every hard fought battle for the truth. The Word of God, when rightly divided and handled aright, never rings other than true, and is all-powerful in defence and offence against the enemy. The Gate of Sur must be carefully watched lest any should "break rank " from "within" and seek "the without," where lawlessness in its many different forms abounds; The inherent tendency of the flesh within us is "to turn aside," and only by clinging to God and to the Word of His grace can we be kept from making shipwreck of the faith. Failure there has been, and He knows all about it, and the nature and cause of it. But while we humbly confess this before Him who is plenteous in mercy, do not let our own failure or the failures of others put us out of the fight, even though we feel with Job that we are of small account (Job 40. 4). A man can fail many a time, but he truly shows his failure when, like Saul, he begins to blame somebody else.

The mariner, gazing at the stars so high above that he can never reach them, nevertheless shapes and steers his course by them. Stumbling tends to make us watch our steps, lest we should have a fall b~ the way, but even a fall may sometimes cause the warrior the better to carry on the fight. Thus while we journey on our Lord to meet, let our hearts live in the power and enjoyment of that abundant life which He came to give (John 10.10).

Then indeed will "the heart of the Community live," and the King's Son reign supreme in the midst of that which is of Himself. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us, for, good is the God we adore. We praise Him for all that is past, and as we humbly walk before Him, let us trust Him for all that is to come.

JAMES BROWN, New Zealand | Oct 1943
General