Athaliah, Daughter of King Ahab

Understanding and familiarizing ourselves with the roles of women in the Bible is crucial for women. This significance is evident in the fact that God specifically named them, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and delving into their stories and positions in the Scriptures.

In this post, I will provide an overview of Athaliah, discussing her significance in the story, how we can learn from God's Word through her significance, and how we are encouraged to apply it.

Being born to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, Athaliah saw her son, Ahaziah, perish in battle. She then schemed to eliminate her own grandsons in order to seize power in Judah. This action seemed to align with the prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” However, God intervened and prevented her wicked plans from succeeding.

2 Chronicles 22:10-12

10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

What was the reason for God choosing Athaliah as an example?

In this story, we observe that the power and "happiness" she desired were more important to her than the well-being of her family. This illustrates that our desires can sometimes blind us to the consequences of our actions. As women, we possess an innate ability to focus intensely on our goals in order to achieve what we believe is necessary. God instilled this drive in us to enable us to thrive as strong wives and mothers. However, when our focus shifts from serving God's purpose to pursuing our own interests, it can lead us down a challenging path. Althaliah's decision to kill her own grandsons to seize power and rule over Judah exemplifies a woman who had strayed from God. Instead of using her God-given talents to nurture her family and lead a righteous life, she pursued selfish ambitions.

Jehoshabeath bravely saved and looked after Joash until he became King. She made many sacrifices to shield Joash from Athaliah. It took six years for God's plan to come to fruition. God always has a plan, and it unfolds in His perfect timing. This exemplifies strong, patient, and sacrificial qualities in carrying out God's plan.

Important Life Lessons

1. Being a wife and mother, our ambitions can sometimes lead to a confusion of priorities in life, even with good intentions. It's crucial not to prioritize personal advancement over family. Ultimately, this can lead to challenges in both family relationships and, most importantly, our relationship with God.

2. Exercising patience and learning to wait are essential. From a young age, our parents taught us the value of waiting. We were constantly reminded to have patience in order to achieve our desires or needs.

3. Doing the things we don't want to do. In todays world that is practically unheard of. We have come to a point as a society to where our "happiness" trumps values, morals and God. Accountably is practically non existent. When we seek God he gives us the Joy and we hold ourselves to account in all our facets of life.

If you have enjoyed this story, leave a comment below if you'd like me to cover another Woman of the Bible.