In the New Testament Gospel of John, Jesus warned of an evil adversary we all face on our journey of life. But He also told how He, Jesus, will always be there to guide and defend us as we follow Him.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:7-10 (NKJV)
Jesus is our Good Shepherd, watching over us as our strength and shield, our keeper, and the shade at our right hand (Psalm 121:5). He protects us against the attacks of the evil one and restores to us what has been taken away.
God also placed good shepherds into the lives of the Old Testament kings, to preserve the eternal line of David, and to provide a way to root out whichever evil thieves had wormed their way in there to destroy it.
After the death of Jehoshaphat, one of the good kings of Judah, there were many palace intrigues and murders among his successors. His eldest son was married to a daughter of apostate King Ahab and Queen Jezebel from the Northern Kingdom, and the evil fruits of that marriage were threatening to end the royal line.
First, this eldest son, King Jehoram, killed off all of his brothers who might compete with him for the throne, then ruled Judah in the same idolatrous ways that Ahab and Jezebel had misled the Northern Kingdom.
6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. 2 Chronicles 21:6-7 (NKJV)
After two years, the Lord removed King Jehoram from the throne, taking his life just as he had taken his brothers’ lives. But this did not solve the problems in the palace, as now his wife, Queen Athaliah, was calling all the shots. As her older sons had all been killed in battles with Arabian raiders, she installed her youngest son, Ahaziah, on the throne of Judah. She had raised him up in the ways of Ahab and Jezebel, and he learned his evil lessons well.
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 2 Chronicles 22:3-4 (NKJV)
After one year, God judged King Ahaziah as well, striking him down as he went to war alongside the Northern Kingdom. When his mother, Athaliah, Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter, learned that her son was dead, she decided to eliminate all of her own heirs in order to rule on the throne herself. She succeeded in doing this, and reigned for six years.
10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 2 Chronicles 22:10 (NKJV)
Now the thief had truly entered the house of Judah, right through the back door. The line of David, the entire genealogy of Jesus, was at the point of elimination as Jezebel’s daughter now reigned unopposed. Ahab’s evil line had been judged by God in the Northern Kingdom, but now, through stealing, killing and destroying, the thief had entered God’s regal line in Judah.
But David’s line was ultimately preserved through the brave actions of two “Good Shepherds” – Jehoshabeath, one of the daughters in the king’s family, and her husband, Jehoida, the priest. They took the now-dead king’s youngest son, the new born Joash, and hid him in the temple, away from the evil Queen and her murderous wrath.
12 And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land. 2 Chronicles 22:12 (NKJV)
When the child turned seven, Jehoida the priest courageously gathered the other priests of Judah, who all vowed to put the child under twenty-four-hour protection. Then, they proclaimed the child, Joash, King of Judah, negating the self-proclaimed rule of Queen Athaliah. A great and joyful celebration took place, with many people shouting and the noise of trumpets.
When Athaliah heard the noise and saw the child wearing a crown, she cried out, “Treason!” But Jehoida the priest then brought out the captains of the army, who took Athaliah to the horse gate of the city and put her to death. The demonic house of Ahab and Jezebel was now fully judged, and no longer had a strangle hold on the line of David.
Good shepherd Jehoida brought up King Joash in the ways of the Lord, counseling him with divine wisdom. As a result, the Lord sheltered both of them, and showered the land of Judah with much favor and blessing. The old priest lived to be 130 years old, a phenomenal age in this era. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, once the priest died, bad counselors who followed the ways of Ahab and Jezebel returned to the temple, gaining Joash’s ear, and led him and the nation back into idolatry. This led to a serious decline in God’s favor and blessing towards Judah and Jerusalem. The good shepherd was now gone, and bad shepherds under the thief were back in the palace. But more good shepherds were on the way, including One who has no peer.
Reflection
Life is a constant battle between good and evil. The Good Shepherd is always reaching out for us follow Him, but we often choose to follow the ways of the Thief instead. Enticing as it appears, the evil one’s way will only lead us down a path of destruction.
As long as we have breath, it is never too late to turn to seek to follow the Lord and His ways. Many divine blessings and much favor will follow when we choose to take even a small step of faith, moving away from the darkness and towards the welcoming Light of Christ.
Lord, we choose to follow You, our Good Shepherd, the One who gently and lovingly leads His sheep. Help us to follow and honor You today, saying “No” to the temptations of the thief, who promises wonders, but only comes to steal, kill, and destroy us. We look to You to be our shelter, our shield, our Rock, and our strength. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
May you enjoy many blessings from the Good Shepherd as you follow Him today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 