Question 1

Who is Jehoiada in this passage and what does he do?

Accepted Answer

Jehoiada is the priest who leads the whole turning point in this chapter. While Athaliah has been ruling, he has kept Joash, the rightful king from David’s family, hidden and safe. In the seventh year he gathers army captains, Levites, and family leaders into a covenant and carefully arranges guards in and around the temple. He then brings out Joash, crowns him, gives him the testimony, and oversees his anointing. Jehoiada also directs the removal of Athaliah, destroys Baal worship, restores temple service, and makes a covenant that king and people will belong to the Lord.

Question 2

Why did Jehoiada and the people make a covenant to be the Lord’s people?

Accepted Answer

The covenant shows that this was not only a political change but a return to God. Athaliah had ruled in a way that went against God’s promises to David and had allowed idol worship to spread. When Joash is crowned, Jehoiada leads a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people so that they will again live as God’s people. This means recognizing God’s rule, following his law, and ordering both government and worship according to his will. The covenant makes clear that their hope and identity rest in belonging to the Lord.

Question 3

Why was Athaliah executed outside the house of the Lord?

Accepted Answer

When Athaliah runs into the temple area shouting, “Treason, Treason,” Jehoiada orders that she not be killed in the house of the Lord. She is to be taken out where the soldiers are and put to death there. This shows respect for the holiness of God’s house. Even though Athaliah is wicked and her rule is unlawful, the priest will not have bloodshed inside the temple. So the guards seize her, lead her to the entrance of the horse gate by the king’s house, and kill her there, keeping the temple from being stained by her execution.

Question 4

Why did the people destroy the house of Baal and kill Mattan the priest?

Accepted Answer

After Joash is crowned and the covenant is made, the people do not stop with removing Athaliah. They go straight to the house of Baal, tear it down, break its altars and images, and kill Mattan the priest of Baal. This shows they understand that it is not enough to change rulers while leaving false worship in place. Baal worship had taken God’s honor and led the nation astray. By removing the idol temple and its priest, they are giving God his rightful place again and clearing away what had usurped his rights over his people.

Question 5

What is the meaning of the covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people?

Accepted Answer

The covenant means that the whole life of the nation is being reset under God. The Lord is the true ruler, the king is to serve under him, and the people are to live as his own. It ties together faith and public life, not just private belief. By agreeing “that they should be the Lord’s people,” they accept God’s promises and also his commands. This covenant shapes their worship, their leaders, and their daily conduct. It shows that real peace and order come when everyone, from king to commoner, is committed to belong to the Lord.

Question 6

How did Jehoiada restore proper worship in the temple?

Accepted Answer

After Athaliah is removed and the covenant is made, Jehoiada turns to the temple. He appoints priests and Levites to their duties as they had been arranged in earlier days. They are to offer burnt offerings as written in the law, and to do it with rejoicing and singing as ordered by David. He also sets gatekeepers at the temple doors so that no one who is unclean enters. By doing this, he brings back sacrifices, praise, and holiness in the way God commanded. Worship is not treated as an afterthought but as central to the life of the people.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s rule and human kingship?

Accepted Answer

This story shows that human kingship is meant to stand under God’s rule. Athaliah’s reign is unlawful because it ignores God’s promise to David and turns the people toward idols. Joash, the hidden king, is brought out at the right time to sit on David’s throne, just as the Lord had said. But even as Joash is crowned, a covenant is made that king and people will be the Lord’s. The throne, the temple, and the people’s joy all depend on honoring God first and letting leaders serve under his word and promises.

Question 8

Why does the passage end by saying the city was quiet?

Accepted Answer

The chapter closes by saying all the people rejoiced and the city was quiet after Athaliah was killed. This shows the result of God’s order being restored. The rightful king from David’s line sits on the throne, Baal worship is torn down, the temple is active again with songs and sacrifices, and the people have joined in covenant with the Lord. With the usurper and the idols removed, there is both joy and rest. The quiet city pictures the peace that comes when God is honored and when both leadership and worship are set right.

Question 9

How can this account of Jehoiada and Joash speak to believers today?

Accepted Answer

This passage points to how God cares about both our inner life and our shared life. God raises up faithful leaders like Jehoiada who guard what belongs to him and act at the right time. It shows that it is not enough to remove what is wrong if we do not also restore what is right, especially in worship. For believers today, it encourages turning from modern “idols” that steal our hearts and renewing our promise to belong to the Lord. It also reminds us that real peace comes when God’s rightful king and God’s ways are honored.

2 Chronicles 23:1

And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.

Joash Anointed King of Judah

The Death of Athaliah

Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD

Joash Anointed King of Judah

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2 Chronicles 23:1

And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.

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Joash Anointed King of Judah

The Death of Athaliah

Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD

Joash Anointed King of Judah

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