Jehosheba: The woman on rescue mission

There are many great men and women who are celebrated today because they risked their own lives to save the lives of other people who were facing persecution. For example, Nazi Germany’s state sponsored Holocaust killed about six million European Jews. During this mass murder operation, there were people who risked their lives to save the Jewish people and this included a Polish woman named Irena Sendler. Irena Sendler successfully rescued 2,500 Jewish children out of the Ghetto in Warsaw, Poland. Her brave action saw the lives of 2,500 people saved. Irena Sandler might not be a household name because until recently,  not many people heard of her heroic act. Similarly,  there were men and women who risked their lives to rescue others in the Bible. These people knew that their action was tantamount to death if they were caught, but they did it anyway. One such woman in history is Jehosheba. Her name might not sound familiar to you and it is possible that you might not have heard any sermon that ever mentioned her name. Jehosheba risked her life to save her brother’s son. The son she saved, rose up to become the king of Judah. 

But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. (2 Kings 11:2 NIV)

In a previous post, we considered how Athaliah, the mother of king Ahaziah deliberately wiped out the royal family when she realized her son Ahaziah had been killed. Athaliah was brute and she wasn’t ready to spare a soul. She was so wicked and heartless that she was ready to kill her own grandson and any other person who identified as a royal. The opposite of Athaliah is Jehosheba. While Athaliah’s vengeance cared less of her own family members, Jehosheba’s compassion led her on a dangerous mission. She could have been killed by Athaliah if her action was found. Jehosheba went on a rescue mission. The story of Jehosheba’s rescue of Joash is recorded in 2 Kings 11:2 and 2 Chronicles 22:11. The 2 Kings 11: 2 account states that, “But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.” In 2 Chronicles 22:11b we get to know that, “Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him.” Thus, Jehosheba was not just an aunt to Joash, she was also the wife of the priest, Jehoiada. 

In other words, both Athaliah and Jehosheba were public figures. Athaliah was the mother of the late king and Jehosheba was the sister of the late king and the wife of the priest. These two women all had some sort of power. Athaliah used her own power to take away lives. Jehosheba, on the other hand, used her power to save a life. Jehosheba’s compassion is a typology of the compassion God has for us. Jehosheba saw in Joash a helpless baby who was likely to be killed by a heartless woman. Jehosheba risked everything to hide Joash and his nurse. The wicked Athaliah could have killed Jehosheba for that rescue mission, but Jehosheba still went ahead and saved a soul. Six years after this rescue mission, Joash, then seven years old, was crowned as a king (2 Kings 11:21). The evil Athaliah received the wages of her sins, she was killed (2 Kings 11:15‭-‬16). King Joash had his own flaws but he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him (2 Kings 12:2). Joash did some major repairs on the temple of God in Jerusalem (2 Kings 12:1-16). 

The story of Jehosheba teaches us to have compassion for the poor, weak and vulnerable. We also learn that whatever position we find ourselves can be used to save lives or to waste lives. We identify that sometimes, taking the stand for the good could be risky but it pays off in the long term. Jehosheba teaches us that women can play significant roles even if they work in the background. You don’t necessarily need to be the queen to fight, you can be the wife and still be a warrior. Women who look forward to a bigger stage to do exploits might end up doing nothing but those who create their own opportunities even in the unlikely situations would be celebrated. Don’t be comfortable in your small space, be a Jehosheba who identifies the wrong and fix it with the right.