The Old Testament is chock full of stories of courage. There were men who sat with lions, danced in the fire, and defeated armies that surrounded them. There were women who killed enemy commanders, defied kings, and hid their children from death.
In college, I had to read Profiles in Courage, a biography of courageous men in history. Sam Houston was my favorite. This week I picked up a children’s story book that was printed in 1923. That has been eye-opening on many fronts; one is the extraordinary courage of the characters in the stories. There are little boys and girls walking through dark and deep woods to survive, working for cruel masters and making harrowing escapes. It makes me wonder if perhaps our literature is too safe these days. Where are the heroes?
This week I read the story of Jehoida, a priest of Judah. He served during the reign of Queen Athaliah, whose wickedness makes Cruella Deville seem neighborly. When her horrible son/king was killed, she finished off the rest of the royal family – some were her own children and grandchildren! No one was safe under her rule, especially followers of God.
One of her infant grandsons was hidden in the Temple of God by the sister of the dead king. This sister, Jehosheba, was also Jehoida the priest’s wife. The infant was safe in the Temple presumably because Queen Athaliah would never visit. The child stayed hidden for seven years. Jehoida and his wife, Jehosheba, knew their lives were in danger. This child, Joash, knew nothing of the outside world. He grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Jehoida knew that things were bound to change. He could have waited a little longer, at least until Joash was a teen. He could have just grabbed wife and child and escaped to Egypt or fled to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But…
“In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest decided to act. He summoned his courage and made a pact with five army commanders:”
2 Chronicles 23:1
I love that wording. “He summoned his courage”. There sat Jehoida, another month hidden in the temple, baby-sitting the real king, and watching wicked Queen Athaliah stroll around Jerusalem. He knew God had given him the assignment. If life was going to change, he would have to say, “Come here, Courage.”
The story is so much better than I can paraphrase here. It’s all there in 2 Chronicles. 1 and 2 Chronicles are both good reading. There is so much wisdom to be gained from their successes and failures. In this account, Jehoida summons (along with his courage) five commanders, who travel throughout Judah calling priests and people to gather in Jerusalem for the express purpose of crowning Joash, the seven year old, as king.
The act was treasonous, as Athaliah would scream while her kingdom crumbled around her head. As Jehoida was crowning Joash and handing him a written copy of God’s laws, the people began to shout, sing, and praise God for their new king.
This was the music Athaliah heard as she was led to the Horse Gate and killed. Her story was over.
Jehoida went on to be the young king’s advisor and a great reformer in Judah. He rebuilt the temple, tore down idols and brought worship of the true God across the land. Jehoida lived to be 130 years old, in a time when long lives were rare.
All of this happened when Jehoida summoned his courage. It takes “guts” to make changes, to reorder our lives. It is so much easier to just “go along to get along”. He could have lived a quiet life inside the cloisters of the temple with his wife and rescued child. After all, what more could God ask? He had rescued and cared for the true king. But Jehoida knew there was more, as there is so many times in our life. He knew it was time to act and told his courage to “come here.”
Life takes courage. An Overcomers life takes great courage. Try to rid yourself of an addiction. Or a habit. Change your lifestyle. It all takes courage. You must summon your courage and take a step away from the comfortable. You must believe that God will meet you there in the unknown.
It takes courage to step out in ministry or to allow God to use you. The most courageous decision you’ll make is to follow Christ as a believer and then to be obedient to Him after the decision. Of course, that is the right decision. So many agree to the conditions of repentance, forgiveness, and eternal life; but find that obedience is so scary. It’s hard to trust His commands are best.
When the Lord begins asking you to forgive others that are clearly wrong, that’s another level of courage. What if they do “it” to me again? No cowards love their enemies. That takes the courage of God. Courage is necessary to trust God with your finances and time.
It requires courage to be a witness to others. We can trust God with salvation, but find it hard to make a stand when surrounded in the lunchroom at work. OH, the courage it takes to speak up for God!
Great men risk it all for the cause in which they believe. We “risk” nothing in obedience to God. He holds us all safely. Even if we should lose our life, He rewards us with life everlasting. Jesus promised that anything we should surrender to follow Him would be given back, not only in this life, but the life to come. (see Mark 10:29,30) We don’t follow a cause, we stand with a King.
One last verse to consider, written by the Psalmist, describes the unbelief of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. Because they didn’t trust God to fight for them, they died in the desert.
“The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe His promises to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.”
Psalms 106:24,25
It’s really an either/or situation. Will I summon my courage and walk toward the Promised Land, trusting the One Who Walks with Me; or sit in my “tent”, refuse the One Who Stands Outside, and grumble about my unfair life?
What is God calling you to do? I’m guessing it isn’t easy. Most likely a comfort zone is not included. But you…you are believing His promises, thankful for the calling and boldly entering the Pleasant Land. And when the path looks formidable, you call out, “Come here, courage!”
