Villain Exposed

2 Chronicles 22:11a,12

But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

‘Any story where you have good guys versus bad guys can only be as smart as the intelligence of your baddest guy’ - that’s from Bruce Willis, when asked about the importance of villains in movies. For imagine Starwars without Darth Vader or the old Batman minus the Joker? The craftiness of these villains somehow made our heroes shine brighter and the story more interesting. Without them, there will be no conflict.

And who’s the vilest of them all? Reading through chapters 21 and 22 we can find his seemingly superb schemes to put a stop to God’s plan of salvation.  As early as the time of Israel’s kings, Satan’s been plotting ways to steal, kill, and destroy everything just to prevent the Cross from happening. Here, he implanted insecurity and so much sin in Jehoram’s rule which paved the way to the slaying of the king’s brothers and  sons. Then after the death of next-king Ahaziah, the evil mother proceeded with the murder of the royal princes, that is, her very own grandchildren!  The consecutive, similar tactics, are dead giveaways of the villain’s desperation to put a stain on God’s faithfulness. For imagine if he succeeded in blotting out David’s lineage? It may not hinder the birth of Jesus, for God can opt to get another husband for Mary, but that will put into question His covenant with David.  For His honor and holiness, that, God will not allow.

In most movies, this is the time when we expect our heroes to survive the plots and traps of the villain. Like how Jehoram’s youngest son wasn’t carried off by Arab invaders and how the one year old Joash was kept hidden by his aunt.  But heaven’s heroics aren’t by ‘barely surviving’. God wisely chose these unpromising little ones to highlight how His ‘weakness’ is even stronger than the greatest of His enemy’s strength. He was the One who made this story interesting and Himself, shine bright. He is no challenger in need of proof. But to us needing security, these accounts affirm that God can’t be outsmarted, that His purposes can’t be thwarted, and His promises are trustworthy. Now, that is a true hero!