by which they would be the LORD’s people;
and another covenant, between the king and the people.
We might wonder why the lectionary editors chose chapter 11 from the Second Book of Kings for our reflections on this mid-summer morning. It's certainly violent. Although we might not be surprised to hear of men getting killed in the Bible, we might be jolted by the summary execution of a queen.
The Hebrew prophets who made it their job to criticize the kings of Israel didn't like most of David's sons, and they hated Queen Athaliah. The wicked kings played politics to promote their own interests. They lived lavishly, and favored their own sons and relatives while heavily taxing the people. They often drafted able-bodied men for the army, and attractive young women for their household servants. When tbey struggled for the survival of the Kingdom, they failed to rely on God as the true king of Israel.
But the prophets approved of King Joash as he restored Solomon's ancient temple, the priesthood, and the proper worship of God. He tried to govern with mercy and justice; and he listened to the prophets as he dealt with allies and enemies of Israel. As today's scripture indicates, he renewed Israel's covenant with God,
Beginning the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, Christian preachers, teachers, and theologians have searched the "Old Testament" for prophetic words and signs that would be fulfilled by the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Saint Paul said that Adam, the first man, was a type of Jesus, the Son of Man; and where Adam brought sin upon the earth, Jesus brought grace and favor. We call that science typology.
And so I notice a few types in today's first reading: Under King Joash, the ancient covenant was restored. It fits the pattern of covenant restoration: Moses renewed the covenant with Abraham; and, as the Hebrews entered the Promised Land, Joshua renewed the covenant. Jeremiah would speak of a new covenant, and Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant and established a new one with his own blood. Blood renews the covenant.
Joash (found in Matthew 1 under the name Jehoash) was a Davidic King and an ancestor of Jesus. And so the story demonstrates God's providential guidance of David's lineage although, as often happens, he doesn't appear or make his presence obvious.
Unfortunately, during my seminary years, typology as an important tool for studying the Bible, was often dismissed or ignored. I've learned since then to take it more seriously. With it we can see more clearly how our Providential God directs the history of Israel toward Salvation History.
