Aristotle

Aristotle

Aristotle is noted as one of the first people to suggest the earth was round.  People seemed amazed that he could figure this out as early as 384 BC.  I agree, Aristotle was in interesting person who made interesting discoveries, but he was not the first to suggest the earth was round.  More than likely he learned this from another source.

The book of Isaiah was written from 700 – 681 BC.  This was a couple of hundred years before Aristotle.  The prophet Isaiah wrote in Chapter 40, verse 22 “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.”   God sits above a round earth.  I think that is amazing.  This fact was written down long before people realized the earth was round.  God knew the earth was round, He created it.  The prophet Isaiah knew the earth was round, God told him.

I wonder how many other amazing true facts are the in Bible if we just take the time to search them out.

Jehosheba

Jehosheba

Have you ever heard of Jehosheba?  No?  How about Athaliah?  No again I see.  Let me back this story up one generation.  Have you ever heard of Jezebel?    Of course, most people have.  She was famous or infamous for being wicked.  What a legacy.  Anyway, she had a daughter and the daughters name was Athaliah and she was just like her mother.  She married the King of Judah and tried to make Judah just as wicked of a kingdom as Jezebel made of Israel.    Division arose and tried to end her rein.  Her husband was killed and all of her sons and Athaliah alone remained.  What would you do in her situation?  I sincerely doubt you would follow her example.  Since her sons were gone, she set out to kill her grandchildren as well.  She wanted to rule unopposed. 

This is where Jehosheba comes in.   Jehosheba is Athaliah’s step daughter.  While the queen is going about slaughtering her own grandchildren, Jehosheba takes her nephew and infant name Joash and hides him.  She could be killed for this, but she doesn’t care, she is keeping the line of David alive.  I think she had guts and she saved the life of a child against unspeakable odds. That alone make her a hero, but I do enjoy the fact that an Aunt came to the rescue.  Kudos for Aunts everywhere that love their nieces and nephews.

How does the story end?  The infant Joash grows up in the Temple of God. This is the last place Athaliah will look since she worships Baal.   Jehosheba’s husband is the high priest in the temple, so he helps her out in her subterfuge.    When they child was seven years old, they staged a coup.  The high priest anointed young Joash King.  When Athaliah found out she tried to scream treason, but no one cared.  The people had a new King.  That was the end of Queen Athaliah; she was pulled from the temple and killed by the supporters of the king.  Life in Judah changed.  The temples to Baal, the child sacrificing religion, were torn down and Judah once again began to serve the true God.

I love stories where good triumphs over evil – don’t you.