author: Ryan Hayden Take your Bibles with me and turn to 2 Kings 11. 2 Kings 11.

It's mothers day. And it is kind of traditional (and kind of expected) for me to preach a mother's day message. So that is what I'm going to do today.

And I have a treat for you today, I'm going to show you a woman in the Bible you have probably never heard of who literally saved the world and I'm going to show you how a mother can be a super hero. How mother's can save the world.

I believe with all my heart that if our world is going to saved, it isn't going to happen on Capitol Hill or in the White House, it isn't going to happen on Wall Street or in Hollywood. It is going to start in godly Christian homes and in godly Churches.

Psalm 127:3-5 says:

[!bible] Psalms 127:3-5 - KJV 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Children are a blessing - they are an inheritance from God. But children are also arrows. Children are a weapon, perhaps our most powerful weapon in our fight against the forces of evil.

Most people familiar with history know of Jonathan Edwards - the Massachusetts pastor who was a leader in the Great Awakening. He is probably most known for his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." He pastored a country church for a few decades, went on to be a missionary to the Indians, and then served very briefly as the president of Princeton.

But none of those things come close to the greatest accomplishment of Jonathan Edwards. The greatest accomplishment of Jonathan Edwards.

You see, Jonathan Edwards had an awesome wife named Sarah. And together they raised 11 kids. They prayed together every day - they poured the Bible into these kids. And listen to what God did with them:

Jonathan and Sarah Edwards decedents included:

• 13 College presidents
• 65 college professors
• 75 military officers
• 80 public servants
• 60 authors
• 60 doctors
• 30 judges
• 100 pastors
• 100 lawyers
• 3 U.S. Senators
• 1 U.S. Vice President

Even if Edwards never pastored a church, never wrote a book and no one knew his name - you would have a hard time finding anyone in the world who had more of an impact than he did just with his family.

Jonathan and Sarah Edwards had 11 arrows in their quiver and they did some crazy damage to the enemy with those 11 arrows.

Are you in 2 Kings 11?

In 2 Kings 11 we are going to read about another woman who changed the world through her influence on a child. Her name was Jehosheba. You've probably never heard of her, but she is a hero of the highest degree. Without this woman,

• the Davidic line would have been snuffed out,
• God's great promise of a Messiah that came through King David would be destroyed, and
• we wouldn't have Christ.
  In a sense it is because of the work of this woman that God could save the world. And I believe she has some lessons for us this mothers day that we need to hear.

Let's read the first twelve verses of this chapter together:

[!bible] 2 Kings 11:1-12 - KJV

1. And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
3. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
4. And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son.
5. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;
6. And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.
7. And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.
8. And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.
9. And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
10. And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.
11. And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.
12. And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

So what happens in this passage?

The king of Judah, a man named Ahaziah, is killed. Before this, his father king Jerohom had all of his brothers killed and a raid by the Philistines and Arabians had seen most of the rest of the Davidic line wiped out.

And so the line of David - the line that God promised to bring the Messiah through, is almost completely wiped out.

Into this enters one of the most despicable women in the whole Bible. Her name is Athaliah. Athaliah was Ahaziah's mother - so she is the queen mother. She also happened to be the daughter of Ahab and her mother was probably a woman you might have heard of named Jezebel.

Athaliah is a wicked, wicked woman who worships Baal.

This woman decides to take power for herself and make herself the ruler of Judah. To do this, she "destroys all the seed royal" - meaning she kills all of the remaining heirs - these would be her own children and grandchildren - so that she can remain in power.

That's all wrapped up in verse 1. But verse two says "But Jehosheba."

Jehosheba was the dead king's half sister - we find out in Chronicles that she was also married to Jehoida - the high priest.

Jehosheba hears about what Athaliah is doing and she decides to step in. The king has a baby son named Joash and she takes Joash and hides him from Athaliah "in the house of the Lord."

After six years, because of the bravery of Jehosheba, they are able to declare that Joash is the rightful king and get rid of Baal worship in the land.

So it was because of the actions of this woman: Jehosheba - tha the line of David - the line through which Christ would come - was saved. She literally saved the world.

And I think there are some lessons here for us today. Lessons for mothers (and surrogate mothers - after all, Jehosheba was Joash's aunt - not his mother) about how to save the world.

Let's pray and I'll give you those four things.

The first thing we can learn from Jehosheba about how mothers can save the world is...

1. Mothers can save the world by protecting children from the forces of evil.

You see, Jehosheba was wise enough to see what Athaliah was trying to do. She was wise enough to see that Athaliah was trying to kill all of the heirs to the throne and she was brave enough to step in and protect her nephew from this evil.

I think this can teach us something - there is evil in this world, there are powerful forces in this world - and they want our children. They want our kids.

The devil wants our kids. He wants to turn our children away from God and away from the word of God and to drive a stake into our families.

We might not have actual Athaliah's running around trying to kill kids - but we do have the "principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world" trying to poison their minds.

A century ago, a leader reportedly said, “Give us the child for 8 years, and they’ll be ours forever.” Today, we face similar pressures from systems that want to shape our kids’ minds—through media, schools, or culture.

Mothers who are awake to this - who don't bury their heads in the sand - but who are on the lookout and are trying to protect their children can save them like Jehosheba saved Joash.

Do you know what you kids are learning? Do you know what they are reading? Do you know what they are watching on youtube or telivision?

Jehosheba teaches us that mothers can save the world by protecting children from the forces of evil.

But there is a second thing we learn from her. She didn't just save Joash. She hid him. Verse 3 says:

[!bible] 2 Kings 11:3 - KJV 3. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

So mothers can save the world by protecting their children and...

2. Mothers can save the world by hiding children in the house of God.

If there are forces of evil in this world trying to get our kids, the safest place for them is in God's house - it is in church.

I'm so grateful that my parents decided to raise me in the house of God. I was about six or seven years old when my mother and stepfather came to faith, and I remember them coming to me and saying "We are going to be in church every time the doors are open."

Before that they took me to bars. They took me to parties. But there came a day when they made a decision that they were going to raise me in church and they never looked back.

I remember being a young kid who was dragged to youth group activities that I had no business going to - because if the church was doing something, we were going to be there.

My parents made the decision that we were going to be in a good Christian school - and my mother - who already worked as a nurse, started doing odd jobs and working as a janitor and a bus driver so I could get a Christian education.

When I was coming up - it was never even a question if we were going to church. Literally, I would have been terrified to even suggest that. When I got my first job, I was told "you tell them on day one you won't be working on Sundays."

Now, I didn't always like it. There were days I wanted to do other things - but I'm so grateful that my mother made the decision that I was going to be "hid in the house of the Lord." And that is how we are raising our kids.

Mothers can save the world by protecting their children and mothers can save the world by hiding children in the house of God.

Listen to a third thing:

3. Mothers can save the world by bringing the Bible to their kids.

In verse 12, when they put Joash on the throne and put a crown on his head, it also says and gave him the testimony. In context, that means they gave this 7 year old king the word of God. They gave him the law.

I have no doubt that as this boy was being raised by Jehosheba and her godly husband Jehoida that he was being taught the word of God and that that didn't stop when he was a king.

Ephesians 6:4 commands us as fathers to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

Deuteronomy 6:7 says this about Parents and the word of God:

[!bible] Deuteronomy 6:7 - KJV 7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

We all know Proverbs 22:6

[!bible] Proverbs 22:6 - KJV 6. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15:

[!bible] 2 Timothy 3:15 - KJV 15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Where did he learn that? Chapter 1:5 tells us he learned this from his grandmother Lois and His mother Eunice.

Mom's one of the greatest things you can do for this world is to teach your kids the Bible. Don't assume the church or the school will do it. You teach them what God's word says as you go about life with them.

• Mothers can save the world by protecting their children
• mothers can save the world by hiding children in the house of God.
• Mothers can save the world by bringing the Bible to their kids.

One more thing we see in this story:

4. Mothers can save the world by serving the true king, even if He doesn't seem to be in power.

You see, the true king of Judah was Joash. Most of the world didn't know about him. It sure seemed like Athalaiah was in charge. But Joash was the true king. And Jehosheba and her husband recognized and served the true king.

Athaliah is on the throne, but the real king is present. The usurper rules, but the chosen king secretly reigns.

Today, it may seem like the devil is in charge. But we know something the world doesn't know - the true King is here. The Lord Jesus Christ has come, and though He doesn't seem to be in power, He reigns.

Someday He will be recognized by the world. Someday, ever knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - but we can worship Him now.

Listen, the greatest thing you can do for your children mom is to be a disciple of Jesus yourself - to serve King Jesus yourself.

This isn't going to work if you just push the kids to church. If you just try to protect the kids. If you just preach at the kids. It has to be real to you. You have to lead by example.

Conclusion

Mothers, you are world-changers. Like Jehosheba, you can protect your children from the forces of evil—those principalities and powers that want to steal their hearts. Like Sarah Edwards, you can hide them in the house of God, where they’re safe in His presence. Like Lois and Eunice, you can pour God’s Word into them, giving them a foundation that leads to salvation. And like the faithful believers who crowned Joash, you can serve the true King, Jesus Christ, even when the world bows to false gods.

The world is desperate for godly mothers. There are forces out there—media, culture, even some educational systems—that echo the old lie: “Give us your children, and we’ll shape them.” But God has given you those arrows, moms. He’s entrusted you to sharpen them, aim them, and send them out to do damage to the enemy’s kingdom.

This Mother’s Day, I challenge you to be a Jehosheba. Be vigilant, protecting your kids from spiritual dangers. Be intentional, hiding them in God’s house through church and Christian community. Be faithful, teaching them the Bible in your home. And be devoted, living as a disciple of Jesus so they see the true King in you.

And to everyone else—fathers, grandparents, church family—support the mothers among us. Pray for them. Encourage them. Help them raise those arrows for God’s glory.

Let’s commit to raising a generation that knows and loves Jesus, that stands firm against the darkness, and that carries the gospel to the world. That’s how we save the world—one godly home at a time.

Let’s pray.