The Ripple Effect of the Princess' Action

The Ripple Effect of the Princess' Action

Princess Jehosheba. You probably haven’t seen her featured recently in celeb magazines. In fact, she’s been out of circulation for quite a few years! But her name lives on. It’s indelibly inscribed in the Word of God as a memorial to the brave, decisive and solo action she took for the Lord. 

Athaliah saw a chance to grab power. The King, her son had died. Now was her big chance to become the one and only woman ever to reign on the throne of either or . The surest way to secure power is to wipe out all the obvious and not-so-obvious competitors for the position. Today in politics it’s often done by character assassinations. Dig up dirt on your opponents and then sing it, sling it or fling it and hope they are eliminated. But back then assassinations were a little more brutal. Her Majesty Athaliah didn’t mind blood one little bit. “Off with their heads!” she screamed as she cleaned out the palace. All the potential heirs to the throne were murdered. Well…not all.

Princess Jehosheba moved quickly. Did she think to herself: “I’m only Jehosheba but that’s no reason for me not to do whatever I can for the Lord. It may only be a small contribution – but I will do whatever I can.” And a small contribution it was! It was a small baby boy that she grabbed from the crib. As fast as her legs would carry her, she ran through the corridors to a bedroom. She locked the baby and its nurse in the room and kept the secret child in hiding for six years.

Athaliah… arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of .

But Jehoshabeath (Jehosheba), the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah,

and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain,

and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber.

(2Chronicles 22:10-11)

In light of everything else that was going on, the Princess’ little contribution may not have seemed like much. Who else knew about her pounding heart as she courageously hid the infant? What if the Queen caught her in the act? It was a fear she had to keep to herself. Bravely but in obscurity she did her solo act for the Lord. Who else knew about her secret? Not very many – because if someone had let the ‘cat out of the bag,’ Queen Athaliah would have violently reacted. But God knew her secret.

Dear child of God, maybe you are doing some little thing for the Lord that no one else knows about or would even care about. You watch others do their ‘big’ things and grab the headlines. Maybe at times you get discouraged wondering if you are really making ‘a difference.’ 

Did Jehosheba really know the ripple effects of her courageous action? Did she understand that she was being used by God Himself to preserve the Messianic line through which Jesus would come into the world? I am sure she didn’t know the ripple effects of her solo act that day when she grabbed the infant and ran. Possibly all she knew was: there’s a royal blood infant within my sphere of influence. I will do the right thing at any cost. I will shelter that baby from the sword of the Queen and then God can do the rest. A few years later that child became the king.

A small right thing done by the right person at the right time for the right reason can be mightily used by the Lord. Did the ripple end when the child Joash became king? Absolutely not. That same ripple hit Bethlehem centuries later in a manger. Christ was born through the blood line of that infant Joash. And the Princess’ ripple is still being felt today. When I trusted Christ as my Saviour, I didn’t know about the role the Princess played – but the ripple hit me!

Dear child of God you have no idea how your ‘right’ actions will be used by the Lord now or in the future. Be brave and courageous. Do whatever you can for the Lord and He will keep the ripple effect going.

Be sure to enjoy the Lord today. 

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

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