Athaliah was the name of the only queen to ever rule over Judah. She was an evil person. Of all the rulers in Judah, she was the strongest supporter of Baal worship. That is not surprising since she was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, devotees of Baal in Israel, the country to the north of Judah.

Before Athaliah became queen, her son Ahaziah ruled in Judah. But Ahaziah was killed by a rival ruler in Israel. To get an idea of how evil this woman was, we might simply look at her response to the death of her son. Most women would be overcome with grief at such a loss, but that was not the case with Athaliah. She saw it as an opportunity. In the power vacuum that ensued, she realized she could become queen. And that is what she did.

This was contrary to God’s will. A son of David was to rule in Jerusalem (2 Sam 7:16), and she was not one of those. She was a woman. She was not a descendant of David, but a foreigner. She was an idolater. Clearly, she did not care about what God had said.

But her evil went beyond this act of disobedience. She realized that any male descendant from her son’s line—from David’s line—could make a legitimate claim to the throne, so she attempted to remove that threat. She killed all the royal heirs to the throne. These men and boys would have been related to her in various ways, through her marriage into the royal family in Judah.

This story, however, is about more than the evil this woman displayed. There was someone else acting behind the scenes. We could say her actions were motivated by the one who is the epitome of evil. Athaliah was attempting to wipe out the line of David. This was the line from which the Christ would spring. No doubt, it was Satan who was behind her actions.

Athaliah’s plans, however, were fruitless. One of the heirs of David’s line survived. A female relative hid Joash, who was around one year old, from Athaliah. Six years later, Athaliah was killed, and Joash was crowned king. He would rule under the mentorship of the high priest until he was old enough to do so on his own. David’s line was preserved.

It is easy to see the parallels with another ruler who would reign in Jerusalem many years later. Herod was also an evil ruler, placed in his position by Rome. He too was a foreigner. When told that the Christ had been born, he saw this as a threat to his rule and the stability of the region. He too tried to kill all the young boys who might pose this threat. In Herod’s day, God delivered the Seed of David by telling Joseph and Mary to take the Boy to Egypt (Matt 2:7-18). The Apostle John tells us that Satan was the motivator behind Herod’s actions (Rev 12:3-5).

I must admit that I don’t know why Satan would attempt such things. Does he really think he can derail the plans of God? Perhaps his pride blinds him, and he cannot see the foolishness of his actions. Perhaps he simply wants to cause misery in the world and just wants to go down fighting against God.

Since Adam’s fall, the world has been a world of misery and turmoil. The same is true today. The headlines are full of world leaders doing things that are evil. It is easy to see Satan’s influence behind this. It is also easy, even for Christians, to experience anxiety when we see such events. We see wars and are told that even nuclear war is a possibility. Moral decay is rampant. What does the future hold?

Fortunately, we know what the future holds. The Seed of David that both Athaliah and Herod tried to kill is coming soon. He will establish an eternal kingdom in which righteousness dwells. All who have believed in Him for eternal life will live with Him forever. Whatever Satan and his henchmen (and women) try to do is futile.