ATHALIAH (Continued from Page 1)

Undoubtedly, she was mortified when she arrived at the coronation. She saw the seven-year-old king and all of the people there rejoicing and blowing the trumpets, along with "singers with instruments of music, and those who led in praise," and she cried out, "Treason! Treason!" (v. 13). How like a bully! Apparently, she suffered no guilt for killing her husband\ innocent children, but now that she is going to be held accountable and replaced, it just isn right!

If she said any further words, they were not recorded. They took her outside the temple area and killed her near the entrance to the king\ (v. 15). What did she expect? She killed her way into power. And it was through her being killed that she was removed from power. Her mother had been thrown down from a window by her own eunuchs\ by dogs (2 Kings 9:32-37). Now Athaliah would pay for her own treasonous crimes.

Both women obviously did not inspire their own bodyguards to be loyal; they were so selfish and power-hungry that no one would save them in the end or probably mourn them, either. Both the northern and the southern kingdoms had been dominated by these two ungodly women; now conditions would improve.