The word 'capture' here is 'sulagogeo' in Greek, and it can mean 'to cheat, to destroy, to strip,
to spoil, to seduce, to lead you away (from the truth)'. Here in Colossians 2:7-9, the apostle Paul was emphasizing the importance of being deeply rooted in the Lord, without which, one can easily be deceived or be led away from the truth.
Imagine now a strong tree with deep roots. In the Bible, the Lord often likens us as 'trees' (see Psalm 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8). But is it possible to have strong trees with great branches without having deep roots? The answer is no. Because the trees would become top-heavy, and therefore easily toppled by the wind or storm. The same principle can be applied to us as believers. Using the analogy of trees, we cannot be strong trees without having deep roots in Him (and His Word), and that's exactly what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Colosse!
In this world that we live in, there can be all kinds of 'storm' that we are faced with. At times, the 'storm' is so strong that it threatens to 'uproot' us! But the good news is when you are rooted in the Lord, and your life is built on Him, you cannot be so easily toppled or uprooted. Not only that, you will be firm enough to stay true to your calling in life, and to what the Lord has spoken to you! Proverbs 12:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked intentions He will condemn. A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.'
Let's look now at the life of someone named Jehoiada in the Bible. We may have read about Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, etc, but many people may not have read about Jehoiada. So, we are going on the road less traveled today. And to begin with, who was Jehoiada? He was a priest who had served several kings of Judah. After Israel split into two kingdoms, i.e. Judah (the southern) and Israel (the northern), the southern kingdom (which included Jerusalem) remained more faithful to the Lord. Still, there were several kings in the southern kingdom who compromised the Lord, and turned to the worship of Baal (a 'picture' of the masters of this world).
'Jehoiada', or 'Yehow-yada' in Hebrew, simply means 'Jehovah knows'. Indeed, the Lord knows best, and He surely knows better than we all do. He knows exactly what to do, who to raise up, and how to go about - at the right time and right places. So, against the backdrop of the wickedness that was happening those days, the Lord used Jehoiada to put things back in order and make things right again. In fact, Jehoiada became a 'pillar' to Judah at a time when everyone seemed to have compromised or forgotten the Lord! And what's the secret here? Because Jehoiada was deeply rooted in the Lord!
Let me write further about Jehoiada now. He was married to the sister of King Ahaziah, and therefore was a brother-in-law to the king. But after King Ahaziah died, Ahaziah's power-crazy mother (Athaliah) smelled opportunity, and she began killing anyone with a potential claim to the throne, so she could become the queen mother! (2 Kings 11:1) However, she missed out one person, the youngest son of Ahaziah named Joash (who was only one year old then, and too young for the throne), when Jehoiada (and his wife) hid the baby in the Temple of the Lord! Jehoiada knew he needed to do the right thing, i.e. to preserve the rightful heir in the lineage of King David, according to what the Lord had spoken! (2 Chronicles 23:1-3)
So, Joash remained hidden in the Temple of the Lord for six years while the wicked Athaliah ruled over the land (2 Kings 11:3). But after six years, Jehoiada knew the time had come to make Joash known. So, he called the captains, the Levites, and other leaders to the city of Jerusalem, and told them that one of the king's sons was still alive, and he (Joash) was the rightful heir, being a direct descendant of King David! All these leaders then agreed to protect and support Joash as the rightful king, and they did everything as Jehoiada had ordered. Jehoiada then brought out Joash, the king's son, and proclaimed him king (2 Chronicles 23:9-11). The wicked Athaliah was eventually overthrown, and the temple of Baal was torn down (2 Chronicles 23:12-17).
You see, Jehoiada became such a blessing to Judah because he stood firm on the Lord and all that the Lord had put in his heart to do. With his godly wisdom and sound advice to the king (Joash), Judah returned to the ways of the Lord and began to prosper again! Jehoiada lived an impressive 130 years, and was so highly-regarded by the people of Judah that he was buried in Jerusalem (City of David) among the kings! (2 Chronicles 24:15-16)
Beloved of God, will you too be like the 'Jehoiada' of today, even at a time when many others are compromising Him and His Word? Will you still choose to stay deeply rooted in Him and let your life be built on Him, instead of choosing the fallen ways of this world? Just as Jehoiada was such a blessing those days, may you too be likewise and be greatly used by the Lord for such a time as this. Amen!
