The Folly of Forsaking God

17 At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. But when Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem, 18 Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash in the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21 It was Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place. – 2 Kings 12:17-21 ESV

With the death of Jehoiada the priest, King Jehoash became like a ship without a rudder. His former mentor and father figure had been a stabilizing factor in his life, and his departure left the king directionless and vulnerable to the influence of others. The book of 2 Chronicles tells us that not long after Jehoiada’s death, “the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice. They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 24:17-18 NLT). And though God sent prophets who called the nation to repentance, the people refused to listen. And King Jehoash led the way in rejecting the messengers of Yahweh.

God placed His Spirit upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, who gave a stinging indictment against the nation.

“This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!” – 2 Chronicles 24:20 NLT

But his words fell on deaf ears and hard hearts. Rather than call the people to repentance, King Jehoash repaid his former mentor, Jehoiada, by having his son stoned to death in the temple courtyard. And as Zechariah died, he cried out, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!” (2 Chronicles 24:22 NLT).

And this curse from the lips of God’s dying prophet would come to fruition. God would avenge the death of Zechariah and He would do it through the pagan nation of Syria. For years, the Syrians had been harassing the northern kingdom of Israel. All the while Jehoash had been king in Judah, his counterpart in Israel had been waging an ongoing war against the Syrians. King Jehoahaz had ascended to the throne of his father, Jehu, and had picked up where his father had left off, doing “what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (2 Kings 13:2 ESV). As a result, God “gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael” (2 Kings 13:3 ESV). This continued throughout the reign of King Jehoahaz.

But now, God was going to use the Syrians to punish the rebellious and unrepentant nation of Judah. King Hazael took his campaign of terror further south, moving along the coast of the Mediterranean, and eventually capturing the city of Gath, deep within Judean territory. Then he set sights on Jerusalem. In the spring of the year, Hazael and his army attacked the capital city, “and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus” (2 Chronicles 24:23 ESV). And the chronicler goes on to reveal that this victory was God-ordained.

Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. – 2 Chronicles 24:24 ESV

The attack left Jehoash wounded. And in desperation, the king decided to do whatever had to do to keep Hazael from capturing the city. So, he stripped bare the temple treasury, sending all the sacred items and the gold to Hazael as a form of ransom.

Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem. – 2 Kings 12:18 ESV

Rather than turn to God for help, Jehoash took what belonged to God and used it to buy off the enemy. And his plan seemed to work. Hazael took the treasure and left. But Jehoash’s troubles were far from over. Still suffering from the wounds he had received in the attack on Jerusalem, Jehoash was in a vulnerable state. His treasury was bankrupt and he was a physically broken man. And it seems that some of his officials recognized that Judah’s recent defeat at the hands of the Syrians had something to do with Jehoash’s decision to kill Zechariah. The curse uttered by the dying prophet had come true. So, they decided to eliminate the cause of all their troubles.

…his own officials plotted to kill him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed. – 2 Chronicles 24:25 NLT

The author of 2 Kings even provides us the names of the two conspirators.

The assassins were Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer—both trusted advisers. – 2 Kings 12:21 NLT

These men would have had easy access to the king. He trusted them. They had become replacements for Jehoiada, providing the king with counsel, and acting as his mentors. But unlike the former priest, these men had no love for Jehoash. They viewed him as a plague upon the nation and determined that his removal might placate God and prevent further judgment. Their actions were the work of God. And it’s interesting to note that these two men were actually foreigners. One was the son of an Ammonite woman, and the other was the son of a Moabite woman. This reference to their birth mothers is significant and it links the events in this chapter all the way back to the book of Genesis.

In chapter 19 of the book of Genesis, there is the account of God’s rescue of Lot and his daughters from the wicked city of Sodom. Lot was the nephew of Abraham who had made a decision to settle in fertile valleys of the Jordan. But it wasn’t long before he “moved his tent as far as Sodom” (Genesis 13:12 ESV). This proved to be a problem, because “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord” (Genesis 13:12 ESV). Eventually, Lot relocated his family inside the walls of the city of Sodom. When God determined to destroy Sodom and its neighboring city of Gomorrah for their wickedness, Abraham convinced God to spare Lot and his daughters. But once they were rescued by the angels of God, Lot’s daughters revealed the negative influence of their time spent in Sodom. Fearful that they will never find husbands, they come up with a plan to get their father drunk and commit incest with him, all under the guise of prolonging their father’s lineage. Their mother was dead and their father had no sons. So, in their minds, this was the only way of preserving the family line. But their sinful decision would produce a less-than-ideal outcome.

…both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their own father. When the older daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Moabites. When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben-ammi. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites. – Genesis 19:36 NLT

The Ammonites and Moabites, while distant relatives of the Israelites, were pagan nations that worshiped false gods. And it’s no coincidence that the men who plotted and carried out the assassination of Jehoash had ties to these two nations. God had used the Syrians to inflict judgment upon Judah. Now, He used an Ammonite and a Moabite to bring death to the rebellious and unrepentant Jehoash.

God had preserved and protected Jehoash, allowing him to find sanctuary in the temple and receive instruction from Jehoiada the priest. But when his godly mentor had died, Jehoash was exposed for what he really was – just another king who refused to acknowledge God as the one true Sovereign. Jehoash had started out so well but ended poorly. He had chosen to forsake God and listen to the advice of men. Rather than heed the warnings of God’s prophet, Jehoash had put him to death. And instead of placing his trust in Yahweh, Jehoash had attempted to buy his way out of trouble, using the treasure of God in a failed attempt to escape the judgment of God. And he died trying.

Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became the next king. – 2 Kings 12:21 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

The Influence of the Godly

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.

4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a man's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” 6 But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. 7 Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house.” 8 So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the Lord. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. 10 And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12 and to the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the Lord, and for any outlay for the repairs of the house. 13 But there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, 14 for that was given to the workmen who were repairing the house of the Lord with it. 15 And they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it belonged to the priests. – 2 Kings 12:1-16 ESV

Joash, referred to as Jehoash in this chapter, became the next king of Judah at the age of seven. This young child found himself bearing the heavy burden of leadership over God’s people. But for the first six years of his life, he had lived in the temple of God, where Jehoiada the priest served as his father figure and spiritual mentor. This faithful servant of God continued to guide the young king during the early years of his reign, and his influence had a powerful impact. The innocent young boy who ascended the throne at seven would rule for four decades, and the author summarizes his reign with the words, “Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kings 12:2 ESV).

After reading the sordid history of the kings of Israel, this statement comes as a much-needed breath of fresh air. All was not lost. There was still a remnant of the faithful living in the land of Judah, and Jehoiada the priest reveals how God uses His servants to protect and preserve His people. In the midst of all the paganism and idolatry that infected the nation, this one man had remained at his priestly post, serving his God and ministering to the spiritual needs of his people. And when the time had come to protect the God-appointed heir to the throne of David, Jehoiada had willingly put his reputation and his life on the line.

The story of Jehoiada is a timely reminder not to underestimate the influence of one individual who chooses to remain faithful to God in the face of overwhelming odds. His determination and perseverance made a world of difference. Like Elijah and Elisha, Jehoiada was thrust into an isolated and lonely role that required him to stand against the forces of evil in his day. By making the fateful decision to hide the young heir to the throne, Jehoiada risked bringing down the wrath of Queen Athaliah. It could have cost him his life. But for six long years, he willingly took the risk and was used by God to preserve the hope of Israel: An heir to sit on the throne of David.

But sadly, the day came when Jehoiada’s influence over the king abruptly ended. The faithful priest died.

But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. – 2 Chronicles 24:15-16 ESV

This one man had made a tremendous impact on the king, the house of God, and the people of Israel. And his death left a gaping spiritual void in King Jehoash’s life. With his mentor gone, the king himself listening to the advice of those whose intentions were less-than-honorable and far from godly.

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. – 2 Chronicles 24:17-18 ESV

With faithful Jehoiada out of the way, the ungodly princes of Israel took advantage of the situation to promote their anti-Yahweh agenda and lead the nation back into idolatry. And King Jehoash heeded their counsel.

The next 13 verses of chapter 12 appear to chronicle what happened in Israel as long as Jehoiada remained alive. King Jehoash had ordered repairs to be made to the temple of God. He had a vested interest in the welfare of this building because it had served as his home and sanctuary for the first six years of his life. But in the 23rd year of his reign, he discovered that no repairs had been made. The people were required to make an annual contribution to the temple treasury and Jehoash had ordered that part of those funds should be used to make repairs to the temple. But for some unstated reason, the priests had failed to disperse the funds to the workmen. So, no repairs had been made.

To remedy the problem, the king and Jehoiada set up a different system that allowed the transfer of the funds directly to the workmen responsible for the repairs. The priests were removed from the process altogether. Jehoiada set up a large wooden chest at the entrance to the temple. The people would place their offering in the box and the money would be periodically collected and distributed to the workmen.

Then they gave the money to the construction supervisors, who used it to pay the people working on the Lord’s Temple—the carpenters, the builders, the masons, and the stonecutters. They also used the money to buy the timber and the finished stone needed for repairing the Lord’s Temple, and they paid any other expenses related to the Temple’s restoration. – 2 Kings 12:11-12 NLT

With this new system in place, the repairs to the house of God were made without any graft or corruption taking place. The honesty and integrity of the workmen eliminated any need for a reconciling of the funds.

No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men. – 2 Kings 12:15 ESV

This simple statement speaks volumes. The spiritual influence of Jehoiada could be seen in the way the people conducted their lives. The king wasn’t the only one who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. There was a contagious spirit of honesty and integrity that permeated the culture. And as long as Jehoiada remained alive and had the ear of the king, the nation seemed to thrive. But it seems that Jehoiada died not long after the repairs to the temple were completed. And, as we have seen, his departure made an immediate impact on the nation.

They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen. – 2 Chronicles 24:18-19 NLT

In Jehoiada’s absence, God sent His prophets to call the people to repentance. But they would not listen. So, eventually, God sent Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, with a final warning of judgment.

“This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!” – 2 Chronicles 24:20 NLT

And King Jehoash, angered by the words of Zechariah, chose to kill the messenger.

Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!” – 2 Chronicles 24:21-22 NLT

Don’t miss the significance of this statement. King Jehoash, who had been raised by Jehoiada in the temple of God, had the son of Jehoiada stoned to death in the temple courtyard. In doing so, he desecrated his former home and the house of Yahweh he had painstakingly repaired. The very one whom God had preserved so that he might sit on David’s throne proved to be as wicked as the woman he replaced. Without the godly influence of Jehoiada in his life, King Jehoash was exposed as an empty suit, a man with a crown on his head but without a heart for God.

The death of Jehoiada drives home the truth found in Proverbs 29:2:

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Preserving and Protecting the Line of David

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 14 And when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses’ entrance to the king’s house, and there she was put to death.

17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord. 19 And he took the captains, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king's house.

21 Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign. – 2 Kings 11:13-21 ESV

For six years, Joash, the young heir to David’s throne, had lived in the temple of Yahweh – and right under Athaliah’s nose. The house of God proved to be the perfect hiding place for the young boy because it would have been the last place Athaliah would have ever looked. Like her parents, Ahab and Jezebel, she was a committed Baal worshiper. So, any chance of her running into Joash at the house of God would have been highly unlikely. In this story, the temple of the one true God plays a significant role. It is a reminder that, in Judah, Yahweh still played a major role in the lives of the people. While some of the kings of Judah had successfully introduced the worship of idols, the people had not abandoned Yahweh. The temple Solomon had built still stood, and the sacrificial system remained in place. Jehoiada and his fellow priests faithfully maintained God’s house and looked after the spiritual well-being of God’s people. And now, Jehoiada had provided sanctuary for God’s chosen king in the house that bore God’s name. And it must not be overlooked that the temple of God had direct ties all the way back to King David.

It had always been David’s dream to build a great temple in honor of Yahweh. But God informed David that He had other plans.

“And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:11-13 ESV

God went on to promise David, “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16 ESV). God was going to build David’s house or dynasty.  But it would be David’s son, Solomon, whom God would give the privilege of constructing a house that would bear His name and in which His glory would dwell. And now, the house built by Solomon had become the means by which God fulfilled His promise to preserve the house of David. Joash, the descendant of David and the rightful heir to the throne of Judah, was alive because he had been given sanctuary and protection in the house of God.

When word got out that Joash was alive and that he had been crowned the king of Judah, the crowds flocked to the temple to see if the news was true. And it wasn’t long before Athaliah was told about the great commotion taking place at the temple of Yahweh. So, she went to see for herself.

Much to her shock and surprise, there stood her seven-year-old grandson, Joash, very much alive and well, and wearing a crown on his head. In a matter of seconds, Athaliah’s house of cards began to crumble. Her insidious plan to eradicate all the heirs to her son’s throne had failed. For six years she had lived under the delusion that she had successfully secured her place as the queen of Judah. But little did she know that God had been protecting and preserving the seed of David until he was ready to take the throne. And it must not be overlooked that when Jehoiada placed the crown on the head of Joash, he had also presented the young king with a copy of the Mosaic Law.

Jehoiada brought out Joash, the king’s son, placed the crown on his head, and presented him with a copy of God’s laws. – 2 Kings 11:12 NLT

This practice was in keeping with the commands of God concerning the kings of Israel.

“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.” – Deuteronomy 17:18-20 NLT

Athaliah, an ungodly and unauthorized queen, was standing before the God-appointed king of Judah. And this young man was backed by the law of God, the priests of God, and had the full support of the people of God. But declared the entire scene to be nothing less than an act of treason. She refused to acknowledge Joash as the rightful heir to the throne because she refused to acknowledge Yahweh as the one and only God of Judah.

But her claims of treason were met with an order from Jehoiada the priest, commanding that she be taken from the temple and executed. She was the one who had been guilty of treason and so, she was the one who deserved to die.

With her death, a spirit of revival broke out in the land of Judah. Jehoiada immediately “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people” (2 Kings 11:17 NLT). In a sense, he called the people to repent and return to the worship of Yahweh. They had a new king but Jehoiada knew that it would mean nothing without a renewed commitment to God. Joash was just a seven-year-old boy with no leadership skills or experience. But if he and the people under his care would recommit themselves to the Word and the will of God, they would find themselves enjoying the blessings of God once again.

In a decisive demonstration of their renewed zeal for Yahweh, the people tore down the temple of Baal. Its very presence indicates that Athaliah and her ungodly relatives in Israel had played a major role in the declining spiritual state within Judah. The city of Jerusalem, home to the temple of God, also had a temple dedicated to Baal, the false god of Ahab and Jezebel. But in the revival-like atmosphere that accompanied Joash’s crowning, the people were moved to eradicate every last vestige of Baal worship from their midst.

They demolished the altars and smashed the idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. – 2 Kings 11:18 NLT

With Athaliah and her false god out of the way, it was time for Joash to move from God’s house to David’s palace. So, Jehoiada led a processional from the temple to the royal residence, where “the king took his seat on the royal throne” (2 Kings 11:19 NLT). And at that moment, God reaffirmed the promise He had made to David.

“Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:16 NLT

God was committed to keeping His word because He had a far greater plan in store that would involve the line of David. His preservation of David’s house was crucial because there was to be one final descendant of David who would rule and reign, not just over Judah and Israel, but over all the kingdoms of the world. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this coming King and the day when He will bring salvation to the world.

In that day the heir to David’s throne
    will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
    and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. – Isaiah 11:10 NLT

Joash had been protected so that David’s line could be preserved. Despite the unfaithfulness of His people, God was faithfully keeping His promise to David so that His plans for the future redemption of the world could be fulfilled in Christ.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

A Gift From God

1 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. 3 And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

4 But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king’s son. 5 And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king’s house 6 (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace. 7 And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, 8 shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

9 The captains did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord. 11 And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king. 12 Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!” – 2 Kings 11:1-12 ESV

Meanwhile, back in Judah.

Once again, the author shifts the focus of his narrative back to the southern kingdom. While Jehu had been systematically and brutally eliminating the legacy of Ahab from Israel, a regime change had taken place in Judah as well. While the two nations operated independently of one another, they had developed close ties through intermarriage and military alliances. Ahab and Jezebel had a daughter, Athaliah, who had married King Jehoram of Israel. Her influence over him is readily apparent when you read how God assessed his reign and disclosed the nature of his death.

“…you have been as evil as the kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers, men who were better than you. So now the Lord is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow. You yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will get worse each day until your bowels come out.” – 2 Chronicles 21:13-15 NLT

And when Jehoram ending up dying just as God had predicted, he was replaced by Ahaziah, the son he shared with Athalia. During his reign, Ahaziah maintained a close relationship with his family back in Israel, even making a trip to visit his uncle, King Jehoram, who was recuperating from battle injuries at his summer palace in Jezreel. But the timing of his trip proved both ill-planned and ill-fated. He had arrived in Jezreel at the exact moment when Jehu was launching his coup against the house of Ahab. And his decision to be in Israel at that precise moment proved deadly.

When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled along the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu rode after him, shouting, “Shoot him, too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot at the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam. He was able to go on as far as Megiddo, but he died there. His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem, where they buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. – 2 Kings 9:27-28 NLT

In a single day, Jehu had managed to kill the kings of Israel and Judah, creating an immediate power vacuum in both nations. He would end up filling the void left by King Jehoram in Israel, but the battle for control of Ahaziah’s empty throne would prove more complicated and deadly.

As soon as Athalia received the news that her son had been murdered by Jehu, she launched a brutal campaign to secure the crown for herself. Rather than mourn the death of her son, “she arose and destroyed all the royal family” (2 Kings 11:1 ESV). She callously eliminated any and all competition. And thanks to her husband’s sins against Yahweh, her work had been made much easier. As punishment for Jehoram’s ungodly leadership, God had brought judgment against Judah in the form of enemy raiding parties.

Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram. They marched against Judah, broke down its defenses, and carried away everything of value in the royal palace, including the king’s sons and his wives. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared. – 2 Chronicles 21:16-17 NLT

Now, with Ahaziah out of the picture, Athaliah had few competitors for the throne. But she still went out of her way to eliminate anyone who might jeopardize her plan to rule over Judah. In doing so, Athaliah was going against the revealed will of God. He had made a covenant commitment to David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne forever.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

“And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16 ESV

Athaliah was not a descendant of David, but she was not about to let that minor detail stand in her way. So, she set out to clear her path to power by systematically wiping out anyone who might claim to be the rightful heir to David’s throne. 

Having successfully eliminated the competition, Athaliah became the self-appointed queen of Judah, and she would hold that title for the next six years. But little did she know that all the while she sat on the throne, the true king of Judah was being protected in the house of God. During her ambitious and murderous power-grab, she had inadvertently overlooked one minor detail: A young boy named Joash. He was the son of King Ahaziah and, therefore, the rightful heir to the throne.

When Athaliah had begun her murderous spree, her step-daughter, Jehosheba, had risked her life by protecting Joash, the infant son of Ahaziah. The book of 2 Chronicles provides us with a detailed description of her brave rescue attempt.

Ahaziah’s sister Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash, and stole him away from among the rest of the king’s children, who were about to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom. In this way, Jehosheba, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid the child so that Athaliah could not murder him. – 2 Chronicles 22:11 NLT

Don’t miss the sovereign hand of God in all of this. It just so happens that Jehosheba was not only the daughter of the king and, therefore, the half-sister of Joash, but she was also the wife of Jehoiada the priest. These relationships were God-ordained and providentially established to not only keep Joash alive but to preserve the promise that God had made to David years earlier. After initially hiding Joash in a room within the palace, Jehosheba and her husband, Jehoiada, moved him to the temple. And for the next six years, the young boy would find protection in the house of God. Yahweh, the God of David, was preserving the seed of David so that He might fulfill the promise He had made to David. And what makes this so significant is that God was preserving David’s seed so that He might one day send His own Son as the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. The psalmist writes, “The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: ‘One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne’” ( Psalm 132:11 ESV). And the apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus was the Son whom God had in mind when He made that promise to David.

God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 1:2-4 NLT

But had Jehosheba not been there to preserve the life of her brother, the line of David would have come to an abrupt end. And had her husband not been Jehoiada the priest, the young boy would not have been given sanctuary in the temple of God. All of this was the handiwork of God Almighty, who was operating behind the scenes in order to preserve and protect His covenant promise. Nothing was going to stand in the way of God’s long-term redemptive plan for the people of Israel and the nations of the world – including Athaliah.

And in time, Athaliah’s 15-minutes of fame came to an end. When Joash reached the age of seven, Jehoiada the priest called for the captains of the Carites, who served as royal bodyguards. He brought them into the temple and introduced them to Joash, the rightful heir to the throne. This would have been shocking news to these men. None of them would have had any idea that Joash was alive. Jehoiada’s decision to use the temple as the venue for revealing this exciting news was intended to remind these men that God was at work. He had them swear an oath before God that they would protect the new king at all costs, and they agreed. Then, as if to solidify their commitment, he equipped these men with “spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the Lord” ( 2 Kings 11:10 ESV). This was intended as a not-so-subtle reminder that Joash was a descendant of the great king, David, and the rightful heir to the throne of Judah.

Having instigated plans to provide protection for Joash, Jehoiada took the next steps to make inaugurate the new king of Judah.

Then he brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!” – 2 Kings 11:12 ESV

After six years under the reign of Athaliah, the fate of Judah was about to take a dramatic turn. From the holy temple of God, a cry would go out, declaring that Judah had a new king. The sovereign plan of God was alive and well, and it was about to be revealed in the life of a seven-year-old boy named Joash. And it’s interesting to note that Joash’s name means, “given by the Lord.” He would be a gracious gift from God Almighty, providing immediate hope for the people of Judah and a link to the future promise of the Messiah.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

The Power of Influence.

2 Chronicles 23-24, 2 Timothy

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. – 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

For six years Joash, the lone surviving son of King Ahaziah, was hidden in the temple of God by Jehoiada the priest. During those six years, Joash was under the influence of Jehoiada and his wife. He would have been raised to love and respect God. He would have been taught the laws and commands of God. He would have been protected not only from the threats of his own grandmother, Athaliah, the queen, but also the evil influences of the world around him. At the age of seven, Joash was presented to the people as their king. Knowing that there was still a possible threat on his life, Jehoiada arranged for a permanent security force to protect the young king. He positioned armed Levites in the temple. He provided the captains of the army of Judah with spears and shields. “And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand…” (2 Chronicles 23:10 ESV). During the early years of King Joash's reign, his mentor, Jehoiada would have a strong influence over his life. Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people with the king, that they would be the Lord's people. He arranged for the destruction of the house of Baal. He even had Athaliah, the queen, executed. And we're told that “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2 ESV). Joash would go on to restore the house of the Lord, the very place where he had found refuse for six years as a young boy. He would reinstate the temple tax and reinstitute the sacrificial system. But then we read, “But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died” (2 Chronicles 24:15 ESV). Joash lost his mentor. And it wouldn't take long for him to fall under the influence of others. “Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols” (2 Chronicles 24:17 ESV). In practically no time at all, Joash would find himself negatively influenced by his peers and falling away from the godly instruction of his mentor, Jehoiada. And the results would be devastating to both Joash and his kingdom.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God had miraculously provided Jehoiada to protect the life of Joash so that he could become the next king of Judah. He was the only surviving descendant of David who would qualify to sit on the throne of Judah. It was essential that Joash live so that God could keep His covenant promise to David. “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16 ESV). It was essential that God orchestrate the preservation of Joash because the ultimate fulfillment of His promise to David was about far more than just an earthly successor to the throne of David. God was going to send His own Son, in human flesh, born into the line of David, to become the ultimate and final King of Israel. When God promised David, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13 ESV), He was referring both to Solomon, the son of David, and to Jesus, the coming Messiah. So there was far more to God's promise than an earthly king sitting on a throne in Jerusalem. God was talking about the Savior of the world. So God preserved Joash, and one of the ways He did this was by providing this young man with a protector and spiritual mentor. God arranged for Joash's life to be spared and his future to be secured by the influence of one single godly man. Paul would prove to have the same kind of influence on the life of Timothy. He would play a major role in Timothy's spiritual development, providing him with much-needed wisdom and sound counsel that would protect this young man from the evil influences of the world around him. Joash needed Jehoiada in his life. Timothy needed Paul in his life. We all need spiritual mentors and influencers in our lives. And God has a way of providing them all along the way.

What does this passage reveal about man?

We are not meant to live isolated, independent lives. Joash was only as strong as his relationship to his god-given mentor. As long as he listed to Jehoiada, he prospered. But when Jehoiada disappeared off the scene, Joash fell prey to other influences. He sought other counsel. And it would prove to be his undoing. Paul knew that Timothy would be prone to this same problem, so he encouraged and warned him. He told him to find his strength in the grace of God. He reminded Timothy that success in the Christian life required total dependence upon God for all things. He challenged Timothy to see his role as that of a soldier in God's army, and as a good soldier, he needed to be willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. He would have to remain unencumbered by the distractions of life. He would need to make his goal in life to please his commanding officer. And he would need to remain diligent and hardworking. Timothy was young. He was susceptible to wrong influences. He would find himself easily distracted by the cares of this world and the passions of his own sin nature. So Paul told him to “do you best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the world of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV). Paul's greatest desire for Timothy was his ongoing sanctification. He wanted to see Timothy mature in his faith and grow in his likeness to Christ. He wanted to see Timothy develop an increasing dependence upon God, so that when the day came that Paul was no longer able to be there for Timothy, he would be able to stand firm, strengthened by his own personal relationship with God. Paul wanted Timothy to be a “vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

We all need godly mentors in our lives. But the goal of those mentors should be to point us to greater and greater dependence upon God. It may have been that Jehoiada spent too much time making Joash dependent upon him, when he should have been building Joash's dependence upon God. Paul knew that he had influence over Timothy, but he would use that influence to make Timothy more dependent upon God. He knew that Timothy's future success and ultimate spiritual health was going to be reliant upon his relationship with God. As spiritual mentors, we need to remember that we are always to point those under our care to God. We are to encourage them to “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2:22 ESV). We cannot provide those things for them. We can model them. But only God can make them possible. We must make sure that those under our care are students of the Word of God, “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV). We must go out of our way to ensure that those we mentor understand that their sanctification is God's doing, not ours. We cannot make anyone holy. That is completely up to God. Making anyone dependent upon us is a dangerous mistake to make. But we must always understand that we have incredible influence over certain individuals who God has placed in our lives. We must teach them, encourage them, model Christ-likeness for them, and point them to God for His grace, mercy, love and life-transforming power. 

Father, I want to be a positive influence in the lives of others. I want to point people to You, not me. I want to mentor well and model Christ-likeness effectively. Never let me forget that I have the power to influence others for good or for bad. I want to live in such a way that my life is a constant influence on others, showing them their need for Christ and their total dependence upon You for everything in their lives. Amen

Partial Restoration.

2 Kings 11-12, Galatians 2

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:19-20 ESV

Every now and then, we get a feint glimmer of light shining in the darkness that seems to characterize the histories of Judah and Israel. The house of Ahab, the wickedness of Jezebel, and the ongoing dynasty of godless kings is occasionally broken by a single individual who provides a small degree of hope that things might change – that reformation and repentance might come to the people of God. But these moments of spiritual change and national restoration are short-lived and woefully incomplete. In the midst of all the murder, insurrection, and royal intrigue going on in these chapters, we are introduced to the story of Joash, a young boy who had to be hidden from his own grandmother in order to prevent her from killing him along with his siblings. Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah, upon learning of her son's murder, decides to make herself the queen of Judah. To secure her reign, she has all the royal family murdered, but her grandson, Joash, is secreted away by the chief priest and hidden in the temple for six years. At the age of seven, he is crowned the king of Judah and given the responsibility to lead the people of God and attempt to restore them to a right relationship with Him. His reign starts off well, as they renew their covenant with God. They even “went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars” (2 Kings 11:18 ESV). Joash would reign over Judah for 40 years, and, for the most part, he would prove to be a good king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Jehoiada, the chief priest, proved to be a worthy mentor. “Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places” (2 Kings 12:3 ESV). The temple, long neglected during the years when the people were worshiping Baal, was in desperate need of repairs. Funds had been set aside for that purpose, but after 23 long years, the priests had failed to spend a single cent on the repair of the temple. As a result, Joash had to intervene and give the money directly to the workers just to ensure that the work was done.

What does this passage reveal about God?

In chapters 11 and 12, there is no direct mention of God's divine interaction in the events that took place. While we know He is sovereign and in control of all situations, it is interesting to note His perceived silence in all that goes on during the 40-year reign of Joash. Jehoiada, the priest, “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord's people, and also between the king and the people” (2 Kings 11:17 ESV), but we do not hear anything from God Himself. The efforts of the people to destroy the house of Baal and eliminate the worship of this false god from their midst was admirable, but it appears to have been nothing more than an outward display of faithfulness. Their hearts were still not wholly dedicated to God. They continued to worship false gods and treat the one true God with contempt. As a result, God would allow the Syrians to besiege Jerusalem, prompting King Joash to raid the treasury of the temple and use the sacred gifts to pay off King Hazael. Rather than turn to God for help, they relied on the gifts that had been dedicated to God to buy their protection and safety. Unlike the great king, Solomon, Joash knows no peace during his reign. He is powerless against his enemies and seems to have no hope that God will intervene on his behalf. From what we know of God, He stood ready to help His people at any time, but He required that they return to Him and obey Him faithfully and completely. As long as they worshiped other gods they would find Him distant and unwilling to act on their behalf. Their attempts at reformation would prove inadequate and their redemption and restoration would be incomplete. Joash himself would end up murdered by his own servants.

What does this passage reveal about man?

The apostle Paul reminds us that self-reformation never measures up. It is impossible for man to redeem or reform himself. Joash put in a noble effort, but all his reforms proved inadequate. Regardless of the covenant he and the people made, they would find it impossible to remain faithful to their promises. Like all those who had come before them, they just couldn't muster up the energy to keep their end of the covenant they had made with God. Paul writes, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16 ESV). The Old Testament continually reveals man's incapacity to live in obedience to God's commands. Even the good intentions of some of the best people always fell short. Joash meant well, but he could not reform the nation or restore the people of Judah to a right relationship with God. Neither he or they had it in them. But Paul realized that it was through the law that he discovered his true nature as a transgressor of the law. His efforts to attempt to keep the law only revealed his incapacity to do so. Self reform was never going to accomplish what he needed. Any attempt by man to redeem or reform himself will always fail. Which is why God sent His Son to accomplish what no other man had been able to do. Paul makes it clear that if “righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21 ESV). If man could reform himself, Jesus never would have had to come and would have never needed to die. But He did.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

My attempt to live the godly life does come from my own self-effort. It comes from Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 ESV). I cannot reform myself. I cannot change myself. I must rely on the grace of God and the power made possible through the indwelling Spirit of God. I must recognize that any reformation on my life is made possible by Christ's death, His righteousness and God's power. I must regularly remind myself that God not only saved me, He must sanctify and change me. I must regularly rely on His strength to do the impossible in my life. Like Joash, I will find myself confronted by the enemies of God, but I must trust in Him to deliver me. I must not attempt to bargain with the enemy or try to buy him off. God wants to give me complete victory over the enemy and reveal His power in my life. But I must continually realize my need for and dependence upon Him.

Father, self reform has never worked for me. Yet I keep trying to do it on my own. Help me to learn the invaluable lesson that the spiritual reformation of my life is a work of the Spirit accomplished through Your power. I must turn to You. I must rely on You. I must acknowledge my own human weakness and rely on Your divine power. Amen