2
Kings chapter 12 summarizes the life of Joash. Remember, he was a
descendant of David, his grandmother risked her life to save him and
he was hidden in the temple for seven years before he was anointed
king of Judah. To borrow a sports term, he was a “can’t miss
prospect”. I
have a burden for today’s “church kids”. They are raised in
the church and much is assumed about their personal relationship with
the Savior. Young or old each of us must learn to submit to Jesus as
Lord of our own life. The
chapter begins, “Joash
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years… Joash did
what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the
priest instructed him“.
His
reign began with such potential and promise. Sadly, though he did
many good things to honor God, he did not develop his own
relationship with God. Apparently
without Jehoiada to guide him, the king did not seek God on his own.
The chapter notes a sad compromise that defined Joash, “The
high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense there“.
It seems he wanted to avoid conflict. Is there anything in your
life you are unwilling to compromise on?
The
chapter describes the king’s desire to repair the Temple. It had
become dilapidated from neglect. Initially he directed the priests
to set aside money and make the needed repairs, “But
by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not
repaired the temple“.
Next we read how much abundance there is in the family of God when
people are asked to provide for a need as a voluntary act of worship.
“Jehoiada
the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it
beside the altar“.
With that, there was enough to pay for all that was needed, “they
gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the
temple… the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters…
and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple“.
We even see how this freewill giving made it a work of the heart,
“they
acted with complete honesty“.
Remember when the first offering was taken to build the tabernacle
in Exodus 35:5, “Whoever
is
of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord“.
And the result was that Moses had to ask them to stop giving because
they had too much! I am convinced that God looks at our attitude
toward giving, not the amount of our gift.
The
little compromises of the king became major after Jehoiada the priest
died. 2 Chronicles chapter 24 provides more details about the moral
collapse of Joash: “Zechariah the son of Jehoiada spoke boldly “Why
do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot
prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken
you“.
And how did the king react to this rebuke? “At
the command of the king they stoned him with stones.”
As the chapter closes, we read, as Hazael king of Aram prepared to
attack Jerusalem, Joash “took
all the sacred objects… found in the treasuries of the temple of
the Lord and of the royal palace… and he sent them to Hazael king
of Aram“.
Rather than trusting God and standing firm, he robbed the nation in
order to bribe the enemy. The complete disobedience of Joash ended
with his assassination at the hand of his own advisors. The
potential of his youth ended in disaster for the nation and himself.
Friend, if you want to be an MVP on God’s team, stand firm on the
truth of His Word!