II Chronicles 24:1-3- Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
Joash started out good. He was raised by a priest of the Lord God Almighty and was instructed in how to rule according to God's laws.
II Chronicles 24:4- And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.
II Kings 12:4-6- And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD, Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found. But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
Joash noticed that the temple of the Lord needed some repairs made. He told the priests to gather money so they could pay people to repair the temple, but the priests were very lazy about obeying.
II Chronicles 24:6-7- And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.
Now, while the evil queen, Athaliah, was ruling she had destroyed the house of the Lord God of Israel. She had even taken things out of the temple and put them into the temple of a false god.
II Chronicles 24:8-12- And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD. And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.
When the regular priests failed to fix the temple, King Joash took the matter to Jehoiada. He knew that Jehoiada would make sure that what was asked would get done.
Jahoiada made a large "piggy bank" out of a chest, and when it was full of money he made sure that the people who could fix the temple received the money.
II Chronicles 24:15-16- But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
Jehoiada lived a good long life. He was 130 years old when he died! The king was very appreciative of all that the old priest had done for him, and so he buried him among the kings of Judah.
But, time has a way of changing people. The king looked to Jehoiada to keep him on the right path, and when Jehoiada was gone he didn't stay on that path. He followed others down a wicked road.
II Chronicles 24:17-18- Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
There were rulers in Judah that still served false gods. These rulers got the king to forsake the Lord and worship their idols.
II Chronicles 24:19-22- Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.
The Lord wanted Joash to realize that he was sinning. He wanted him to repent and turn back to God. God sent Jehoiada's son to tell the king that he would be punished if he didn't repent.
But, Joash had become prideful. Instead of asking forgiveness, he ordered the man's death.
Jehoiada had risked his life to save this king when he was a baby. He gave his time to raise this king in the way of the Lord. And, when no one else would obey the king, Jehoiada took it upon himself to make sure that the king's commands were followed.
But, the king didn't remember Jehoiada. He wickedly ordered Jehoiada's son's execution.
Do you think God forgot? No! And, God was going to punish Joash.
II Kings 12:17-18- Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
When the king of Syria came to attack Jerusalem, Joash took treasures out of the temple and paid him to go away. But, this only kept Hazael, king of Syria, away for a little while.
II Chronicles 24:23-24- And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.
God was using Hazael, king of Syria, to punish Joash. When Hazael returned, he destroyed many men in Judah, including the wicked princes that coaxed Joash into worshiping false gods.
But, Joash wasn't finished paying the price for his sins.
II Chronicles 24:25-And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
God allowed King Joash to live, but He gave the king diseases. In the end his servants turned against him and killed him.
He started out right, but ended very wrong! He died by traitors and wasn't even given the honor of a royal burial.
II Chronicles 24:27- Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
