2Chronicles 24

King Joash

24Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba.H3101H7651H8141H1121H4427H4427H705H8141H3389H517H8034H6645H8842Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased GOD throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.H3101H6213H3477H5869H3068H3117H3077H35483Jehoiada picked out two wives for him; he had a family of both sons and daughters.H3077H5375H8147H802H3205H1121H13234The time came when Joash determined to renovate The Temple of GOD.H310H3101H3820H2318H1004H30685He got the priests and Levites together and said, "Circulate through the towns of Judah every year and collect money from the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying this out."H6908H3548H3881H559H3318H5892H3063H6908H3478H3701H2388H1004H430H1767H8141H8141H4116H1697H3881H41166But the Levites dragged their feet and didn't do anything.H4428H7121H3077H7218H559H1875H3881H935H3063H3389H4864H4872H5650H3068H6951H3478H168H57157Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of GOD and the congregation, set for the upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are—wicked Queen Athaliah and her sons let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use in Baal worship."H1121H6271H4849H6555H1004H430H6944H1004H3068H6213H11688Following the king's orders, they made a chest and placed it at the entrance to The Temple of GOD.H4428H559H6213H259H727H5414H2351H8179H1004H30689Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: "Pay the tax that Moses the servant of GOD set when Israel was in the wilderness."H5414H6963H3063H3389H935H3068H4864H4872H5650H430H3478H405710The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought their money until the chest was full.H8269H5971H8055H935H7993H727H361511Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and found it to be full, the king's secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the chest and put it back in its place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money.H6256H727H935H4428H6486H3027H3881H7200H7227H3701H4428H5608H7218H3548H6496H935H6168H727H5375H7725H4725H7725H6213H3117H3117H622H3701H723012The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons and carpenters for the repair work on The Temple of GOD.H4428H3077H5414H6213H4399H5656H1004H3068H7936H2672H2796H2318H1004H3068H2796H1270H5178H2388H1004H306813The construction workers kept at their jobs steadily until the restoration was complete—the house of GOD as good as new!H4399H6213H6213H4399H5927H724H3027H5975H1004H430H4971H55314When they had finished the work, they returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money for making sacred vessels for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other gold and silver liturgical artifacts. Whole-Burnt-Offerings were made regularly in The Temple of GOD throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.H3615H935H7605H3701H6440H4428H3077H6213H3627H1004H3068H3627H8335H5927H3709H3627H2091H3701H5927H5930H1004H3068H8548H3117H307715He died at a ripe old age—130 years old!H3077H2204H7646H3117H4191H3967H7970H8141H1121H419416They buried him in the royal cemetery because he had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God's Temple.H6912H5892H1732H4428H6213H2896H3478H430H100417But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them.H310H4194H3077H935H8269H3063H7812H4428H4428H808518Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of GOD and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin.H5800H1004H3068H430H1H5647H842H6091H7110H3063H3389H81919GOD sent prophets to straighten them out, warning of judgment. But nobody paid attention.H7971H5030H7725H3068H5749H23820Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to speak up: "God's word: Why have you deliberately walked away from GOD's commandments? You can't live this way! If you walk out on GOD, he'll walk out on you."H7307H430H3847H2148H1121H3077H3548H5975H5971H559H559H430H5674H4687H3068H6743H5800H3068H580021But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the complicity of the king—he actually gave the order!—they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the court of The Temple of GOD.H7194H7275H68H4687H4428H2691H1004H306822That's the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had made him king. He murdered Jehoiada's son. Zechariah's last words were, "Look, GOD! Make them pay for this!"H3101H4428H2142H2617H3077H1H6213H2026H1121H4194H559H3068H7200H187523A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, massacred the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus.H8622H8141H2428H758H5927H935H3063H3389H7843H8269H5971H5971H7971H7998H4428H183424The Aramean army was quite small, but GOD used them to wipe out Joash's large army—their punishment for deserting GOD, the God of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God's judgment against Joash.H2428H758H935H4705H582H3068H5414H3966H7230H2428H3027H5800H3068H430H1H6213H8201H310125They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him off—it was a palace conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed. Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored with a grave in the royal cemetery.H3212H5800H7227H4251H5650H7194H1818H1121H3077H3548H2026H4296H4191H6912H5892H1732H6912H6913H442826The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab.H7194H2066H1121H8100H5985H3075H1121H8116H412527The story of his sons, the many sermons preached to Joash, and the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in the commentary on the royal history. Amaziah, Joash's son, was the next king.H1121H7235H7230H4853H3247H1004H430H3789H4097H5612H4428H558H1121H4427