The Life of King Joash: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

# King Joash: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ### 2 Chronicles 24 Take your Bibles with me and turn to the book of Second Chronicles tonight. Second Chronicles chapter 24. We've mostly been in the book of Second Kings recently, but the story we're going to look at tonight is found in both Second Kings chapter 12 and Second Chronicles chapter 24. There's a lot more detail in Second Chronicles chapter 24, so that's the chapter we're going to read tonight. And we're going to talk about King Joash. Now last week we looked at the coronation of Joash. Remember evil queen Athaliah tried to kill all of David's seed and she was unsuccessful because one godly woman, Jehosheba, who was married to the high priest Jehoiada, took one baby — one of the royal seed — and hid him in the temple for six years. When he was seven years old, Jehoiada announced him to all of the people and they had a coronation for a seven-year-old king. Joash. A king at seven years old. And at the end of the chapter last week there's immediate reform. Immediately they go after the worshippers of Baal in Judah and they tear down the temple of Baal and kill the priests of Baal. But all that happens when Joash is just seven years old. And I'm trying to think through this. What would it be like to have a seven-year-old king? I'm thinking about our Darcy, who is five. She's not that far away from seven, and I just can't imagine a king being seven years old. So how's this seven-year-old king going to do? That's the question we're going to ask and answer with our Bible study tonight. There's a lot of really interesting lessons for us, a lot of applications for us as we look at the life of Joash. Have you found Second Chronicles 24 yet? Let's read verse 1 to get started: > 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.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:1 So Joash starts reigning when he's seven years old and he stops reigning when he's forty-seven years old. Forty years is a long time to reign, but he could have reigned for eighty years — he started when he was seven! So he doesn't have a very long life or a very long reign. Let's talk about what happened. I kind of want to break down the life of Joash into the good, the bad, and the ugly. In general he was a good king. 2 Kings 12 summarizes his life like this: > And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.\ > — 2 Kings 12:2-3 So Joash is a good king. He does that which is right in the sight of the Lord. But he doesn't go all the way. He doesn't take away the high places. The people are still sacrificing in these high places and doing pagan worship in these high places. Like I said, we're going to see there's some good and some bad and some ugly in the life of King Joash. --- ## 1. The Good The first good thing that we see in Joash's life is the way that he took care of the temple. You actually read about this in both Second Kings and Second Chronicles. Let's go ahead and read verses 2–8 together. > 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. And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. 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. And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:2-8 So here's what seems to be going on here. Joash wanted the temple to be repaired. Evil Queen Athaliah had brought Baal worship into the temple and also allowed the temple to fall into a terrible state of disrepair. This would be the temple that King Solomon had built. It's starting to fall apart and it needs a lot of work. Jehoiada and King Joash want to see it repaired. And so I imagine there was some urge across the land, across Judah, to take up a collection to rebuild the temple and get it back in the shape that it needs to be. A lot of time goes by and nothing's happening. And so Joash calls in Jehoiada and says, "What gives? Why are they taking up this offering and none of it is making it into the actual building of the temple?" The Bible doesn't say this, but what seems to be happening here is that the priests are finding other uses for this money. Maybe they were not being taken care of. Maybe things were not up to snuff where they were, and this money is being redirected to things other than what people were giving it for — which was building repairs. So Joash, who had to be pretty young at this point, says enough, and he comes up with this idea. He builds a chest with a slot in the top to stick in the foyer of the temple. This chest is for their offering for the building. It's like a building fund chest. Let's keep reading: > 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. So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:9-14 So what are the results of this box experiment that King Joash makes? Well the Lord blesses it greatly and the people give in abundance. The carpenters and the repair people come and they take their pay directly out of that box and they're trustworthy. Because of that the temple gets rebuilt. They're able to refurbish and furnish the temple and they're able to again offer burnt offerings in the house of the Lord — it says all the days of Jehoiada. > **Application:** It is a good thing and a necessary thing that monies given in offering be handled wisely and transparently. This is something we have worked at here at Bible Baptist. > > - Our ushers never count money by themselves. > - We never keep money here — it's always taken immediately to the bank. > - We have a budget, and the church decides every year what money should be spent on. > - We have a monthly meeting with our leaders to discuss how the money is being spent, among other things. Every month all of the leaders get an update on the financial situation of the church. > - Every quarter we give an update to the whole church. By the way, if you want more in-depth or more timely detail than that, feel free to ask any of our deacons or Mrs. Diepholtz at any time and we'll get you this month's details. > - Large purchases are not made without bringing them before the church. > > The goal of all of this is that monies given to the church are handled transparently. Everything has to be above board. That's biblical. Now in our church we pass an offering plate, but in a lot of churches they don't do that — they have a collection box in the back that's locked, and there's biblical precedent for that right here. I don't know of offering plates in the scripture, but there are offering boxes in the scripture. The offering plate is just a tradition that we follow here in our church. But if we were to have an offering box instead of offering plates — like we did during COVID — well, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact it's very biblical. So that's the good of Joash. Let's move on and talk about --- ## 2. The Bad Now both Second Kings and Second Chronicles say the same thing about Joash. We already read this verse; let's read it again. Verse 2: > And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:2 And 2 Kings 12:2 says: > And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. So you get the idea. Joash was a good king as long as Jehoiada was around, and as soon as Jehoiada was off the scene Joash kind of went off the rails. Look at verse 15: > But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:15 Jehoiada — this is crazy — he lived to be 130 years old. That means Jehoiada was probably in his 90s when Joash was taken into the temple. He was an old man. And I don't think it's too big of a stretch to say his greatest work probably happened after he was 90 years old. > **Application:** I want to say something to some of our senior saints. If you're here, God's not done with you. If you're here, there's still something for you to do. Don't short-change yourself and think, "Oh, I'm just an old person; I can't do anything for the Lord." You don't know that. You don't know what the Lord has ahead of you. You don't know how much longer the Lord is going to have you live on this earth. Think about the amazing godly influence that Jehoiada and Jehosheba had on Judah through little king Joash. But there's another lesson to be had here, and that is it is very important that our faith is our own. Listen, I'm honestly scared sometimes when I think about the people that come to church and the people that worship the Lord. They're doing it because mama worships the Lord, or daddy worships the Lord, or grandma worships the Lord. The truth is you are not going to always have those people with you. > **Application:** Your faith needs to be your faith. You can't borrow grandma's faith or borrow daddy's faith — it needs to be yours. Would you still go to church? Would you still read your Bible? Would you still live as a faithful Christian if that person that's been a good influence on you wasn't there anymore? Joash didn't. Let's keep reading at verse 16: > 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. 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.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:16-18 Joash goes astray as soon as Jehoiada passes away. He starts following after the princes in Judah. They start sucking up to him and making obeisance to him and he hearkens to them. He takes the easy route. Maybe he wants to be popular. And the result is that they leave the house of the Lord their God, start serving idols, and bring God's wrath on Judah and on Jerusalem. We've seen this happen so many times in the history of Judah and Israel already — a king starts listening to his peers, he stops listening to the older godly people around him, and brings destruction on the nation. > **Application:** Be careful who you listen to. *He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.* > Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.\ > — Psalm 1:1-2 Joash is an example of that principle. > **Application:** Listen, young people — probably the most important decision you are going to make, besides the decision to follow the Lord, is who your friends are and who you're going to allow to influence you. If you surround yourself with people that are not walking with the Lord and you allow them to be the biggest influence in your life, they will drag you down one hundred percent of the time. *Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.* — 1 Corinthians 15:33 We see that in Joash's life. So we've talked about the good and we've talked about the bad. Let's look lastly at --- ## 3. The Ugly I'm going to tell you it gets real sad right before Joash dies. Let's pick up and read at verse 19: > 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.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:19-22 God was kind to Joash. God didn't let Joash keep going on in sin. God sent a preacher to Joash — multiple preachers — to warn him and say, "This is not the way. This is going to bring God's judgment." > **Application:** Listen — if you have people in your ear telling you, "Hey, you're making a mistake. Don't do that. Don't be flirting with that girl at work. Don't be messing with that drink on the side. Be careful what you're watching — it's going to corrupt you" — if you have those people in your life, you need to listen to them and you need to see it for what it is. It is a mercy from God. But Joash didn't do that. Unfortunately Joash responded the way too many people respond. He hardened his heart and lashed out against the people that were lovingly confronting him. Zechariah, who is the son of Jehoiada — basically Joash's foster brother, because Jehoiada is the man that raised Joash — comes as a prophet of God and confronts Joash, and Joash doesn't listen. Joash has Zechariah stoned in the court of the temple. What a sad betrayal. What a sad end to such a promising start. > **Application:** Folks, be careful what you do when you're angry. Be careful what you do when you get into sin and you keep digging and digging and digging. You might cross a line you can't come back from — and that's what Joash did here. Let's read the rest of this chapter and we'll be done. > 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. 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. And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess. 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.\ > — 2 Chronicles 24:23-27 Joash goes out sad. First God brings judgment in the form of neighboring countries attacking Judah. Then Joash's own servants conspire against him and kill him. He doesn't even get a king's burial. One of the saddest things that we have to see as preachers — and you see it too if you've been in the church at all — is people that have so much potential. They start out so strong and they throw it away. They throw it away on bad friends, on bad habits, on sin. And the consequences are never pretty. So Joash is a warning to us. He's a warning to us that we don't just live on our daddy's or our mommy's or our grandparents' religion — our faith needs to be a personal faith. And he's a warning to us that we have to be careful who we allow to influence us. It's far better to have one or two godly friends than to be surrounded by a bunch of people that are wicked and pulling us down. And Joash is a warning of how far sin can go. The consequences are never pretty. *The wages of sin is always death.* And so as we step away from Joash, son of David — he comes in and it seems like he's the one, the one that's going to restore Israel. But he doesn't. This isn't the Messiah. This isn't the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is just another failure, another person like everyone before him who was defeated by sin. But it points us to the ultimate King — the Lord Jesus Christ — who took the sins of people like Joash, and the sins of people like me, and the sins of people like you, on himself. He beat the ultimate enemy, which was sin and death. He rose again. And someday he's going to stand in that same place where Joash killed Zechariah, and he's going to reign in true righteousness. We have that to look forward to. *Let's pray.*

The Life of King Joash: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Life of King Joash: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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Ryan Hayden