2 Kings 12:1-21
Q.1. Who were the good influences on the young King Joash? What is the lesson for us? – (2 Kgs.12:1-5)
The mother of Joash was from the tribe of Simeon, in the southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital. However, the main influence on his life had been from the godly Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba, who had rescued him. It is recorded that – Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him (2 Kgs.12:2). He was clearly acquainted with the Scriptures, when he ordered the use – of the money of each man’s assessment (2 Kgs.12:4 c.f. Ex.30:11-16) to repair the damage to the temple. This underscores the necessity that we follow godly leaders, and study and know the teaching of the Bible (2 Tim.2:15).
Q.2. How did the people respond to Joash’s initiatives to repair the temple? – (2 Kgs.12:6-16)
Initially the priests had drifted in their faithfulness. This happened because the people worshipped idols on the high places and neglected the support of the priesthood (2 Kgs.12:3). To his credit, Joash persisted, and pressed Jehoiada into organizing a proper collection of the offerings (2 Kgs.12:6-8). The people responded magnificently, as did the priests and tradesmen – 11 They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, 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, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it … 15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully (2 Kgs.12:11-12 & 15). The people also resumed supporting the priesthood (2 Kgs.12:16).
Q.3. Why were the closing years of the reign of Joash unsatisfactory? – (2 Kgs.12:17-21)
Here in 2 Kings we note that King Joash had only a limited dependence upon God. He readily gave away the treasures of the House of the Lord to stave off an attack from the Arameans, rather than trusting in God (2 Kgs.12:17-18). The rest of his life recorded here is a rather generous abridged version of the closing years of his life (2 Kgs.12:19-21). In Chronicles we learn that he departed from the ways of the Lord. God raised up Jehoiada’s son to appeal for the king to turn back to God. However, with appalling treachery, Joash slayed the prophetic voice – Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his (step)father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son (2 Chron.24:22 c.f. 2 Chron.24:17-27). What a lesson, and what a warning to us.