6) Joash - the king who drifted

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(2 Chronicles 22 – 24)

Joash was the great-grandson of Jehoshaphat. The account of how he became king is well worth a read. It would lend itself to being made into a film, so full is it of intrigue, trust and courage. In fact, the lineage of David was within a hairs-breadth of being destroyed but for the bravery of the High Priest, Jehoiada, and his wife, Jehosheba who was the aunt of Joash:

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so that she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
(2 Chronicles 22:10-12)

Athaliah’s son, Ahaziah, was king in Judah but had been killed by Jehu who had been anointed to bring judgment on the house of Ahab. So, sickeningly, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, killed her own grandchildren in order to assume the throne.

revival

After much careful planning, Jehoiada as High Priest anointed Joash as a boy king:

Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’ (2 Chronicles 23:11)

Queen Athaliah tried to intimidate everyone to prevent this happening, but Jehoiada was having none of it:

So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death. Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king would be the Lord’s people. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. (2 Chronicles 23:15-17)

This breaking free from the tyranny of Athaliah led to a revival of commitment to the Lord and a turning away from the idolatry which she had instituted.

rebuilding

At this point we begin to see how the reign of Joash will work out. He did well while under the tutelage of the High Priest, discovering anointing and a revival of true worship:

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. (2 Chronicles 24:1-2)

During the many years of backsliding under the previous kings and then with Athaliah’s influence, the Temple had been neglected and was in a serious state of disrepair:

At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. (2 Chronicles 24:8-10)

There was a wonderful generosity and honesty at work in this time. People’s hearts were true, and living in wholesomeness before the Lord:

The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it.
(2 Chronicles 24:13)

manipulated

Inevitably, the High Priest died and along with him his rich influence of holiness:

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshipped Asherah poles and idols. (2 Chronicles 24:17-18)

These officials appear to have been supporters of Athaliah and quickly sought to reintroduce her idolatry. Joash appears completely taken in by all this and quickly loses the inspirational commitment he once had:

Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, ‘This is what God says: “Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.”’ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, ‘May the Lord see this and call you to account.’ (2 Chronicles 24:20-22)

Unbelievably, Joash returned the loyal courage shown him by Jehoiada in killing the priest’s son because he spoke the true word of God [see footnote].  This action was really unforgiveable, especially seeing the blessings on the people and land which had happened during his reign. Just as Zechariah had predicted, the Lord called him to account for his sin, and Joash met an ignominious end:

Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 24:24-25)

anchored

One of the exhortations which the bible gives us is the danger of drift:

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away … how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrew 2:1-4)

Drift happens when we lose our focus on all the good which God has achieved for us and in us, submitting to perverse influences. In this passage we can see how important other people can be in leading us to the correct path. It is a sign of immaturity and compromise when we fail to imitate the example of those godly people and make them our own life and practice. Joash was easily led. While Jehoiada was alive he was led in the ways of the Lord. But he never integrated those good habits into his own character. He remained immature and then drifted away from the Lord under the influence of ungodly people.

This lesson was also taught by Jesus in the parable of the sower:

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  (Matthew 13:20-22)

There is every reason to believe that these categories refer to people who have been influenced by others who are ungodly. Joash had no root in himself and quickly succumbed to drifting away. The pleasures mentioned here were of course a big part of the idol worship involving Asherah poles.

Drift also happens when those who first inspired us drift or fall themselves. Our faith must be in Jesus Christ who is ‘the same yesterday, today and for ever’ (Hebrews 13:8). If our anchor is in Him then we cannot drift:

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19-20)

Ultimately, Jesus is our High Priest as Jehoiada was to Joash. Jesus, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, teaches us to live godly lives of holiness. Our allegiance must be to Him first and foremost.

[This Zechariah is probably the one mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 23:35, although there is some confusion over the father’s name used to identify him]

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