2 Kings 12:17 – 21 “At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla. His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.”
SAY WHAT??? King Joash made such a good beginning under the tutelage of Jehoiada, the high priest. What went wrong? The full story is told in 2 Chronicles 24. As long as Jehoiada, the righteous high priest was alive, King Joash behaved well; however, eventually Jehoiada died at the age of 130 years. When Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, became high priest, he tried to advise Joash just as his father had done, but the officials of Judah came to King Joash and fawned all over him, praising him and gaining his favor. Left to himself, Joash was a weak man who could easily be swayed. King Joash and all the leaders of Judah abandoned the temple to serve the Asherah poles and idols. When Zechariah attempted to rebuke Joash, Joash had him stoned to death in the temple courtyard.
The account in 2 Chronicles 24 makes it clear that Hazael’s army was much smaller than that of Judah; nevertheless, God gave the Syrians victory because of the apostasy of Judah and its leaders. Joash was severely wounded in the battle against the Syrians. Eventually, two of Joash’s servants killed him in his bed because he had Zechariah the high priest put to death. Reading between the lines, it appears that nobody grieved for King Joash; his failure to remain faithful to God had brought only problems to Judah. The effort to buy off the Syrians by stripping the temple of its precious items also did not go unnoticed. The leaders of Judah might have been worshiping idols, but they certainly weren’t happy to see all that wealth heading out of the country.
APPLICATION: Nothing we do is ever hidden from God! When those leaders of Judah went to Joash to influence him, they were probably the same ones who had been making lots of profit out of selling little idols and other trinkets to be used at the shrines. Frankly speaking, old Jehoiada was bad for business and now that he was out of the way, the future looked golden. But God saw everything those men were doing and heard every word they spoke; God even knew their hearts before they did.
Without the Godly influence of Jehoiada, Joash’s personality changed and he became tyrannical. By all accounts, Zechariah spoke prophetic words against the spiritual degradation that was overtaking Judah. In addition, God sent other prophets as well; however, Joash and the other leaders refused to heed these warnings. There is an old proverb that says, “No man is a hero to his valet.” Servants always know more about their master or mistress than anyone else. Joash’s servants knew him well; perhaps they were also concerned about the remaining righteous leaders of Judah. These servants of Joash had been listening to the prophets and were grieving the unjust murder of Zechariah the priest. Who knows whom Joash might have put to death next?
How much do we depend on the influence of a mentor or faithful friend? What will we do if that person is suddenly taken away from us? A few days ago, we received a phone call from a Ghanaian doctor friend in America. Our friend was devastated because only two days earlier, a physician whom he had considered a mentor had collapsed suddenly and died. By all accounts, the doctor who died was an outstanding man who served his community as well as his patients. Here in Ghana, they would say, “A mighty tree has fallen!” That was exactly how our friend felt.
No matter how much regard we have for someone, ultimately, we must rely on God and not on people. People may fall sick and become incapacitated or die. God is the only One who never changes or fails. Let us put all our trust in Him!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust in You, realizing that friends and mentors may fail us or be taken away. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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