2 Chronicles 24:1-2 "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) And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest."
2 Chronicles 24:4 "And it came to pass after this, that
Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD."
2 Chronicles 24:17-18 "Now after the death of Jehoiada came
the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened
unto them. (18) 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."
Joash had been hidden away for six years while the evil wife of his father had
ruled in wickedness. We see in the above verses the rise and fall of a man who
was gifted and had power. Jehoida was the priest and had great influence on
Joash. The house of the LORD had come into great disrepair and under the
influence of Jehoida, Joash was minded to have it repaired.
Joash was aware of the Word of God concerning Moses and the building of the
tabernacle. He knew that Moses called for the people to bring of their
substance in order for the tabernacle to be built. He thought that was a good
thing to do, so they placed a chest at the gate of the house of the Lord. The
people would bring silver and gold and deposit it in the chest where it was
then collected. Jehoida hired craftsmen to come in and repair the house and
replace all the vessels that had been either given away or corrupted through
worship of Baal. All of this was indeed pleasing to the Lord.
When Jehoida died, men came to the king and bowed before him. They began to
flatter him and, in such a manner, elevated him to a place where they were
worshipping him. There is a great danger in flattering someone. That danger is
in the fact that the person being flattered just might believe what is being
said about him. "The king hearkened unto them." He listened to them
and believed them and that started his downward spiral.
In all the time of repairing the house of the Lord, Joash failed to tear down
the groves and idols that had been set up by Athaliah. For some reason, Joash
was persuaded that proper worship was to be conducted in the groves rather than
the house of the Lord. The sons of Jehoida came and warned him against this.
"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." (2 Chronicles 24:20)
The wrath of the Lord came upon not only Joash, but all Jerusalem because
of this. When you read the concluding portion of the chapter, Joash is
assasinated by a small group of his own servants.
What is my point in today's lesson? We all appreciate being told when we
do a good job. We sometimes long for a kind word to be spoken; but, there is a
great danger when flattery is given. Too much flattery can lead to pride. "Pride
goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs
16:18)