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2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

February 1, 2023

2nd Chronicles 24.

  1.  Recap: There are two kings with the name Joash (or Jehoash) in the Bible: one a king of Judah (reigned 835-796 BC) and the other a king of Israel (reigned 798-782 BC). King Joash of Judah first comes on the scene when Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah, whom Jehu had killed, took charge of Judah. Athaliah killed all of the royal family she could find in Judah in order to secure the throne for herself and ending the line of Judah. However, Athaliah missed one of her grandsons--the infant Joash. The evil queen’s sister in law, Jehosheba, rescued young Joash and his nurse, and the child was hidden for six years in the temple while Athaliah reigned in Judah (2 Kings 11:1-3). In the seventh year, the priest Jehoiada, Jehoshua’s husband, revealed Joash to the captains of the guards. The priest made an agreement with them to provide protection to the temple and the rightful king, and Jehoiada brought Joash out into public and anointed him as king (2 Kings 11:4-12). The people of Judah rejoiced over Joash’s appointment. Upon hearing the noise of the ceremony, Queen Athaliah rushed to the temple, crying, "Treason! Treason!” By Jehoiada’s command, Athaliah was captured by the guards, removed from the temple, and put to death (2 Kings 11:13-16). “Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people” (2 Kings 11:17). The people tore down the temple of Baal, watchmen were set over the Lord’s temple, and, at the age of seven, Joash took the throne (2 Kings 11:18-21).

  2.  Verses 1-3. Joash was seven years old and reigned for 40 years. This is a long tenure and for the most part he sewed as a good king. We get the impression that his success as a king heavily relied on the presence of the priest who installed him. We really can’t underestimate how the presence of righteous leadership can affect a person. While the priest Jehoiada was alive the king followed God. We can infer that the priest had a great deal of influence on those around the king as well. It is always a good thing to have someone who can hold a powerful person accountable.

  3.  Verses 4-7. At some point, the young king, wanted to restore the temple of the Lord. The evil Athaliah had looted the temple and damaged it. The young king asked the priests to collect the temple tax as commanded in the law. The temple tax was required of Jewish males over age 20, and the money was used for the upkeep and maintenance of the temple. In Exodus 30:13-16, God told Moses to collect this tax at the time of the census taken in the wilderness. In 2 Kings 12:15-17 and Nehemiah 10:32-33, it seems the temple tax was paid annually, not just during a census. This half-shekel tax wasn’t a large sum of money, but roughly equivalent to two days’ wages. According to the the Talmud, the temple tax was collected during one of these Jewish festivals: Passover, Pentecost, or Feast of Tabernacles. Notice that the tithe (food) was not how they maintained the religious facilities. After years the temple was still not repaired. We know from 2 Kings 12:6-13 that part of the problem was poor and wasteful administration. Therefore, King Joash got to the heart of the problem and through Jehoiada the priest, he implemented a system where the money would be set aside, saved, and then wisely spent for the repair and refurbishing of the temple. We know from 2 Kings 12 that the priests were not really capable of doing the work themselves and needed experts and folks who were gifted in construction. So, the king ordered that they dedicate all funds to those who know how to do the Work.

  4.  Verses 8-12. At the kings command a chest was placed outside the temple gates and a proclamation was given to all of Judah and Jerusalem for the people to bring the temple tax to the temple. The people responded with generosity. The people gave gladly and skilled craftsmen were hired to do the work.

  5.  Verses 13-14. Through the careful and diligent administration of these freely given gifts, an abundance of money was gathered for the work. God cares not only that His people give generously, but also that their gifts be diligently and carefully administered. God’s blessing was clearly on the work, but He would not do the work for them. So, the king and the priest wisely hired the right kind of workers and paid them directly, so that money would not be lost or wasted on administration. When the people were assured that the money would really be used for the purpose for which it was given, they responded generously. The people were so generous, and the administration was so wise and honest, that there was an excess of money for the restoration project, money which was given to supply new articles for the house of the LORD. This was wonderful evidence of both God’s blessing and man’s generosity and wise stewardship. These articles that were created replaced what had been taken away, partly by the plunderers, and partly by Athaliah’s sacrilegious sons. With everything in place, the sacrifices resumed and they continued throughout the life of the priest Jehoiada.

  6.  Verses 15-16. The priest lived a very long life 130 years. He was buried with honor among the kings. This great honor lends itself to the idea that he was just as influent as the young king.

  7.  Verses 17-19. Shortly after the death of Jehoiada, officials from Judah came to pay honor to the king and influenced Joash to abandon the faith. Joash renewed the idol worship and ignored the prophets that warned him of the danger of such actions. Joash was about to learn that all the things he gained from following God would be lost when he followed the ways of the idols. Joash made the mistake many make in that they think they are successful through their own power.

  8.  Verses 20-22. The Lord sent a prophet Zechariah, the son of the priest Jehoiada, to the king to call him to repentance. This prophet, the son of the influential priest, had a position of leadership as a priest. The phrase “stood above/before the people” probably indicates that he was a leading priest, one who pronounced the priestly benediction over the assembly of Israel. The priest told the king and the people that they would not prosper by forsaking the Lord. In response the king had the prophet stoned. It was not an uncommon occurrence for kings to injure or harm prophets who brought a word that they did not like. As the prophet was dying he warned the king that the Lord would hold him accountable.

  9.  Verses 23-25. By the spring of that year, the judgement of God arrived in the form of a foreign king. The king of Aram marched down to Judah and killed all the leaders. The Arameans plunder Judah and forced the king to surrender many of the gold and silver articles that were made for the temple (2 Kings 12:17-18). The army of the Arameans came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand: Under the judgment of God, the small army of the Arameans overcame the very great army of Judah. God promised that His obedient people would be blessed with success far beyond their numbers (Leviticus 26:8), and that when disobedient, they would suffer disproportionate defeat (Leviticus 26:17, 26:37). The king was severely injured in the fighting, and he was later executed for killing the prophet. He was not given a burial in the tombs with the king because he had killed a prophet of God. The fact that he was not honored by a place in the royal cemetery (in contrast to Jehoiada) is important in Chronicles.

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