Faith To Build

2 Chronicles 24:1–14 KJV 1900

1 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. 3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters. 4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord. 5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. 6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim. 8 And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. 10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. 11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. 14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment in Israel early days as a kingdom was the preparing for and the building of the Temple.

But after Solomon's death, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. Ten of the tribes of Israel broke away as the northern kingdom, which continued to be called Israel. The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south were called Judah.

Slides Map showing divided kingdom

Both kingdoms had a succession of kings. All of the kings of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) were evil, and many of the kings, as well as the one queen of Judah, were also evil.

A Slides Chart of kings

But a few of Judah's kings followed the Lord. Joash was one of these. (There were a few more good kings of Judah after Joash, including Hezekiah and Josiah.)

Joash was just seven years old when he became the king. His father, Ahaziah, was an evil king. When his father died, Joash's grandmother, Athalia, killed all of Ahaziah's sons that she could find so she could rule. Only Joash, a baby, was saved by his aunt. For the next six years, Joash was hidden in the Temple by the courageous priest, Jehoiada.

2 Kings 11:2-3

But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain;

and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

At the age of seven, Joash seems to have been the only living descendant of Solomon. At that time, Jehoiada announced his existence to the nation, had Athaliah deposed, and anointed Joash king.

Under Jehoiada's godly influence, Joash launched a major building project—the repair of the Temple of Solomon. What had once been a grand and beautiful place for the worship of the God of Israel had been used for idol worship and allowed by the former kings and queen to fall into disrepair. Joash announced that the Temple would be restored to its former glory.

A remarkable aspect of Joash's courage to build for the future is that he had not had the people who should have built for his future do so. His father had worshipped idols. His own grandmother would have killed him if she found him. Yet Joash, who experienced the mercy of God in being raised by godly Jehoiada, determined that he would build for those coming behind him.

All of us have people in our past who have let us down. But all of us can exercise the courage to build for those coming behind us.

In today's text, the emphasis is on the physical repair of the Temple. There are applications we'll make to investing in the work of the Lord through the local church. But there are many ways in which we need courage to build for the future. For you, it may be building your marriage or teaching your children to love God. It may be investing yourself into a children's Sunday school class or an outreach endeavor. It may be building your own walk with God so that you are enabled to live your life for Christ. As we work through this study, keep whatever application the Lord is laying on your heart in spiritually building for the future in mind.

In whatever way you are to build, it will require courage.

How was Joash able to be successful in his courageous building project?

1. A Willing Mind

• Slide 1

One of the things that made Joash successful in the huge project he undertook was his willingness to take it on. Verse 4 tells us that he had a mind to honor God.

2 Chronicles 24:4

And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord.

Sometimes people think that because something will be hard or will require sacrifice it is not worth doing. But the reality is that it is almost never easy to do what is good and right. We should expect it to be difficult, and we should still be willing to pay the price.

We must also be willing to ignore the voices of discouragement and listen instead to those who are cheering us on to follow the right path. Many times people are defeated before they even start because they are convinced that something cannot be done.

Edgar Allen Guest wrote a poem called "It Couldn't Be Done":

Somebody said that it couldn't be done

But he with a chuckle replied

That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one

Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn't be done, and he did it!

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

If our mind is not willing, we will not persevere through the sometimes long and difficult process of building for God. But when our mind is willing, we're able to see the need and take the lead.

A. Gives Awareness

A person with a willing mind is aware of the needs of those around him. Sometimes we don't see needs simply because we aren't wanting to help.

Joash had prioritized seeking God, so he was minded-he had an inclination, resolution, determination of will-to repair the house of the Lord.

When the temple was broken down, it was an outward sign of the spiritual neglect in the hearts of the people. Joash saw the spiritual condition of his nation and wanted to influence the people back to God.

The temple was where national worship was established and exemplified to the people. For the last sixteen years, Judah had turned away from their true worship to the Lord.

The busyness of life in our world makes it easy for us to miss out on what we say our priorities are

—unless we are intentionally paying heed to the Lord and sensitive to His Spirit in our lives.

When the disciples traveled with Jesus through Samaria, they saw only a hostile environment.

Jesus saw a harvest field that was ripe and ready.

John 4:34-35

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest.

What do you see as the needs around you?

Gives Awareness

Involves the Faithful

A Slide 1B

The Israelites had the truth about God, and they were meant to be a shining light and example of His worship that even those in other nations could see. Instead, they had adopted the heathen practices and idols of those around them. Bible commentator Alfred Edersheim wrote, "The people had fallen away from the divine purpose of their national calling."

When God wants to do a work in the world, He calls and commissions His people to do it. While He can and does use lost people to accomplish His purposes, it is His children to whom He gives the task of sharing His message with the world. Even before we were born, God had in mind things for us to do for Him.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Joash didn't take on this mammoth project of restoring the Temple alone. He involved others.

2 Chronicles 24:5

And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

Joash challenged the spiritual leaders of the nation to collect the money needed for repairs.

Often we find it easier to apathetically accept the current situation than to put in the work required to change things for the better. It is easy to say that things are bad and someone should do something about it. But it is something else entirely to put our own time, resources, and even our lives on the line to do and to invite others to do what God has laid on our hearts.

Barnabas and Paul were the kind of men who had a willing mind to do the work of missions. Because of their desire to follow God's calling on their lives, they even hazarded their lives for Jesus.

Acts 15:25-26

It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The work that God has called His people to do— sharing the gospel and discipling Christians-is bigger than any one person can do alone. We must all have a willing mind and all pitch in to do what is required to do the work of the Lord

Nothing worthwhile for God has ever been accomplished without sacrifice.

Discussion

How can we encourage others to participate in the work of the Lord?

David Livingstone suffered great hardship and loss on the mission field, but he remained faithful to God all of his life.

Livingstone wrote, "People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life—these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us. "2

As we saw a moment ago, however, Joash's willing mind is contrasted with the Levites' procrastination. He told them to "hasten the matter." But they "hastened it not."

Even the priests who were to be the spiritual leaders were not spiritually-minded. They had become apathetic and uncaring in their responsibilities.

We must guard against procrastination.

Quote: "Procrastination—it's my greatest sin. It brings me endless sorrow. I'm going to stop doing it— perhaps tomorrow." —Unknown

There will always seem to be a better time to do something than the present. But only what we actually do, not just what we dream of doing, will make a difference for the cause of Christ.

A willing mind for the work of the Lord must develop a workable plan.