The Art of Reformation

Prayers

Reforms of Joash - 2 Kings 11-13

Before we get back into 2 Kings to pick up the story, I want to lay out what our focus this morning is going to be. In this part of 2 Kings, we’re going to see king of Judah, Joash, working towards making reforms in the kingdom, including both worship and the temple itself. We’ll see ways in which reforms succeed - and where they fall short.

More importantly, what it takes to make such reforms, to make changes. Let’s be honest, change is difficult. Old habits are hard to break. For most of us, the list of resolutions that have fallen by the wayside is far longer than the list we’re succeeded with.

Dallas Willard provides a simple but helpful formula that gives us the necessary ingredients to enact change. With it, we can see where Joash and the nation of Judah (and we in our own lives) succeed and where we fall short. Formula is this - VIM. V - I - M.

V stands for vision. In order to experience transformation in our lives we have to have a vision, a sense of the desired goal, outcome. What do we want to be different about our lives, our families, our church? Recently we went through our vision framework we have for our church, including our mission to become a church that helps to lead others into the abundant life of Jesus Christ. That’s a central part of our vision, as well as the measurements, those things we laid out to say, here’s how we will know we succeeded: minds captivated by the reality of God and his kingdom. Genuine loving relationships. Actively discipling others toward knowing and loving Jesus. Hearts formed toward loving God and loving others. Vision is a vital ingredient to change.

I stands for Intention. Reforming, change, requires that we actually intend on doing it. We set our will, our hearts, our minds in that direction. Commitment. Vague intentions, fuzzy dreams, wishes - do not work. Doesn’t mean that success is guaranteed, won’t fail along the way, but intention keeps us committed, working towards the goal.

Finally, M. M stands for Method. The last ingredient required is the specific methods that will move you toward the vision. What will you actually do? Again, going back to our Vision Framework, these are our strategies. We’ve laid out specific strategies about how we will worship (devotion to teaching, to fellowship, prayer and the breaking of bread), use of spiritual formation, both on a personal basis and in groups, training to become those who active disciple others.

With all this in mind, let’s turn to 2 Kings 11-13. To bring us back up to speed, last week we looked at God sending a prophet to anoint Jehu as the king over Israel (northern kingdom) with the specific command to destroy Ahab’s family for all the wickedness they brought upon the nation of Israel. Remember that at this point even the southern kingdom of Judah was bound up in that wickedness because Jehoram, king of Judah, had married Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. That wickedness carried on to his son, Ahaziah. So when Jehu destroyed Ahab’s family, that included not just the king of Israel at the time (Joram), but king of Judah, Ahaziah, and some of his relatives as well.

Here’s where we pick up the story in 2 Kings 11. And it begins with more evil from the family of Ahab. Athaliah, remember, is the daughter of Ahab who was married to the king of Judah, Jehoram, and mother to the king of Judah who was just killed by Jehu, Ahaziah. She goes on a killing spree of her own.

2 Kings 11:1-3, When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. 3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

So Athaliah takes over the kingdom of Judah having killed all of the royal family (to whom she is related, these are her family members(!), except for Joash, her infant grandson, who is snuck away by Jehosheba, the sister of the dead king, Ahaziah. Jehosheba’s husband is the chief priest, Jehoiada, and he hides Joash in the temple area and raises him there.

Six years later, when Joash is seven years old, the coup is put into action. Jehoiada garners support from officials and military commanders (which honestly is not difficult, there are few willing supporters of Athaliah as queen). Jehoiada makes a covenant with these men and then places the military officers with their units in strategic locations around the temple area, ready to protect Joash as he is publicly brought out to be proclaimed king of Judah.

2 Kings 11:12-14, Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!” 13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord. 14 She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason! Treason!”

Athaliah’s cries go unheeded and she is put to death. A covenant is made between the new king, Joash, and the people. Apparently idol worship had gotten to bad in Judah that Athaliah had built a temple to Baal, which the people tear down, smashing the altars and idols to pieces and killing the priest of Baal.

So Joash reigns a long time, 40 years. As far as being faithful to the Lord, it’s a very mixed record for Joash. 2 Kings 12:2-3 - Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

Notice the caveat - Joash did right in the eyes of the Lord, but only in the years he was under Jehoiada’s guidance and instruction. What we actually learn - this comes from 2 Chronicles, not 2 Kings, is that after Jehoiada dies, Joash ceases to be faithful. We’ll talk about that a little more later - but quick note on 1 & 2 Chronicles, because we will not be including them in our journey through the story of the Old Testament, because for the most part they repeat the stories we’ve gone through in 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. Though from a different perspective, generally understood to be from the perspective of the Jewish priesthood.

One thing Joash did do that was good and right was repair the temple, which at this time is about 170 years old, so probably needed some serious work. 2 Kings 12:4-5, Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”

Sadly, the repairs do not go well, 2 Kings 12:6-8, But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

So, in order to make sure the repairs happen, Joash has the royal secretary go in with the high priest whenever the chest where gifts were placed was full. Then the money would be paid to the workers doing the repair. So that’s the extent of Joash’s reforms, some return to faithfulness and after a long delay, repairs to the temple.

As we wrap up this part of 2 Kings, I want to run through our list of kings, several of whom we’re not going to cover. But this takes us through 2 Kings 11-14.

Israel: Jehu - Jehoram - Jehoash - Jeroboam II

Judah: Ahaziah - Athaliah - Joash - Amaziah

I want to share this because starting next week, we’re going to shift from the story of 2 Kings to book of Jonah. Because it’s at this point that in the chronology of the Bible that the writings of the prophets come into play. What we’ll be doing is going back and forth between 2 Kings and the writings of the prophets so we can see what’s happening historically with God’s people (2 Kings), and how God speaks to them through his prophets.

Art of Reformation

Let’s return to our main focus, how we enact reformation, or change, in our own lives following Dallas Willard’s strategy of VIM, Vision-Intention-Method. We want to use VIM to look at Joash and the reforms he enacted, how and why he succeeded in those reforms and where he failed.

Starting with the idea of Vision. Now, as we look at Joash we see that part of his vision is to bring the nation of Judah back to faithfulness, especially after the reign of two kings and a queen (his own father and grandparents!) who led the nation into idolatry. We can see that one of the reasons that this fell short for Joash is that he never truly owned the vision for himself. Remember that he was faithful only while under the tutelage of Jehoiada the priest. And it gets worse than that:

2 Chronicles 24:17-22, After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. 20 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.’” 21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 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.”

Joash, as soon as Jehoiada is dead, is influenced by officials to abandon the worship of the Lord and engage in worship of idol. When confronted by Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, Joash orders that he be stoned to death. So much for the great reformer.

This is a reminder that if we are going to engage in reformation, of change, we must have a vision. Vision really is a beautiful and powerful thing. It speaks to hope, that things can be more. That we can be more. It’s tragic if we have no sense of vision for our lives, or as a church (which is when churches start dying), or for our community or family.

Having a vision of the good is so vital. Two things must be true about that vision - it must be clear, must have some idea of what we’re aiming for, and that vision must be something we own, something we want to see happen - it doesn’t work well if it’s just borrowed, like Joash did from Jehoiada.

Helpful to consider, do you have a sense of what your vision for your life is? That actually happens on two levels, we all have smaller visions, goals, that we aspire to in life. That might have to do with health - getting more sleep or exercise or diet, it might to do with personal growth - finances, relationships, your marriage, a home project, watch less TV - read more.

But more importantly, do you an overarching vision for your life. If you’re unclear as to what that is, let me suggest what it should be, for all of us: to know and follow and become like Jesus, to share in his kingdom work. That Jesus would be the very center of your life. And that this vision wouldn’t be borrowed (because the pastor said so), but because you make it your own, you know this is what you were created for. You know Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life.

Turn our focus to the second aspect of change - intention, and looking again at the story of Joash, we do see that he had a clear vision and intention to see that the temple is repaired. It appeared that the priests did, too - why wouldn’t they, they served there. Joash went so far as to set up the method for it to happen, instructing the priests to take some of the money given to the temple and using it for repairs. All priests agree, including Jehoiada. But they didn’t follow through, didn’t do anything.

It appears that they were more interested in keeping the money for themselves rather than spending it on the repair of the temple. Maybe they were just being lazy. We don’t know. But what’s clear is that they didn’t follow through. They never committed themselves to doing what’s required. Lacked intention.

Speaks to the necessity of being intentional. To direct our will towards the change we envision. So vital, because at the end of the day, our intentions, what we commit ourselves toward, is what will define us, who we become. Not to say that we’ll live them out perfectly, but these are the things we keep at, keep pursuing. Reality is, we all have commitments, things we are strongly committed to, whether we realize it or not.

And to look at Jesus, see his intention was centered in following the will of God the Father. It was his driving commitment. When the Spirit led him into the wilderness and Satan tempted him, his response was always to live according to “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” See that even more in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal and arrest. In spite of every fiber in his being saying, “I don’t want to do this,” Jesus always came back to, “yet not my will, but thine be done.”

Disciples, however good their intentions, were more committed to sleep and to their personal safety. Which, I have to admit, is all too often where my commitments lie - towards my little luxuries, to things being the way I want them to be (my will be done).

My hope is that our commitments, our intentions are growing to be more and more in line with those of Jesus. That our great commitment would be to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind and all of our strength. And to love our neighbor as ourselves. Those commitments would be evident in our day-to-day lives - how we love our spouses, and our actual neighbors. To being here with each other, worshipping Jesus every Sunday, as an act of love. Being obedient to Jesus, especially as we work toward making disciples.

Finally, Method. Vision, Intention, Method

See one very helpful aspect here in the story of Joash in repairing the temple. Initially, he gave all the responsibility into the hands of the priests. That failed. So he changed strategy, changed methods. Added accountability. They installed a locked box in the temple area, and whenever it was filled, both Jehoiada and the royal secretary were to open it up, count the money, and give it to the workers to do the repairs. The priests won’t do it on their own? Joash gave them a little help, someone to make sure they’ll follow through.

It’s great. Shows two things - one, a willingness to change strategy if something isn’t working. And two, how helpful accountability can be. Someone who, if our intentions are weak, we’re having difficulty following through, will hold us to account.

So helpful to consider as we engage in process of change. Starts with a clear vision that we own, clear intention, we’re committed, and finally, clear methods as well. What will we specifically do to engage in the change? What learning might I need to do in order to even know what to do? What am I actually going to do if I want to get healthier (what changes in my diet, or exercise - how, where, when)? If I want to grow in my marriage, who I am as a husband? All these things require a specific strategy.

And this is especially true when it comes to what I hope is the overarching vision for all of us - to know and follow Jesus Christ. We have to be intentional about pursuing life in Jesus, in keeping him and his love at the center of our lives, it doesn’t happen by accident.

So let me wrap us up here, where we end every Sunday - because this is where the spiritual practices come into play. They are the methods for us to be with Jesus in order to become like him. All those things we talk about - keeping Sabbath. Discipline of solitude (meditating on Scripture, prayer), Confession, weekly worship. Do we have a plan for these - which ones? When in our schedules? How will we engage in them?

If you’re having difficulty there, we’ve got you covered. Beginning in September, we’re going to engage in a church-wide series (Sunday morning worship, book to read, Spiritual Formation group), that’s going to help tremendously in learning what discipleship is all about, and how to do it. How to follow Jesus. It’s called Practicing the Way. At the end of it we’ll work on developing a Rule of Life, which is the methods, a spiritual growth plan.

Knowing that, I want to encourage you this morning to reflect on the first two aspects of VIM - Vision & Intention. Do you have a vision for Jesus? To know and follow him, to become like Jesus? Is that central for you? And are you committed to that vision? Do you intend to follow Jesus? Do you tell him that? Profess it? Closing Prayer - silent reflection