2 Kings 12 - God Honors

Introduction

Potpourri / miscellany

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent word! What more can He say than to you He has said, To you for refuge to Jesus have fled?

(because you have fled to Jesus for refuge, and because of your faith in God’s excellent word, you are resting on a firm foundation. Mic drop - nothing else needs to be said.)

In every condition, in sickness, in health, In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth; At home, or abroad, on the land, on the sea, “As your days may demand, shall your strength ever be.”

(a very obscure reference - bonus points to anyone who knows this - to the blessing of Moses to Asher in Deut 33:25 “25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.” )

“Even down to old age, all My people shall prove My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love; And when graying hairs shall their temples adorn, Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be born.”

(God will bear us in His bosom, even in old age)

Remember Samuel, Kings, Chronicles:

Originally not divided, but when translated into Greek were too long for a single scroll

Samuel, Kings - part 1 and 2 of the same book

Chronicles - from the priestly perspective

Slide - scope/overlap of Samuel/Kings/Chronicles

Have you ever thought about a chronological Bible?

Cons:

God did not choose to give us His word organized in this way

The history that is presented in both the OT and the NT are often thematic and not comprehensive

Pros:

It can help us to place events in a general sequence or timeline (commentaries also are helpful)

Northern Kingdom - how many “good” kings? Zero!

1 kings 15 26 “26 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.”

Southern Kingdom - how many “good” kings? Eight: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, Josiah

“Josiah” - some are even named this today

Joash (Jehoash) - “spiritual dependent lacking personal conviction; fell away after uncle-mentor, Jehoiada the high priest, died.

God Honors…people who demonstrate God’s priorities

Who was Joash? His Predecessor was Ahaziah.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 11

When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. 2 Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from among the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed. 3 Joash was in hiding with her in the LORD’s temple six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

In Hollywood it doesn’t get any better than this!

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 11

ATHALIAH OVERTHROWN

4 In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards. He had them come to him in the LORD’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son 5 and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the king’s palace. 6 A third are to be at the Foundation Gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.,

7 “Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide the king protection at the LORD’s temple. 8 Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”,

9 So the commanders of hundreds did everything the priest Jehoiada commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to the priest Jehoiada. 10 The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears and shields that were in the LORD’s temple. 11 Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony,, and made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the people at the LORD’s temple. 14 She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason!”

15 Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in the LORD’s temple.” 16 So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance to the king’s palace, where she was put to death.

Notice the role that Jehoiada played in bringing Joash to the throne...

1. Problem

2 Kings 12:4–8 CSB

4 Then Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the Lord’s temple, census silver, silver from vows, and all silver voluntarily given for the Lord’s temple—5 each priest is to take it from his assessor and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.” 6 But by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple. 7 So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.

v.4 “silver” - hard currency, very valuable for funding building repairs. Normal income:

“daily sacred dues received” - summary for:

poll-tax, half a shekel for each registered male in the census

payments for vows taken

voluntary gifts

v. 5 “his assessor” - a class of temple official, someone who does business

“repair the damage” - but how? Did the priests have special skills in construction, artistry?

v. 6 “23rd year” - how long had this been going on?

v. 7 “Jehoiada and the other priests” - called on the carpet!

v. 8 Their responsibility was transferred to others

Question: why did the priests not complete their assignment?

Lack of skill?

Personal interest (those funds paid their salary, retirement, etc.)

Lack of supervision by an aging Jehoiada (who was to die at age 124)

Low morale, lack of urgency

Transfer of temple expenses from the royal treasury to the private sector?

It’s hard to say with certainty who was at fault, but Joash sets out to correct the problem.

2. Action

2 Kings 12:9–12 CSB

9 Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the Lord’s temple. 10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the Lord’s temple. 11 Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple—the carpenters, the builders, 12 the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and for all expenses for temple repairs.

v. 9 visibility for the offering plate; a visual thermometer - here’s how much we have raised; with sound effects!

v. 10 “the king’s secretary” (scribe?) *and* the high priest would distribute the funds.

v. 11-12 “the carpenters, builders, masons, stonecutters” - for salaries and supplies

3. Action

2 Kings 12:13–16 CSB

13 However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver were made for the Lord’s temple from the contributions brought to the Lord’s temple. 14 Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. 15 No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity. 16 The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.

v. 13 - “no silver bowls, wick trimmers, etc.” - leads to questions. No resources for these important instruments? Funded by the royal treasury? Phase 2 of the building program? Had normal temple worship lapsed?

v. 15 “No accounting was required…they worked with integrity” - an amazing statement!

v. 16 silver for the guilt and sin offerings - still went to the priests. (They were not entirely cut off from income.)

So, God Honors…people who demonstrate God’s priorities. This sounds like a credit to Joash. Of all the incidents in Joash’s 40 year rein, this is one of just a few that are recorded in Kings.

But…we need to turn to Chronicles.

4. The Rest of the Story

2 Chronicles 24:17–22 CSB

17 However, after Jehoiada died, the rulers of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them, 18 and they abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So there was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Nevertheless, he sent them prophets to bring them back to the Lord; they admonished them, but the people would not listen. 20 The Spirit of God enveloped Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’ ” 21 But they conspired against him and stoned him at the king’s command in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 King Joash didn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him, but killed his son. While he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and demand an account.”

v. 18 “They abandoned the temple”!

“they served the Asherah poles and idols”

v. 21 They murdered the son of Jehoiada (who had been such a friend to Joash)

v. 22 “May the Lord see and demand an account” (!)

Joash - a good king? It’s hard to say yes. He was a king who started well but ended in apostasy.

Applications:

1. It is important to end well

Reformed doctrine - perseverance of the saints.

True Christians can have radical and serious falls but never total and final falls from grace. —R.C. Sproul

We see as an example of this the life of David

2. God does honor those who demonstrate His priorities - evangelism, worship, loving others