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July 2012

 
 

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July 2012

 

July 8


The Bible is the book that the Lord sent in order to present Himself. It is full of holy men with human likeness. These are the God’s heroes and the Bible presents both their excellence and mediocrity. One of them is King Joash, the 8th king of Judah. He was the type of man that was easily influenced, the type of man that achieved excellence in the presence of good people and mediocrity in the presence of bad people. Usually, this particular type of temperament was specific to a bloodline. King Joash’s great grandfather was a man that was faithful to God and was an extraordinary king. His grandfather, Joram, was a horrible man and reigned over Jerusalem for 6 years. King Joash’s father was King Ahaziah, a bad man, that was killed a year after his reign. At the time of his father’s death, King Joash was a newborn and his grandmother, Athaliah, profited from this instable situation. She took over and dominated the next 6 years, sowing terror and idolatry in the kingdom. When Joash turned 7, the priest Jehoiada, along with the kingdom’s leaders, organized Joash’s placement on the throne of the South Kingdom, and killed Athaliah. For the next 40 years, Joash was the king of Judah, yet his reign was torn between excellence and mediocrity, highlighting the vulnerability of a leader that is easily influenced.

I. JOASH’S REIGN DURING THE TIME OF THE PRIEST JEHOIADA:

The Bible says of Joash that he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2). First, Jehoiada helped Joash make a family. Joash organized a fundraising system and ordered the restoration of the house of God, which was degraded due to disuse. Because of the promotion of idolatry, the people bowed down before the altars of Baal. Jehoiada made a covenant with Joash and the people, who then destroyed the altars of Baal and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal. Then Jehoiada, being 130 years old, died full of years and died with respect and was buried in the tombs of the kings with great honor.

II. JOASH’S REIGN WITHOUT THE PRIEST JEHOIADA

After the death of this great man, Joash accepted the influence of the kingdom’s leaders, who won his heart over by bowed down before him (2 Chronicles 24:17). Under their unhealthy influence he abandoned the house of God and began worshipping idols again. God was angry and, through the prophets, warned him, but they continued to promote idolatrous systems in the country. God inspired Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who had just died, to harshly rebuke the king, but Joash killed him. Without taking into account the fact that Zechariah was serving God, without taking into account his father Jehoiada, who had done much good, Joash behaved like a foolish man. The wrath of God came upon him; the Syrians conquered the city and robbed his house. Because Jehoiada was considered a national hero, the news of the killing of his son, Zechariah, instigated the people. Two of the servants of Joash killed him while he was in bed and he was buried in the city of David, but not in the king’s tombs.

 

Joash is a contradictory example of the leader that achieved excellence with the influence of Jehoiada and mediocrity in the company of others. How important is the quality of our fellowship and friendships!