2 Kings 12

2 Kings 12:1

J. King Jehoash (Joash) of Judah (Chap. 12)Jehoash (Joash), the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, reigned for forty years (835796 B.C.; cf. 2 Chronicles 23:124:27). 12:1-5 John C. Whitcomb comments on the reign of Jehoash: The forty-year reign of Joash may be divided into two partsbefore and after the death of his spiritual guardian, Jehoiada. The statement that “Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest” is ominous. Without the moral and spiritual courage of this high priest, Joash was as unstable as Lot without Abram. Therefore, God showed His mercy to the people of Judah by extending Jehoiada’s life to an amazing 130 years (2Ch_24:15)! Thus Jehoiada lived longer than anyone on record during the previous thousand years, since Amram, an ancestor of Moses, died at 137 (Exo_6:20). In general, the reign of Jehoash was commendable. However, he failed to stop the people from worshiping at the high places. His major contribution was his undertaking to repair . . . the temple. To do this he issued instructions to the priests that certain funds should be laid aside for the purpose of restoring the house of the LORD. According to Williams, these were: (1) the money of everyone who passed the accountthat is, the census tax of Exo_30:12; (2) the money that every man is set atthat is, the assessment money of Leviticus 27; (3) all the money that a man desired to bringthat is, the ordinary freewill offerings legislated for in Leviticus.12:6-16 When no repairs had been made by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Jehoash, the king called Jehoiada . . . and the other priests and announced a new plan for collecting the money and repairing the temple. The priests would no longer collect the funds directly, nor would they supervise the repairs on the temple (v. 7).

Instead, a chest with a hole in its lid was to be placed at the right side of the altar to receive money for the restoration of the temple. The king’s scribe and the high priest added up the funds and distributed them to the workmen. The overseers were honest, so it was not necessary to demand a public accounting of the funds. Verse 13 seems to contradict 2Ch_24:14; however, verse 13 means that these funds were not used to purchase utensils for the temple while it was being restored, whereas 2Ch_12:14 means that after the work on the temple was completed, the surplus funds were used for this purpose. In obedience to God’s Word (Lev_5:16; Num_5:8-9), the money from the sin and trespass offerings continued to be given to the priests. 12:17, 18 At this time Hazael, king of Syria, captured Gath and marched toward Jerusalem. Jehoash gave him sacred things from the temple and from the king’s house to dissuade him from attacking the capital of Judah. 12:19-21 After the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah turned their king to idolatry. When Zechariah, a son (or grandson) of the high priest, tried to call the people back to the worship of Jehovah, King Jehoash ordered him to be stoned to death (2 Chron. 24). Jehoash’s own servants conspired against him and killed him in the house of the Millo. This was God’s judgment on him for the murder of Zechariah. Jesus referred to the death of Zechariah when He reproved the lawyers (Luk_11:51). He said that the blood of all the prophets, from the blood of Abel to that of Zechariah, would be required of that generation. Thus He included the blood of all martyrs in the OT period, from that of Abel in Genesis to that of Zechariah here and in 2 Chronicles, the last book of the Hebrew Bible. (The Hebrew Bible contains the same books as our OT but in a different order.) Jehoiada was a godly man who devoted himself to the service of the kingdom and the temple. He received two blessings in return: His son Zechariah followed in his steps, and he was buried with the kings of Judah, a great honor indeed for one born outside the royal family. Joash, on the other hand, got progressively worse after the death of Jehoiada. He plundered the temple he had once repaired and robbed the royal treasury to buy off the Syrians. He was not buried in the tomb of the kings because he died under divine judgment for the murder of Zechariah. It is vital that we persevere in godliness lest we hinder the kingdom of God. Jehoiada, a shining example! Joash, a solemn warning!