[2KG:11:1-21]; [2CH:24:1-27].
Lesson 319 - Senior
Memory Verse
"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them"(Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Cross References
I The Crowning of a Boy-King
1. Athaliah destroys all the seed royal of Judah and reigns over the land, [2KG:11:1];[2KG:11:3]. 2. Jehosheba hides Joash in the Temple for six years, [2KG:11:2]. 3. Jehoiada calls the rulers privately into the Temple, shows them the king's son, arms them, and places guards around the Temple, [2KG:11:4-11]. 4. They anoint and crown the young king; the people clap their hands and rejoice, [2KG:11:12]. 5. Athaliah hears the noise, comes into the Temple, is seized and slain, [2KG:11:13-16]. 6. Jehoiada causes the people to make a covenant with the Lord; Baal's house is destroyed; and Joash is brought to the king's house, [2KG:11:17-21].II The Repairing of the House of the Lord
1. Joash begins to reign at the age of seven and does well all the days of Jehoiada, [2CH:24:1-3]. 2. Joash decides to repair the House of the Lord and tells the priests and Levities to gather taxes from the people, [2CH:24:4-5]. 3. The people are dilatory about the matter and a chest is put at the gate of the Temple, [2CH:24:6-9]. 4. Money is given in abundance and the Temple is repaired, [2CH:24:10-14].III The Backsliding of a King
1. Jehoiada dies and is buried among the kings, [2CH:24:15-16]. 2. Worldly princes seduce Joash to idol worship, [2CH:24:17-18]. 3. Prophets are sent to warn the people, [2CH:24:19-20]. 4. At the commandment of the king, Zechariah is stoned to death, [2CH:24:21-22]. 5. The Lord allows the Syrian army to execute judgment against Joash and the princes, [2CH:24:23-24]. 6. Joash is murdered by his servants, [2CH:24:25-27].Notes
The apostasy of the kingdom of Israel had spread to the kingdom of Judah. This falling away came about mostly through the unlawful marriages of their kings to women of idolatrous nations. The Law of Moses, given by God, had forbidden such marriages, because God knew that these idolatrous women would set up their idols and groves in the land that God had given to His people. These wicked women seemed to have a way of luring their husbands to worship with them. Ever since Eve enticed Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, ungodly women have played a role in leading men to forbidden grounds. Also, the greed for power seems to possess people in an almost incredible way. It seems that nothing is too low or base for some people to do in order to achieve their selfish desires or ends. We have here the story of a grandmother killing her grandchildren, that she might be queen and reign over the land. This wicked grandmother's name was Athaliah. She was the daughter of Ahab and his idolatrous wife, Jeze-bel. Athaliah had married Jehoram, king of Judah. The back-ground of Athaliah's life was not good, and she followed all the wickedness and crime of her parents. She was further infuriated because Jehu was exterminating the house of Ahab in Israel, and she was determined to destroy the house of David in Judah. She almost accomplished her purpose. But the Lord had promised David that a son of his should sit on the throne, and He saw to it that David's seed was not all destroyed. When Athaliah began to kill all the royal family, Jehosheba, the wife of Jehoiada the priest and aunt of the son of Ahaziah, stole the infant son of the king and hid him in the Temple, and because of this the baby Joash was not slain with the others. It was easy to hide this baby in the Temple because the priests had sole charge of the Temple and there is little likelihood that the idolatrous usurper of the throne was found there very often.Jehoiada's Plan
Jehoiada, the High Priest, was a righteous man and he wanted to bring the people back to the worship of the true God. Idolatry had spread from the kingdom of Israel into the kingdom of Judah, and a temple to Baal had been erected. They had even taken the dedicated things from the House of God and put them in the temple of Baalim. Possibly all those six years that the baby boy had been hidden in the Temple, Jehoiada was making plans to restore the kingdom to the rightful heir. He no doubt talked to the captains and elders and found out who were loyal to God. There were no spies in their ranks to carry the news to the wicked Athaliah. Finally, Jehoiada brought the captains, with their men, into the House of the Lord. He then armed them and placed them around as guards and as witnesses. Then he brought in the boy, Joash, and showed him to them. What a thrilling revelation it must have been to these faithful men to see the king's son! They rejoiced! We rejoice, too, when God's Son " Jesus Christ, He who is to be King of kings -" is revealed to our soul.The Coronation of a Young King
The captains obeyed the orders of Jehoiada, the High Priest. God was with them, and their plan was a success. If we are on the side of the right and have the Lord with us, victory is assured. The coronation was held, no doubt, on one of the festival days when the people from all over the land were in Jerusalem. Joash was brought into the Temple and placed by a pillar, at the location where kings were ordinarily placed when they were crowned. The diadem, the testimony, and the anointing oil were three things essential to the consecration of a king. The diadem was his crown. The testimony was the Law that he was sworn to obey, and the anointing with the holy oil was to separate and dedicate him to the work God had called him to do. This is the first account we have of a child being crowned king.A Covenant
Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people. What a revival! Immediately the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down, tore down the idolatrous altars and broke the images into pieces, and then slew the priest. When Jesus comes into the heart, the devil with all his altars is cast out. There is no more idol worship when the Lord is enthroned. When Israel obeyed the commands of God they were a happy people. At this time they praised the Lord and clapped their hands for joy, because the land was freed from the tyranny and idolatry of Athaliah.Repairing the House of the Lord
As the king grew older he noticed that the House of the Lord needed repairing. Seemingly the priests and Levites had become accustomed to seeing the cracks and crevices and the broken-down walls, and had no con-cern for the conditions that existed. It is possible to drift along carelessly and never see the things that need to be done in our own hearts and also for the Lord. Even the first request of the king went by unheeded, but when he brought them to task about it they went to work. Many times the Lord has to apply some form of discipline and bring His people to task because of their negligence. The Bible says of the Christian that he is "not slothful in business" but is "fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" [ROM:12:11]). Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it by the altar. Even today we hear about Jehoiada's chest. Singularly enough the plan of having a chest, or an offering box, by the door of the House of God, seems to have followed down through the years. When Jesus was on earth there was a chest by the Temple door. One day he watched the rich men casting in their gifts; and while He stood there he saw a poor widow cast in two mites. He called His disciples and said: "Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all; for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had" [LUK:21:3-4]). Ever since the Apostolic Faith Work was organised, we have used the same plan of financing the church, placing a receptacle near the entrance of the church for tithes and freewill offerings. There have been no public collections taken. No collection plates have ever been passed. No open Bible has been placed on the altar for the people to pass by and lay their offerings on, to make a public show of their giving. Jesus said, "When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly" [MAT:6:3-4]). When Jehoiada placed the chest at the Temple door, the hearts of the people were stirred to give; and money came in, in abundance for the repair of the House of the Lord. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he pur-poseth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" [2CO:9:6-7]). So faithful did the contractors deal that they did not even keep an account of the money placed in their hands. We do not hear about any labour trouble either.The Backsliding of a King
In this lesson we see the great and powerful influence of a godly man. So long as Jehoiada lived he wielded a strong hand over the church and state. He put down idolatry in Judah, and his influence over the king kept the king walking in the right path. Jehoiada governed the state in the name of the king, and when he died he was buried among the kings. That demonstrated the high esteem in which he was held by the people. After Jehoiada's death it was proved that King Joash really was a weak king. The devil slipped in with his emissaries and the king lacked courage and stability. He did not seem able to say No to what was wrong. The princes seduced him with their flattering words. "With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak" [PS:12:2]). Thus we find that when the strong arm of his righteous uncle, Jehoiada, was removed, Joash had no steadfastness in his heart and soon succumbed to the enticing words of the enemy. "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" [MAK:13:13]). David the Psalmist once wrote: "Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men" [PS:12:1]).Warnings by the Prophets
The Lord did not let Joash and the people fall into the enemy's hands without giving them plenty of warning. "He sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear." Finally, as a last warning, the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he said unto them: "Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsake the LORD, he hath also forsaken you." At the commandment of the king this prophet was stoned to death. Even kings may forget, but the Lord never! It was this prophet's father and mother who hid the king and spared him from being murdered in his infancy. Their kindness was soon forgotten, but the Lord did not forget. It was just a year later that the Syrian army came against Judah and Jerusalem. They destroyed all the princes, sent the spoils they took to Damascus, and left the king sick and helpless. Then his own servants murdered him. Thus came the tragic end of one who turned his back on God and on the true worship of Jehovah.