The King Who Betrayed the Ones Who Saved Him
The life and reign of King Joash.
Joash was saved alive by people who took a great risk to save him. For a while, he is a faithful servant of the Lord. But something happens that causes him to betray the very people who saved his life.
King Joash might be one of the most tragic characters in all of Scripture.
The Overview.
Joash became the king of Judah when he was 7 years old and reigned for 40 years (2 Chronicles 24:1). His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba, but his aunt and her husband, Jehoiada, raised him (2 Kings 11:2). They protected Joash from being murdered by Athaliah (2 Chronicles 22:10-12).
While Jehoiada lived, Joash did what was right in God’s sight (2 Chronicles 24:2). Jehoiada was a godly father figure in Joash’s life, even arranging Joash’s marriages (2 Chronicles 24:3).
However, the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places (2 Kings 12:3). We’ll see how this happened later in Joash’s reign.
Joash is Anointed King.
Until Joash was 7 years old, he was hidden in the house of the Lord while Athaliah reigned in Judah (2 Kings 11:3). When the heir to the throne of David was 7 years old, Jehoiada made a covenant with the captains of hundreds - the bodyguards of the king - and showed them Joash (2 Kings 11:4). He divided up these troops protect the young boy (2 Kings 11:5-8), and on the Sabbath they did what Jehoiada commanded (2 Kings 11:9-11).
Joash was brought out, the crown was placed on his head, the Testimony was given, and the young boy was anointed as the next king of Judah. All the people celebrated and cried, “Long live the king!” (2 Kings 11:12).
Athiliah heard the commotion and came to the temple to see what was happening. When she saw that Joash had been crowned king, she cried out, ‘Treason! Treason!” But Jehoiada commanded her to be taken outside the temple grounds and executed (2 Kings 11:13-15). The traitor Athaliah was executed where the horses entered and exited the palace grounds (2 Kings 11:16).
After this, the idol worship of Baal that Athaliah had promoted and protected was destroyed, and Joash was placed on the throne of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 11:18-19; 2 Chronicles 23:16-20). And so, the nation had peace because Athaliah was dead (2 Kings 11:20).
Joash Repairs the Temple.
Sometime later, after Joash is married and has children (2 Chronicles 24:3), he “set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 24:4). It’s not a surprise that a king who had been brought up in the house of the Lord by Jehoiada the high priest would care about repairing the temple.
So, Joash tells the priests and Levites to go out among the cities of Judah to gather money for the ongoing maintenance of the temple. He tells them to do this “quickly” (2 Chronicles 24:5). But for whatever reason, the Levites delayed in getting this done.
So, in the king’s twenty-third year on the throne (2 Kings 12:6), Joash calls Jehoiada and says to him:
"Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?" (2 Chronicles 24:6)
The Lord had commanded this collection to be made when He gave the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:12-16), and the priests and Levites simply weren’t doing it. Some money was being collected, but it never made it into repairs for the temple (2 Kings 12:7).
The temple was badly in need of these funds for repair. During Athaliah’s reign, men had broken into the temple and carried away all the holy things into the temple of Baal (2 Chronicles 24:7).
King Joash decided something must be done to secure the funds necessary to repair the temple. A chest was made (2 Kings 12:9) and placed outside the entrance to the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 24:8). He also made a proclamation that was sent throughout the land, commanding the people to bring the collection God had commanded them (2 Chronicles 24:9).
The king’s proclamation was well-received by all the leaders and the people, and everyone obeyed (2 Chronicles 24:10). So much was given that the chest had to be emptied each day (2 Chronicles 24:11).
With the funds, the king and Jehoiada hired workmen to repair what needed fixing, and “they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it” (2 Chronicles 24:12-13). With the leftover money, they made various articles for the Lord’s house to be used in the offerings (2 Chronicles 24:14). The burnt offerings continued in the temple all the days of Jehoiada.
What Happened After the Death of Jehoiada.
Jehoiada “grew old and was full of days,” dying at 130 years old (2 Chronicles 24:15). He was buried in Jerusalem among the kings because of the good he had done “both toward God and His house” (2 Chronicles 24:16). What a statement about this faithful, godly priest of the Lord! What an influence he had on King Joash while he lived!
But after Jehoiada’s death, Joash started listening to the wrong people. He listened to the leaders of Judah (2 Chronicles 24:17), and allowed them to leave “the house of the Lord God of their fathers,” and resume serving “wooden images and idols” (2 Chronicles 24:18). God’s wrath was upon Jerusalem, and the entire nation because of their sin.
However, the Lord kept sending prophets to the people to turn them back to Him, “but they would not listen” (2 Chronicles 24:19). These words would become a haunting reminder to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Some think the prophet Joel prophesied during the reign of King Joash. Joel referenced “Zion” and “the house of the Lord” multiple times (1:9-14; 2:15-17; 3:1-6, 16-21) and called the nation to repent before God’s judgment came upon them.
God even sent Zechariah, Jehoiada’s own son, to preach to the people and call them back to God. He said:
"Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.' " (2 Chronicles 24:20)
The people decided Zechariah needed to be silenced, “and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 24:21). Instead of showing kindness to the son of the man who had showed him kindness, Joash gave the execution order. As Zechariah died, he said, “The LORD look on it, and repay!" (2 Chronicles 24:22).
Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that “repayment” for Zechariah’s blood would come upon them (Matthew 23:34-36). The “repayment” was collected by the Lord in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Matthew 23:37-24:2).
How Joash Died.
Afterward, the Syrian army came against Judah and Jerusalem and “destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people” - the very ones who convinced Joash to allow them to turn from God to idols (2 Chronicles 24:23). The spoils from these leaders was sent to the king of Syria.
Although the Syrians came against Judah with a much smaller army than Judah, the Lord delivered Judah into their hands “because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 24:24).
Joash was severely wounded in the Syrian attack. But he did not die from his wounds at the hands of the Syrians, but at the hands of his own servants who conspired against him “because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest.” King Joash was killed in his own bed by his own servants. Joash was buried in Jerusalem, but not with the rest of the kings - or with Jehoiada, whose son he ordered to be killed (2 Chronicles 24:25).
Crowning Principles.
Beware of leaders who bow to popular demand rather than stand on the truth.
So long as Joash had Jehoiada, a faithful servant of God, advising him, he served the Lord faithfully also. But as soon as Jehoiada died, Joash started listening to the leaders of the people and allowed the people to do whatever they wanted - including worship idols.
Joash’s compromise with the majority ends with him giving the people what they want in the death of Jehoiada’s own son.
Those who have their ear attuned to what people want will find themselves blown around like a wave of the sea (James 1:6-8), tossed around by every “wind of teaching” (Ephesians 4:14) by people who only want their desires satisfied rather than the truth (2 Timothy 4:1-4).
Do we care more about the “house” itself than what happens in the “house?”
Joash led the way in repairing and strengthening the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. But later, he allowed the people to worship idols and leave “the house of the Lord God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 24:18). He even gave the order for Zechiariah to be murdered- as Jesus said - “between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35).
Similar to Joash, the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day cared far more about the temple complex itself than what actually took place inside that house (Matthew 21:12-16). When Stephen confronted them over their stubbornness and idolatry of a building, reminding them “the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48), they murdered him (Acts 7:54-60).
Do we care more about the worship we offer to God (John 4:24) than the condition of our buildings? Or do we care as much about the spiritual condition of our own lives as we do the condition of our church buildings?
This is a good message for today.