2 Chronicles 24: 1 – 27
A good counselor
24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. 4 Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD. 5 Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year and see that you do it quickly.” However, the Levites did not do it quickly. 6 So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said 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?” 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals. 8 Then at the king’s command they made a chest and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. 11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king’s official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest and took it and returned it to its place. Thus, they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of the LORD. 13 So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the LORD, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada. 15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. 16 And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house. 17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. 18 Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 19 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. 20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “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.’ 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The LORD look on it, and repay!” 23 So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So, they executed judgment against Joash. 25 And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest and killed him on his bed. So, he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
If that headline caught your attention and you found yourself wondering, what makes a truly great counselor and how do you find one, you are not alone. In fact, many of today’s leading counselors say it pays to never stop asking — and trying to answer — that very question.
I’ve always mistrusted anyone who claims they understand what counseling is about and how it ‘really’ works,” “The process is far too mysterious and complex to ever truly get a handle on all the nuances. Far too often, we don’t trust ourselves when we totally buy into what supposed other ‘experts’ tell us approximates so-called truth.
I think it’s reassuring to most of us to find out that we are all dealing with similar issues and that we aren’t alone in this struggle.” The best counselors in the field aren’t necessarily those who are most well-known but rather those who are always reaching toward knowledge and understanding and flat out working harder than everyone else. These counselors are constantly questioning what they do and why, being brutally honest with themselves about their work and its outcomes.” “Most of all, they are often so humble that they don’t seek attention or the limelight but just quietly go about their extraordinary commitment to helping others.”
Is the topic of “great counseling” worth exploring? Absolutely “Heck, if we can’t figure out what makes a counselor great, then how can we possibly ever work toward the goal of finding a good one?”
What, overall, makes a great counselor? I listed a few things I think are good attributes;
. A great counselor is a person who is totally committed to those they are serving. They can see beyond the spoken word and connect what is truly happening in another person’s situation through even the unspoken words.
. A great counselor is someone who enjoys helping those they serve to become empowered by teaching to become life problem-solvers.
. Great counselors possess a passion to help others. They demonstrate respect for those they serve and understand their roles within the counseling process.
. Great counselors understand themselves. They know their core values and beliefs, and they accurately anticipate how their core values and beliefs influence the counseling process. They understand the critical need for balance within their clients’ lives as well as their own.
. Truly exceptional counselors are those who live what they teach to others. They walk their talk and practice in their own lives that which they consider to be most important for their clients. As such, they are continually living on the growth edge, always looking for ways to become more effective as a professional and a person. Such individuals would never consider themselves to having “arrived” but rather see their own development and mastery as an ongoing process that will never end.
. A great counselor is someone who can use compassion, empathy, respect and authenticity to form a genuine, trusting personal relationship.
As you can see from this list an exception counselor has these traits. In truth our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ not only fulfills these attributes completely, but He also does more which I could not even come up with.
Today we are going to see a man who is obedient to our Holy God. He was the High Priest. His name was Jehoiada. To me he was a great servant of Yahweh God. He risked his own life and that of his family to protect a young child who was a descendent of David.
As you know from our last study this man not only raised the young boy but also made sure that he protected the promise of our Holy God to David that there would always be a descendent of his that would be king. In wisdom he presented this young heir and the people willingly acknowledge him. Then he offered the rest of his life providing guidance and counsel to this young boy.
In this chapter the commencement of the reign of Joash is described, and the fact that while Jehoiada his mentor was alive he did what was right in the eyes of YHWH. We then have described how he gathered the tax which he claimed was due under the Law of Moses, to restore the Temple which had suffered under the hands of the sons of Athaliah, and how that Temple was restored.
However, after the death of Jehoiada the situation changed, for following the unwise counsel of his leading men he allowed his people to turn to the worship of the Asherim and other idols, and when prophets arose to rebuke them their testimony was rejected. One such prophet was Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada Joash’s mentor (the one to whom he owed his very life and kingship), and he callously had him stoned to death.
But in response to Zechariah’s cry for requital the Arameans (Syrians) invaded Judah, destroyed the leading men who had led Joash astray, and departed having spoiled Judah. They left Joash a broken and wounded man, and shortly afterwards he was assassinated by two of his officials because of what he had done to the house of Jehoiada. In his death he was buried in the city of David, but he was not considered worthy to be buried in the sepulchers of the kings. A life which had commenced with such promise ended in failure. Such is the consequence of sin.
24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
He was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned forty years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother, the Queen Mother, was Zibiah of Beersheba. In view of his age he would clearly at first require a Regent who would act on his behalf, and this was undoubtedly Jehoiada the Priest, his mentor.
As we have already seen Joash’s life was preserved, and his place on his throne secured, by Jehoiada ‘the Priest’. He thus began his reign at seven years old with Jehoiada acting as his mentor and regent, and whilst Jehoiada was alive Joash walked rightly before YHWH. This mainly signified that he worshipped YHWH truly and rejected the worship of the Baal and other idols. But involved with it was obedience to the covenant of YHWH as revealed in the Law of Moses, the covenant which had been given to him at his coronation.
Sometime after he had reached full age and was king in his own right, he set his mind to restore the House of YHWH which was in considerable disrepair because of the way it had been treated in the days of Athaliah (verse 7). But it is quite clear that this act then caused a dispute as to how it should be paid for.
Initially Joash had commanded the priests and Levites to gather silver from the people for the purpose, but they had delayed doing so. This was possibly because:
• They were reluctant for major restoration work to be carried out on an old and revered building.
• They saw the restoration of the Temple as something that the king should pay for as in the past, as was done among other nations.
• They saw their own income from tithes, offerings and sacrifices being reduced if they carried out Joash’s wishes (see 2 Kings 12.4).
• They did not consider that they had any right or justification for making such demands on the people.
The necessary silver not having been provided (in those days money was unknown) Joash, in his twenty third year (2 Kings 12.5), then more specifically called on Jehoiada to explain why the Levites had not collected the poll tax which the Law of Moses required of each Israelite when they were numbered (Exodus 30.11-16), along with pledged payments (Leviticus 27) and voluntary gifts, and used that for the restoration work. It seems probable that the Levites did not see it as their responsibility to collect these payments. Unless there had been a census it is not even certain that the poll tax was due. That may simply have been Joash’s view. Jehoiada probably pointed out to him why the Levites were unwilling, and it was probably this that caused Joash to alter his tactics. Instead of utilizing the Levites to collect silver, a chest was set up in the Temple to receive the gifts described above (which suggests that Joash had now accepted that the poll tax was voluntary), and this produced sufficient silver for the work to be completed. The surplus was then used to supplement the vessels in use in the Temple which had been considerably reduced by the activities of Athaliah’s sons.
We see an interesting fact and that is when Jehoiada grew old and died he was honored by being buried in the sepulchers of the kings, presumably because he had been Judah’s ruler for so long and was counted as worthy.
2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
‘Did what was right in the eyes of YHWH’ primarily means that whilst Jehoiada was alive Joash encouraged the true worship of YHWH and rejected idol worship.
3 And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
Concerned to maintain the Davidic dynasty Jehoiada found two wives for Joash, presumably while he was still under his guardianship. And through these Joash begat sons and daughters. This was important for it meant that the dynasty of the house of David was preserved. The book of 2 Kings 12 does not mention this. It was thus something that was clearly important for readers to recognize the fact that God had preserved the house of David because of the future king who was coming. It was the continued hope of true Israel. They still longed for the king whom God had promised who would bring righteousness and peace to men.
4 Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD.
At some stage the king looked at the Temple, probably compared it with his own palace, and became unhappy that it was in such a state. This was, of course, partly due to years of neglect under Jehoram, Ahazian and Athaliah which would certainly have revealed itself in a building which was well over a hundred years old. But as Jehoiada and the priests and Levites did not appear to be upset by the fact we must consider the possibility that they were content with it and did not want more than necessary repair work to be done to a building revered for its antiquity. Joash no doubt, to his credit, wanted to bring it up to date.
5 Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year and see that you do it quickly.” However, the Levites did not do it quickly.
Conscious now of his authority as king, Joash called the priests and Levites together in order to urge them to go out and collect ‘silver’ from the people. Here the word for ‘silver’ covers any form of wealth. He does not appear to have considered whether the poll tax was required when there had been no census, what the pledged gifts ought to be used for, and whether the Levites felt able to require voluntary gifts from the people. So, he told the Levites to get to work on the double.
The Levites on their part did not hurry it along. This may partly have been because of their veneration for the ancient House of YHWH which they did not want to see ‘renewed’, and partly have been because they recognized that their positions did not give them the authority to demand a poll tax (which what follows suggests should have been seen as voluntary), that they did not see the promised offerings as intended for that purpose, and that they were not accustomed to asking for voluntary gifts. Their main responsibility, apart from their work connected with the Temple, was to collect the tithes, and to oversee assistance to the poor from the third-year tithe.
6 So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said 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?”
When the king recognized that very little was being done to fulfil his commands he called for Jehoiada, who was chief over the Levites, and asked him why he had not required the Levites to collect the tax which Moses the servant of YHWH had commanded (the census tax) and which the assembly of Israel had approved should be paid, for the Tent of the Testimony.
It would appear that Jehoiada patiently explained to him that he was asking the Levites to do something which did not come into their role, and was indeed demanding a tax which was seen as voluntary except when a census was held. Indeed, the fact that it was described as for ‘the Tent of the Testimony’ (the ancient Tabernacle) suggested that it had never been collected for work on the Temple because that had been the king’s prerogative. In those days kings of nations saw it as their responsibility to pay for the building and repair of the temples of their gods. This would explain why in the end Joash chose to follow the method of voluntary gifts.
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals.
We learn here one of the reasons why the Temple was in a sad state of disrepair. It was because the sons of the wicked Athaliah had ‘broken up the house of God’. This probably means they had taken gold and decorations from the walls not caring how it affected the structure. And they had ‘bestowed on the Baal’s all the dedicated things of the house of YHWH’, including furniture, vessels, basins, snuffers, tongs, and other accoutrements. How much they had taken we do not know.
8 Then at the king’s command they made a chest and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 12.9 tells us that the impersonal ‘they’ refers to Jehoiada and his helpers. Jehoiada made a large collection chest and bored a hole in its lid. Here we learn that he placed it near the gate, outside the Sanctuary itself but within the Temple court, so that any precious metals being brought to the house of YHWH by the Levites as they brought in such things as the pledged offerings, together with any other ‘monetary’ gifts or payments made by people paying their poll tax at the Temple, could be put into it. And ‘the priests who kept the threshold’ (2 Kings 12.9) ensured that all the funds accumulated were put into the chest. This collection chest was seemingly placed in the court of the Temple near the entrance, ‘on the right side as one comes into the house of YHWH’ (2 Kings 12.9), thus on the right-hand side of the altar.
The silver, and probably some gold could be used for several purposes. It could be turned into ingots. It could be used to produce Temple vessels and other utensils.
9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness.
The chest having been put in place, a proclamation went out throughout the land, including in Jerusalem itself, to bring in for YHWH the tax which Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness.’ It is doubtful whether this would have been collected in the times of Jehoram, Ahaziah and Athaliah, and it is even questionable whether it had been collected in earlier times when the kings saw the maintenance of the Temple as their own responsibility. Indeed, as we saw earlier, Moses had only laid on Israel such a tax when a census was taken. It was seemingly the assembly of Israel who had confirmed at one stage that it should be a regular yearly payment towards the upkeep of the Tabernacle. But that it was now to be brought in and placed in the chest at the door of the Temple was an indication that it was now seen that it was voluntary, for there would be no check on who had paid and who had not. It also demonstrated that it was not one of the sources of income that the Levites were to collect.
10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given.
The amazing fact was that no pressure was needed to be applied because, as in the case of the Tabernacle, the princes (tribal and clan leaders) and people brought their gifts joyfully and gladly. All wanted to see the Temple restored. They did not argue about the rights and wrongs of the interpretation being put on Moses’ words.
11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king’s official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest and took it and returned it to its place. Thus, they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
The gifts were so numerous that the chest had to be emptied regularly by the king’s officers when it was brought to them by the Levites. They in their turn called on the services of the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer, both men who had apparently been set apart for the task. It was they who finally emptied the chest, necessarily recording its contents. Thus, it was ensured that the representatives of both king and priest were involved. The chest was then replaced in order to receive further gifts, and what was collected was put in bags (2 Kings 12.10). This process continued day by day, and the ‘silver’ gathered in was ‘in abundance’.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of the LORD.
The large amount of silver collected was then given jointly by king and Priest to such as did the work of the service of the house of YHWH. In other words, those responsible for its maintenance. And they in turn hired the skilled craftsmen such as masons, carpenters, ironworkers and workers in bronze, who would do the work.
2 Kings 12.15 records that absolute trust was placed in the Levites responsible for the maintenance of the Temple so that they were not called on to give a reckoning of how they used the gifts. This would, in fact, also save considerable time and effort.
13 So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it.
These skilled workmen accomplished their purpose. They worked hard and skillfully, and in their hands the work went forward rapidly, and as a result they restored the Temple to the state which it had previously been in and made it strong.
14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the LORD, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.
So much ‘silver’ had been accumulated that when the restoration was complete there was a good deal of gold and silver left over, and this was brought to the king and Jehoiada, and they used it to replace the vessels and utensils which had been lost to the house of Baal. This had not been done previously lest there not be enough silver for the restoration of the Temple (2 Kings 12.13), but now with the abundance of silver gathered the situation had altered. It appeared that Baalism had been defeated and that the worship of YHWH was triumphant. But any who thought that did not know the heart of man.
15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died.
For eventually Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of one hundred and thirty years. It was to be another turning point for Judah, for it was Jehoiada who was the mainstay of true Yahwism in Judah.
16 And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.
And they buried Jehoiada in the city of David among the kings because of what he had done, doing good in ‘Israel’ and on behalf of God and his house. It was he who had restored to ‘Israel’ the son of David, and who had brought about the restoration of Yahwism. And he had played a large part in the restoration of the Temple. And after all he had been a king for many years in all but name which may well have been a factor in the decision.
It is apparent from what now happened that Joash was a weak man, easily influenced and persuaded. While he was under the influence of Jehoiada, his adoptive father and mentor, he walked rightly before God and man. The power and influence of Jehoiada was such that Joash responded to his will, and those who wanted to take the kingdom along a wrong path were quiet. They knew perfectly well that if they revealed themselves they would be dealt with accordingly and were fully aware that the weak Joash would follow Jehoiada’s lead.
But once Jehoiada was dead things quickly changed. Aware that Joash was weak and easily persuaded, certain tribal and clan leaders who had yearnings after the ancient forms of worship in the high places of Baal and Asherah, (and who had no doubt previously given the impression of being good Yahwists), approached him and obtained his consent to their cultic practices. Because of these practices the wrath of God came on Judah. He did, however, give them every opportunity to repent, sending prophets to warn them of the consequences of their wrongdoing. One of these was Joash’s adoptive brother, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada. Such was his impact that the conspirators determined to be rid of him and persuaded Joash to sentence him to death. So weak minded was Joash that he could not resist their entreaties and ordered the execution of the brother whom he had grown up with, and to whose father he owed so much. Zechariah was thus subsequently stoned to death in the court of the house of YHWH. But as he died he cried out, “May YHWH look on it, and requite it”, a plea that would be answered within the year.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them.
What happened now brings out the true religious situation in Judah. Outwardly, at times, the whole people have appeared to have been worshipping YHWH, primarily because, when there were ‘good kings’ it was the king’s requirement. It did not pay to go against the king and so outward observance had to be maintained whatever the state of the heart. But inwardly their hearts were not set to seek YHWH, and many desired and sought after the sexual excesses of the ancient religion in the high places. That was why, despite the best efforts of kings like Asa and Jehoshaphat the high places were never totally vanquished. Almost as soon as they had been destroyed they sprang up again.
18 Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.
Because of their action large numbers in Judah ‘forsook the house of YHWH, the God of their fathers’ and instead worshipped and cultically served ‘the Asherim and the idols’. The Asherim were poles or images which represented Asherah, the consort of Baal. The idols would include the stone pillars which represented the Canaanite Baal, but possibly also other idols like the Moabite Chemosh and the Ammonite Molech.
Therefore, the wrath of YHWH came on Judah and Jerusalem because of their guiltiness. This followed the Old Testament pattern, prominent also in the Chronicles, of wrath following blatant disobedience to YHWH. Such wrath had also come on Jehoshaphat. But in his case repentance and a change of heart averted the wrath (19.2) Thus judgment following the wrath was not inevitable.
19 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.
In an attempt to bring them to repentance YHWH sent prophets to them, to bring them back to Him, and these prophets testified against the culprits. But they would not listen, for their hearts were hardened. It would be a familiar story in centuries to come.
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “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.’
Then YHWH raised up a special prophet to whom Joash should certainly have listened. This was Zechariah the ‘son’ of Jehoiada the Priest, the brother of Joash with whom he had been brought up. Surely after all that Jehoiada had done in saving Joash’s life and establishing him on the throne, and guiding him through his tender years, Joash would listen to his step dad’s son.
So, the Spirit of God came on Zechariah, and he cried to the people and said, “Thus says God, why do you rebel against the commandments of YHWH, for in so doing you will not prosper? Because you have forsaken YHWH, He also has forsaken you.” But the people closed their ears and would not listen.
21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.
‘They’ is strictly ‘the people’ but probably mainly refers to the tribal and clan leaders who originally approached Joash (verse 17). They clearly came to the king and called on him to give them the right to execute Zechariah, and it may well be that court proceedings were held before the porch of the Temple. There Zechariah was, at their instigation, charged before the king with being a blasphemer, or at the best a traitor. Sentence being passed by the king they then stoned him with stones in the court of the house of YHWH, the recognized punishment for blasphemy. Stoning with stones was a fate reserved for blasphemers and certain adulterers. Thus, the man through whom the Spirit of YHWH had spoken was charged with being a blasphemer because he rightly declared that YHWH would forsake His people. Jesus Himself later referred to this execution in Matthew 24.35 where He called him the son of Barachiah. As Jehoiada was in fact probably his grandfather it is quite feasible that his father was called Barachiah.
Whilst it is certainly a coincidence that the prophet Zechariah who prophesied after the return from Exile was also ‘the son of Berechiah’ (Zechariah 1.1) it does not necessarily mean that Matthew was in error. The Berechiah after the Exile may well have called his son Zechariah because he knew that Jehoiada’s son Barachiah had called his son the same. Zechariah was a very popular name. Consider the similar coincidence where the witness Zechariah in Isaiah 8.2 is also the son of Je-berechiah (Berechiah with Yah appended). This may suggest a pattern.
22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The LORD look on it, and repay!”
Joash had failed to remember how much he owed to Jehoiada. It was due to Jehoiada that he was alive at all, and even more due to him that he was now king. And in return he had slain his ‘son’, who had presumably been as a brother to him in the early days.
But the dying words of Zechariah would soon haunt him, for Zechariah cried out to YHWH, saying, “YHWH look on it and requite it.’ His murderers were religious antagonists, not rulers of the people. Zechariah was not just speaking on his own behalf, but as a prophet who had responsibilities for his people and was speaking of the king who ruled over them, and who if left to himself would lead his people into even greater sin. Judgment on Joash was necessary so that the kingdom might be delivered from idolatry.
The book of Chronicles intends us to see this as YHWH’s response to the rejection of His prophets. It would have happened whatever Zechariah had prayed, for YHWH had determined to bring judgment on those who had turned away from Him to idols and had led the country astray. It describes the arrival of the Arameans (Syrians) who would, in requital for Zechariah’s death, and as a punishment for turning the country to idolatry, put to death the perpetrators, ‘the princes of the people’.
23 So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
YHWH’s punishment of Judah was a direct result of Joash’s support of idolatry and of his murder of Jehoiada’s ‘son’ Zechariah. For had Joash been right with YHWH the invasion would not have been successful
The fact that Judah is mentioned underlines the fact that the visit to Jerusalem was not the essence of the invasion (‘they came to Jerusalem’ would have been a much stronger statement). It was thus Judah that felt the full force of the invasion, and it was in Judah that the ‘princes’ (tribal and clan leaders) were destroyed, either during the skirmishes and battles or as a reprisal after these had been won by the Arameans (Syrians). Jerusalem is mentioned because most of the spoils were sent from there. The spoils included ‘all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his (Joash’s) own hallowed things, and all the gold which was found in the treasures of the house of YHWH, and of the king’s house’ (2 Kings 12.18). So, because of his folly, Joash and the Temple lost the accumulation of over fifty years. Jerusalem was stripped of its treasures.
24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So, they executed judgment against Joash.
Previously in the reigns of the good kings it had been Judah who had been in the minority and the invaders who had been the great host. But now the situation had changed because YHWH was no longer with them. ‘A small company’ is comparative to ‘the great host’. It must have been quite a sizeable company that reduced Gath. But this ‘small company’ would have been made up of picked warriors, battle hardened, fully armed, highly skilled and highly trained, and presumably led by skilled generals. The ‘great host’ would largely have been made up of conscripts who had been hastily gathered to meet the invasion and may well have been comparatively poorly armed. Nevertheless, the suggestion is that had they had YHWH on their side they would have prevailed. They failed because ‘they had forsaken YHWH, the God of their fathers’ with the result that He had forsaken them (verse 20).
‘So they executed judgment on Joash.’ They carried out God’s judgment on Joash and Judah in requital for Judah’s forsaking of Him and their slaying of His prophet (verse 22).
25 And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest and killed him on his bed. So, he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
There is irony in the way that this verse uses the same word ‘forsaken’ of the enemy leaving Joash suffering from his wounds. Even his enemy forsook him! And they left him ‘badly wounded’.
But what was worse for Joash was that even those whom he trusted betrayed him (as he had betrayed Jehoiada’s son). Two of his officials, who seemingly had access to his private rooms, conspired against him and entering his bedroom slew him where he lay recovering from his wounds. Furthermore, we are given the reason why they did so. It was ‘for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the Priest’ (the fact that ‘sons’ is plural may suggest that Joash had also retaliated against Zechariah’s brothers. Or it may be seeing the whole family as having suffered in Zechariah’s death. His blood was their blood). He was then buried in the city of David. But to add to his disgrace, unlike Jehoiada his mentor, he was not buried in the sepulchers of the kings. He was another who was not found worthy.
2 Kings 12.20-21 gives further detail concerning his wounding and death. His wounds were due to the fact that prior to reaching Jerusalem there was a conspiracy against him by some of his officials as a consequence of which he was wounded at the house of Millo on the way which goes down to Silla. But he seemingly survived it, and it was only once he had reached Jerusalem badly wounded that two of them were able to slay him in his bed.
26 These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
We now learn the names of the two main conspirators. They were Zabad the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith. In both cases their mothers were foreigners. Perhaps it was because their mothers were foreigners that they dared to lift their hand against YHWH’s anointed, a son of David. 2 Kings gives the name of the two as Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer.
27 Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
The passage ends with a typical reference to the source available for the life of Joash. Information about his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid on him (which may suggest that we have only been told the half about the requital that came on him) and about the rebuilding of the House of God, are to be found in ‘the commentary of the book of kings’. And it is then emphasized that Amaziah his son reigned instead of him. Despite all the problems that it had faced, the house of David continued as YHWH had promised.
