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II Kings 12-13; II Chronicles 24 Listen 
The 7-year-old Joash (Jehoash) does good...at first (II Kings 12:1-16; II Chronicles 24:1-19)
II Kings 12 |
II Chronicles 24 |
| 1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 ¶ And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD—each man’s census money, each man’s assessment money—and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the LORD, 5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.” 6 ¶ Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7 So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” 8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple. 9 ¶ Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the LORD. 10 So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the LORD, 12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. 13 However there were not made for the house of the LORD basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the LORD. 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the LORD with it. 15 Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16 The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD. It belonged to the priests. |
1 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. |
The new 7-year-old King of Judah is named Joash, sometimes written Jehoash; he reigned in Judah for forty years. It's a little confusing since Israel (Northern Kingdom) had a king with the same name about the same time with the same alternate spelling. We're talking Judah here - the kid who escaped death when Queen Athaliah thought she had killed all the legal heirs to the throne; she missed one (see notes on II Kings 11). Joash takes a notion to fix up the temple that had fallen on hard times. He decides he needs some cash to make it all happen and reinstates the temple tax specified in the law.
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Know your Joashes
It's a little confusing in that there are two kings who reigned over Judah and Israel at about the same time - both named Joash (aka Jehoash). Joash of Judah reigned from 835-796 and is found in II Kings 12; II Chronicles 23:16-24:27. Joash of Israel reigned from 798-782 and is found in II Kings 13:10-25; 14:15-16. As you can see, their reigns overlapped by a period of approximately two to three years (798-796). |
Here are the sources of income Joash tapped for refurbishing the temple:
Joash requires the Levites to go out into Jerusalem and Judah to collect these funds, but they did not do well with their fund-raising efforts. Joash takes things into his own hands at this point. He makes a chest with a hole in it for depositing money and sets it outside the gate; it's a success; the money starts rolling in. Joash and Jehoiada personally handle the funds and pay the workers to refurbish the temple that had been trashed by that Baal-worshipping Athaliah and her thugs. One shortcoming of Joash is found in II Kings 12:3, "But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places." He left Athaliah's pagan altars in place, and some of the people of Judah still worshipped them.
Joash is a good king as long as Jehoiada, the high priest, lives. Judah loved and respected that old high priest, Jehoiada. After Jehoiada's death they buried him with the Kings of Judah. Without his chief advisor, Joash wanders off his God mission - way off.
A Summary of King #8 from 835 to 796 B.C. over Judah: Joash (aka Jehoash) |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 12 |
II Kings 12:2 Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. II Chronicles 24:2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. II Chronicles 24:4 Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD. |
II Kings 12:3 But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. After the high priest, Jehoiada, died, Joash was influenced by his leadership to allow worship of pagan gods. When confronted by God's prophet, Jehoiada's son, Zechariah, Joash had him executed (II Chronicles 24:17-22). |
Judah's Joash is assassinated (II Kings 12:17-21; II Chronicles 24:20-27)
II Kings 12 |
II Chronicles 24 |
| 17 ¶ Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem. 19 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 ¶ And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place. |
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. |
The reign of Jehoash takes an unexpected turn for the worse. After Jehoiada the priest dies, Joash makes a spiritual nose dive under his new handlers; he endorses the worship of the pagan gods. Upon this turn toward evil, Jehoiada's son (Zechariah) is there to tell him so. Joash has him killed - stoned to death right there in the temple. Joash certainly forgot his roots, didn't he? Prior to breathing his last breath, Zechariah calls upon God to avenge his death against Joash. Jesus refers to this murder of one of God's men in Luke 11:51 (see notes) and again in Matthew 23:35 (see notes).
God sends the Syrians with a small army who defeat Judah's large army, execute Judah's leaders and wound Joash. The Syrians take all the gold and the nice furnishings of the temple back to Damascus with them. As Joash is there on his deathbed, his own servants finish him off - still upset about him having the high priest's son executed. They didn't even bury him with the previous kings of Judah; he died in disgrace. Joash was a great king while he listened to Jehoiada, but became evil when he began to listen to the idol worshippers. Well...it's just as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:33 (see notes), "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." Or...as I have heard it said, "You can't soar with eagles when your hangin' with buzzards."
One more rather significant note regarding this incident. That Syrian king who authorized the raid into Judah was King Hazael. God had directed Elijah to anoint him as King of Syria back in I Kings 19:15 (see notes). God had also used King Hazael to chastise the evil doings of King Jehu of Israel (Northern Kingdom) back in II Kings 10:29-36 (see notes). King Hazael was absolutely NOT a worshipper of the one true God, but he did serve as God's policeman with regard to Israel and Judah. Isn't it interesting how that God sometimes uses unholy instruments to correct God's people when they rebel against God?
The 17-year reign of Israel's Jehoahaz (II Kings 13:1-9)
1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
3 ¶ Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.
7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
8 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.
It was a tough 17 years for Israel's Jehoahaz. The King of Syria (Hazael, see above) and his son after him (Benhadad) gave Jehoahaz fits. He had a very weak army, but the Lord delivered them with "a savior" for a period of time. It is not specified the nature of this "savior." However, Jehoahaz never served God and continued to follow the double-calf state religion of Jeroboam, established back in I Kings 11:25-33 (see notes).
A Summary of King #11 from 814 to 798 B.C. over Israel: Jehoahaz |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 13:1-9 |
Not specified - he was evil. | II Kings 13:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them. |
The 16-year reign of Joash (Jehoash) in Israel (II Kings 13:10-13)
10 ¶ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them.
12 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
13 So Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Yeah, I know it's confusing, but this is a different man in a different country from the Joash (Jehoash) in II Kings 12:1-21 (see above). That was Judah, and this is Israel. These two kings with the same name over Judah and Israel did have a period of overlapping reign. This Jehoash went to war against King Amaziah of Judah, and then he died - not much said about him here. However, before he died he did have an interesting encounter with Elisha (see below). Jehoahaz embraced the two-calf worship of the founding King of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam (see notes on I Kings 11:25-33).
A Summary of King #12 from 798 to 782 B.C. over Israel: Jehoash (aka Joash) |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 13:10-25; |
Not specified - he was evil. | II Kings 13:11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. |
Elisha passes away, but not before spending a little time with Israel's Joash (II Kings 13:14-25)
14 ¶ Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”
15 ¶ And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows.
16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.”
18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”
20 ¶ Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
22 ¶ And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 But the LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.
24 ¶ Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-hadad his son reigned in his place.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.
Just before Elisha's passing, Joash of Israel goes to spend a little time with him. After a little arrow-shooting instruction, Elisha tells Joash that he will have some limited success against the Syrians - limited because he scores quite poorly on the little arrow-shooting test Elisha had prepared for him. Even in death, Elisha had a dramatic flair, didn't he? We see here a continuing conflict between Joash and the King Hazael of Syria; his life was characterized by these Syrian conflicts. II Kings 13:22 says, "And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz." God certainly got a lot of mileage out of King Hazael! (See note on King Hazael above.) Finally, King Hazael of Syria dies in verse 24.
After King Hazael's death, Joash does get back the cities that the Syrian king had taken from Israel through three successful strikes against Hazael's son, Benhadad. These three strikes were those prophesied by Elisha in the arrow-shooting test.
Elisha was a loner even in death. Verse 21 is rather amusing. They tried to double up on Elisha's tomb by burying another guy there with him. Nothing doin'! As soon as the freshly-shrouded dead guy touches the bones of Elisha, the dead guy revives. As I said, Elisha was a loner.
