Why Everyone Should Know about Joash, the Boy-King Who Survived a Massacre
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We sometimes say with tongue in cheek, “God works in mysterious ways.” This was true for the boy-king Joash of the royal line of Judah. Throughout the tangled history of Israel and Judah’s kings and kingdoms, God did indeed work in mysterious ways. The account of Joash is a piece in an even bigger story of God’s faithfulness to His promises. Joash survived a massacre staving off a wicked plot that would have brought the Davidic throne to the edge of extinction.
Who Was Joash in the Bible?
I suppose everyone has a few relatives in their closet they’d like to keep the door shut on, but Joash came from a long line of notoriously wicked people. Intermarriage between Israelite and Judean royalty added a twisted mess of seriously bad branches to Joash’s family tree.
Joash’s murderous grandmother, Athaliah was the daughter of the infamous Israelite pair, King Ahab and Jezebel. Athaliah married King Joram, son of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat.
Joram “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 21:6). When he died, Scripture says it was “to no one’s sorrow” (2 Chronicles 21:20).
After the king’s death, their son Ahaziah became king, but his pagan mother Athaliah remained the behind-the-scenes evil adviser. Ahaziah also died after a short reign, leaving no one in the immediate royal family left to take the throne. The Queen Mother Athaliah decided to get rid of the entire royal line and take the crown herself.
She slaughtered all the royal heirs, or so she thought.
But many years before God had made a covenant with David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” 2 Sam 7:16 ESV.
Athaliah’s bloody killing spree missed one heir. The infant Joash remained the only living descendant of David.
How Did King Joash Survive a Massacre?
Although the house of David stood on the brink of destruction, God never forgot His promise. Jesus would come to establish His eternal kingdom and it would be through the line of David.
While the power-seeking Athaliah was in the act of killing her own grandsons, Jehosheba, half-sister of Ahaziah, stole the orphaned Joash and hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. It was a courageous act for which she risked her life and the lives of all those connected with her. It was also how God worked in mysterious ways to preserve David’s throne.
Jehosheba’s husband was Jehoida, the High-Priest. Together they hid the child and his nurse for six years in the temple. During those years, they waited and planned Joash’s coronation.
When the right time came in Joash’s seventh year, Jehoida initiated a well-thought-through coup. Captains and their soldiers, guards, and runners provided security. The priest gave the captains the spears and shields that had belonged to King David. They formed a ring all around the young king Joash and put the royal crown on him. They gave him the copy of the law which was to remain a guide for him as ruler, clapped their hands, and shouted, “Long live the king!”
When Athaliah heard the ruckus and saw the king standing by a pillar in the temple, she cried out, “Treason! Treason!” Officers of the army took her away and killed her. The people rejoiced to have their legitimate king take the throne.
For as long as Jehoiada lived, he continued to instruct and mentor Joash. As the boy-king grew under Jehoiada’s tutelage, he did what was right.
During the reign of his grandmother, temple items were plundered for Baal worship. Lack of maintenance caused the temple to fall into disrepair. Joash established a voluntary donation system which provided abundantly for the necessary restoration.
His greatest achievement as king was repairing the temple.
Jehoida died when he was 130 years old. After his death, the leaders of Judah convinced Joash to return to idol worship. God sent prophets to pull Joash back from sliding into the same sins as his forefathers committed. Jehoida’s son, Zechariah came before the king and confronted him about his actions.
“Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you’” 2 Chronicles 24:20 ESV.
Zechariah’s reprimand didn’t sit well with Joash. At Joash’s command, Zechariah was stoned.
“Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, ‘May the Lord see and avenge!’” 2 Chronicles 24:22 ESV.
The Lord did see. Joash’s departure from God eventually brought judgment on him. The army of the Syrians left him severely injured. Because he’d had Zechariah put to death, his own servants conspired against him. While Joash lay on his bed wounded, they killed him. Joash had ruled Judah for 40 years.
Is There More Than One Joash in the Bible?
The name Joash is not an uncommon Bible name. There are several different men by that name in the Old Testament.
But the two best known were both kings and their timelines overlapped by two years.
Joash the boy-king of Judah reigned from 835-796 BC. Joash the king of Israel reigned from 798-782 BC.
7 Lessons from Joash's Life
The influences in our lives matter. While Joash had godly influences around him, he chose wisely and served well. With evil men persuading him to do wrong, Joash caved to their influence. The people with whom Joash surrounded himself impacted the entire kingdom. Choose carefully what and who you allow to influence you.
Don’t listen to bad advice. “And the king listened to them” (2 Chron. 24:17). Joash did not need to give the time of day to the voices of those whose advice contradicted God’s commands. He didn’t need to listen. He could have turned them out and stopped them in their tracks. Joash had been under the guidance of godliness long enough that he would have known idol worship was wrong. Listening bred temptation which birthed disobedience.
Accept godly reproval. It is never easy to admit when we have sinned. But like David, who recognized his sin, God restores repentant hearts. God desired Joash’s obedience. He sent prophets to steer him back to do right. Joash refused to listen to God’s reprimand and change course from his sin. Instead, he reacted with offense. He dug in his heels to his own detriment and the nation’s. Repentance leads back to relationship with God.
God is faithful to do what He promises. God had made a covenant with David. His plan was for Jesus to be heir to David’s throne. Nothing could thwart that. God does what He says He will because He is Who He claims to be.
Idolatry never pleases God. Although we may not have the physical carved idols that brought so much evil to Israel and Judah, idols of different kinds can creep into our lives. Money, relationships, addictions, and power can be idols that vie for our affections and gain control over us. Anything which takes a higher position in our lives than our allegiance to God is an idol. Whatever replaces Him is wrong.
Leaving a door open to evil is never a good idea. “But the high places were not taken away…” (2 Kings 12:3). Joash did right in God’s eyes for as long as Jehoiada lived, but he allowed sacrifices and burned incense in places God did not honor. Whenever God’s people leave a crack open to sin inevitably that sliver allows Satan to sneak his temptations inside. When we clean spiritual house, but don’t slam the door completely, it leaves us vulnerable to greater sin.
We have choices. Joash’s story could have ended much differently had he made different choices. He could have refused audience to the leaders of Judah who brought bad advice. He could have acknowledged his sin and repented when confronted. He could have purged the land from all idols and all high places of worship. He could have, but he chose not to. We sometimes think life happens and we groan and moan for the way of it, but we often live the consequences of choice. God desires us to seek Him for the choices we make. He gives wisdom.
God’s mysterious ways simply confirm the fact that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Even though we may not see a full picture of what He is accomplishing, we can always be confident He is faithful to His promises in all He does.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Sviatlana Lazarenka
Her love for pasta and all things Italian stems from years of ministry abroad. She’d love to tell you about it over a steaming cup of cappuccino. Connect with Sylvia on her blog, When the House is Quiet, her Facebook page, or Twitter.
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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