2 Kings 12

In verse 16, the writer says that during the restoration of the temple the priests continued to receive money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings (see Leviticus 4:1-35; 5:14-19; 6:1-7); this was part of the priests’ share of the various offerings the people brought to the temple⁴⁶ (Leviticus 5:16; 7:7).

Some time after the restoration of the temple was completed, Jehoiada the priest died (2 Chronicles 24:15-16) and was succeeded by his son Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20). With Jehoiada’s death, Joash lost his spiritual mentor and his spiritual moorings; the services at the temple ceased and the king and the people of Judah returned to idolatry (see 2 Chronicles 24:17-19).

17 About this time Hazael king of Aram (see 2 Kings 8:7-15) attacked the Philistine city of Gath. Hazael had already occupied much of Israel (2 Kings 10:32-33) and now hewasmovingevenfurthersouth.Aftercapturing Gath, he then attacked Jerusalem.

According to 2 Chronicles 24:18, Hazael’s attack was the direct result of Judah’s idolatry. The Lord sent prophets to Judah to bring the people back to Him, but they would not listen (2 Chronicles 24:19). Joash’s wickedness reached its climax when he ordered that Jehoiada’s son Zechariah be stoned to death; Zechariah had warned the people that because they had forsaken God, God would now forsake them (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). Joash had forgotten the kindness Jehoiada had shown him all during the early years of his reign. As Zechariah lay dying, he said to Joash: May the LORD see this and call you to account (2 Chronicles 24:22). It was very soon thereafter that Hazael began his invasion of Judah and Jerusalem; even though he had come with a small army, he easily overcame the much larger army of Judah (2 Chronicles 24:23-24). Thus Judah experienced one of the punishments Moses had warned would come upon those who broke God’s covenant (Leviticus 26:17).

18-21 With Jerusalem about to fall to the Aramean army, Joash took from the temple every valuable article that had been dedicated to the Lord and sent them all to Hazael as a bribe;⁴⁷ only then did Hazael agree to withdraw from the city. But before the fighting actually stopped, Joash was severely wounded (2 Chronicles 24:25). Some time later, several of his officials conspired against Joash and assassinated him (verse 20). According to 2 Chronicles 24:25, they did this because Joash had murdered Jehoiada’s son Zechariah; as a result of this and other evil acts, Joash’s body was not buried in the tombs of the kings (the royal sepulcher). What a sad ending for a life that began so well!

At least two things can be learned from Joash’s life. First, we all need mentors and guides in our lives: parents, older siblings, trusted friends, pastors, counselors. All of these mentors need to be faithful believers themselves, or else we cannot be confident that their counsel is from God. Even as we get older and become mentors ourselves, we must never think we can “stand alone” as Christians; God has placed us in families and in churches so that we can receive support and nurture from one another.

But Joash’s life teaches us a second thing: we cannot live on another person’s faith. Joash’s faith was dependent on Jehoiada’s faith, and when Jehoiada was gone Joash’s faith—if it ever truly existed—crumbled. Perhaps Jehoiada overprotected Joash and never gave him a chance to develop spiritually on his own. But one thing is certain: Joash did not maintain whatever faith he had, and as a result, he descended deeper and deeper into sin. His sins were not Jehoiada’s fault; they were his own.