Winners and Losers: Part 6 - JOASH

Joash: The King Who was Ruled by His Advisors

Kathy's Sunday School Lessons Written for Young Boys and Girls by Kathryn Capoccia

© Copyright Kathryn Capoccia 2001. This file may be freely copied, printed out, and distributed as long
as copyright and source statements remain intact, and that it is not sold.

Sometimes in the Bible we see individuals who seem to know and love God as evidenced by the acts they do for him. But the Bible makes it clear that good works do not bring about a saving relationship with the Living God: it is only faith in Him and in the atoning work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, that secures salvation and eternal security. The Bible also says that “you shall know them by their fruit” (MAT 12:33). In the life-story of Joash we see a man who “did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2CH 24:2) but who later allowed flattery to influence him to do evil (2CH 24:17). He was the great grandson of Jehoshaphat who had inadvertently introduced Baal worship into Judah through the marriage of his son Jehoram to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. She in turn, influenced her husband and her son, Ahaziah, to endorse idolatry. By the time Joash was born Baal worship was firmly entrenched in Judah though there were still godly people in the land, notably Jehoiada the high priest and uncle of Joash. As long as Jehoiada was there to advise Joash he followed God (except for failing to remove the high places in the land: 2KI 12:3), but when Jehoiada died at the age of 137 (2CH 24:15) the stage was set for apostasy. As we look at the life of Joash let’s look at his legacy, the kind of fruit he produced, and see if we can determine whether his testimony is one of those whose desire is to trust and obey God as the soldier of Ephesians chapter 6 does- and failed to do so, or if he is one of those whose sin showed that he never had true faith (1JO 2:19). Is he a winner who stumbled or a loser who finally showed himself for what he was? Let’s look at Joash’s life to see if we can answer these questions.

I. Who Was He? (2KI 11-12; 2CH 22:10-12, 23-24:22)

A. What was his name? Joash or Jehoash means “Let the LORD give”

B. Who were his people?

1. He was the son of Ahaziah, 6th king of Judah (2KI 11:2) who “walked in the ways of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly” (2CH 22:3).

2. His mother’s name was Zibnah (“a female gazelle”) of Beersheba (2KI 12:1).

3. His grandmother’s name was Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel and Ahab (2KI 11:1,2; 2CH 18:1), who had married Jehoram (or Joram) and influenced him for evil (2CH 21:4-6).

4. His aunt was Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of King Ahaziah (2KI 11:2); she was the wife of Jehoiada (2CH 11:11).

5. His uncle was the High Priest, Jehoiada (2CH 22:11).

C. When did he live? He lived from 842 B.C. to 796 B.C (although one scholar believes he lived only until 800 B.C.); he reigned 40 years, from 835 B.C. to 796 B.C. (2KI 12:1).

D. Where did he live? He lived in Jerusalem in Judah.

II. What Did He Do?

A. He provided opportunity for righteousness under Jehoiada’s influence

1. He assumed his rightful throne (2KI 11:1-

a. he was preserved (2KI 11:1-3)

1) he was saved from death

a) Athaliah wanted to kill Joash, along with all the royal offspring, to usurp the throne of Judah after the death of Ahaziah (2KI 11:1).

b) Joash was hidden from Athaliah’s attack by his Aunt Jehosheba (2KI 11:2).

2) he was secure until age seven- he was hidden by Jehosheba and Jehoiada from Athaliah in the house of the LORD for six years.

b. he was presented (2KI 11:4-12)

1) Jehoiada made preparations

a) he made a covenant with the temple guards to protect the king and instructed them in how to do this (2KI 11:4-8)

b) he armed the guards and stationed them around the Temple (2KI 11:9-11)

2) Jehoiada crowned the new king

a) he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony (2KI 11:12)

b) they made Joash king and anointed him and saluted him (2KI 11:12)

c. Athaliah was prosecuted (2KI 11:13-16)

1) she accused Joash and Jehoiada of treason (2KI 11:14; 2CH 23:13).

2) she was arrested and executed at the horse gate of the king’s house (2KI 11:15,16; 2CH 23:15)

3) the people rejoiced that she was dead (2KI 11:21)

2. He advanced God’s cause

a. he followed Jehoiada’s instruction

1) godliness was encouraged

a) a new covenant between man and God was made (2CH 23:16).

b) Jerusalem was cleansed of Baal worship (2CH 23:17).

2) worship was revamped (2CH 23:18-20)

a) the temple offices were assigned to the Levitical priests again.

i. they were to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD.

ii. they were to make offerings with rejoicing and singing.

b) the gates of the Temple were to be guarded to prevent the unclean from entering

c. he restored the Temple (2CH 24:7-14).

1) he commanded that the Temple be repaired (2CH 24:5)

a) he assigned the responsibility of collecting money for repairs to the priests and Levites and for making the repairs (2CH 24:5; 2KI 12:4,5)

b) he relieved the priests of their responsibility to repair the Temple when they failed to do so in the 23rd year of his reign (2KI 12:6-8)

2) he commanded that the repairs be made by craftsmen (2CH 24:8-14; 2KI 12:7-16).

a) he commanded that direct contributions from the people should fund the restoration to be controlled by the king and the high priest (2CH 24:8; 2KI 12:10)

i. Jehoiada the priest was given the task of constructing a collection box for offerings for the restoration (2CH 24:8; 2KI 12:9).

ii. the priests guarded the offerings, counted them and paid the workmen with them (2KI 12:11,12).

b) the people of the land responded enthusiastically until the work was completed (2CH 24:10-14).

B. He promoted foolishness under ungodly counsel (2CH 24:17-22; 2KI

1. Jehoiada, his godly counselor, died (2CH 24:15,16)

2. ungodly advisors flattered Joash and manipulated him (2CH 24:17).

a. they abandoned the house of God and true worship and served Asherim and idols (2CH 24:18).

b. they ignored the prophets of God sent to turn them back from their sin (2CH 24:19).

2. Joash forsook God

a. he had Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered rather than repent at his rebuke (2CH 24:20-22).

*When King David sinned with Bathsheba God sent the prophet Nathan to him to confront him: David repented of his sin (2SA 12:1-13). When Jeremiah confronted the evil king Jehoiakim with condemning Scripture he burned it up and tried to seize Jeremiah and his scribe (JER 36:20-26); who is Joash more like?

b. he paid tribute to Hazael and did not pray to God for deliverance from him (2KI 12:17,18)

1) wrath from God brought the army of the Arameans to Judah to punish them (2CH 24:18, 23,24; 2KI 12:17,18).

a) the army destroyed all the officials of Judah and Jerusalem (2CH 24:23).

b) God delivered Judah into the hands of the smaller Aramean army (2CH 24:24).

c) Joash became very sick (2CH 24:25)

*This would have been an ideal time for Joash to turn back to God: his ungodly advisers were dead and he and his nation were in great need of deliverance. In this kind of situation Hezekiah prayed and was delivered (2CH 32) but the Scriptures do not reveal that Joash prayed.

2) Joash stripped the Temple and the royal treasury of all gold and with it appeased Hazael king of Aram who then withdrew his troops (2KI 12:18).

C. He perished ignominiously (2CH 24:25,26; 2KI 12:20,21)

1. he was judged

a. his servants, Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammoritess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess, conspired against him because of Zechariah (2CH 24:25).

b. he was assassinated in his sick room at the Millo (a fortress built into the wall of Jerusalem:1KI 9:24) (2CH 24:25; 2KI 12:20,21).

2. he was buried without the honor of kings

a. he was buried in Jerusalem (2KI 12:21; 2CH 24:23).

b. he was not buried in the tombs of the kings (2CH 24:25).

3. he was remembered for his sons, the oracles against him and for rebuilding the Temple (2CH 24:27).

WHAT DO YOU THINK, WAS JOASH A WINNER OR A LOSER?

III. What Can We Learn From Him?

A. Doing “good works” isn’t a guarantee that we are saved; we have to have a personal relationship with God through Christ first and then consistent good works will mark our lives as being genuine.

B. The adage “bad company corrupts good morals” is a true one and is true of the life of Joash; we need to make sure that we do not follow his example and fall into gross sin through the pressure of others.

C. God will judge sinners.

D. Anyone who commits sin on a continuing basis and will not repent of it and will not turn to God in time of need is most likely not His at all.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Kathy Capoccia's Sunday School Lessons for Young Adults" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
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