How important is it to keep on doing God’s will throughout our life? Let’s look at the life of the boy king Joash in 2 Kings 12.
Did Joash (Jehoash) start out doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord? Did the length of his reign indicate God’s overall approval? Was his biggest failure not removing the popular high places of pagan worship?
In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Jehoash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (2 Kings 12:1-3 LSB)
Did Joash notice disrepair in the temple and begin to make plans to fix the problem? Had the priests mismanaged funds?
Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which anyone’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, the priests are to take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair damage to the house wherever any damage is found.” But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired any damage to the house. So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, “Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house.” The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they repair damage to the house. (2 Kings 12:4-8 NASB)
How was money raised for the needed repairs to the temple?
Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord. Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags. When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple. (2 Kings 12:9-12 NIV)
How faithful were the workmen who repaired the house of the Lord?
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. But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. 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. 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. (2 Kings 12:13-16 NKJV)
Instead of seeking God’s guidance, how did Joash persuade king Hazael of Aram (Syria) to call off an attack on Jerusalem?
About this time King Hazael of Aram went to war against Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. King Joash collected all the sacred objects that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the previous kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated. He sent them all to Hazael, along with all the gold in the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace. So Hazael called off his attack on Jerusalem. (2 Kings 12:17-18 NLT)
Did Joash eventually die in an assassination plot? Was it because he neglected seeking God’s will?
Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? His servants arose and made a conspiracy, and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in David’s city; and Amaziah his son reigned in his place. (2 Kings 12:19-21 WEB)
How important is it to finish what we started in our Christian life?
Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 CEB)
How important is it to keep on doing God’s will throughout our life? You decide!
