Joash

THEME: We must live for God and not for men.

LESSON: Though men and women of God may greatly influence us, our faith and devotion must be to God alone.

KEY VERSE: "And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest"(2 Chr. 24:2)

VERSE TO REMEMBER: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Ps. 103:2 - emphasis added).

TRACK RECORD: Josh was saved from Athaliah's maniacal wrath by his older sister Jehoshabeath and her husband, Jehoiada the priest. When Joash was seven, he was made king, and Athaliah was put to death. Joash would remain king for the next 40 years. So long as Jehoiada lived, Josh was at his best. He set his heart on repairing the Temple that had long been neglected by his predecessors and resolutely did so. However, the turning point in Joash's reign - and his life - came when Jehoiada died. Without the good priest's counsel, Joash went astray. "Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king… And they left the house of the Lord God of their father, and served groves and idols" (2 Chr. 24:17-18). In fact so great was Joash's rebelion, that he ordered the stoning death of Jehoiada's son, Zechariah, who had confronted him about his sin. Joash died from the hands of his own servants who sought revenge for Zechariah's death.

It was clear that Joash's heart was devoted more to Jehoiada than to God. When Jehoiada was no longer in the picture, the king's true allegiances emerged.

APPLICATION: Christians, too, must be careful not to magnify their spiritual leaders, be it pastors, teachers, or those who disciple them. For when these men fall, so do those who revere them. God and God alone is to be magnified, revered, and worshiped.

SPIRITUAL EPITAPH: "Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you" (2 Chr. 24:20).