"In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba." (2 Kings 12:1, 2 Chronicles 24:1) Jehu has now been king of Israel for seven years; he is the man who killed King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah (Joash's father). Little is known about Joash's mother other than she was from a town that originally lay within the tribe of Simeon and that was later incorporated into the kingdom of Judah. This almost certainly means she was a Jewish woman, but whether she was much influence on the young king we cannot say. We don't even know whether she survived the slaughter Ahaziah ordered to be carried out in the nursery of the royal princes. If she did survive, we don't know whether Zibiah was aware her son was saved from the slaughter and hidden in the temple for six years or whether she secretly visited him during those years. We don't know whether she is still living when her son is crowned king at the age of seven, for her name is never mentioned again.
Joash's reign is one of the longer reigns of the Biblical kings. But even though he reigned for forty years, this means he was only forty-seven years old at his time of death. In our day that would be considered the prime of life and it certainly seems young to me, especially now that I'm six years older than Joash was when he died. As I stated yesterday, we will find him starting better than he finishes, and it could be that his reign would have been far longer if he had remained fully committed to the Lord all of his days.
"Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him." (2 Kings 12:2, 2 Chronicles 24:2) Jehoiada the priest is Joash's uncle by marriage, the man who concealed the boy's existence from the wicked Athaliah for six years, the man who hid the child and protected him and taught him inside the temple walls until the right time for revealing him to the nation. Jehoiada is the man who orchestrated a successful political coup against Athaliah and declared Joash---the rightful heir---king of Judah. To Joash this man has been a father figure, a teacher, an advisor, and a wonderful example of faith. During the remaining years of Jehoiada's life the young king will follow his wise counsel.
One thing the king does not do, and which the wise priest and other godly counselors apparently do not advise, is tearing down all the old altars dotting the land. "The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." (2 Kings 12:3)
Now that the temple is in Jerusalem, the people are only to bring their offerings and sacrifices to this central location of worship. The old altars used in the past for worshiping the Lord were to be removed. But they were not removed and the people often resorted to those instead of going to the temple. I assume the main reason some of the people did this was because hilltop altars may have been more conveniently located to them. Another reason may have been due to wanting to do things their way instead of the way strictly prescribed by the Lord. There was nothing sinful in the past about worshiping God at hilltop altars but He had told the people before entering the promised land that a day would come when He would choose a place for their offerings and sacrifices and that they were only to use that location. They could, of course, pray to the Lord and worship Him at any time and in any place, just as we can today. But it was vitally important that they form a body of believers and not be cut off from a house of worship. The same can be said for us today, for if we do not join with the body of believers and if we do not attend services at a house of worship (or watch online or on TV, in the case of being physically unable to attend services) we run the risk of drifting from the Lord.
Running the risk of drifting from the Lord is why the people were not to make sacrifices and offerings on their own, in remote places, in their own way. They needed to hear the word of God read to them at the house of God. They needed the encouragement and the example of other believers. It was for their own good that the Lord insisted they go up to the house of worship with their offerings and sacrifices. And if the danger of drifting from a close relationship with the Lord wasn't enough reason to forsake all the old altars, the danger of falling into idolatry was a very real risk. Pagan altars looked very much like the old hilltop altars once used for worshiping the Lord. It would be easy to mix pagan worship rituals with the worship of the one true God. In addition, some of the hilltop altars had been converted into heathen altars by other inhabitants of the land and even by some of the Lord's people who had fallen into idolatry. Utilizing any altar for sacrifices and offerings, other than the altar at the temple, was a slippery slope.
Joash himself will fall down a slippery slope later in his reign. He may have thought that would never happen to him. I've committed sins I never imagined myself committing. Some of you may be able to say the same. Joash's fall into sin proves it can happen to anyone and that we must be on guard at all times. One of the easiest ways to fall into sin is to isolate ourselves from the body of believers, or to stop reading the Scriptures as often, or to stop praying as often, or to stop seeking godly counsel and encouragement as often.
Join us tomorrow as we continue studying the reign of this young king who did some good things but who also drifted from the Lord.
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