Joash crowned king by Jehoiada. And he was a pretty good king as long as Jehoiada was right there at his side.
One person can make a difference. Take Jehoiada. "As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord." 2 Chronicles 24:14. And it's like God knows how much the people need Jehoiada. He lives to be a 130. Yes, King Joash makes a big deal about raising the money to rebuilt and restore the Lord's temple. But while it takes Joash years upon years to get the priests to follow through on raising money to restore the temple, Jehoiada, day by day, every day, sees that the Lord is praised through sacrifice.
And when Jehoiada dies?
Well, it's as if the conscious of the people and the king dies with him. This king, who has labored to have the temple restored and who was saved because as a child he hid in the temple and was made king at the temple, loses everything in the temple to the invaders because he turns to other gods outside the god of the temple and kills Jehoiada's son. The king saved as a child in the temple, turns to other gods and kills the High Priest Jehoiada.
The only thing richer than the irony is the misery. What was he thinking? You're right, he wasn't. Lord knows.
No comments:
Post a Comment