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Home , 2 Chronicles 21, Azariah (High Priest), Jehoiada

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2 Chronicles 21-24 Good evening church, thank you for coming out tonight, and thank you to those of you watching online. Tonight, I know you will not be surprised, but we are going to continue on in our Study through the . I will say, as we journey through the as we are here at Calvary Chapel Victorville, it is interesting and sometimes surprising how timely the text is. Tonight we will be in 2 Chronicles 21-24, and we will see that there are some things happening in these verses that speak to the historic events of our own day. So let’s pray, and we will get into God’s Word. Now, our focus has primarily been the Southern in our study through the Chronicles. We now pick up the historical narrative here at the death of King . Remember he was considered a good king, but as all men do he had some flaws. He made some very foolish alliances with the evil kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. And evil alliances, this being spiritually unequally yoked, always comes with dire consequences, that sometimes last well beyond the initial incident. Page 2 of 32

That will be the case for Jehoshaphat’s folly, it will be felt even long after his death. Our kids will be the ones that ultimately pay for our lackadaisical attitude toward sin in our lives. So let’s get into it, Chapter 21 verse 1… Jehoram Reigns in Judah(1 Kings 22:50; :16- 24) 21:1 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of . Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: , Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the . 4 Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel. So, Jehoshaphat dies, leaving the kingdom to his oldest son, Jehoram. Now, remember from last time, this is the son that married the wicked king ’s daughter in an evil alliance. Page 3 of 32

We see the compromise in Jehoshaphat is now playing out in a terrible way with his son. The daughter of Ahab and Jezebel obviously shared in their wickedness, and is influencing the new king. Jehoram begins his reign by killing all his brothers so they could not be a threat to his rule. He character is highly flawed. It shows the great insecurity of a leader to shut out all opposition, to silence those who might oppose them. It also is a sign of weakness and wickedness. If Jehoram trusted in his father’s God, he would have stability in his Kingdom, stability, and hope. But he has gotten off course from the direction of Israel’s God, and now wickedness is at the helm of the government. I wonder, if we can imagine a government that is so wicked that it would try to silence only certain voices? I wonder, if we can think of a government now, trying to rule through deceit and lies, who is desperately trying to cover up any Truth that might oppose them or invalidate them? Unfortunately, we don’t have to look to foreign lands any longer, there is an attempt now to silence opposition here in the US. Even our church services are getting dinged on YouTube right now, they are accusing us of producing Page 4 of 32 pornographic content, and they don’t give us any avenue to dispute it. There is a dark war happening right now in this country, trying to silence Truth. And look, this is for those online viewers, there very well can soon be coming a day where the only way to hear God’s Word from this pulpit is to come to church here. We will keep putting content out, as long as the tyrannical forces at work allow, but that avenue may soon be closed to us. We might have to have church the old fashion way, here among the Body of Christ. So Jehoram silences all opposition, he murders those who were a threat, and we read now. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in . 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. Again this is the fruit of his father’s compromise and alliance with Ahab. Page 5 of 32

And it seems here that his wickedness was enough for God to destroy him, yet God had made a promise to David that his lineage would carry on, and that the Messiah would come from him. God held out for the sake of that promise. However, we will still see there were terrible consequences for his sinful ways… Verse 8 now… 8 In his days revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over themselves. 9 So Jehoram went out with his officers, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots. 10 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. At that time revolted against his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray. Edom and Libnah both revolted against this wicked tyrant. They were client kingdoms, and they would bring taxes or tribute to Israel. Yet, wickedness is weakness, and those under the wicked hand of Jehoram saw opportunity to free themselves from Judah’s rule. Page 6 of 32

The scriptures here tell us, that this was directly linked to the king leading the nation into sin and idolatry. Remember last time, there was a divine protection over Judah from the surrounding enemies as Jehoshaphat led the nation in godliness. But God has lifted that protection… I don’t know if you heard the prayer over the opening pf the United States 117th congress, but it is chilling, and it might be a tell, that we are no longer one nation under God. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, ended his prayer “in the name of the monotheistic god,” then added what sounded like “Brahma,”(a demonic Hindu god, there creator god) before finishing with “and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and a-woman.” Amen is the Latin for so-be-it, so A-woman does not mean anything. I heard a pastor say this week, if you say A-woman instead of Amen, you are A-Moron. But clearly darkness is sweeping over this nation, as its leaders are leaving the God that this nation was established under. As we see here, war is a marker of a nation walking away from the will of God. Page 7 of 32

Interesting that there was no new wars fought in the last 4 years, you can do with that information what you want, but I wonder what is ahead for a nation that prays to Brahma instead of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Look now starting at verse 12… 12 And a letter came to him from the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, 14 behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction — your children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15 and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day. Now, a prominent prophet from the Books of the Kings comes into the picture here. Now, this is all interesting, because Elijah was caught up to heaven during the reign of Jehoshaphat, and we are dealing with his son here. Page 8 of 32

You see the prophet was inspired to write a letter to the future king and pronounce a judgement before the events even transpired. This is pretty incredible, we are not told how the king received the letter, but it came non-the-less. Also, remember Elijah was a prophet for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which makes this even more incredible. But he knew the king would depart from his father and grandfather’s example, perhaps made evident by whom he married. But this is not a prophecy that you would want to hear. Especially from a prophet like Elijah, who was proven to speak on behalf of God. God promised that a painful sickness would come upon the king as a direct judgement for his wickedness. As we have mentioned many times before, the Law of Reaping and sowing is inescapable. Gal 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. We are told in Prov. 22:8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail. Where are you sowing to tonight, to the flesh and iniquity or to the Spirit? There will be a cause and effect either way. Page 9 of 32

Either fruit unto God, or rotting fruit of the flesh. So starting now in verse 16… We will see the hedge of protection will be lifted… 16 Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians. 17 And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. 18 After all this the Lord struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. (God’s Word will always come to pass) 19 Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers. 20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the , but not in the tombs of the kings. Only one son survives, and the king’s intestines fall out, and no one mourns his death… this is all the result of ruling a nation in wickedness. Prov. 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. Page 10 of 32

This wicked king received a suitable judgement, he was rotten spiritually, and he rotted from the inside out. God has the physical condition of his body match the spiritual condition of his soul, and he died in severe pain. It was a terrible tragedy for the king and for the nation. He had no lasting legacy… Let’s read now starting in verse 1 of Chapter 22… Ahaziah Reigns in Judah(2 Kings 8:25-29; 9:14-16,27- 29) 22:1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. 2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was the granddaughter of . 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. 4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. So the Kingdom of Judah starts spiraling down this terrible path of darkness. Page 11 of 32

Ahaziah was the only living son of Jehoram, because the Arabians killed all the other sons. Ahaziah was strongly influenced by his pagan mother, and like she did with her husband, she influenced her son’s rule, and he was wicked. Mother’s you have an incredible influence on your children, and you will even have this influence over them into their adult lives, and this influence can be used for bad or good purposes. Chuck Swindol once wrote… “There is no more influential or powerful role on earth than a mother’s. As significant as political, military, educational, or religious public figures may be, none can compare to the impact made by mother’s……

Their words are never fully forgotten, their touch leaves an indelible impression, and the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime…. I ask you, who else is anywhere near that influential” Is it any wonder, whenever we see someone who just made it to the top, may it be an athlete, or star, who do they thank? Mom, not dad, but mom. Abraham Lincoln was right when he said “No one is poor who had a godly mother.” Mother’s please never downplay your role in the lives of your children. God has entrusted you with an incredible responsibility. Prov. 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Page 12 of 32

And when he is old he will not depart from it. I have heard countless testimonies from all walks of life, who have given credit to their godly mother for them coming to the Lord, it was her prayers, and godly example that led them to the Lord. Unfortunately in our text, this queen mother squandered her influence, and used it for evil. And her son will only last a year, and he will fall under condemnation and judgement as well. Starting in verse 5… 5 He also followed their advice, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6 Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. 7 His going to Joram was God's occasion for Ahaziah's downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against the son of , whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them. 9 Then he searched for Ahaziah; Page 13 of 32 and they caught him (he was hiding in ), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, "because," they said, "he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom. If you remember from our Study in 2 Kings, God told Ahab that he would cut off Ahab and the seed of Ahab because of the idolatry that he introduced in the land. So Ahab’s son, Joram, had gone out to war against Syria and was mortally wounded. He was recovering in Jezreel and the Lord came to Jehu and told him that he was going to take out the king and sit as ruler in his place. Jehu was appointed to enact God’s judgement on the house of Ahab. Jehu fulfilled this Divine commission, and he also came against Ahaziah, king of Judah. Jehu did not have a command to judge Judah, but he thought he might get extra credit for doing so, and he kills Ahaziah. And at this, the Messianic lineage of David is almost completely wiped out, and worse, there was no one to take the throne. And Jezebel’s daughter takes full advantage of this power vacuum. Page 14 of 32

Look now at verse 10… Athaliah Reigns in Judah(2 Kings 11:1-3) 10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. Athaliah almost ties her mother Jezebel, as being one of the most wicked women to ever live. She even killed the remainder of her family to achieve this powerful position in Judah, even her grandchildren. Now, I don’t know this personally yet, but I have been told that being a grandparent is better than being a parent. Some grandparents have said if they knew grandkids were going to be so amazing, they would have skipped having kids and gone to being a grandparent first. But this lady was so wicked, she suppressed any good toward the grandkids, and had them murdered. Again, we see the fruit of compromise, and sadly enough, the compromise was from a godly king, Jehoshaphat. And here all these generations later, we see that his alliances with the wicked are having a devastating effect on the nation. Listen, even as believers, there are negative effects from our poor decisions in life. Page 15 of 32

This is why we can never let our guard down, even though we may be striving toward the Lord today, we cannot let up tomorrow. Any compromise we let in will have an impact in some way or another. So, here in our text Athaliah is trying to destroy the Messianic line of Judah, this has been Satan’s life’s work since he heard God promise Eve in the Garden that one day a Seed of woman would come to fix the sin problem. Later God revealed it would be the offspring of Abraham, then more specifically the Seed of David. Satan had tried to destroy the line of David, and was still doing so even during the days of Jesus’ birth, Satan influenced Herod to kill the babies under 2 years old in order to stop Jesus’ birth from happening. But as we will see here, God will not be outmatched, Jesus was well on His way to Egypt before Herod could get to the Baby who would be Savior. Here the lineage is almost wiped out, but Satan will lose here as well… 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Page 16 of 32

Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land. So God uses this little-known woman to have a prominent place in the Redemption of mankind. Through her courage and sly workings, she preserved the royal line of David, which the Messiah would come from one day. Understand something tonight church, evil will always try to raise its head up against God and His ways. There are times when darkness seems to winning, wicked rulers are getting away with treachery and deceit. There are times when the side of good seems to be all but lost. But God will always raise up a Jehoshabeath, or even Jehoshabeaths. God is always one step ahead, Good always prevails in the end. Ps 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Church never lose hope in our God, stay in the Good Fight, stay engaged, stay faithful to our God, and trust that He is always at work, even when we don’t see it or understand it. Page 17 of 32

God uses this woman here to steal the baby away, and as we will see he will become the next king. Don’t ever discount what the Lord can do, and never doubt the fact that He can use you to do His Work. He just needs willing vessels who are full of faith, and who avail themselves to Him, and He takes it from there… Look now starting Chapter 23 verse 1… Joash Crowned King of Judah(2 Kings 11:4-12) 23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and made a covenant with the captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord has said of the sons of David. 4 This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be keeping watch over the doors; 5 one-third shall be at the king's house; and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation. All the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 But let no one come into the house of the Lord except the priests and those of Page 18 of 32 the Levites who serve. They may go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. 7 And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out." Jehoiada was a godly priest and he was concerned for restoring the throne to the lineage of David. He understood the importance of God’s Word, and he knew that he had to subvert the wicked daughter of Ahab. It is interesting that someone can gain an office of power like this through such treachery and heinous and obvious crimes. And she was able to maintain that position for six years. But you see fear is a great tool that is wielded in the hand of a tyrant. When a ruler is able to use fear and bully tactics upon those who might oppose them, they are then able to maintain control. I watched the video today of the day Saddam Hussain took power and it was frightening. His first day, he had the opposition leader come before their parliament, obviously beaten and undone, and he Page 19 of 32 made that man list off names of those who opposed Saddam, and they arrested all opposition right there took them out in the streets and executed them. Now, this is the tactic of wicked and treacherous tyrants. I don’t know if you know this, but there are people in our own government now, wanting to make lists, and those who are those list, they believe should be punished and silenced. And this week, we see thousands upon thousands of people have been silenced for daring to question the false narrative that they have staged before us. They have even silenced our President. Let me be clear, we are no longer a light to the world as a Free Republic, we have now entered into a dark period of time, more resembling a socialistic regime. Freedom of speech is no longer a right and the pendulum has swung to the side of oppression instead of Freedom. Fear is a great tool to control the people. Athaliah got away with it for six long dark years. Continuing now in verse 8… 8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Page 20 of 32

Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of God. 10 Then he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and by the temple, all around the king. 11 And they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the Testimony, and made him king. Then Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, "Long live the king!" Now, this was an important plan that had to be followed to the T. Athaliah was a very powerful enemy and would not go away without a malicious fight. So they prepared themselves for battle, they made practical preparations, they took weapons and got them ready. You know, there is a lot of debate right now about being prepared. Some explain that they have faith and God will take care of them, they don’t need to prepare for anything. Others on the other hand are full blown preppers for the end days. Page 21 of 32

Jess and I were talking about this the other day, as believers, there is an aspect of faith that we lean on God for the outcome that is for sure. But in the Bible, we see faith was met with practicality, they prepared themselves. Plan to live your life like God will take care of you, but prepare your family practically for uncertainty. There is wisdom in preparation, and it does not mean you do not have faith, but plan practically. In this case here in our text they prepared for Athaliah to put up a fight. So they step out in faith here, and rejoice in their new king Joash. Look now starting in verse 12… Death of Athaliah(2 Kings 11:13-20) 12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the temple of the Lord. 13 When she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, and those who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, "Treason! Treason!" This is crazy, because she was the one actually guilty of treason. Page 22 of 32

We see this today, those who are arbiters of evil, are constantly and persistently calling their foes evil. They even have media and elites sharing in their deception. They hope if they can sway the people with their accusations that no one will look to closely at their own wickedness. This does not work for Athaliah here… 14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not kill her in the house of the Lord." 15 So they seized her; and she went by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate into the king's house, and they killed her there. So we see this wicked politician was finally removed from office, this wicked woman who had seemingly unequalled power and control is taken out by a priest and a child king. And the dark era of her influence was ended here, the boy king would now rule, and he would be heavily influenced by the godly priest Jehoiada. And after these dark days, there will be a great revival and return to the worship of . Page 23 of 32

The worship brought in by Athaliah would be done away with. Let’s look at what the revival looked like… 16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the Lord's people. 17 And all the people went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. First thing was removing the wicked influences in the land. And for us revival starts with this, a removal of things that feed that old nature, and having a restored worship of our God. Look now starting in verse 18… 18 Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the Lord to the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of , with rejoicing and with singing, as it was established by David. 19 And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord, so that no one who was in any way unclean should enter. 20 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord; and they went through the Upper Gate to the Page 24 of 32 king's house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword. Jehoiada the priest was careful to reinstate the practices and customs according to the Biblical mandate that God had given. And we see the result is Joy and True Worship, unlike anything seen since the days of King Jehoshaphat. The city was quiet, this is a sign that God’s blessing was upon them in their renewed commitment to their God. So final chapter now, Chapter 24, starting in verse 1… Joash Repairs the Temple(2 Kings 11:21-12:16) 24:1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. Jehoiada had a very influential impact on the life of King Joash. He followed the Lord for forty years… We see he took two wives, and once again perhaps they were treaty wives. This in no way makes polygamy okay as some try to justify, the scriptures never okay the practice. Page 25 of 32

Now, according to the customs of the day 2 was not that many wives, he was doing pretty well comparatively. And this is only recorded history, not God stating it is okay. Honestly, my wife is awesome, and as wonderful as she is, I think 2 wives would be a bit too much, just one too many. One is enough that is for sure. Okay, verse 4 now… 4 Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the Lord. 5 Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly." However the Levites did not do it quickly. 6 So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord and of the assembly of Israel, for the of witness?" 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord to the . Page 26 of 32

Part of the reformation taking place was to be disciplined with the offerings. The people neglected the giving which was used for many things, one of which was the restoration of the Temple. Now, this is a true testament of a change occurring in us as believers, being obedient to the Lord with our finances. And really, this seems to be the last area for many people to let go of, and to surrender to the Lord. Disobedience is the cause of much financial hardship for many today and the hardships perpetuate the problem of not giving, it is a vicious cycle. But there is another cycle that you can find in your giving, once you start giving to the Lord, you will soon find that you cannot out give our God. There is joy and peace in our finances when this is realized. Giving is an important part of our spiritual development. So moving on now… 8 Then at the king's command they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the Page 27 of 32 wilderness. 10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. 11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king's official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. Notice this renewed discipline of giving had been restored and with that the Joy. 2 Cor. 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver This worship led to the ability to fix up the Temple… 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the Lord, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of Page 28 of 32 gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada. They collected enough money to restore the House of the Lord and were able to bring burnt offerings all of the days of Jehoiada. And as we have mentioned in other places, the Temple’s beautification only matched the spiritual beautification in the people. They went hand in hand, as the people were revived, the facilities were revived. Verse 15 now… Apostasy of Joash 15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. 16 And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house. And this tragedy will be the starting point of the downfall of the king and the nation. Jehoiada had such a preserving influence over the king and the nation, he was able to keep their eyes on the Lord. 17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. 18 Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden Page 29 of 32 images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 19 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. It is obvious here that the king was a weak man, easily persuaded by those lobbying him for change. He is no leader, but a follower, and follows the advice of these wicked men. They left the worship in the House of God and tragically began to follow and serve idols again. They refused the messengers of truth, the prophets were rejected and silence, and their YouTube channels were blocked. 20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.'" 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, "The Lord look on it, and repay!" This prophet here was the son of the Jehoiada, and he had a position of influence like his father did. Page 30 of 32

We see him stand above the people, and was perhaps the leading priest. Joash not only refused to listen to the Lord’s messenger, he had him silenced by killing him, but the prophet had the last Word. He assured the king the Lord will get him in the end… Death of Joash(2 Kings 12:19-21) 23 So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of . 24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. 25 And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are Page 31 of 32 written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place. Understand something that this reveals to us tonight, it is never a good place to be, standing against God, and facing His judgement. Joash could have avoided all of this by turning to the God of his childhood, he knew the goodness of the Lord, and God loved him so much that He sent a prophet to warn him. But he refused to listen, and he experienced the inescapable judgement of the Lord. His own servants conspired against him, and this is a sad ending to the life of a king who began so well. Church, I would like to say, today we are living in tumultuous times, and darkness seems to winning at every turn, the Word of God is being silenced, reason is being silenced, and Truth is being silenced. Deceptive and dark rulers are taking their positions. They are for murdering babies, they are so thirsty for more power, that they will stop at nothing to gain it. But as we saw tonight, no one, I mean no one can escape the judgement of God. They might have some time seemingly getting away with it, but it will never last, in the end Good always finds a way to prevail. Page 32 of 32

Sure we might be in for a struggle, a difficult time, but our God remains Supreme above it all. Church, Jesus is coming soon, let that thought consume you. Soon and very soon we are going to see our king. You are on the winning side as far as eternity is concerned. We have a hope that this world does not have, they scramble and manipulate for more in this life, while negating the next life. You have chosen to live for the next life, and that is the right choice. God is in control church, stay in the fight, stay faithful to His cause, and you will gain all that matters in this life. Let’s pray…