Start Time:	06:30 AM
End Time:	06:58 AM
Date:	July 08, 2014

 

TITLE: Joash Repairs the Temple

Scripture: 2 Kings 12:1 – 21

God’s Message / God’s Commands / God’s Promises:

→ In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash^[b] became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.  The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”  

NOTES:

Ø  God used a young boy to act on His plan!  God can use any man, both young and old, to fulfill His plan.  God’s first mission for Joash was to repair the temple of the Lord.  Under the supervision of Jehoiada, the priest, Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  And so God’s instructions to repair the temple came from a teenager.  Joash started reigning at the age of 7 and according to the passage above, 7 years later, Joash instructed the priests to repair the temple.  So never underestimate the ability of a young man because God will use anyone, no matter how young or old he is to fulfill His plan so long as the person is walking in the right path before the Lord’s eyes.

→But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.  Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves. 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 theLord. 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.  The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord;  it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings^[c] was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.  About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.   As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?  His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

NOTES:

Ø  God made sure that Joash was guided properly so He had Jehoiada, the priest, by his side.  God wants Joash, David’s descendant, to rule His people right so Jehoiada was there to guide and teach him.  Many times, we need a Jehoiada in our lives who will direct us to the right path and teach us the right ways – in some cases, our Jehoiada can be our spiritual parents but he can also be the Holy Spirit, Himself.  But clearly, we need guidance from the Lord, whether He uses another human or He will do it Himself.

Ø  God’s protection is upon those who abide in Him.  Hazael, the king of Aram, attacked Judah but with the help of the Lord thru Joash, Hazael retreated.  When we do the will of the Lord and when we abide in Him, His protection for us is unbroken.  Hazael could have taken what Joash gave him and then still attacked Judah, but he retreated.  God keeps His people under His wings.  Joash was kept safe and his mission to repair the temple completed.  Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, great and mighty God.  Thank You because in You we can be assured of our safety.  Thank you because You use us and it doesn’t matter who we are, how old we are, what background we have or what we did.  When You call us to do Your work, You qualify us for the task and our record is irrelevant.  Thank You Lord because You make sure that we have the proper guidance we need to fulfill Your mission.  Help us Lord to always focus on the task You have called us to do and to never fear because we are always safe in You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!