Through the Bible: 2 ChroniclesНамуна
Importance of Strong Personal Relationship with God
Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
2 Chronicles 24:2
Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them.
2 Chronicles 24:17
Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”
2 Chronicles 24:22
Joash = "given by the Lord"
His father, Azariah and grandmother, Athaliah, were evil. When he was a baby, his aunt, Jehoshabeath, hid him in the temple under Priest Jehoiada from Athaliah who was out to kill him.
His name, “given by the Lord”, speaks of his life as a gift from God Himself. He grew up knowing God, His gift of life and the throne of Judah. Yet, he repaid their kindness by turning away from God and killing God’s messenger Zechariah, son of Jehoiada.
How did Joash decline to this?
I see two possible reasons:
1. v2 - He didn’t have a strong personal relationship with God.
2. v17 - He surrounded himself with evil leaders.
This story shows how critical it is for our faith to be grounded in a personal relationship with God as well as surrounding ourselves with godly friends.
Prayer
Father, I ask for Your spirit of wisdom and revelation to open my eyes to see and my heart to grow in the knowledge of You so that I am fully grounded in Christ’s love. May You also show me how to surround myself with godly friends so that we can encourage one another to follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
About this Plan
2 Chronicles is clearly more focused on the history of Judah than with the northern kingdom of Israel. The author covers Solomon’s enthronement, the temple construction and the gradual demise of Judah. The book, however, ends with the Lord's desire to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Amidst the setbacks faced by post-exilic Jews, the author aimed to invigorate the people to rebuild the temple and resettle in the Holy Land.
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