Select a Ring of Truth daily devotion online
Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
Select the date to display the devotion for:
2 Chronicles 24:1-2
“Joash was 7 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 40 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 of Jehoiada, the High Priest.”
The High Priest’s wife had saved his life.
When the previous king’s mother, Athaliah, found Jehu had killed her son at God’s command, she set out to destroy the whole royal house of Judah. But Jehoiada’s wife, Johosheba, took the one-year-old baby and hid him in the Temple for the 6 years Athaliah ruled the land.
Then Jehoiada, the High Priest, made his move. He called together all the commanders of Judah and got them to go through the whole land of Judah, gathering the Levites and heads of the towns to a meeting in Jerusalem. There Jehoiada set forth his plan. He divided the men into 3 groups - 1 to guard the doors, 1 to guard the Royal Palace and 1 to guard the Foundation Gate. The Levites stood armed guard over the king. Then Jehoiada put the crown on Joash’s head, gave him a copy of the Covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the King!” (23:11)
Athaliah went to see what all the commotion was about and responded by shouting “Treason! Treason!” (23:13) However, Jehoiada ordered her death and she was killed in the palace grounds rather than at the Temple. Jehoiada then handed the Temple over to the Levitical priests and told them to run it as the Law required and set about installing Joash as king on the royal throne.
As our verse tells us, he was 7 at the time. Jehoiada acted as his chief adviser and also arranged a couple of marriages for him. Joash wanted to restore the Temple, so he called all the priests and Levites together and told them to collect money from the people and to start the restoration process. When they procrastinated, he called in Jehoiada to get the restoration going properly. “As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the Temple of the Lord” (24:14). He died aged 130 and was buried with the kings, in the City of David. (Not a bad age for those days.)
After the High Priest’s death, however, the officials of Judah came and led Joash astray and eventually he killed Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah (not the prophet who wrote the book).
What a pity Joash did not follow through. I wonder if this is one of the reasons Paul wrote, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
So too, we must constantly guard ourselves from the complacency of Asa and the waywardness of Joash.
The prize is for those who finish the course. There are far too many who fall by the wayside. Please be determined to overcome and to be faithful to the end.
Download the above Ring of Truth devotion as a PDF.
Previous Day's Devotion | Next Day's Devotion
To subscribe to this daily devotion by email visit our Daily Email subscription page.
