daily bible readings

The reign of Amaziah’s father, Joash, began well. 2 Chronicles 24:1–3 describes his reign but hints that all might not be well. “Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.” Joash obeyed God in covenant fidelity while Jehoiada was the priest.

The narrative picks up on verse 2 in 2 Chronicles 24:17–19 “After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.”

Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, was filled with the Spirit of God and sought to call the people back to Yahweh in repentance and obedience. The king did not listen to the priest of Yahweh. Nor did the people. They plotted against him and by order of the king, stoned the son of Jehoiada to death in the temple precincts.  As the priest lay dying, he cried out, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.” 2 Chronicles 24:22.

Having deliberately and consciously rejected God, the king and his nation could expect nothing but turmoil and covenant curses. And it came quickly!  The Arameans marched against Judah with a relatively small army but the Lord delivered the recalcitrant nation into their hands. They were being punished for their covenant infidelity.

The leaders of the nation were killed by the Arameans and Joash was himself was severely wounded. His officials. Zabad, son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith a Moabite woman - assassinated the king as he lay in his bed. The judgement of God was complete against this king who turned his back on the Lord.

Turning one’s back on God is never fruitful or positive. Calamity and judgement or discipline always follow. In severe cases, death can be the direct outcome of rebellion as it was for Joash. And, even scarier, this is not solely an Old Testament phenomenon. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 were struck down for lying about their giving to God. The Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:30 were weak and sick and some had died because they abused the body of Christ during the Lord’s Supper. And the beloved Apostle John, in 1 John 5:16, writes about a sin that leads to death. This reference to death could be physical death, which better fits the context than “spiritual” or eternal death.

Joash, the father of Amazian, began his life well but turned away from God in hard-hearted rebellion. He suffered greatly because he refused to heed the warnings sent by God. Would his son, Amaziah, learn from his father’s mistakes or would he follow in his footsteps?

Prayer:

Adoration:

• Adore God that He is gracious and loving and warns people of coming judgment in the hope that they will repent and return to Him.
• Adore God that He is so holy that He is holy and righteous and will judge all sin on the day of judgment. 

Confession:

• Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness.

Thanks:

• Thank God that all of your sins have been dealt with at the cross of Calvary and that Jesus has fully redeemed you from your sin.
• Thank God that you can share this amazing salvation with anyone and everyone you know.

Supplication:

• Pray that the CMTC students will continue to grow and mature in the Word as they read and study the Bible.
• Pray that the Lord would bless us with conversion growth as we share the Word of Life with those around us.

Discussion Questions

1. What  do you learn about God in these verses?
2. What do you learn about believers in these verses?
3. What legacy did Joash leave for his son, Amaziah?