2 Chronicles 24
In the next few chapters, the Chronicler depicted the theme of divine retribution in the lives of the Kings of Judah. He showed that God rewarded faithfulness and punished apostasy. In addition, he demonstrated the wisdom of following godly counsel versus the folly of ignoring it or heeding the advice of the nonbeliever. The former brings God’s favor and blessings while the latter leads to failure and judgment. Joash started out with godly intentions and actions, probably due to the wise counsel he received from Jehoiada. Jehoiada seemed to be the co-ruler of the nation which was a good place for such a godly and faithful man as he. No doubt the Chronicler wanted his audience to take note of how important the religious ruler is in the life of the people since those Jews who had returned from exile had no King. The priest could rule with wisdom and judge with equity and mercy. He was the one the people could look to for wise counsel.
Jehoiada shows us the benefit of walking with the Lord. He lived to the age of 130, longer than Moses and Joshua, a sure sign of God’s blessing. Unfortunately, when he died, Joash fell into apostasy. He turned the hearts of the people away from the Lord and ignored the wise counsel of Zechariah the prophet. He had the prophet executed, an act which caused the Lord to bring judgment upon him.
The Lord often sends troubles into the lives of those who stray from Him. Sometimes that trouble is God’s discipline designed to bring the erring ones to Him in repentance. However, the tribulations God sends on people and nations also serve as God’s punishment for their sins and as a warning to others that God takes sin seriously.
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