2 Chronicles 24:1-3 All His Days

Jehoiada was a godly father and a godly leader “all his days.” ▫“Joash did what was right in the sight of the L ORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chron 24:2). ▫A godly man has great influence.

Joash had a great deal to overcome. ▫His father was a wicked man.  Ahaziah “walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the L ORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab” (2 Ki 8:27). ▫Athaliah, Joash’s grandmother, was vile.  She was the granddaughter of Omri.  “Omri did evil in the eyes of the L ORD, and did worse than all who were before him” (1 Ki 16:25).  After her son died, Athaliah staged a coup. ▫She killed “all the royal heirs of the house of Judah” (2 Chr 22:10). ▫Seven years after the coup, Jehoiada rose up, crowned Joash as king and had Athaliah killed (2 Chr 23:1-15).

One: Jehoiada led a revival of the people. ▫“Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the L ORD ’s people” (2 Chron 23:16). ▫That reminds us of the leadership of others.  Joshua: “As for me and my house, we will serve the L ORD ” (Josh 24:15).  Josiah “stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the L ORD, to follow the L ORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant” (2 Ki 23:3).

Two: Jehoiada instructed Joash. ▫“Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the L ORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Ki 12:2). ▫Jehoiada understood that Joash needed much isntruction.

Three: Jehoiada was open to instruction. ▫“The king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, ‘Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the L ORD and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?’” (2 Chron 24:6). ▫The collection was required by God (Ex 30:12-16).

“Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house” (2 Chron 24:15-16). “He had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.” ▫Could anything better be written about anyone?

How can you, as a godly man, have great influence?

One: Determine the life you want for your children. ▫“Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the L ORD ’s people” (2 Chron 23:16). ▫Determine what your children need to do and lead them there.  Do some soul-searching about where your children need to go in life.  Lead your children to these goals.  How might you lead your children?  Pray about these goals.  Model right behavior.  Talk about godly goals.

Two: Teach your children truth. ▫Jehoiada taught Joash the truth. ▫Fathers must teach their children.  “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut 6:6- 7).  “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:4).

Three: Be open to correction. ▫I love Jehoiada’s heart! ▫We fathers need to be open to correction.  We don’t have all the answers; God does.  How will we respond to correction when we are wrong?

I wish the episode of Joash and Jehoiada had a happier ending. ▫While Jehoiada lived, Joash did right. ▫But, with the death of Jehoiada, Joash became a very wicked king.  Joash even killed Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, because Zechariah prophesied against Joash (2 Chr 24:20-22).  The Lord punished Joash by having some of his own servants kill him (2 Ki 12:20).

A king who had such great potential but squandered every bit of that potential.