The Haalf Witness of Joash

 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest....

17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ”

21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of theLord’s temple. 22King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

23At the turn of the year,^a the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash  (2 Chronicles 24)

Thoughts: Joash was saved by Jerhoiada the priest and his wife from death and elevated to the throne by Jehoiada.  Joash destroyed the Temple of Baal and the fertility worship.  He built up the Temple of the Lord.  But when Jehoiada died at 130, Joash listened to the ways of the Baal and Ashtoreth worshipers.  He neglected the Temple of God and worshiped false gods because everyone else was doing it- and there was no Jehoiada to hold him to account.  Jehoiada's son confronted Joash, but Joash put him to death.  Perhaps Joash was angry at God for allowing Jehoiada to die.  Perhaps he was only faking allegiance to God until the priest died.  
     God did not stand idle as Joash rebelled and turned away.  The opposite of what happened with Jehoshaphat (who conquered a huge army) happened.  Joash's huge army lost=against the odds to the Syrians.  Joash was assassinated.  No one liked him.  He was inconsistent and ungrateful.  

Prayer: Lord, keep me faithful to you.  Help me to honor those who taught me the faith and their relatives.