Text: 2 Chr.24:15-27
Topic: Ending well
The title will be considered with the following sub-headings
Introduction
The
house of God before Joash
Joash’s
good works
His journey
to an awful end
Questions to ponder on
Introduction
Joash was a child of destiny, there are two kings of Gods people by that name one was king over Israel and the other over Judah, we are focused on the eight king of Judah, his name in Hebrew means Jehovah- given, he was spared by grace from the onslaught of Athaliah, he was hidden for seven years in God’s house by Jehoiada’s family(the priest), he became king by God grace against the wishes of Athaliah who wanted ,plotted and moved to terminate all royal seed at that time(Who is it that sayeth a thing and it comes to pass….Lam.3:37), and at a tender age of seven, he was a leader of God’s people by grace just like you and I may God help us all to finish well and strong in Jesus mighty name.
The
house of God before Joash
During the reign of Jehoram as the king of Judah (the king that reigned before his (Joash) father), there is need to reiterate that Joash came from a lineage of wicked kings, there was so much iniquity in the land, great dimension was performed by the monarch which includes but not limited to:
v Killed
his own brethren (Athaliah latter repeated same feat) 2 Chr. 21:4
v
Continued in the old and wicked pattern of King
Ahab vs.6 & 13
v Led God’s people astray, making high places(idolatry), practicing and permitting fornication vs.11
Consequently, God did the following as judgement for his many sins
v 1.Plagued
him with a disease that eventually killed him. Vs.15
v 2.Stirred
up the philistines and Arabians who BROKE INTO the king’s house/ Lord’s house
and LOOTED IT.2 Chr.21:17. We permit the devil to do all he can when our
relationship with God is not intact.Prov.16:7.
What is
the state of the house of God where you worship, can anything be done to make
it better? What is the state of your relationship with God? Are you keeping yourself pure as His temple?
Joash’s good
works
Joash had his good side/roles/deeds, let’s explore this:
v 1.He had a
very good mind/spirit to repair the house of the Lord vs.4
v 2.He
mobilised the persons and resources for the repair vs.5, Luke 14:28-29
v 3. He was
zealous about it, resolute about it, followed up on this task especially with
the leaders, who were to take responsibility but were dragging vs.6&9
v 4. He
didn’t leave out the professionals at the right time, Masons and Carpenters
vs.12
v 5. Ensured a good close for the work vs.13-14.
What
attitude do we have for God’s house/thing/people? How do we feel when
things/persons are going out of line? What problems are we solving with our God
given positions/opportunities?
WE ARE WRITING HISTORY.
His
journey to an awful end
At least two things can be linked to his embarking on an awful journey from which he never came back viz: The death of Jehoiada and the influence of some ungodly princes just like the friends of Rehoboam 1kings 12, may God help us to really grow in Him, know Him enough to be led by His spirit alone.Rom.8:14. some of the highlights of his inglorious journey:
v 1. He
served grooves and idols and led God’s people to do same 2 Chr.24:18
v 2. He refused the voice of caution from God vs. 19
v 3.He conspired against the spirit of God and had
the human vessel used of God killed Vs.20-21
v 4.God unseated him, His vast army was humiliated
and defeated by a few Syrian enemy but he was too deaf to retrace his steps
vs.23-24. He didn’t learn from the Israelite’s experience in Ai Joshua 8.
v 5.He was
sick and eventually assassinated by his servants vs.25.
Questions to ponder on
v Is it
wrong for his discipler to have assisted him to become a king fulfilling God’s
mandate over him or to have died at a very old age?
v Do you
have God given Discipler, have you gained any momentum through them?
v Is there anyone serving God for your
influence over them?
v Are you
maturing/matured enough to follow God with or without Discipler, are you
teaching your disciples same
v Can you
identify negative influences/influencer and avoid them like plaque?
v Are you
also working on your personal altar/relationship with Christ and not just
building for achievement/accolades/promotion amongst other sinister intentions?
v What is
Gods assessment of our works?
God bless you.
