2 Kings 12

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

2 Kings Chapter 12

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Jeremiah

Date Penned: (586 BC)

Overview: A History of the Kings of Israel and Judah (c 1-25)

Theme: A Divided Kingdom (c 1-17)

Message: Joash Rules Judah (v 1-21)

2 Kings 12 Commentary

(12:1) Joash Fails to Remove Sin - Joash didn't go far enough in removing sin from the nation, but he did much that was good and right. When we aren't sure if we've gone far enough in correcting our actions, we can ask these questions: (1) Does the Bible expressly prohibit this action? (2) Does this action take me away from loving, worshiping, or serving God? (3) Does it make me its slave? (4) Is it bringing out the best in me, consistent with God's purpose? (5) Does it benefit other believers?

(12:2) Joash Listens to Jehoiada - God's input yields good output. Joash had a good teacher in Jehoiada, the high priest. As long as he lived, Jehoiada's faith in God influenced Joash for good. Good intent must be fortified with good content. As long as Joash listened to Jehoiada's good instruction, he fulfilled God's plan for his reign and the people of Judah. All our plans and actions should be guided by God, and his counsel is made clear to us in his Word. Our lives will be productive if we heed godly counsel.

(12:3) A Failure to Follow God - The Israelites were supposed to offer sacrifices to God only in designated areas under supervision of the priests, not just anywhere (Deuteronomy 12:13-14). Making sacrifices at pagan shrines on the hilltops ("high places") copied pagan customs and encouraged other pagan practices to enter into their worship. By blending these beliefs with belief in God, people were custom-making their religion, and it led them far away from God. (For more information on these pagan shrines, see the note on 1 Kings 22:43.)

(12:4) Joash Raises Funds to Repair the Temple - The temple needed repair because it had been damaged and neglected by previous evil leaders, especially Athaliah (2 Chronicles 24-27). The temple was to be a holy place, set apart for worship of God. Thanks to Joash's fund-raising program, it could be restored. The dirt and rubble that had collected inside over the years were cleaned out, joints were re mortared, pagan idols and other traces of idol worship were removed; the gold and bronze D were polished. The neglected condition of the temple reveals how far the people had strayed from God.

(12:5) A Contrast in Principles - What a contrast between the construction supervisors, who needed no accounting of their use of the money, and the priests, who couldn't be trusted to handle their funds well enough to set some aside for the temple

(12:7-8). A Lack of Devotion - As trained men of God, the Levites should have been responsible and concerned. After all, the temple was their life's work. Though the priests were not dishonest, they did not have the commitment or energy needed to finish the work. Sometimes God's work is better accomplished by devoted laypeople. Don't let your lack of training or position stop you from contributing to God's kingdom. Everyone's skill and energy is needed to carry out God's work.

(12:16) The Offerings - To read more about trespass and sin offerings, see Leviticus 4=5; 6:24:7:10.

(12:20) A Turning Away from the Lord - The reasons for the servants' plot against Joash are listed in 2 Chronicles 24:17-26. Joash had begun to worship idols, had killed the prophet Zechariah, and had been conquered by the Syrians. When Joash turned away from God, his life began to unravel. The servants didn't kill Joash because he had turned from God; they killed him because his kingdom was out of control. In the end he became an evil man who was killed by evil people.

Dave Burnette's Life Application
Repairer of the Breach

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Today we continue the book of 2 Kings with Chapter 12. In our text, we see we see the account of Joash ruling Judah. What catches my eye is the making of the breach in the house of God. The temple needed repair, and the people of the land were unfaithful with their funds giving them in sacrifice to the pagan gods, so Joash put a chest out before the people of God to donate to the house of God to repair the breach. In applying our text, we see the Lord's financial plan for the House of God. Today we have the Church, and the congregation is to pay the finances of the Church with tithes and offerings. The staff and building are to be kept by these finances of the Church Community as well as the fulfilling the great commission of reaching the world with the Gospel both here and around the Globe. According to an article from Christianity Today, only 2.6% of those who call themselves Christians tithe, and only 25% of regular Church members tithe. This lack of obedience hinders the Church's mission of repairing the breach both fiscally and spiritually. How about you? Are you a Christian? Do you tithe? Let us learn from our text today and the example of the Chest of Joash to give according to the instruction of the Bibles so the Church will continue in its mission of being a Repairer of the Breach.

2 Kings 12

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2 Kings 12

¹In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

²And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

³But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

⁴And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,

⁵Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.

⁶But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.

⁷Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

⁸And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.

⁹But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.

¹⁰And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.

¹¹And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,

¹²And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

¹³Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD:

¹⁴But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.

¹⁵Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

¹⁶The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.

¹⁷Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

¹⁸And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

¹⁹And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

²⁰And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.

²¹For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

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