July 5

2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24 (biblegateway.com)

A Good Start, a Tragic End: The Rise and Fall of King Joash

The reign of King Joash begins with promise and potential. Crowned as a child and guided by the godly priest Jehoiada, Joash leads Judah into a season of reform and restoration. We see his commitment to repairing the temple and returning to proper worship in both 2 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 24. However, his story takes a tragic turn after Jehoiada’s death. Pride, poor counsel, and compromise corrupt what began as a faithful rule. In 2 Kings 13, we also gain insight into the broader instability in Israel’s northern kingdom, with Elisha’s final moments underscoring God’s persistent mercy amid national decline. Together, these chapters remind us that finishing well is just as important as starting strong.

2 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 24

Joash, also known as Jehoash, became king of Judah at just seven years old, following a dramatic rescue and hidden upbringing in the temple during the reign of his wicked grandmother, Athaliah. Under the wise and godly leadership of Jehoiada the high priest, Joash thrived spiritually and led Judah in reforms that honored God. During this season, he directed the repair and restoration of the temple, which had been vandalized and misused under Athaliah’s idolatrous influence (2 Kings 12:4-16; 2 Chronicles 24:4-14). The project was not without obstacles. Initially, the priests were slow to act, but Joash introduced an effective system: a collection chest placed at the temple gate. The people responded generously, and the work was completed with excellence and transparency. This period marks the height of Joash’s faithfulness and the nation’s spiritual renewal.

Jehoiada’s long life, recorded at 130 years, stands out not only as a biological rarity but as a mark of divine favor and spiritual significance. He lived longer than both Moses (120 years) and Aaron (123 years), two of Israel’s most revered leaders. This remarkable detail, emphasized by the Chronicler in 2 Chronicles 24:15, suggests that Jehoiada held a level of importance equal to that of Judah’s kings. In the cultural context of the ancient Near East, age was closely associated with wisdom, favor, and divine blessing. Egyptian literature idealized the age of 110 as the perfect lifespan, while Mesopotamian tradition often marked 120 as the pinnacle of human longevity. Even in later Babylonian accounts, such as that of Adad-Guppi, the mother of King Nabonidus, living past 100 was considered exceptional (she reportedly lived to 104). By surpassing all these benchmarks, Jehoiada’s extended life becomes a theological statement: a sign of God’s approval of a man who helped preserve the Davidic line, restore temple worship, and guide a nation back to covenant faithfulness.

After Jehoiada’s death, however, Joash’s heart began to drift. Without Jehoiada’s guidance, he became susceptible to the flattering influence of Judah’s officials. Tragically, Joash abandoned the temple he had worked to restore and turned to idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:17-18). God, in His mercy, sent prophets to warn Joash and the people, but they were ignored. The most severe rebuke came from Zechariah, Jehoiada’s own son, who boldly declared God’s judgment (2 Chronicles 24:19-20).

When King Joash and the people of Judah turned away from the Lord, God responded not with immediate punishment, but with mercy. By sending prophets to call them back, God was offering them a chance to repent before judgment came. This moment illustrates a profound truth about God’s character: He doesn’t abandon us or respond to our sin with vindictive anger. Instead, He actively reaches out through Scripture, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, wise counsel from others, and sometimes through painful correction. His goal is never to crush us but to call us back to Himself. Like a loving parent pursuing a wayward child, God’s pursuit is persistent and purposeful. So if you find yourself drifting from Him, pause and consider: God is drawing near, not to condemn, but to restore. Listen to His voice, let Him reveal what needs to change, and take that step back toward Him. His discipline is not rejection—it’s an invitation to return.

Rather than receiving this warning with humility and repentance, Joash responded with shocking hardness of heart. He ordered Zechariah—the very son of Jehoiada, the priest who had rescued and raised him—to be stoned to death in the courts of the Lord’s temple (2 Chronicles 24:21-22). This was no ordinary act of rebellion; it was a tragic betrayal of both spiritual authority and personal loyalty. Joash’s actions marked a dramatic spiritual decline. After the death of Jehoiada, the king, who had once been guided by godly counsel, now turned to idolatry and listened to corrupt officials. His decision to kill the prophet of God in the sacred space of the temple reveals how far he had fallen from the faith he once professed. Zechariah’s final words, “May the Lord see and avenge,” were not spoken in bitterness but as a prophetic cry for justice, and they foreshadowed the swift and violent end that would soon come to Joash. His life is a sobering reminder that proximity to truth and past faithfulness do not guarantee a steadfast heart. Without ongoing submission to God, even those who begin well can drift into spiritual ruin.

Soon after, Judah faced military pressure from King Hazael of Aram. Instead of seeking God’s help, Joash stripped the temple of its treasures and gave them as a bribe to Hazael (2 Kings 12:17-18). While this temporarily diverted the invasion, it revealed Joash’s spiritual bankruptcy. Not long after, his own officials turned against him, assassinating him (2 Kings 12:20-21; 2 Chronicles 24:25). The boy-king who began with promise and purpose ended his life alienated from God and rejected by his people.

2 Kings 13

Meanwhile, in the northern kingdom of Israel, Jehoahaz ruled and led the nation further into sin, provoking God’s anger and resulting in continual oppression by the Arameans (2 Kings 13:1-3). In desperation, Jehoahaz finally cried out to the Lord, and God, in His grace, raised up a deliverer, giving Israel relief, though only temporarily (v. 4-5). While they experienced a brief period of repentance and relief, they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued in them. Additionally, the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria (v. 6).

The Lord heard Jehoahaz’s cry for help and responded with mercy, delaying His judgment on Israel when they momentarily turned back to Him. However, their return was short-lived. Though Israel occasionally paused their idol worship, they seldom demonstrated true, lasting faith. Turning from sin is important, but it’s only part of the picture. We must also actively choose a life of ongoing commitment to God. A desperate plea in a moment of crisis cannot replace a consistent, daily walk of trust and obedience.

His son Jehoash (also called Joash of Israel) followed him on the throne and continued in evil (v. 10-11). Jehoash assumed the throne of Israel in 798 B.C. At that time, the king of Judah, Joash, was nearing the end of his reign. In Hebrew, Jehoash and Joash are two forms of the same name. Thus, two kings named with the same name, one in the south and one in the north, reigned at approximately the same time. While Joash of Judah began as a good king, Jehoash of Israel was evil.

Jehoash demonstrated a brief moment of humility when he visited the dying prophet Elisha (v. 14), a man deeply revered for his prophetic authority and miraculous works on Israel’s behalf. In a symbolic act, Elisha gave Jehoash a prophetic sign involving arrows to represent God’s plan for victory over Aram. However, when Jehoash was told to strike the ground with the arrows, he did it only halfheartedly. Jehoash struck the ground only three times instead of five or six, revealing a lack of passion, faith, or understanding—an act that ultimately limited Israel’s military success (v. 18-19). Receiving the full benefits of God’s plan for our lives requires us to receive and obey God’s commands fully. If we don’t follow God’s complete instructions, we should not be surprised that we don’t receive his full benefits and blessings.

In his distress, Jehoash cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” a title Elisha had once used for Elijah (2:12), reflecting his deep respect for Elisha’s power. Yet his reaction also exposed a deeper issue: Jehoash feared Elisha’s death because he placed the nation’s security in the prophet rather than in God Himself, revealing a shallow spiritual understanding.

Even after Elisha’s death, his legacy, and more importantly, God’s power working through him, remained. When a dead man was hastily thrown into Elisha’s tomb, he came back to life upon touching the prophet’s bones (v. 21). This remarkable miracle affirmed that Elisha had truly been a prophet of the living God and underscored the enduring power of God, who is not limited by death or human failure. No pagan idol had ever performed such a wonder, making this event a powerful reminder to Israel of the divine authority they had rejected in turning from God’s word through Elisha. More than just a historical miracle, this moment foreshadowed the resurrection power that would one day be fulfilled in Christ.

Conclusion

These chapters collectively illustrate the tragedy of spiritual drift and the peril of relying on human leadership for one’s faith. Joash’s story is a cautionary tale: a strong beginning is not enough if faith is not personally rooted in God. The faith he inherited from Jehoiada could not sustain him when left to stand on his own. In contrast, God’s grace toward Jehoahaz and Jehoash of Israel shows that even when His people are rebellious, He remains merciful to those who humble themselves.

The life of Joash challenges us to examine whether our faith is truly our own. Are we only faithful when others are watching or guiding us? Like Joash, we might start strong, zealous for God and committed to doing what’s right, but the true test is how we finish. When spiritual mentors are gone, our real convictions are revealed. We also see that God takes very seriously how we treat correction. Rejecting prophetic truth, especially when spoken in love, can lead us far from God. Meanwhile, Israel’s kings demonstrate that even partial repentance draws God’s attention, although limited obedience often results in limited blessings. Passionless faith, like Jehoash’s half-hearted striking of arrows, dishonors the magnitude of God’s calling.

Ask yourself—am I growing in personal, rooted faith, or am I depending on others to carry me spiritually? Where might I be resisting God’s correction in my life? Are there areas where I’ve only gone halfway in obedience, expecting full blessing in return? This week, commit to re-centering your walk on God Himself. Listen carefully to the voices He has placed in your life, and respond with wholehearted obedience. Don’t let a good beginning go to waste—fight to finish well.