In my daily Bible reading, I have been working through 2 Chronicles. The Chronicles track the historical records of the kings of Israel and Judah. This week I was struck by this story in 2 Chronicle 24 of Joash and Jehoiada.
Joash became king when he was only 7 years old. The rest of the royal line had been executed, but Joash had been saved and hidden in the temple. The high priest, Jehoiada, protected him as a child and was his mentor and advisor when he became king.
Under Jehoiada’s influence, Joash has the temple of God restored and once again fills it with offerings to God. The temple had been destroyed in the previous generation, but worship had once again been restored in Israel!
Then, Jehoiada dies. He was 130 years old. Blessed by God to live a long of faithful service. As a sign of the highest honor, this faithful priest was buried among the kings because of his service to Israel, to God, and the line of David.
If only the story ended there.
Immediately after Jehoiada’s death, the princes of Israel come to King Joash. Joash listens to the princes and leaves the house of God to worship idols. Joash- A man who was raised in the temple of God. Joash- A man who had an incredible mentor and priest to guide him. Joash- A man who had done great things for God in the past all of a sudden has completely and openly forsaken his faith and has led Israel away with him.
Joash did great things for God when he had Jehoiada beside him. A great teacher, mentor, or influence is such an incredible blessing. Yet Joash never took the step to stand firm and mentor others. When the princes came, he could have corrected them and led like the king he was supposed to be, yet instead, he simply followed their example and forsook God. God places mentors and teachers in our lives to teach, encourage, and give us an example of how to live faithfully. We must then take the next steps of transforming our lives to reflect the commands of God and then teach others to follow the commands of God as well.
Here are just two questions to reflect on in light of 2 Chronicles 24:
Am I making the conscious decision to stand on the Word of God in my life, or am I simply following the people around me?
When I am surrounded by the lost, or even by younger Christians, am I allowing them to influence me, or am I seeking to influence them?
Brother Tyler