The Berean Pursuit
Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada took for himself two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD. So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly."
The Levites, however, did not make haste. So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?"
For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used the sacred objects of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
At the king's command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD. And a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they were to bring to the LORD the tax imposed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.
Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king's overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance. Then the king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who supervised the labor on the house of the LORD to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, as well as workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.
So the workmen labored, and in their hands the repair work progressed. They restored the house of God according to its specifications, and they reinforced it. When they were finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada to make with it the articles for the house of the LORD-utensils for the service and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other objects of gold and silver.
Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings were presented regularly in the house of the LORD.
When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.
And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.
After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them; but they would not listen.
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, "This is what God says: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.'"
But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.
Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada's son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, "May the LORD see this and call you to account."
In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.
And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. Those who conspired against Joash were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
The accounts of the sons of Joash, as well as the many pronouncements about him and about the restoration of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.
Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
Then Joash said to the priests, "Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD-the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD. Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple."
By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple. So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, "Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple."
So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD.
Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags. Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work-the carpenters, builders, masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.
However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD. Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.
No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers-Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah-along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla. His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
A Psalm of Asaph.
The Mighty One, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
Our God approaches and will not be silent!
Consuming fire precedes Him,
and a tempest rages around Him.
He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that He may judge His people:
"Gather to Me My saints,
who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."
And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,
for God Himself is Judge.
Selah
"Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices,
and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.
I have no need for a bull from your stall
or goats from your pens,
for every beast of the forest is Mine-
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
Sacrifice a thank offering to God,
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me."
To the wicked, however, God says,
"What right have you to recite My statutes
and to bear My covenant on your lips?
For you hate My instruction
and cast My words behind you.
When you see a thief, you befriend him,
and throw in your lot with adulterers.
You unleash your mouth for evil
and unharness your tongue for deceit.
You sit and malign your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was just like you.
But now I rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.
Now consider this, you who forget God,
lest I tear you to pieces,
with no one to rescue you:
He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
and to him who rights his way,
I will show the salvation of God."
Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven."
On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming!"
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Why do you harbor evil in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk?' But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." Then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your mat, and go home." And the man got up and went home.
When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
At that time John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus replied, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.
Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. "My daughter has just died," he said. "But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live."
So Jesus got up and went with him, along with His disciples. Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak. She said to herself, "If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed."
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take courage, daughter," He said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was cured from that very hour.
When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. "Go away," He told them. "The girl is not dead, but asleep." And they laughed at Him.
After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. And the news about this spread throughout that region.
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" He asked.
"Yes, Lord," they answered.
Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you." And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one finds out about this!" But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.
As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"
But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons."
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest."