Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20070429.htm

1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part V: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Rest Of Judah's Davidic Dynasty, 2 Chronicles 13-36
G. Doing Our Best In The Role God Assigns Us To Forward His Cause
(2 Chronicles 22:10-24:16)
  1. Introduction
    1. Every believer in the Church era is assigned a spiritual gift, an enabling for effective Christian service for the Lord, and with that enabling an assignment or calling of service, 1 Peter 4:10a; Colossians 4:17.
    2. Yet, we might think our gift or assignment is not important, that we can not then be effective for God.
    3. This is not so, and proof is found in the life and ministry of Jehoiada who did his best in his calling with tremendous blessing for others in advancing the cause of the Lord (as follows):
  2. Doing Our Best In The Role God Assigns Us To Forward His Cause, 2 Chronicles 22:10-24:16.
    1. As Jehoiada, God's high priest, began his ministry in the temple, he faced what would have been a heart-wrenching apostasy for him under the influence of godless rulers in the land, 2 Chronicles 22:1-10:
      1. Jehoiada saw king Ahaziah of Judah follow the advice of his wicked mother, Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel in ruling Judah, and thus be slain by Jehu under divine judgment, 2 Chron. 22:1-9.
      2. Jehoiada had then seen Athaliah seize the throne and try to kill off the competing seed of David, 22:10.
      3. In her reign, Jehoiada had seen Baal worship with its false temple and high priest established in Judah with the ceremonial pollution of God's temple, 2 Chronicles 23:17-19 implied.
    2. Nevertheless, Jehoiada did his best to lead his wife, Jehoshabeath to revere God in the face of this sin, a fact revealed in her decision to risk her life to save the infant Joash from Athaliah's purge, 22:11-12.
    3. Accordingly, realizing he could help God's cause by getting the little Joash crowned and guiding Judah in the ways of the Lord under his oversight, Jehoiada worked to establish Joash as king in Athaliah's place:
      1. Jehoiada waited six years until little Joash was old enough to rule under his care, 2 Chron. 22:12-23:1.
      2. Then, he made elaborate, sensible plans to crown Joash and have wicked Athaliah slain, plans that proved to be so effective that the transition of monarchs was made without civil war, 23:1-15, 21.
      3. Having accomplished this shift in monarchs, Jehoiada led the nation Judah as would a godly king to remove the symbols of idolatry of former monarchs in favor of God's worship, 2 Chronicles 23:16-20.
      4. Consequently, Judah rejoiced and enjoyed peace at the death of troublesome Athaliah, 2 Chron. 23:21!
    4. Jehoiada then helped Joash in the ways of the Lord, even getting him wives to propagate the royal seed and keep the Davidic Covenant line going in accord with God's will, 2 Chronicles 24:1-3; 2 Sam. 7:7-14.
    5. Having done all of these things, Jehoiada "went the extra mile" for the Lord's cause to solve a crisis:
      1. Joash became old enough to initiate his own reforms, and ordered the priests to repair the temple that had gone in disrepair under the apostate reigns of Ahaziah and his mother, Athaliah, 2 Chron. 24:4-5.
      2. However, as 2 Kings 12:4-8 reveals, Joash's call that the funds come from freewill offerings, revenue that belonged to the priests, the money was not sufficient to do the temple repair, so Joash rebuked Jehoiada, 2 Chron. 24:5-6 with 2 Kings 12:7; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 561-562.
      3. Joash's rebuke was unfair: (a) Jehoiada had done much to establish Joash and serve God's interests, so he deserved no such rebuke from Joash. (b) Besides, Jehoiada could not expect the priests to give up part of their Biblically rightful personal income to shoulder the whole cost of the temple repairs.
      4. Yet, to forward God's will, Jehoiada without resentment bored a hole in the top of a chest, making a "savings bank," and set it beside the altar so people could donate in it for the work, solving the problem for all parties involved, 2 Kings 12:9. The collections were ample for the repairs, 2 Chron. 24:11-14a.
    6. Due to this selfless solution, the temple sacrifices were observed all during Jehoiada's tenure under Joash; also, at his death, though "just" a priest, Jehoiada was buried with the kings after having lived to the ripe old age of 130 years in reward for his godly works in behalf of God's interests, 2 Chron. 24:14b, 15-16:
Lesson: For SACRIFICIALLY making GOD'S interests his FIRST priority, though "just" a priest and not a king, Jehoiada "went the extra mile" to further God's cause amid trials, and God rewarded him in accord with the Mosaic Covenant with a long life and an honorable end (Deut. 28:13; 30:20).

Application: Regardless of our calling and assignment from God, may we like Jehoiada make the most of the opportunities God grants us to advance His purposes and enjoy His rich blessing and reward .