Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20040321.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSING IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XLVII: Blessing In Replacing Selfish Interests With Selflessness
(2 Kings 12:1-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the first signs that one is in spiritual trouble and could head deeper into sin is the sin of selfishness.
    2. In Judah, the contrasting loss of divine blessing caused by selfishness versus the gain of God's blessing caused by selflessness is evident in a study of the lives of Joash and his mentor the high priest, Jehoiada:
  2. Blessing In Replacing Selfish Interests With Selflessness, 2 Kings 12:1-21.
    1. King Joash expressed selfish interests in how he sought to repair God's temple, and his doing so started him in a slide into great apostasy and ultimate loss of God's blessing in his life, 2 Kings 12:1-21:
      1. After he had been rescued from Athaliah's purge by Jehoiada's wife as an infant, Joash began to rule as king in a generally righteous way since he was influenced by a godly mentor in Jehoiada, 12:1-2, 3.
      2. Joash saw the temple needed repair due to its neglect under Athaliah's reign (2 Chr. 24:7), so he had the priests use money from the census offerings (Ex.30:11-16), vow offerings (Lev. 27:1ff) and freewill gifts to pay for the repair work, 2 Kings 12:4-5 NIV, ESV; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftns. to 12:4; Lev. 27:2.
      3. Yet, in view of historical and Biblical precedents, this was a selfish way for Joash to handle this need:
        1. On the one hand, just as Joash in part had ordered, the materials collected to build the tabernacle in Moses' era came from the freewill offerings of God's people, cf. Exodus 35:4-5b, 20-21; 36:5-7.
        2. However, Joash required the priests also hand over money from census and special vow offerings, both of which God had ordained be the priests' regular income, 2 Kings 12:4 with Ex. 30:11-12, 16 on the census offerings and Num. 18:8-9a, 14 on the special vows offerings.
        3. Also, it was the example of king David's giving of his own great wealth that led the people to give freely of their offerings to supply materials to build the temple in Solomon's day, 1 Chr. 29:1-9.
        4. For Joash then to order only the priests to give up part of their God-ordained regular income (cf. 2 Kings 12:16) to repair the temple and not give of his own wealth in accord with Biblical and historical precedents meant Joash was harsh to the priests and selfish with his own money!
      4. Well, judging there wasn't enough of their income to give to repair the temple and still meet their own livelihoods, the priests did not direct this money to the repairs, 12:6, Ibid., B.K.C., O.T., p. 562.
      5. Joash called Jehoiada to task on the issue, and redirected the collections be handled by parties other than the priests, 12:7. Jehoiada submitted to Joash to honor God in having the temple restored, and thus placed a chest in the temple with a hole in its top to collect all the money entering the temple, be it his own priestly income or not, 2 Kings 12:8-9 with 2 Chronicles 24:16b.
      6. Possibly due to this frustration with the priests, when Jehoiada died, Joash heeded godless advisors and turned to worship idols, cf. 2 Chr. 24:17-18a.
      7. God warned Joash to repent, sending him prophets; yet, Joash not only rejected them, but brutally martyred Jehoiada's son, Zechariah on the temple site where he had been saved as an infant from Athaliah's purge by Zechariah's own mother, Jehoshabeath, 2 Chr. 24:18b-22 with 22:11!
      8. Hence, God judged Joash to lose the temple riches he had worked to acquire to Syria, 2 Chr. 24:23-24; 2 Kings 12:17-19. Joash was injured in the process, and two lowly foreigners slew him, 2 Chr. 24:25f.
    2. In contrast to Joash, Jehoiada selflessly "gave ground" to the king to keep order, and was blessed of God:
      1. Jehoiada selflessly yielded to the king's rule to repair the temple even if it meant putting up with great, unjust income loss as a priest; he even graciously built a collection box to that end, 2 Kings 12:8-9.
      2. God rewarded Jehoiada with a long life of 130 years (2 Chr. 24:15 with Deut. 5:16) and provided for his welfare so he could live that long in spite of Joash's confiscation of part of his own priestly income!
      3. Indeed, he was buried in the kings' graveyard above the honor given to Joash, 2 Chr. 24:16; 24:25!
Lesson: Joash became selfish, and ended up judged by God and dishonored; Jehoiada gave ground to Joash's unfair ruling to honor God's interests at great personal cost, and God rewarded him by meeting his needs so he could live a long life, and Jehoiada was buried in high honor along with the kings!

Application: May we avoid selfishness so we not begin the long, slippery slide into sinful apostasy! Rather, may we do God's will even at temporal loss and see God supply our every need and bless us!