2
Chronicles 24 Reminds me of the difficult balance between protecting
our kids from the dangers of the world and allowing their faith to be
tested. This is equally true of new believers. There is a bunker
mentality that some take, but bunkers are meant for short term
protection. The chapter begins, “Joash
was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
forty years“.
Remember, this kid had been hidden in the Temple to protect him from
his murderous grandmother. I’m sure he was under constant
supervision, because he was the only remaining descendent of King
David. We read, “Joash
did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada
the priest“.
As a parent, I find the most difficult task is allowing the child to
fail. By insulating them from difficulties, we also rob them from
learning the lessons failure teaches. Doesn’t it show a real lack
of faith when I interfere with the lesson God is teaching my child?
All
new believers must learn to trust God’s Holy Spirit. “The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of
God”
(Romans 8:16).
The
chapter continues,
“Joash
decided to restore the temple of the Lord“.
Rather than coercing the people to give, he set a chest outside the
gate of the Temple, and sent a proclamation “Bring
to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of
Israel in the desert“.
And we read, “All
the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the
chest until it was full… and collected a great amount of money“.
Giving with thankfulness is a beautiful act of worship. The Temple
was in disrepair and “They
hired… workers… to repair the temple“.
Continuing the theme, giving freedom to the workers produced
excellent results. “The
men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed
under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original
design and reinforced it“.
There was even enough abundance to replace all the missing Temple
vessels, “articles
for the service… of gold and silver“.
And
again we read, “As
long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in
the temple of the Lord“.
Things in Judah seemed wonderful as long as the old priest was
alive.
“Jehoiada…
died at the age of a hundred and thirty“.
After
the priest died the kid was clueless. “After
the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to
the king, and he listened to them“.
The king had no experience trusting in God’s Word or listening to
His Spirit. He was easily misled. The more we experience God’s
faithfulness, the better our discernment becomes. “Although
the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to Him…
they would not listen… They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the
God of their fathers“.
It is tragic to see what happens to people when they fall away from
trusting God. Believe this; God does not ever give up on us! The
chapter ends with a sad irony. “The
Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest“.
The
son of the priest that had protected Joash asked a hard question,
“Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands?”
Sadly we read, “King
Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father… had shown…
by order of the king they stoned him to death“.
God sent His son to pay the price of our rebellion. You have the
freedom to willingly receive Jesus as your Lord. Here is another
hard question, have you remembered the kindness you have been shown?