2 Kings 12
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1Jehoash began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Jehoash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. 4Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into Yahweh’s house, in current money, the money of the people for whom each man is evaluated, and all the money that it comes into any man’s heart to bring into Yahweh’s house, 5let the priests take it to them, each man from his donor; and they shall repair the damage to the house, wherever any damage is found.” 6But it was so, that in the twenty-third year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damage to the house. 7Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said to them, “Why don’t you repair the damage to the house? Now therefore take no more money from your treasurers, but deliver it for repair of the damage to the house.” 8The priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, and not repair the damage to the house. 9But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into Yahweh’s house; and the priests who kept the threshold put all the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house into it. 10When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put it in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house. 11They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on Yahweh’s house, 12and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13But there were not made for Yahweh’s house cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house; 14for they gave that to those who did the work, and repaired Yahweh’s house with it. 15Moreover they didn’t demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully. 16The money for the trespass offerings, and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into Yahweh’s house. It was the priests’. 17Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria; and he went away from Jerusalem. 19Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20His servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in David’s city; and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
World English Bible (public domain)
“But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the Lord. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.”
2 Kings 12:9
Summary
2 Kings chapter 12 recounts the reign of Joash, who became king of Judah at the young age of seven after the death of his father, Ahaziah. Joash's reign is notable for his efforts to restore the temple of the Lord, which had fallen into disrepair due to neglect. Under the guidance of the high priest Jehoiada, Joash initiated a campaign to collect funds from the people to repair the temple. The chapter highlights the significant role of the priests in managing the temple's restoration, emphasizing a community effort in the worship of Yahweh. As Joash grew older, he became committed to ensuring that the temple was properly maintained. However, the narrative later reveals a troubling turn when he fell away from Yahweh after Jehoiada's death, leading to idolatry and the oppression of the people. This contrast in Joash's faithfulness during the life of Jehoiada and his subsequent failure underscores the importance of strong spiritual leadership and the need for personal accountability in one's relationship with God. The chapter concludes with the account of external threats to Judah, including an invasion by Hazael of Aram, which serves as a reminder of the dangers of straying from the covenant with God. Joash's story serves as a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of faithfulness and the consequences of neglecting God's commands. The restoration of the temple symbolizes the potential for renewal and revival among God's people, while the eventual decline reminds us of the need for ongoing vigilance in our spiritual lives.
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