2 Kings 12

Bible Passage:  2 Kings 12

A Good Follower

My name is Joash or Jehoash and it means “the Lord has given or bestowed”.

I am the son of Ahaziah, the sixth king of Judah and my mother was Zibiah.

When I was a baby, I was rescued from the murderous rampage of Athaliah my grandmother, by my aunty Jehosheba. They hid me and brought me up morally and spiritually in the house of Jehoiada, my aunty’s husband who was a high priest.

Jehoiada led a revolt against Athaliah. Victory. So, I was anointed the eighth king of Judah.

I was seven years old when I became king.

I did as my uncle Jehoiada instructed. I had my heart set on repairing the house of the Lord. I gathered offerings from the people, while the people who worked on the house of the Lord continued theirs labours and completed it. We offered to the Lord continually as long as my uncle Jehoiada was around.

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Is there someone who you tend to rely on, someone whose instructions you’d always like to seek? It is so easy to follow someone else’s lead, when they instruct us we simply obey or follow. You look on to them because they may be your seniors, your parents, someone you look up to, they give you advice or they help you when you are in need.

To do the work of God, no one is ever too young or too old, too small or too weak to serve God because every one of us is shaped for a different purpose; everyone is a different shape because we serve in the way God wanted us to. And someone to look on to is a God-given grace and to serve together may be a more blissful or memorable experience.

A Bad Leader

After Jehoiada passed away, the leaders of Judah came to the king and he listened to them. Therefore Joash sinned as he led the people astray from God and worshipped idols.

Though the Lord sent prophets to warn them, the people did not listen. Even when Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada was sent by God to warn the people, the people conspired against him. At the command of the king, they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.

So Joash did not remember the kindness of Jehoida but killed his son. So the Lord sent the Syrians as an instrument to execute His judgement. After capturing Gath, and invading Judah and Jerusalem, Joash bought off Hazael with tribute money and valuables from the temple and palace.

Joash was left wounded severely, and his own servants conspired against him and murdered him on his bed because of the killings of the sons of Jehoiada.

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See how easily influenced Joash was? Joash was a follower even when it came to follow bad advice, because he took no initiative to seek God and His righteousness. Therefore he led the people astray and because he was king, his authority and responsibility was greater. Was there a time you were so easily persuaded by someone, you didn’t stop to think twice, is this right? What can you do to keep yourself in check?

To take initiative to do what is right, to know God personally and not through someone else is an important part of spiritual maturity. The people around us who we rely on, support us, or give us advice will not always be around or that beacon to look upon. We must also be careful not to lead others astray if there are those who follow us, and therefore we must constantly check our faith. Faith is our own and at the end of our journey, we answer to God.

Let us remember to follow and do what is right, and strive to be good leaders too.