Joash: The King Who Forgot
King David lamented that some men rewarded him evil for good, to the sorrow of his soul (Ps. 35:12). He adds elsewhere that the reason they were his enemies was that he followed what was good (Ps. 38:20). One more comment broadens the subject: "Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love" (Ps. 109:5). David's son, Solomon, attached a severe penalty to such an unbecoming attitude: "Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house" (Pr. 17:13). Presumably, King Joash had been taught these principles, but if so, he forgot them.
He would not have survived the age of one, had it not been for Jehoiada the priest and his wife, Jehoshabeath. Joash was rescued by this couple and hidden in the house of the Lord for six years after the wicked Athaliah tried to destroy every male descendant of David. Joash alone escaped death. At the age of seven, he was made king and began his reign. And he began well. In fact, "Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (2 Chron. 24:2). Obviously, Jehoiada exercised a godly influence over the king, but he eventually died\they hem no—at the age of 130! He had been such a positive force in the kingdom for good that they buried this priest "among the kings" (v. 16).
After his death, "the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them" (v. 17). Unfortunately, they were of a different mindset than the godly Jehoiada had been. The very next verse informs us: "Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass" (v. 18). God sent prophets to bring them back, but the king and his leaders "would not listen" (v. 19). Finally, God sent a prophet named Zechariah (not the same as the one whose book precedes Malachi); he was, in fact, the son of Jehoiada the priest.
This Zechariah stood above the people and spoke: "Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you" (v. 20). One would think that Joash's thoughts might be flooded by memories—memories of a baby being rescued from death by a cruel woman; of hiding in the house of the Lord, of Jehoiada proclaiming him king and faithfully guiding him through years of prosperity; of the way a younger generation had persuaded him back towards idolatry. He ought to listen to the son of his savior. "They will respect my son" (Matt. 21:37). Would Joash repent? Would he try to find the way back to faithfulness? No. They "conspired against him, and at the commandment of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord" (2 Chron. 24:21). What ingratitude! "Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son…" (v. 22).
The aftermath of this event requires the reader to consider three things. First, as Zechariah was dying, he said, "The Lord look upon it, and require it" (v. 22), which He did. God avenged the death of his innocent prophet upon the nation. After a losing battle, Joash's "own servants conspired against him…and killed him on his bed" (v. 25). They were wrong to do so, but it shows the lack of respect for the king. Joash, the epitome of ingratitude, was not buried "in the tombs of the kings," as Jehoiada had been (v. 25). Our eventual placement into heaven or hell depends on our memory. God sent His Son to die for our sins. Shall we be obedient to Him or disregard the sacrifice He made on our behalf? Shall we live faithfully or return evil for good?