Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Chronicles 24:23

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Joash and Jehoiada (24:1-27)

The reign of the new king Joash showed how a strong and godly priesthood was necessary for the proper functioning of the Davidic kings. As long as he was under the influence of the high priest Jehoiada, Joash encouraged true worship among his people. After Jehoiada died, Joash turned away from God and encouraged Canaanite worship. For this he came under God’s judgment. Even his death was a punishment, notes the Chronicler, because he had murdered the priest who rebuked him (24:1-27; see notes on 2 Kings 12:1-21).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

GOD'S SUMMARY PUNISHMENT OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM

"And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they executed Judgment upon Joash."

It was especially appropriate that the Syrians killed all the princes, the very people who had seduced Joash to accept idolatry. Significantly, this judgment fell upon Joash and his kingdom within less than a year following the heartless murder of Zechariah. But God was not finished with his judgment against Joash. The next paragraph gives the conclusion of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

On the unusual character of this expedition, see the marginal reference note.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 24

In verse 2 Chronicles 24:15 of chapter 24, find Jehoiada, the priest that exercised such a good influence, died in a ripe old age of a hundred and thirty years.

And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done so much good in Israel. But at his death the princes of Judah made obeisance to the king. And the king began to hearken unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and they began to worship the pagan gods in the groves and the idols: and the wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this trespass. And yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear ( 2 Chronicles 24:16-19 ).

So God was angry. He sent His prophets, but they wouldn't listen to the prophets.

And so the Spirit of God came upon [this prophet, his name was] Zechariah and he stood above people, and he said unto them, Thus saith God, Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, that you cannot prosper? because you have forsaken the LORD, he also has forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. And thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but he slew his son ( 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 ).

Now this Zechariah was the son of the priest. Actually, he probably grew up with Joash. But Joash is turning against God, against the early roots.

And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it ( 2 Chronicles 24:22 ).

Now it is interesting that the Jews later on began to always almost worship their fathers. "Our fathers. Our fathers." I mean, that was always their cry, "Our fathers," in almost an ancestral worship that developed by the Jews in later years. And it was a thing that when Jesus was talking with them, it was a thing of debate almost as they would say, "But our fathers," you know, as though their fathers were so righteous and so holy. And Jesus one day got after them and said, "Which of the prophets did your fathers not kill?" Their fathers that they always revered in such righteousness and all killed the prophets that God sent to them.

Of course, Stephen points out the same thing in when he stood before the Sanhedrin. He tore down this concept of, "Our fathers were so righteous." And he tore down that concept, and he really laid it out on them. And they got so angry they began to gnash their teeth and they dragged him out and stoned him.

So Jesus gave the parable of how that this lord had gone away and he left his goods, the vineyard and all in the hands of his servants. And so the time came for harvest and he sent a servant to them that he might gather the fruit or the money from the sale of the fruit and all and bring it to him. But they mistreated and killed the servants. And finally he said, "I will send my own son. Surely they will respect him." But when the son came, they said, "Hey, this is the heir. Let's destroy him and then it will be ours." And Jesus actually was speaking a parable concerning Himself and how the Father had sent the prophets and how they had actually killed the prophets. But then when He sent His own Son, they even sought to kill Him. And He said, "What will the father do? He will take the vineyard from those or the goods from those evil servants and he will give it unto others," as Jesus was then prophesying the gospel, God's grace coming to the Gentiles and God's Spirit being poured out upon us.

So here is another account, the prophet of God, Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest, the faithful priest who was put to death by Joash in the later years as he turned, really. And so as the result of this, God allowed the Syrians to come to pass at the end of the year and He delivered Judah and Jerusalem to the hands of the Syrians. Now the Syrians didn't have a big army at all when they came down in this invasion. There were just a few of them. But God delivered a whole host of Judah into the hands of just a few Syrians because of their sin against the Lord.

The death of Joash is then recorded beginning with verse 2 Chronicles 24:25 .

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Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

H. Joash ch. 24

Joash’s life, as the writer narrated it, proves again the principles that Chronicles stresses. God was faithful to His promise to provide rulers over His people from David’s descendants. Each king’s success depended on his submission to God’s authority as expressed in the Law of Moses and the announcements of the prophets. The writer evaluated each king’s success and measured it by his attitude toward prescribed worship that centered at the temple.

"His rule . . . serves as a characterization in miniature for the historical course of his entire nation." [Note: Payne, p. 513.]

The use of boxes or baskets to receive the gifts of the people was common in the ancient Near East. [Note: Dillard, 2 Chronicles, p. 191.] Coined money did not exist before the sixth century B.C., so the people evidently brought their contributions in the form of refined or unrefined metals.

The priests were to instruct the kings in God’s Law (cf. 2 Chronicles 26:16-18). As long as Joash listened to this instruction, he succeeded. When he stopped listening, he began to fail. He began to lead the people away from God.

Nevertheless God did not abandon His people because they had abandoned Him. He sent at least one prophet to warn them to return to Him or experience discipline (2 Chronicles 24:20). The Hebrew text says literally, "The Spirit clothed Himself with Zechariah" (2 Chronicles 24:20; cf. 1 Chronicles 12:18). When the people refused to respond properly, judgment followed (2 Chronicles 24:21-27). The way of repentance was still open to the people (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:24-25; Jeremiah 18:7-10).

"This prayer of imprecation, rather than of forgiveness [by Zechariah] (cf. Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60), was justified by the official positions of both the killer and the killed. God’s name was at stake, and vengeance did follow (2 Chronicles 24:24-25)." [Note: J. Barton Payne, "Second Chronicles," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 409.]

The murder of Zechariah was especially heinous. He died in the very courtyard where "Jehoiada and his sons" (2 Chronicles 23:11) had anointed his executioner, Joash, as king. An earlier instance of conspiracy followed by stoning involved Naboth in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 21:8-14). Thus Joash suffers by comparison with Ahab. Ironically, Jehoiada sought to protect the sanctity of the temple from murder (2 Chronicles 23:14-15), but his own son was murdered there. Many students of Scripture believe that the Zechariah to whom Jesus referred in Matthew 23:35 was this man. [Note: E.g., Leon J. Wood, The Prophets of Israel, p. 237, n. 8).] However, Jesus referred to Zechariah the son of Berechiah (cf. Zechariah 1:1). Furthermore, Zechariah the son of Berechiah (the prophet) died hundreds of years later than Zechariah the son of Jehoiada (the priest).

In this chapter in particular, the people’s response to the temple clearly reflects their response to God (2 Chronicles 24:4-5; 2 Chronicles 24:13; 2 Chronicles 24:18; 2 Chronicles 24:20; 2 Chronicles 24:24). This is always the case in Chronicles.

The writer of Kings presented four kings of Judah as reformers: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. The writer of Chronicles recorded an additional revival that took place in Judah under Joash.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And it came to pass at the end of the year,.... After the death of Zechariah; so soon had his prophecy its accomplishment:

that the host of Syria came up against him; against Joash, king of Judah, under Hazael king of Syria, or however sent by him; for some think this is a different expedition from that in 2 Kings 12:17 though others take it to be the same:

and they came to Judah and Jerusalem; not only came into the land of Judah, but as far as Jerusalem, the forces of Joash not being able to stop them:

and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people; the idolatrous princes of Judah, 2 Chronicles 24:17, which is very remarkable that they should be distinguished from the people in their destruction, who had been the chief cause of the wrath of God coming upon them:

and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus; all the riches that were taken from them were sent to the king of Syria at Damascus; this looks as if Hazael was not with this army.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; a hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.   16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.   17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.   18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.   19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.   20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.   21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.   22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.   23 And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.   24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.   25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.   26 And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.   27 Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

      We have here a sad account of the degeneracy and apostasy of Joash. God had done great things for him; he had done something for God; but now he proved ungrateful to his God and false to the engagements he had laid himself under to him. How has the gold become dim, and the most fine gold changed! Here we find,

      I. The occasions of his apostasy. When he did that which was right it was not with a perfect heart. He never was sincere, never acted from principle, but in compliance to Jehoiada, who had helped him to the crown, and because he had been protected in the temple and rose upon the ruins of idolatry; and therefore, when the wind turned, he turned with it. 1. His good counsellor left him, and was by death removed from him. It was a mercy to him and his kingdom that Jehoiada lived so long-130 years (2 Chronicles 24:15; 2 Chronicles 24:15), by which it appears that he was born in Solomon's time, and had lived six entire reigns before this. It was an encouragement to him to go on in that good way which Jehoiada had trained him up in to see what honour was done to Jehoiada at his death: They buried him among the kings, with this honourable encomium (perhaps it was part of the inscription on his grave-stone), that he had done good in Israel. Judah is called Israel, because, the other tribes having revolted from God, they only were Israelites indeed. Note, It is the greatest honour to do good in our generations, and those who do that which is good shall have praise of the same. He had done good towards God; not that any man's goodness can extend unto him, but he had done good towards his house, in reviving the temple service, 2 Chronicles 23:8; 2 Chronicles 23:8. Note, Those do the greatest good to their country that lay out themselves in their places to promote religion. Well, Jehoiada finished his course with honour; but the little religion that Joash had was all buried in his grave, and, after his death, both king and kingdom miserably degenerated. See how much one head may sustain, and what a great judgment to any prince or people the death of godly, zealous, useful men is. See how necessary it is that, as our Saviour speaks, we have salt in ourselves, that we act in religion from an inward principle, which will carry us on through all changes. Then the loss of a parent, a minister, a friend, will not involve the loss of our religion. 2. Bad counsellors got about him, insinuated themselves into his affections, wheedled him, flattered him, made obeisance to him, and, instead of condoling, congratulated him upon the death of his old tutor, as his release from the discipline he had been so long under, unworthy a man, a king. They tell him he must be priest-ridden no longer, he is now discharged from grave lessons and restraints, he may do as he pleases: and (would you think it?) the princes of Judah were the men that were so industrious to debauch him, 2 Chronicles 24:17; 2 Chronicles 24:17. His father and grandfather were corrupted by the house of Ahab, from whom no better could be expected. But that the princes of Judah should be seducers to their king was very sad. But those that incline to the counsels of the ungodly will never want ungodly counsellors. They made obeisance to the king, flattered him into an opinion of his absolute power, promised to stand by him in making his royal will and pleasure pass for a law, any divine precept or institution to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. And he hearkened to them: their discourse pleased him, and was more agreeable than Jehoiada's dictates used to be. Princes and inferior people have been many a time thus flattered into their ruin by those who have promised them liberty and dignity, but who have really brought them into the greatest servitude and disgrace.

      II. The apostasy itself: They left the house of God, and served groves and idols,2 Chronicles 24:18; 2 Chronicles 24:18. The princes, it is likely, had a request to the king, which they tell him they durst not offer while Jehoiada lived; but now they hope it will give no offence: it is that they may set up the groves and idols again which were thrown down in the beginning of his reign, for they hate to be always confined to the dull old-fashioned service of the temple. And he not only gave them leave to do it themselves, but he joined with them. The king and princes, who, a little while ago, were repairing the temple, now forsook the temple; those who had pulled down groves and idols now themselves served them. So inconstant a thing is man and so little confidence is to be put in him!

      III. The aggravations of this apostasy and the additions of guilt to it. God sent prophets to them (2 Chronicles 24:19; 2 Chronicles 24:19) to reprove them for their wickedness, and to tell them what would be in the end thereof, and so to bring them again unto the Lord. It is the work of ministers to bring people, not to themselves, but to God--to bring those again to him who have gone a whoring from him. In the most degenerate times God left not himself without witness; though they had dealt very disingenuously with God, yet he sent prophets to them to convince and instruct them, and to assure them that they should find favour with him if yet they would return; for he would rather sinners should turn and live than go on and die, and those that perish shall be left inexcusable. The prophets did their part: they testified against them; but, few or none received their testimony.

      1. They slighted all the prophets; they would not give ear, were so strangely wedded to their idols that no reproofs, warnings, threatenings, nor any of the various methods which the prophets took to convince them would reclaim them. Few would hear them, fewer would heed them, but fewest of all would believe them or be governed by them.

      2. They slew one of the most eminent, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, and perhaps others. Concerning him observe,

      (1.) The message which he delivered to them in the name of God, 2 Chronicles 24:20; 2 Chronicles 24:20. The people were assembled in the court of the temple (for they had not quite left it), probably on occasion of some solemn feast, when this Zechariah, being filled with the spirit of prophecy, and known (it is likely) to be a prophet, stood up in some of the desks that were in the court of the priests, and very plainly, but without any provoking language, told the people of their sin and what would be the consequences of it. He did not impeach any particular persons, nor predict any particular judgments, as sometimes the prophets did, but as inoffensively as possible reminded them of what was written in the law. Let them but look into their Bibles, and there they would find, [1.] The precept they broke: "You transgress the commandments of the Lord, you know you do so, in serving groves and idols: and why will you so offend God and wrong yourselves?" [2.] The penalty they incurred: "You know, if the word of God be true, you cannot prosper in this evil way; never expect to do ill and fare well. Nay, you find already that because you have forsaken the Lord he hath forsaken you, as he told you he would," Deuteronomy 29:25; Deuteronomy 31:16; Deuteronomy 31:17. This is the work of ministers, by the word of God, as a lamp and a light, to expose the sin of men and expound the providences of God.

      (2.) The barbarous treatment they gave him for his kindness and faithfulness in delivering this message to them, 2 Chronicles 24:21; 2 Chronicles 24:21. By the conspiracy of the princes, or some of their party, and by the commandment of the king, who thought himself affronted by this fair warning, they stoned him to death immediately, not under colour of law, accusing him as a blasphemer, a traitor, or a false prophet, but in a popular tumult, in the court of the house of the Lord--as horrid a piece of wickedness as perhaps any we read of in all the history of the kings. The person was sacred--a priest, the place sacred--the court of the temple (the inner court, between the porch and the altar), the message yet more sacred, and we have reason to think that they knew it came from the spirit of prophecy. The reproof was just, the warning fair, both backed with scripture, and the delivery very gentle and tender; and yet so impudently and daringly do they defy God himself that nothing less than the blood of the prophet can satisfy their indignation at the prophecy. Be astonished, O heavens! at this, and tremble, O earth! that ever such villany should be committed by men, by Israelites, in contempt and violation of every thing that is just, honourable, and sacred--that a king, a king in covenant with God, should command the murder of one whom it was his office to protect and countenance! The Jews say there were seven transgressions in this; for they killed a priest, a prophet, a judge, they shed innocent blood, and polluted the court of the temple, the sabbath, and the day of expiation: for on that day, their tradition says, this happened.

      (3.) The aggravation of this sin, that this Zechariah, who suffered martyrdom for his faithfulness to God and his country, was the son of Jehoiada, who had done so much good in Israel, and particularly had been as a father to Joash, 2 Chronicles 24:22; 2 Chronicles 24:22. The affront done by it to God, and the contempt put on religion, are not so particularly taken notice of as the ingratitude there was in it to the memory of Jehoiada. He remembered not the kindness of the father, but slew the son for doing his duty, and what the father would have done if he had been there. Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse.

      (4.) The dying martyr's prophetic imprecation of vengeance upon his murderers: The Lord look upon it, and require it! This came not from a spirit of revenge, but a spirit of prophecy: He will require it. This would be the continual cry of the blood they shed, as Abel's blood cried against Cain: "Let the God to whom vengeance belongs demand blood for blood. He will do it, for he is righteous." This precious blood was quickly reckoned for in the judgments that came upon this apostate prince; it came into the account afterwards in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans--their misusing the prophets was that which brought upon them ruin without remedy (2 Chronicles 36:16; 2 Chronicles 36:16); nay, our Saviour makes the persecutors of him and his gospel answerable for the blood of this Zechariah; so loud, so long, does the blood of the martyrs cry. See Matthew 23:35. Such as this is the cry of the souls under the altar (Revelation 6:10), How long ere thou avenge our blood? For it shall not always go unrevenged.

      IV. The judgments of God which came upon Joash for this aggravated wickedness of his. 1. A small army of Syrians made themselves masters of Jerusalem, destroyed the princes, plundered the city, and sent the spoil of it to Damascus, 2 Chronicles 24:23; 2 Chronicles 24:24. God's people, while they kept in with God, had often been conquerors when the enemy had the advantage of the greater number; but now, on the contrary, an inconsiderable handful of Syrians routed a very great host of Israelites, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers, and then they were not only put upon the level with their enemies, but opposed them with the utmost disadvantage; for their God not only departed from them, but turned to be their enemy and fought against them. The Syrians were employed as instruments in God's hand to execute judgments against Joash, though they little thought so, Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 10:7, and see Deuteronomy 32:30. 2. God smote him with great diseases, of body, or mind, or both, either like his grandfather (2 Chronicles 21:18; 2 Chronicles 21:18), or, like Saul, an evil spirit from God troubling him. While he was plagued with the Syrians he thought that, if he could but get clear of them, he should do well enough. But, before they departed from him, God smote him with diseases. If vengeance pursue men, the end of one trouble will but be the beginning of another. 3. His own servants conspired against him. Perhaps he began to hope his disease would be cured--he was but a middle-aged man and might recover it; but he that cometh up out of the pit shall fall into the snare. When he thought he should escape death by sickness he met it by the sword. They slew him in his bed for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada, by which it should seem that he did not only slay Zechariah, but others of the sons of Jehoiada for his sake. Perhaps those that slew him intended to take vengeance for that blood; but, whether they did or not, this was what God intended in permitting them to slay him. Those that drink the blood of the saints shall have their own blood given them to drink, for they are worthy. The regicides are here named (2 Chronicles 24:26; 2 Chronicles 24:26), and it is observable that the mothers of them both were foreigners, one an Ammonitess and the other a Moabitess. The idolatrous kings, it is likely, countenanced those marriages which the law prohibited for the prevention of idolatry; and see how they resulted in their own destruction. 4. His people would not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings because he had stained his honour by his mal-administration. Let him not be written with the righteous,Psalms 69:28. These judgments are called the burdens laid upon him (2 Chronicles 24:27; 2 Chronicles 24:27), for the wrath of God is a heavy burden, too heavy for any man to bear. Or it may be meant of the threatenings denounced against him by the prophets, for those are called burdens. Usually God sets some special marks of his displeasure upon apostates in this life, for warning to all to remember Lot's wife.