WHO DO YOU LISTEN TO?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.  They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith a Moabite woman. The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

2 Chronicles 24:15-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Chapter 24 of 2 Chronicles, we find the young King Joash doing right before the Lord under the watchful eye and tutelage of the Levite chief priest Jehoiada who, along with his wife Jehosheba, saved Joash from being slaughtered by the murderous Athaliah when he was just a baby to preserve him for assuming the throne of his father Ahaziah.

In the early stages of his reign, Joash ensured the temple of the Lord was restored, exhorting the people to bring offerings to fund the project. They gladly contributed to the cause, covering the cost of materials and labor to not only refurbish the temple but also make articles for the services and burnt offerings. All was well in the kingdom of Judah as Jehoiada served as the spiritual leader that made sure the burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord (2 Chronicles 24:14).

But then something changed, something that unfortunately led to a shift in the spiritual attitude of Judah and it people.

For as we read in our passage today, Jehoaida passes away and his powerful godly influence was so respected that he was buried with the kings in the city of David. Few others ever received this honor.

So what happened to Judah to cause a change?

It all came down to the power of influence, particularly the influencing of King Joash. Scripture tells us that after the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. As we see, their guidance was not anywhere near what Jehoaida’s was. For they convinced Joash to abandon the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and instead worship Asherah poles and idols. No longer able to listen to the counsel of Jehoaida, Joash sent Judah into God’s wrath, failing to turn to God himself for direction and instead listening to the counsel of his sinful officials.

Such was the depth of the negative influence that they wouldn’t even listen to the prophets God sent to testify against them. One such messenger, Jehoaida’s son Zechariah, brought the following harrowing message from the Lord as he stood before the people:

“Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has forsaken you.”

You would think this would have been enough to get the people’s attention but they were too lost in their apostasy. This was evidenced by King Joash ordering to have Zechariah stoned to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. It was a new low point for God’s people as they killed one of their own who was only serving the Lord and trying to save them from their sin.

As I read this scripture and prayed over it, I can’t help but think about others who, like Joash, are being advised into sinfulness and are so powerfully in its grip that they can no longer listen and receive godly counsel. In fact, they reject, rebel against, and even kill those who try and speak the word of the Lord to them. Point and case are the countless number of believers who are persecuted each and every day for believing and trusting in Jesus Christ. As they look to share the Gospel with others as Jesus commands, too often they are ridiculed, shunned, and in extreme circumstances, beaten, imprisoned, or killed by the very people they are trying to save.

In these instances, Zechariah martyred before the people of Judah and Christians today executed for sharing the Gospel, we get a glimpse of Jesus Christ who was willing to bear the sins of all mankind on Calvary’s cross. He came to bring righteousness and holiness to those who would listen but so many ignored Him and instead set events in place for Him to be executed. The power of influence against Jesus was received more than the voice of the Spirit in the hearts and minds of the people of the day. And so it ended for Jesus, just as it ended for Zechariah, just as it ends every day for other Christ-focused disciples who die in carrying out His Great Commission.

Friends, the question our scripture asks today is simple.

Who do you listen to?

Who is influencing your life? Your choices? Your judgments? Your relationships? Your faith?

Who are you aligning yourself with and how do you know that you are being given godly, Christ-centered counsel?

Oh if Joash had only just consulted the Lord just one time after Jehoaida died. Perhaps his story would have had a happier, more inspirational ending. Perhaps a lot of destruction and bloodshed would have been prevented at the hands of the Arameans. Perhaps Joash would not have been killed by the same officials who led him away from God in the first place.

But then again, perhaps, God is trying to teach us all a lesson here through the mistakes of Joash.

Are we listening to Him?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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