2 Kings 12:17-21 – Don’t only start well but also to finish well

Many things actually happened in Second Kings 12, in between verses 16 and 17. But here we are not given any information. It is in 2 Chronicles 24:15-22 that we find out what happened during this duration. Jehoiada the high priest died at a ripe old age of 130 years and was honored to be buried in the city of David among the kings. He was said to have done well for Israel and for the house of God. Minus his influence, Joash’s life took a downward turn. He began to listen and pander to the ungodly counsel of his officials. We are told that they abandoned the house of the Lord and the God of their fathers. They began to serve the Asherim and the idols. As a result, the wrath of God came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Despite the coaxing of the prophets to return, they would not listen.

In 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, we see Zachariah, the son of Jehoiada, who succeeded him as the high priest, warning Joash and his cohorts of wicked officials. He rebuked them for forsaking the Lord and warned them that if they would not return, God would in turn forsake them. Not willing to listen to the truth, Joash and his officials conspired and had him stoned to death. Zachariah’s final words to Joash as he died were, “May the Lord see and avenge!” And as the high priest had said, God began to deal with Judah and Jerusalem. This was where 2 Kings 12:17 picked up.

Hazael, king of Syria had all along been the bugbear of Israel. He began to trouble Judah again. To placate him, “Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria.” While he was able to appease Hazael, he could not escape the wrath of God. He was assassinated by his servants. Second Kings 12:20-21 describe how he was assassinated. Though other things he had done were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, he died tragically. He was buried with his fathers in the city of David and succeeded by Amaziah his son.

How could one who had started so well end so badly? Two things he did that we must avoid. Firstly, he forsook godly counsel to embrace godless ones. Secondly, he had no regard for God despite the warnings. The wise thing in life is to surround ourselves with godly people who can provide wise counsel. Don’t listen to people whom you have not been able to ascertain their standing with God. Go with people whose life with God are well attested. And choose to remain faithful to God in challenging times. When we forsake God, nothing can save us from His judgment!