After Queen Athaliah had been killed, Joash began his reign as king of Judah. He was just seven years old. His story starts out well enough: “Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of the priest Jehoiada” (II Chronicles 24:1-2). Jehoiada had been instrumental in keeping Joash alive and in teaching him to live in faithfulness before the Lord; but in the end Jehoiada “grew old and full of days, and died; he was one hundred thirty years old at his death” (24:15).

As soon as Jehoiada was dead, “the officials of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king listened to them. They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and served the sacred poles and the idols” (24:17-18). God sent prophets to call them back, but they refused to listen; and then the Spirit of God moved Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, who cried out in the public square, “Why do you transgress the commandments of the lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has also forsaken you” (24:20).

At the king’s order Zechariah was stoned to death in the temple court (24:21-22). Zechariah’s dying words – “May the Lord see and avenge!” – quickly came true: a small band of Aramean raiders came through, defeating the army of Judah, massacring many government officials, taking great plunder, and severely wounding the king. His own retainers then murdered him in his bed, in retribution for the death of Zechariah (24:23-25).

The narrative pretty much speaks for itself regarding the consequences when Joash and his officers turned away from God; but just in case we missed the lesson, the Chronicler specified that God was using the Arameans as the means to punish Joash and the people of Judah for their idolatry: “The Lord delivered into [the Arameans’] hand a very great army, because [the people of Judah] had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors” (24:24).

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Help us, Lord, for we are no better than our ancestors. Like Joash we are sometimes faithful, and sometimes full of compromise with the desires of the world around us. How will we learn to be fully devoted to you? Teach us day by day to live in steadfast faithfulness to your call.