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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghy, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: twenty four and we'll be reading from the English Standard version.
Speaker 1: Joe Ash was seven years old when he began to reign,
Speaker 1: and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name
Speaker 1: was Zibiyah of Beersheba. And joe Ash did what was
Speaker 1: right in the eyes of the Lord all the days
Speaker 1: of Jehodiah, the priest. Jehodiah got for him two wives,
Speaker 1: and he had sons and daughters. After this, joe Ash
Speaker 1: decided to restore the house of the Lord, and he
Speaker 1: gathered the priests and the levites and said to them,
Speaker 1: go out to the cities of Judah and gather from
Speaker 1: all Israel money to the house of your God from
Speaker 1: year to year, and see that you act quickly. But
Speaker 1: the levites did not act quickly. So the king summoned Jehoediah,
Speaker 1: the chief, and said to him, why have you not
Speaker 1: required the levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem
Speaker 1: the tax levied by Moses the Servant of the Lord,
Speaker 1: and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony
Speaker 1: for the sons of Athaliah. That wicked woman had broken
Speaker 1: into the House of God, and had also used all
Speaker 1: the dedicated things of the House of the Lord for
Speaker 1: the bales. So the king commanded, and they made a
Speaker 1: chest and set it outside the gate of the House
Speaker 1: of the Lord, and proclamation was made throughout Judah and
Speaker 1: Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord the tax that
Speaker 1: Moses the Servant of God, laid on Israel in the wilderness.
Speaker 1: And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and
Speaker 1: brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until
Speaker 1: they had finished. And whenever the chest was brought to
Speaker 1: the king's officers by the Levites, when they saw that
Speaker 1: there was much money in it, the King's secretary and
Speaker 1: the officer of the Chief Priest would come and empty
Speaker 1: the chest and take it and return it to its place.
Speaker 1: Thus they did day after day and collected money in abundance,
Speaker 1: and the king and Jehodiah gave it to those who
Speaker 1: had charge of the work of the House of the Lord.
Speaker 1: And they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house
Speaker 1: of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze
Speaker 1: to repair the House of the Lord. So those we
Speaker 1: were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went
Speaker 1: forward in their hands. And they restored the House of
Speaker 1: God to its proper condition and strengthened it. And when
Speaker 1: they had finished, they brought the rest of the money
Speaker 1: before the King and Jehodiah, and with it were made
Speaker 1: utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the
Speaker 1: service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense,
Speaker 1: and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt
Speaker 1: offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the
Speaker 1: days of Jehodiah. But Jehudiah grew old and full of
Speaker 1: days and died. He was one hundred thirty years old
Speaker 1: at his death, and they buried him in the city
Speaker 1: of David among the kings, because he had done good
Speaker 1: in Israel and toward God and his house. Now, after
Speaker 1: the death of Jehodiah, the princes of Judah came and
Speaker 1: paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them,
Speaker 1: and they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God
Speaker 1: of their fathers, and served the Ashiram and the idols
Speaker 1: and wrath came upon Judah from Jerusalem for this guilt
Speaker 1: of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring
Speaker 1: them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but
Speaker 1: they would not pay attention. Then the spirit of God
Speaker 1: clothed Zechariah, the son of Jehodiah the priest, and he
Speaker 1: stood above the people and said to them, thus says God,
Speaker 1: why do you break the commandments of the Lord so
Speaker 1: that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord.
Speaker 1: He has forsaken you. But they conspired against him, and
Speaker 1: by command of the king, they stoned him with stones
Speaker 1: in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus
Speaker 1: joe Ash the king did not remember the kindness that
Speaker 1: Jehodiah Zechariah's father had shown him, but killed his son,
Speaker 1: And when he was dying, he said, may the Lord
Speaker 1: see and avenge. At the end of the year, the
Speaker 1: army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came
Speaker 1: to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of
Speaker 1: the people from among the people, and sent all their
Speaker 1: spoil to the King of Damascus. Though the army of
Speaker 1: the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered
Speaker 1: into their hand a very great army, because Judah had
Speaker 1: forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they
Speaker 1: executed joe judgment on joe Ash When they had departed
Speaker 1: from him, leaving him severely wounded. His servants conspired against
Speaker 1: him because of the blood of the son of Jehdiah
Speaker 1: the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died,
Speaker 1: and they buried him in the city of David, but
Speaker 1: they did not bury him in the tombs of the Kings.
Speaker 1: Those who conspired against him were Zebad, the son of
Speaker 1: Shameth the Ammonite, and Jehozahbad, the son of Shimrith the Moabite.
Speaker 1: Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him,
Speaker 1: and of the rebuilding of the House of God are
Speaker 1: written in the story of the Book of the Kings,
Speaker 1: and Amaziah, his son, reigned in his place. Let's pray,
Speaker 1: or we thank you for your word and for the
Speaker 1: privilege to be able to look at it together today.
Speaker 1: And as we look at this portion of Scripture, we
Speaker 1: can see just how easy it is for someone who
Speaker 1: is experienced your blessings and your provisions to forget those
Speaker 1: things to become used to them, to take them for
Speaker 1: granted and to forget the kindness that you have shown them. Lord,
Speaker 1: we see that in joe Ash's life. We see the
Speaker 1: ways that you protected him as a child, how you
Speaker 1: established his reign as king over Judah, how he was
Speaker 1: helped by Jehediah the priest. But we could see that
Speaker 1: as a middle aged man, he turned away from worshiping
Speaker 1: you with sincerity and began indulging in pagan practices, and
Speaker 1: he even killed one whom you had raised up to
Speaker 1: speak with truth and invite him to repent. Lord, we
Speaker 1: recognize that this is a propensity that all of us,
Speaker 1: as human beings have. We can so easily take for
Speaker 1: granted all the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1: We could become used to those things, and as a result,
Speaker 1: we can start drifting from the realities of what it
Speaker 1: means to follow you with sincerity. We can start treating
Speaker 1: you like an afterthought. Lord. We don't want that to
Speaker 1: be the case, and so by your grace, we pray
Speaker 1: that you would help us to have soft hearts before
Speaker 1: you that are eager to repent and eager to walk
Speaker 1: with you in all contexts of life, knowing that you
Speaker 1: have been faithful to us. So, Lord, please help us
Speaker 1: to be faithful to you, as you empower us to
Speaker 1: do so through faith in your son, Jesus Christ. Lord,
Speaker 1: we're grateful for your presence with us today. We commit
Speaker 1: this day to your care, and we thank you for
Speaker 1: all these things in Jesus' name, Amen,