2 Kings 11:1-12:21 Comments by Stephen Ricker
Bible Study Home Page

A Covenant Between the Lord, King Joash and the People
Comments for Study 9

Pick to read this Bible passage in a separate window.

Memory Verse: 13
Questions
Outline

MAPS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH
A MAP OF THE DIVISION OF CANAAN
A MAP OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE
OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS TIMELINE
A LIST OF ISRAEL'S KINGS AND PROPHETS
A TIMELINE OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY
A TIMELINE FROM BABYLON TO ROMAN CONTROL OVER ISRAEL

SORRY, THE COMMENTARY FOR THIS BOOK HAS NOT BEEN FINISHED.
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BOOKS THAT ARE COMPLETED.

I. Athaliah and Joash (11:1-21)

>1. What did Athaliah do in order to seize power in Judah? (1-3)

* 2 Kings 11:1-3 "When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. 3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land."

* 2 Kings 11 is the same record as 2 Chronicles 22:10 thru chapter 23. Chronicles focuses on The Kingdom of Judah more than Israel. Kings focuses on The Kingdom of Israel more than Judah.

*

*

>What did Jehoiada do? (4-8)

* 2 Kings 11:4-8 "In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the LORD. Then he showed them the king's son. 5 He commanded them, saying, "This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath--a third of you guarding the royal palace, 6 a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple-- 7 and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. 8 Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."

* 2 Kings 11:4-8 is identical to 2 Chronicles 23:1-7.

* 1 Chronicles 22:11 states that Jehosheba was the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada. The fact that she was the wife of the priest Jehoiada is not noted in Kings.

* Jehoiada was the high priest of the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. He knew and believed the Lord and His promise to David that a member of David's family would always be on the throne. Yet here Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel was ruling Judah and she killed all of David's line that had been kings except for a one-year-old boy. Jehoiada acted by faith to keep the promise of God active.

When Athaliah was killed everyone rejoiced.

When God reveals some truth to me and I see it is not being done, I can wait for the right time and act by faith.

*

*

*

>How was this an act of faith? (2 Sam. 7:11b-16)

* 2 Samuel 7:11b-16 "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"

*

*

*

*

>2. What did Jehoiada do when he established Joash king of Judah? (9-12)

* 2 Kings 11:9-12 "The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men--those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty--and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the LORD. 11 The guards, each with his weapon in his hand, stationed themselves around the king--near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. 12 Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"

*

*

*

*

>What irony is in Athaliah's words? (13-14)

* 2 Kings 11:13-14 "When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the LORD. She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, "Treason! Treason!"

*

*

*

*

>How does selfishness and pride blind us to own sins? (Matt. 7:1-6)

* Matthew 7:1-6 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

*

*

*

>3. What were the priests sure to do? (15-16)

* 2 Kings 11:15-16 "Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "She must not be put to death in the temple of the LORD." So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death."

*

*

*

*

>Why?

*

*

*

*

>4. What was the first things done during Joash's reign? (17-18)

* 2 Kings 11:17-18 "Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the LORD."

*

*

*

*

>From the people's reaction what can we learn about Athaliah's reign? (19-21)

* 2 Kings 11:19-21 "He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the LORD and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne, 20 and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace. 21 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign."

*

*

*

*

II. Joash Repairs the Temple (12:1-21)

>5. Who helped young King Joash? (1-3)

* 2 Kings 12:1-3 "In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there."

* 2 Chronicle 24:1-16 also records these events.

* Joash was 7 when he became king. So Jehoiada, the priest instructed him in ruling Judah. When Jehoiada died at 130 Joash changed his ways to wickedness. The leaders stopped worshiping at the temple.

As I advance in age I can be tempted to stop going to church, praying, and living in love, faith, and hope. I can walk away from walking in the Spirit. I need to keep making righteous decisions.

* "In the seventh year of Jehu" -Jehu became king of Israel in 842 B.C. The way king's reigns were determined places his seveth year as 836 B.C.

* "Joash became king" -Joash (Johoash) became king in 836 B.C.

>What was his reign like under his help?

*

*

*

*

>What did the people continue to do?

*

*

*

*

>6. What did young Joash set into motion? (4-5)

* 2 Kings 12:4-5 "Joash said to the priests, "Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD--the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple."

*

*

*

*

>How long did the priests collect money for the project? (6-8)

* 2 Kings 12:6-8 "But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple." 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves."

*

*

*

*

>What might be the reason for this?

*

*

*

*

>7. How did the king solve the problem? (9-12)

* 2 Kings 12:9-12 "Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. 10 Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags. 11 When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD--the carpenters and builders, 12 the masons and stone cutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple."

*

*

*

*

>How was the work conducted? (13-16)

* 2 Kings 12:13-16 "The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; 14 it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. 15 They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests."

*

*

*

*

>8. Who attacked the Philistines? (17)

* 2 Kings 12:17 "About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem."

* "Gath" -Gath means "wine press" in Hebrew. There were several in Palestine. The most famous Gath was the leading city of five leading cities of the Philistines. For short intervals in Israel's history Gath was under Israel's control. (Joshua 11:22; 1 Samuel 7:12-14; 2 Kings 12:17; 1 Chronicles 18:1) King Uzziah a generation before Micah destroyed Gath's walls. (2 Chronicles 26:6) Amos, also a generation before Micah says its near destruction should be noted by the Israelites. (Amos 6:1-2) Around 711 B.C. during Hezekiah's reign and Micah's ministry, Sargon II, the king of Assyria, conquered and destroyed the city. After that the Bible mentions Gath as a dead city. (Jeremiah 24:20; Zepheniah 2:4; Zechariah 9:5-6) The population around Gath appeared and disappeared with different nations contolling it up till World War I.

* Gath should not be confused with modern day Gaza. Gaza is a different city south west of Gath. Since the Arab-Israel war in 1948 A.D. Gaza is used to describe the city and strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea. Gath was located within modern day Israel, not the Gaza Strip. In 1967 Israel regained control of Gaza during the six day war only to give the land up to "ensure peace". Gaza is now controlled by the Palestinians. Gath is still within modern Israel's boarder.

Tel Tzafit

* See a picture of Blanche Garde, Tel Tzafit to the right from Israel free image collection project. Blanche Garde is the site of the remains of Gath. During the Crusader period, following the conquest of the land during the First Crusade, a small fortress, named "Blanche Garde" for the dramatic white chalk cliffs that guard its western approach, was built at the site as part of the Crusader encirclement of Fatimid Ashkelon. This site was subsequently captured by the Ayyubids, and served the basis for the Medieval and Modern village of Tell es-Safi, which existed until 1948. The ruins of the castle and the village can be seen on the site today. Portions of the exterior fortifications of the castle have been excavated in recent years.

*

*

>Where was he going to attack next?

*

*

*

*

>Why might the Lord allow this to happen after Joash had repaired the temple? (2 Chron. 24:17-27)

* 2 Chronicles 24:21-25 "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 fathers, 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."

*

*

*

*

>What can we learn about finishing our life of faith? (Matt. 13:18-23)

* Matthew 13:18-23 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

* 2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

* James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

*

*

>9. What did Joash used to pay off the king of Aram? (18)

* 2 Kings 12:18 "But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers--Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah--and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem."

*

*

*

*

>10. How did Joash die? (19-21)

* 2 Kings 12:19-21 "As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king."

*

*

*

*