2 Chronicles 24:20-22--Joash's Treachery

2 Chronicles 24:20-22
English Standard Version
​
Joash's Treachery
20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’” 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge!”

---

Last time, we saw that Joash's desire to follow the LORD with his whole heart ended with the death of Jehoiada the high priest, and many of the leaders of Israel quickly convinced Joash to turn back to the idolatry that Jehoiada had worked so hard to destroy.  Now we see the LORD speaking through Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, the new high priest.  Zechariah stands up above the people (being filled with the Holy Spirit) and says to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper?' Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you."

Do they repent after hearing this warning?  No!  They decide to conspire to kill the messenger, and the king went along with them allowing them to go into the Temple and kill the high priest by stoning him--this happened in the courtyard of the Temple, but killing anyone there was forbidden--they were supposed to be dragged outside the Temple if they were to be executed.

Because the king did not treat Jehoiada's son with kindness after Jehoiada had saved the king and raised him as his own son, Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada cried out to the LORD to see and avenge his death.  We'll see next time that the LORD did hear the prayer of Zechariah, and it will be this treachery that leads to Joash's death because Judah and Joash had forsaken the LORD