Joash (IV)

IV. JOASH, the son of Abaziah king of Judah. When the impious Athaliah was informed, that Jehu had killed Abaziah, and all those of the royal family 2 Chr.xxii. 8, 9,10. & 2 Kingsxi. 1, &c.of Judah, whom he had met with, she undertook intirely to extinguish the race of the Kings, that she might secure the Crown to herself¹. She ordered therefore all the Princes her grand-children to be murdered; for she was the mother of Abaziah, who had been lately massacred by Jehu, and reigned sometime in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, God did not permit her to succeed intirely in her ambitious design. Jehoshebah or Jehoshabath the daughter of King Joram sister of Abaziah, and wife to the High-Priest Jehoiada by stratagem conveyed away young Joash, who was then a child, thereby rescuing him from the cruelty of Athaliah, and lodged him in the Temple with his nurse, in a place so private, that Athaliah had no knowledge of it. There he abode six years: but in the seventh year², Jehoiada procured him to be secretly acknowledged King by the principal Officers, who had the care of the Temple, and without noise convened there as many as possible of the Priests and Levites, upon the Sabbath day, when the ministers of the Lord, who were to serve the week following, succeeded those who had been the week before upon duty. Jehoiada took such proper measures, and gave orders so well concerted to his people, that young Joash was placed upon the throne, and saluted King in the Temple, before the Queen had any the least notice of it. As soon as she heard the acclamations of the people, she hastened thither with all speed: but the High-Priest commanded her to be seized, and she was killed without the Temple.

2 Kings xii. 6, 7, 8, 9. & 2 Chr. xxiv. 5, 6, 7.Joash received the Diadem, together with the Book of the Law, from the hands of Jehoiada; and the High-Priest in the young King’s name made a covenant between the Lord, the King and the people, to the end that the people for the future might continue faithful to God with great exactness and duty. He likewise obliged the people to take an oath of fidelity and obedience to the King. After which Joash was conducted to the Royal Palace, and seated on the throne of his Ancestors. Then the people flocked to the Temple of Baal, who was the Deity adored by Athaliah; broke in pieces the Statue of the God, and killed his Priest at the foot of his Altar. Joash was but seven years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years at Jerusalem³. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. He governed his people with great justice, and made himself acceptable to God, as long as he was guided by the High-Priest Jehoiada. Nevertheless he did not abolish the High-Places, and the people still sacrificed, and offered Incense there.

Jehoiada in the King’s minority, had issued out his orders for collecting the Offerings which were made voluntarily to the Holy Place with design of carrying on the work of repairing the Temple: but his orders were ill executed till the twentieth year of Joash⁴. Then this Prince directed chests to be made at the entrance of the Temple, and had an account given to him of what money was put into them, that it might be faithfully employed in the reparations of the House of God. Jehoiada dying at the age of an hundred and thirty years⁵, Joash was led away by the evil counsels of his courtiers, who had before been restrained by the High-Priest’s authority. They began to forsake the Temple of the Lord, and addict themselves to the worship of Idols, and Groves consecrated to false gods, or rather to Asteroth the goddess of the Groves; which drew the wrath of god upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Then the Spirit of God came upon the High-Priest Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, and he addressed himself to the people, in these terms, thus saith the Lord, Why do you violate the precepts of your God, and why have ye forsaken him? You will hereby bring upon yourselves a multitude of evils, and the Lord in his turn will forsake you. Upon these words, They who heard him, fell upon him, and stoned him according to the order, which they had received to this purpose from the King⁶. Zechariah as he was expiring spoke these words, May God observe the treatment I receive from you, and revenge my death. It was not long before God inflicted upon Joash, the just punishment of his ingratitude to Jehoiada, whose son he had so lately stoned. Hazael King of Syria came and laid siege to Gath, which belonged to the Kings of Judah; and having taken it, he marched against Jerusalem. Joash in order to redeem himself from the difficulties of a Siege, and from the danger of being plundered, took what money he could find in the Temple, which had been offered there and consecrated by Abaziah his father, Jehoram his grand-father, and himself, with what besides he had in the Royal Treasury, and gave it to Hazael, thereby prevailing with him to draw off his troops.

It is believed that the year after⁷ the Syrian army marched again into the territories of Judah: but Hazael was not there in person. The Syrians made great havock in the Land, defeated the troops of Joash, entered Jerusalem, put to death the princes of Judah, and sent a great booty to the King of Syria at Damascus. It is remarkable, that the Syrians were few in number, when they routed the army of Israel, which was infinitely stronger. They treated Joash himself with great ignominy; they accused, and in all probability convicted him of breach of faith, and neglecting to perform his promises⁸. They afterwards returned, and left him extremely ill; and his very servants rose against him, and killed him in his bed, to revenge the blood of Zechariah the High-Priest, which had been shed by him. He was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but not in the Royal Sepulchre⁹. Amaziah reigned in his stead.

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