This chapter records a time of decline in Judah. Tribute was flowing from Judah to Syria, not the other way around. Even the temple repairs were being neglected. The priests probably felt it would be a waste of money to repair the temple, because it would never be as glorious as it had been in the past. So, king Joash stepped in and managed the repairs. He “summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, ‘Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage’” (7). Joash could not ignore this disregard for the temple.
Even good king Joash could not escape the depression that was eating away at the people. It led two of his servants to assassinate him. The people were letting the depression of the present steal away their hope for the future.
God’s people during times like this can emerge as heroes, fighting the darkness, or disappear as zeroes, letting the forces of evil win. God will ultimately triumph, but each generation has that choice to make. It takes courage to invest in the temple when others are investing in its destruction. It takes courage to stand for truth when the majority wants to bury the truth.
There is a ministry in your community that needs people like us. Without our help, that target group might not be reached with the gospel — those homeless and hurting people might not experience the love of Christ. Will we be this generation’s heroes or just another group of zeroes?
LORD, turn us into heroes who make a difference for you in our generation.
Jefferson Vann, Delco, N.C.
Extended Scripture: 2 Kings 9–12
