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2 Kings 12:1
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Jehoash Repairs the Temple

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, aJehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.  
2 Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which aJehoiada the priest instructed him.  
3 But athe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.  
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, a“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s bcensus money, each man’s cassessment money—and all the money that2 a man dpurposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord,  
5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the1 damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
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<< 2 Kings 11:21   2 Kings 12:2 >>

What Does 2 Kings 12:1 Mean?



2 Kings 12:1-3

King Jehoash (or Joash) of Judah, though he overcame much and did many good things, did not quite have the fortitude to rid the kingdom of its high places. To understand him, one must begin with his grandmother, Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab of Israel and his queen, Jezebel, perhaps the most wicked royal couple ever to rule over God's people. Athaliah was thus actually of the house of Israel, though she married into the house of Judah when she became the wife of Jehoram (or Joram).

This union bore evil fruit, for, like his ancestor Solomon, Jehoram could not resist the negative influence of his wife and her family. Jehoram "walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction" (II Chronicles 22:3-4).

After Jehoram's death, his son, Ahaziah, reigned in his place, but only for one year (II Kings 8:26). His short reign was a continuation of his father's, as "he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab" (II Kings 8:27).

After Ahaziah's death, his mother, Athaliah, had the male heirs killed and unlawfully made herself queen. However, before she could kill Ahaziah's son, Jehoash, Ahaziah's sister hid him in the Temple, where he remained for six years while Athaliah ruled over Judah. When Jehoash was seven, though, Jehoiada the priest—his uncle—crowned him as king and had Athaliah put to death (II Kings 11:4-16; II Chronicles 23:1-15). Also at that time, the people of Judah—likely under Jehoiada's direction—tore down the temple of Baal, broke its altars and images, and killed the priest of Baal (II Kings 11:17-18; II Chronicles 23:16-17).

David C. Grabbe
The High Places (Part Two)

Related Topics: Ahab and Jezebel | Ahaziah | Athaliah | Baal Worship | Burning of Sacred Pillars of Baal | Destruction of Baal Worship in Israel | Jehoash | Jehoida's Counsel | Jehoram | The High Places


 
<< 2 Kings 11:21   2 Kings 12:2 >>

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