Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Chronicles 23-25.

I never really noticed before today how Jehoiada pulled off the coup which overthrew the usurper Queen Athaliah.  I had always read that his co-conspirators went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites, but I never noticed that they also gathered the heads of families.  That implies that Jehoiada had strong popular support for overthrowing Athaliah’s rule.  Joash, the king whom Jehoiada installed, ordered the repair of the temple and did what was right in God’s eyes for as long as Jehoiada. the priest, his stepfather, was alive.  However, after Jehoiada’s death he allowed himself to be corrupted by corrupt government officials. When Jehoiada’s son, Joash’s step brother, confronted Joash over his sin, Joash ordered the people to stone him.  Later, after Joash was wounded by an invading army, his officials killed him and put his son on the throne.

Joash’s son, Amaziah began his reign doing what was right in the eyes of God, but later turned from God to idols.  When Amaziah mustered Judah’s army to attack Edom, he hired mercenaries from Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  Then, when a prophet of God told him to dismiss them, Amaziah was faithful and did so.  However, after conquering Edom, Amaziah brought their gods back with him to Jerusalem and set them up in order to worship them.  So, we have two kings in a row who started their reigns serving God, but later turned away from His worship.  An important lesson to not let our youthful enthusiasm for the Lord fade as we get older.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.