2 Chronicles Chapter 24
Showing all 27 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 24.
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"Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba. "
"Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah, from Beersheba."
I know that when you're young or inexperienced, you need people around you who genuinely have your best interests at heart. Whatever stage of life you're in, seek out wise, honest guidance rather than assuming you can navigate everything entirely alone.
"And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. "
"Joash did what was right in the LORD's sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest."
I want your goodness to become truly your own, not something that depends entirely on someone else watching over you or guiding you. Use the good influences in your life now to build convictions that will hold steady even after they're gone.
"And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters. "
"Jehoiada arranged two wives for Joash, and he had sons and daughters."
Real mentorship and care for someone often shows up in the practical, unglamorous details of their life, not just the big dramatic moments. I value the people who show up consistently for the ordinary parts of someone's life just as much as those who show up for the crises.
"And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD. "
"After this, Joash decided he wanted to repair the LORD's house."
I love to see someone take initiative towards something good, not just go along with what's expected of them. When you feel a genuine pull towards doing something worthwhile, trust that instinct and act on it.
"And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. "
"He gathered the priests and Levites and told them, "Go out to the towns of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God, year by year - and make sure you do it quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly."
I care about follow-through, not just good intentions announced and then left undone. If you've committed to doing something worthwhile for others, don't let it drift - urgency and consistency matter as much as the initial decision.
"And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? "
"So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and asked him, "Why haven't you required the Levites to bring in the collection from Judah and Jerusalem, as Moses the LORD's servant commanded, and as the assembly of Israel did for the tabernacle of the testimony?""
I want you to feel able to hold even the people you respect and admire most accountable when something isn't being done right. Real respect for someone doesn't mean silence when you see a gap between what should happen and what actually is happening.
"For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim. "
"For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God, and had even used its sacred dedicated items for the worship of the Baals."
Sometimes putting things right means acknowledging honestly just how much damage was done before you can properly repair it. I ask you to be truthful about the full extent of harm in a situation, rather than minimising it, so that healing and rebuilding can be genuine.
"And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD. "
"At the king's command they made a chest and placed it outside the gate of the LORD's house."
When something you're trying to do for good isn't working, I want you to be willing to adapt your approach rather than stubbornly repeating what isn't succeeding. Good intentions paired with flexible, practical thinking usually get further than good intentions alone.
"And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. "
"They made an announcement throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses, God's servant, had required of Israel in the wilderness."
When you ask people to give or contribute to something good, connecting it to a larger, meaningful story often inspires more genuine generosity than a bare request alone. I want your appeals for help, when you make them, to be honest about why the cause actually matters.
"And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. "
"All the officials and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them in the chest until it was full."
True generosity isn't about extracting reluctant compliance from people - it's about giving them a genuine, meaningful way to contribute to something they actually care about. I want your own giving, whatever form it takes, to come from real gladness, not obligation.
"Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. "
"Whenever the chest was brought to the king's officials by the Levites and they saw there was a lot of money, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer would come, empty the chest, and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day, and gathered a great amount of money."
Lasting good is usually built through consistent, unglamorous, day-by-day faithfulness rather than one grand gesture. I want you to value the quiet discipline of showing up and doing your part regularly, not just the occasional big, visible act.
"And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD. "
"The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who did the work of the LORD's house, hiring stonemasons and carpenters to repair the LORD's house, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to mend it."
When people trust you with resources given for a good purpose, I want you to use them exactly as intended, with care and integrity. Faithfulness with what others entrust to you is one of the clearest ways you can honour their generosity.
"So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. "
"So the workmen laboured, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its proper condition and made it strong again."
I want you to notice and take real satisfaction in seeing a worthwhile project through to genuine completion, not just starting things with enthusiasm and never finishing. Following through fully on something good is itself a meaningful achievement worth valuing.
"And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada. "
"When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and it was used to make articles for the LORD's house - vessels for ministering and for offerings, spoons, and gold and silver vessels. They offered burnt offerings in the LORD's house continually, all the days of Jehoiada."
I want you to aim not just for the minimum fix when repairing something broken in your life, but for genuine, full restoration - doing it properly, not just adequately. And again, notice how much good in this story depends on one steady, faithful presence - be that presence for someone else if you can.
"But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. "
"But Jehoiada grew old and full of years, and died; he was a hundred and thirty years old when he died."
I want you to notice how one person's steady, faithful life - lived well over many years - can shape the destiny of far more people than they'll ever fully know. Live in a way that leaves something good behind that doesn't depend entirely on your continued presence to survive.
"And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house. "
"They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both towards God and towards God's house."
True greatness isn't always about the title or position you hold - it's about the good you actually do for others. I want you to know that a life of genuine service and faithfulness can earn a kind of honour that titles alone never could.
"Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. "
"After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them."
I want you to build convictions strong enough to hold firm even when the people who helped shape them are no longer there to remind you. Don't let your goodness be something that only survives as long as someone else is watching or guiding you - make it truly your own.
"And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. "
"They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and served the Asherah poles and idols instead; and because of this guilt, wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem."
I want you to recognise that undoing good, sadly, is often far quicker and easier than building it in the first place. Guard what's genuinely good in your life carefully, and don't assume it will simply take care of itself once established.
"Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. "
"Even so, God sent prophets to bring them back to the LORD; they warned the people, but the people would not listen."
I don't give up on people easily, and I keep sending chances to turn things around even after repeated failure to listen. But I also want you to understand that patience isn't the same as consequences never coming - use the chances you're given while you have them.
"And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. "
"Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest; he stood above the people and said to them, "This is what God says: Why do you break the LORD's commandments, so that you cannot succeed? Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you.""
I ask you to have the courage to speak truth to those you love, even when it's uncomfortable or risky, just as Zechariah did here. And I want you to hear this warning for yourself too - walking away from what genuinely sustains you rarely leaves you better off, however it might look at first.
"And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. "
"But they conspired against Zechariah, and at the king's command they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's house."
I never want gratitude and loyalty to curdle into resentment or violence against those who tell you hard truths for your own good. When someone who loves you warns you honestly, even if it stings, that's a moment to listen, not to strike back.
"Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it. "
"King Joash did not remember the loyalty that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son instead. As Zechariah was dying, he said, "May the LORD see this and hold you accountable.""
Even when you are deeply wronged, I want you to be able to release the desire for personal revenge and trust that real justice exists beyond your own need to strike back. That doesn't mean staying silent about wrong - it means not letting your own heart be poisoned by hatred in response to it.
"And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. "
"At the end of that year, the army of Syria came up against Joash; they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the leaders of the people, and sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus."
I want you to see that bad advice and corrupting influence, when acted on, tends eventually to catch up with those who gave it as much as those who followed it. This isn't about wishing harm on anyone - it's an honest observation about where destructive choices tend to lead.
"For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. "
"Even though the Syrian army came with only a small force, the LORD handed a very large army over into their hands, because Judah had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors. So judgement was carried out against Joash."
I want you to understand that outward strength or numbers don't guarantee good outcomes when the foundation underneath has been abandoned. True security comes from staying grounded in what's right, not just from how strong or well-resourced you appear on the surface.
"And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings. "
"When the Syrians had left him severely wounded, Joash's own officials conspired against him because of the murder of Jehoiada's son, and killed him in his bed. He died and was buried in the City of David, but not among the tombs of the kings."
I want you to know that how you treat the people who love and warn you honestly can define your legacy more than almost anything else you do. Don't let bitterness or pride cause you to destroy the very relationships and trust that once made your life good.
"And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess. "
"Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith a Moabite woman."
I care about real accountability - actions have specific agents, not just vague circumstances to hide behind. Whatever you do, own it as genuinely yours; don't let yourself hide behind "everyone was doing it" or "it just happened."
"Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead. "
"As for his sons, the many burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of the house of God - these are all recorded in the commentary on the book of the kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place."
I want you to hold the whole truth of a person's life, including your own - the real good someone did alongside their real failures - rather than reducing anyone to only their worst or only their best moment. Growth and change remain possible for you at every point in your own story, right up to the end.