This Week's Story
click here to play audioJoash is rescued and receives education to become king. Will he serve or abuse his country?
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
Joash, what is your legacy?
part three
I loved and respected my father Jehoiada. By birth he was a Levite priest. He was the high priest in God’s temple in Jerusalem. Birth did not force him to be a good priest. He genuinely loved God and obeyed His laws.
My extended family was complicated with sharp differences about government, God, and power. These differences ripped our families and nation. My father married Jehosheba. Both were of Judah and committed to God.
In contrast Jehosheba’s brother was King Ahaziah of Judah. His marriage to Athaliah brought gigantic problems. Athaliah despised God, as did her parents King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel. Athaliah was determined to become queen of Judah after her husband was killed in a battle. She had no birth right to the throne of Judah. She arranged the murder of anyone in the royal family, who had a right to Judah’s throne.
It was complicated and brutal, especially when someone like Athaliah had her claws into our country. Let Jehosheba, and her daughter, Hannah, continue our story.
“Zechariah, I kidnapped the last remaining son of King Ahaziah. I hid Joash with his nurse in a bedroom in God’s temple for six years. During that time your father, Jehoiada, arranged for his protection and education.
“Education included the stories of how God protected Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and leading the Hebrews out of slavery. It contained God’s commandments. The most important is recorded in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 4. ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.’
When Joash was seven years old. Jehoiada planned the overthrow of Athaliah and the coronation of Joash. As the coronation finished, Queen Athaliah came into the temple screaming, “Treason, treason!” Jehoiada ordered that she be taken out of the temple and executed.
Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king that they would be the Lord’s people. They destroyed the temple of Baal with its idols and the priest of Baal. The idol worship centered upon prayer for crops, warfare, fertility, and horrific human sacrifice!. A horrific abuse was human sacrifice!
Peace came to Judah. Joash continued to be taught and counselled by Jehoiada. Joash married and kept his pledge to serve God, but people still used the High Places with idol worship and sacrifice.
Joash took leadership in declaring that The Temple of God needed repairs. He gave orders to the priests and Levites to go into the cities of Judah and gather money to make the repairs. “Begin immediately and make it a yearly process.” Years passed with no repairs.
King Joash asked Jehoiada and the priests, “Why have no repairs been done? Now, take no money for temple repairs. Have nothing to do with the repairs.”
Soon an alternate plan was developed.
Today’s team is Carlos Gamez, Todd Warren, Gwen Crawford, and Barbara Steiner. Join us for part four at thisweeksstory.com.
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