2 Kings 11:21 – 12:21
Jehoash Reigns in Judah

The little boy Jehoash (or Joash), rescued as a baby from his evil grandmother Athaliah, turned out to be one of the better kings of Judah. “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD,” says verse 2 of the passage. For one thing, he initiated and oversaw a project to repair the temple, which had been, at best, neglected or, at worst, desecrated by the idolatrous rulers who preceded him.

But Jehoash was not entirely good; he was downright evil by the end of his reign, as we learn in the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 24. He led his people into pagan worship and, when they were rebuked by a man “clothed with the Spirit of God,” he ordered the man’s death by stoning. That action is especially shocking because the prophet was the son of Jehoash’s father-figure, the priest Jehoiada.

Much of Jehoash’s story can be explained by the word listen. As a young man, Jehoash listened to the instruction of Jehoiada and did well. But eventually Jehoiada died. Then Jehoash listened to the princes of Judah, who advised abandoning the temple and worshiping the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah. (2 Chronicles 24:17-18) The Lord sent prophets to bring the king and people of Judah back to Himself, culminating in the prophecy of Jehoiada’s son, but Jehoash did not listen. King Jehoash did not have to be in doubt about which voices were worth listening to because he had the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. Like Jehoash, we are surrounded by voices competing for our attention – even more voices. Like Jehoash, we also possess the written word of God – the completed Bible. Lord, show me to whom I am listening. Make me aware, so that I do not passively absorb what people say. Move me and help me to check what I’m listening to against Your word … and stop listening if it doesn’t line up, even if it “tickles” my ears.

We live in a dark world. Our world and our nation are replete with problems, on top of the challenges in our personal lives. It is tempting to look for a king or president or pundit or expert or influencer to solve our problems or at least give us hope. Ask God to keep reminding us that even the “good” leaders, like Jehoash, have feet of clay, that our hope is not in man. Our hope is only in Jesus Christ, and that hope is not only in the “someday” when he returns. We are more than conquerors when we walk our path of life with him, here and now.

Calvary Family

Pastor Dave announced on Sunday that by the end of November, the loan that financed the construction of our worship center will be paid off. Thank God for moving people’s hearts to give and for their obedience to His direction. Thank Him for Calvary’s solid financial situation and for our church’s responsible and transparent handling of money. Pray for our elders as they discuss how to reallocate the $10,000/month earmarked for servicing the loan in our current budget.

Fall FunFest is a lot of work but also a lot of fun. Let’s pray that all of us at Calvary will understand the why behind FunFest. As an outreach to families in our neighborhood, it gives parents the opportunity to have fun with their kids in a safe setting at a nominal cost. It is a low-key introduction to our church, and families receive information about Calvary, including information about our children’s program. Ask the Lord to awaken in unchurched families a desire to know Him.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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