God has no grandchildren

How do you grow in your faith? Are there people who spiritually feed you, inspire you, and cheer you on? It's fantastic if we have those people in our lives.

But what if they weren't there? Would we still be able to deepen our relationship with God on our own and grow as his follower, or would we spiritually atrophy as our faith withers away?

The book of 2 Chronicles contains the sad story of King Joash, a king who ascended the throne as a young boy, began his reign with religious aplomb, yet ended up abandoning God and being assassinated by his officials. 

At the very start of his reign, when Joash was only seven years old, Jehoiada the priest cleansed Judah of her idolatrous worship of other gods.

"Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. And all the people went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They demolished the altars and smashed the idols..."

~ 2 Chronicles 23:16-17

Jehoiada was a very positive influence on the king, and we read how he inspired Joash to restore the Temple of the Lord. Yet the seeds of foreboding appear, and even this early on we see some strange words creep into the narrative.

"Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest... 

At one point Joash decided to repair and restore the Temple of the Lord. He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them these instructions: 'Go to all the towns of Judah and collect the required annual offerings, so that we can repair the Temple of your God. Do not delay!'"

"The men in charge of the renovation worked hard and made steady progress. They restored the Temple of God according to its original design and strengthened it... And the burnt offerings were sacrificed continually in the Temple of the Lord during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest."

~ 2 Chronicles 24:2, 4-5, 13-14

Did you catch that? Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada. Israel offered sacrifices and burnt offerings in the Temple during the lifetime of Jehoiada.

Did you also notice when he was talking to the priests and Levites he said, "the temple of your God" Already we see that something is not healthy in Joash's relationship with the Lord. He is living his faith vicariously through the faith of others.

Eventually, though, Jehoiada dies. This was the key moment for Joash. Would he own his own faith and thus the faith of the nation, or without Jehoiada's influence would he fall away from following God. Tragically, he chose the latter path, with devastating results.

"But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice. They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen."

~ 2 Chronicles 24:17-19

It all came to a head when Jehoiada's son Zechariah confronted the king. This was God's last ditch effort to rescue Joash from his foolish path.

"Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, 'This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!'”

~ 2 Chronicles 24:20

The people did not like what Zechariah was saying (a common response to God's Old Testament prophets), and Joash - no longer influenced by Jehoiada and not able to be strong on his own - follows the evil will of the people.  

"Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, 'May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!'"

~ 2 Chronicles 24:21-22

Zechariah's ominous final words came to fruition shortly after his death. The Arameans become God's instrument of judgment against Judah, and Joash meets his demise.

"Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the Lord helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.

The Arameans withdrew, leaving Joash severely wounded. But his own officials plotted to kill him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed. Then he was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery."

~ 2 Chronicles 24:24-25

Sadly, this king who began his reign so well ended incredibly poorly and was not even buried in the royal cemetery (ironically, Jehoiada was). The only other two kings to suffer this ignoble burial were Jehoram (who we are told "did evil in the Lord's sight" and "abandoned the Lord") and Ahaz (who was "utterly unfaithful to the Lord").

Who could have predicted such a turn for Joash? Well, the careful reader could have by the clues the narrator put in Joash's story. His faith was propped up by another, and when that support was removed, Joash's faith crumbled.

PAUSE and REFLECT: Who helps you grow in faith? A family member? pastor? author? friend? As I mentioned at the start, it is great to have these people in our lives who encourage, challenge, teach, and cheer for us. And in times of spiritual crisis and deep need, we may need to lean heavily on the support and care others to get us through the valley. That's ok.

However, we are not meant to rely on others to connect us with God for our entire lifetime. When that happens, what is meant as a complimentary support (like a handrail for stairs) becomes a crutch, our own spiritual muscles atrophy, and we lose the ability to stand our faith on our own two legs.

This is what happened to Joash, and he was not able to mature as a follower of God or lead others to God. He lost everything when his crutch (Jehoiada) was taken away.

It has been said that God has no spiritual grandchildren. We are all responsible for our own relationship with Christ. Are you confident you know how to grow in your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and develop love for others?

What is one thing you can do this week to take ownership over your own spiritual walk, feed your faith in Christ, and receive God's love in your heart?