2 Chronicles 24:19

_YET HE SENT PROPHETS TO THEM, TO BRING THEM AGAIN UNTO THE LORD; AND THEY TESTIFIED AGAINST THEM: BUT THEY WOULD NOT GIVE EAR._ Yet he sent prophets - Elisha, Micah, Jehu son of Hanani, Jahaziel son of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 20:14), Eliezer son of Dodavah (2 Chronicles 20:37), lived and taught at that time. But all their prophetic warnings and denunciations were unheard and unheeded....

15-27 See what a great judgment on any prince or people, the death of godly, zealous, useful men is. See how necessary it is that we act in religion from inward principle. Then the loss of a parent, a minister, or a friend, will not be losing our religion. Often both princes and inferior people have been flattered to their ruin. True grace alone will enable a man to bring forth fruit unto the end. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, being filled with the Spirit of prophecy, stood up, and told the people of their sin. This is the work of ministers, by the word of God, as a lamp and a light, to discover the sin of men, and expound the providences of God. They stoned Zechariah to death in the court of the house of the Lord. Observe the dying martyr's words: The Lord look upon it, and require it! This came not from a spirit of revenge, but a spirit of prophecy. God smote Joash with great diseas...

EXPOSITION This chapter contains the entire career of Joash, and is answered to by the twelfth chapter of Kings. It tells of Joash's fidelity to God, and his worship and temple, while Jehoiada's life lasted (2 Chronicles 24:1); of his departure from God and permission of idolatry afterwards (2 Chronicles 24:15-14); of the punishment he received at the hands of the Syrians (2 Chronicles 24:23, 2 Chronicles 24:24); and of his miserable end (2 Chronicles 24:25-14). The d

YET HE SENT PROPHETS TO THEM, TO BRING THEM AGAIN UNTO THE LORD,.... To reprove them for their sin, to warn them of their danger, to exhort them to their duty, and endeavour to restore them, and reduce them to the obedience and worship, of God; such was his clemency, goodness, and condescension to them, before he executed his wrath upon them: AND THEY TESTIFIED AGAINST THEM; against their sins, and declared what would befall them, and called heaven and earth to witness for God and against them: BUT THEY WOULD NOT GIVE EAR: to their reproofs, admonitions, cautions, and exhortations, but went on in their own ways....

This chapter gives us the story of the reign of Joash. He was the only one of the royal seed who was preserved alive when Athaliah sought to destroy all the family of Ahaziah. He was hidden away for some six years in the temple by his aunt Jehoshabeath, the wife of Jehoiada the high priest, who arranged matters so well that, when the child was seven years old, Jehoiada caused him to be crowned king, and he put to death the cruel she-wolf Athaliah, who had destroyed the royal family. You see, therefore, how much this young king owed to his uncle the high-priest. Now let us read the story of his reign. 2 Chronicles 24:1. _Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem._ He might have reigned much longer had he not erred and turned aside from the right way, and so brought judgment upon himself....

CHAPTER 24 THE TEMPLE REPAIRED, APOSTASY AND ITS RESULTS _ 1. Joash's reign (2 Chronicles 24:1)_ 2. The failure of the priests (2 Chronicles 24:4) 3. The temple repaired (2 Chronicles 24:8) 4. Death of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:15) 5. The apostasy (2 Chronicles 24:17) 6. The Syrian invasion (2 Chronicles 24:23) 7. The death of Joash ...

Joash as king; his restoration of the Temple. There are some significant points of difference between this account and that of 2 K. According to the latter, the house of God having fallen into disrepair, Joash commands that certain dues and free-will offerings of the people are to be utilised by the priests for undertaking the repairs; the priests, however, while taking the money, do nothing for the repair of the Temple. As the result of a protest against this on the part of the king, the priests promise not to receive any more money from the people; but they refuse to repair the Temple. Thereupon Jehoiada, presumably at the command of the king, places a chest beside the altar into which the worshippers cast their gifts. When sufficient money has been received, the repair of the Temple is proceeded with. In the hands of the Chronicler this account becomes considerably modified. He could...

THEY TESTIFIED AGAINST THEM. The Vulgate reads _quos protestantes_. who in protesting against them. Thus, the first instance of the word "Protestant" is found in the Vulgate, and not in the history of the Reformation. _Pr_. = for, and _testans =_ witnessing, is positive, not negative. It denotes. witnessing _for_ God and His truth, not merely against evil....

_he sent prophets_ Cp. 2 Chronicles 36:15. _to them_ Rather, AMONG THEM....

9. THE REIGN OF JOASH (2 Chronicles 23:16-21) TEXT 2 Chronicles 23:16. And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be Jehovah's people. 17. And all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18. And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Jehovah under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt-offerings of Jehovah, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. 19. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that none that was unclean in anything should