2 Kings 12: Restoring the House of God
Under Jehoiada's guidance King Joash repairs the neglected temple, yet later strips its treasures to buy off an invading enemy.
2 Kings 12 (WEB)
1 In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 However the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into Yahweh’s house, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it comes into any man’s heart to bring into Yahweh’s house,
5 let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach shall be found.”
6 But it was so, that in the twenty-third year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said to them, “Why don’t you repair the breaches of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your treasurers, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.”
8 The priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into Yahweh’s house: and the priests who kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house.
10 It was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house.
11 They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on Yahweh’s house,
12 and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the breaches of Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
13 But there were not made for Yahweh’s house cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house;
14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and repaired therewith Yahweh’s house.
15 Moreover they didn’t demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully.
16 The money for the trespass offerings, and the money for the sin offerings, was not brought into Yahweh’s house: it was the priests’.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20 His servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla.
21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 12 (KJV)
1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer–sheba.
2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the Lord, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of the Lord,
5 Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
8 And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.
10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the Lord.
11 And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the Lord: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the Lord,
12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
13 Howbeit there were not made for the house of the Lord bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord:
14 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the Lord.
15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.
16 The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the Lord: it was the priests’.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
19 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.
21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 12 (ASV)
1 In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of Jehovah,
5 let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
8 And the priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of Jehovah: and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah.
10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of Jehovah.
11 And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of Jehovah,
12 and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
13 But there were not made for the house of Jehovah cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah;
14 for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of Jehovah.
15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully.
16 The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of Jehovah: it was the priests’.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla.
21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
Summary
Joash begins to reign at seven and rules forty years in Jerusalem, doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD all the days that Jehoiada the priest instructs him, though the high places are not removed. Concerned for the neglected temple, Joash orders the priests to use the consecrated money to repair its breaches. But by the king's twenty-third year the repairs are still undone, so Joash takes the work out of the priests' hands. Jehoiada bores a hole in the lid of a chest and sets it by the altar, and the people's offerings are collected there. When the chest is full, the money is counted and paid directly to the carpenters, masons, and builders who repair the house of the LORD, and so faithfully do the workmen deal that no accounting is even demanded of them. The temple is restored. Later, however, when Hazael of Syria captures Gath and threatens Jerusalem, Joash takes the sacred things dedicated by his fathers and the gold from the temple and palace treasuries and sends them to Hazael to buy him off. In the end, Joash's own servants conspire against him and strike him down, and he is buried in the city of David, his son Amaziah reigning in his place.
Main Characters
- Joash (Jehoash) of Judah — The boy-king who does right under Jehoiada's guidance, repairs the temple, yet later strips it to pay off Hazael and dies by conspiracy.
- Jehoiada the priest — The faithful priest whose instruction keeps Joash on the right path and who devises the collection chest that funds the temple repairs.
- The faithful workmen — The carpenters, masons, and builders who repair the LORD's house so honestly that no accounting of the money is required of them.
- Hazael king of Syria — The Syrian aggressor who captures Gath and threatens Jerusalem, prompting Joash to surrender the temple treasures.
Key Verse
2 Kings 12:2 (WEB)
Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
Lessons Learned
- God's house and worship deserve our attentive care, not neglect.
- Good intentions need wise systems and accountability to bear fruit, as the collection chest showed.
- Faithfulness with God's resources is precious; the honest workmen needed no oversight.
- Devotion can wither when our supports are gone, as Joash drifted after Jehoiada's influence faded.
- God's worship deserves our care. Joash commands the priests to “repair the breaches of the house” (2 Kings 12:5, WEB). Tending the place and practice of worship reflects how much we value God.
- Good intentions need good structures. Only when Jehoiada sets up the chest and direct payments do the repairs finally happen (2 Kings 12:9-12, WEB). Wise systems turn willing hearts into real results.
- Faithfulness earns trust. No accounting was demanded of the workmen, “for they dealt faithfully” (2 Kings 12:15, WEB). Integrity with God's resources is a quiet but precious virtue.
- Borrowed faith can fade. Joash does right “all his days in which Jehoiada… instructed him” (2 Kings 12:2, WEB), but later falters. We must own our faith, not merely lean on others' godliness.
- Why is the temple in such disrepair, and what does Joash's concern for it reveal about his early reign?
- What goes wrong with the first plan for repairs, and how does Jehoiada's chest solve it?
- What is striking about the workmen who needed no accounting of the money?
- How does Joash's later decision to pay off Hazael with the temple treasures contrast with his earlier devotion?
- Whose godly influence has sustained your faith, and how can you make that faith truly your own?
- Years of Baal-influenced rule under Athaliah had left the temple neglected. Joash's desire to repair it shows a heart, shaped by Jehoiada, that valued the worship of the LORD. His early reign models a leader investing in God's house.
- The first plan, leaving the priests to collect from acquaintances, simply does not get the work done. Jehoiada's chest creates a transparent, accountable system, and the repairs proceed. Good intentions needed structure and oversight to bear fruit.
- The workmen are so trustworthy that no one audits the funds passing through their hands. Their integrity is highlighted as exemplary. Faithfulness with money and responsibility, especially in God's work, is a rare and commendable virtue.
- Earlier Joash invested in God's house; later he plunders it to appease an enemy rather than seeking the LORD. The contrast suggests his devotion weakened after Jehoiada's guiding influence waned. It is a sobering picture of faith that was never fully his own.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to honor mentors who have sustained them while examining whether their faith can stand on its own. Encourage them to root their devotion directly in God so it endures when supports are removed.