When godly men and their influences are taken out, where would men stand?

2 Chronicles 24^th chapter

Reading further in the 24^th chapter of the book of 2^nd Chronicles we see this young man following the instruction of his Godly uncle, to the point of doing the right thing in his presence always. Joash was an heir to the throne of which the enemy tried to enter in deception and he was the king who was to keep the true worship of God in the temple of Solomon. He was called to lead Judah out of the idolatries around her. The worship of Baal and Ashtoreth. His uncle being a very godly man had done all he could to influence Him by the virtues of the God He worshipped. Hoping that His own convictions would one day totally influence his young nephew. Jehoiada the priest even influenced king Joash as a young man to know the God of His fathers and in doing so he went as far as introducing the young king to keep the temple ordinances. He must have anointed Joash as the King and even from the lad’s youth he taught him all the ways of the Lord His God.

In bringing up this young king his uncle did all he possibly could to make him realize the truth of their allegiance to Yahweh. Jehoiada taught him all about the God who had brought them out of Egypt and that how His mighty arm was still with His people to bless and prosper them in all the dimensions of their lives. This Godly man was a true gift from God to the king. Joash was very privileged from his very young age to be under such a spiritual leadership.

He also instructed Joash in repairing Solomon’s Temple and in keeping with the law’s of Moses. The temple Worship was restored in His time also. He prescribed the Levites and the priest of Judah to collect money for the repair of the house of God from year to year the Bibles says and he saw that they did the work quickly, although the Levites did not do it quickly. Then the King called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him. “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandments of Moses the servant of the Lord and of the assembly of Israel for the “Tabernacle of witness?”? For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord to Baals. Therefore a proclamation and a commandment went out

In all Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. Then all the people and all the leaders rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given the Bible says. Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of money, the king’s secretary and the high priest’s deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance.  Then the king and Jehoiada gave it to those in charge of the labor on the LORD’s temple, who were hiring masons and carpenters to renovate the LORD’s temple, also blacksmiths and coppersmiths to repair the LORD’s temple. So in this way the temple was repaired by Joash and his uncle the Chief priest called Jehoiada.

And then in verse 15^th of the 2^nd Chronicles we read that Jehoiada the priest dies at the good old age of one hundred and thirty years old and that is exactly where all the problems all started. Right after the Chief Priest Jehoiada died the apostasy of king Joash began. Jehoiada was buried in Jerusalem in the burying ground of Kings of Judah and right after that the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king and the king began to listen to them. Therefore they left the House of the Lord God of their fathers and served wooden images and idols again; and the wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet God sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord and they testified against them, but they would not listen. Then the word in verse 20 of 2^nd Chronicles says “The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people and

Said to them…

“Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.” So they conspired against Zechariah, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his uncle had done to him, but killed his son; and as Zechariah died he said “ The Lord look on it and repay”. So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed most of the leaders of the people from among the people. The ones who remained they the scriptures says finally came against king Joash wounded and dying they killed the king in his bed to avenge the death of Jehoiada’s son Zechariah the prophet.

Here is what we learn from this story of the Old Covenant reading. No matter who sets the best Godly example before us even throughout our entire life, the company of the corrupt people can defile our good habits and much learned godliness, even in few days. That when Godly influences is gone, or our Godly parents or men of God disappear from among us, their influence can disappear too. Because unless Godliness becomes the fabric of our being it cannot be kept for a life time. Many people are living a Godly life before men and God only until they have the Godly men around them, but when Godly men perish they avert back to their former ways. Why? Because they have never truly changed. The Godliness attained by an outside source is good till these influences are around them, but are soon forgotten when they are no more. This is why Jesus said to His own that “It is to your advantage that I go, because when I go I will send you the Helper the one who reside in you the Spirit of the truth who would teach you”. Just like the two on the road to Emmaus where while traveling on that road had totally lost their hope and where walking backwards, yet the Lord in His mercy appeared to them there. Here again a promise of the infilling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit which would be the greatest influence of God which would now live in them. Paul the Apostle said in the end of his life. “I ran the race, fought the good fight of faith and have kept the faith”. Church this tells me we are never to be too sure of ourselves and think nothing could influence us negatively anymore. Satan is still there to kill and steal and destroy what you and I have and unless we are awake it can and will be stolen from us. Remember the five unwise or foolish virgins to whom Jesus said “I have never known you, but they were virgins the parable says”.  Now Church are sure you are walking with this inner witness, or the influences of the ungodly men by whom you have surrendered yourselves?

What would you do when the godly men perish from your surrounding? Would you still walk in your prior convictions or will you avert to the ways of the men that are your accountancies now. The scriptures just told us that King Joash did return to his vomit by getting back to the hearing of his leaders. When they bowed down before him, the scriptures say he began to hear their voice. Do not be surprised that in the end he was also killed and stabbed by the same men. Men will surround you and me when we do what they want from us, but as they found themselves under the wrath or the curse of God they will turn around and kill you and me and our faith. Only if we hear the continual guiding voice of the Holy Spirit and walk intimately with Him we would have nothing to worry about. Therefore let us surround ourselves with Godly men, because the Bibles say “Evil company corrupt good habit”. But above all let us walk with One who lives inside of us and heed His warning more than anything else as the day is approaching. Amen?