2 Chronicles 21-24: Godly Influence

Sometimes all it takes is one or two godly persons to change the course of events.   Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and her husband, the priest Jehoiada, were such a couple.  Jehosheba took it upon herself to hide Joash when she saw that all of her brother Ahaziah's children were going to be murdered thus preserving the throne. 

Jehoiada her husband the priest, was responsible for reinstating the line of David by having Joash crowned king.  Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the LORD’s people. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
   Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the LORD in the hands of the priests, who were Levites, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered.  He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.
   He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the LORD. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoiced. 2 Chronicles 23:16-20 NIV

Unfortunately, for Joash and all of Judah, their turning towards God was only because of the godly influence of Jehoiada.  Once Jehoiada died, it was business as usual and Joash and all of Judah would pay the consequences.  The godly influence of Jehoiada was short lived and so was their prosperity.

2010 Post - 2 Chronicles 21-24:  Power, Intrigue and Violence