Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him

2 Kings 12:1-21

Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 

But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.

But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.

His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

In the writer's estimation, Joash is one of Judah's best kings, ruling for 40 years. Under Jehoiada's guidance, Joash rules well. But for some years money intended for Temple repairs gets no further than the priests. A new method of collection is devised and the work put in hand. Funds come from tax and freewill offerings.

Joash's later years see a decline in political, moral and religious spheres. Syria makes inroads into Judah and threatens Jerusalem, The king dies at the hands of his servants.

Why?

Under the priest Jehoiada instructed Joash, Joash did a good king in Judah. To be a ruler need a good instructor.

When Jehoiada was getting old, other priests did not take the devotion to repair the Temple but took it as their own. So Joash asked the king's officers to take over this work and repair the Temple.

When Jehoiada passed away, Joash did not remember what Johiada saved him and has grace on him, he turn away from the Lord, so his officials conspired against him and assassinated him.

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約阿斯的輔佐耶何耶大是王的養父，使約阿斯反而離開神。

整修聖殿的事交給祭司辦理居然都沒有動工，向認識的人收銀子，即放在私庫。約阿斯登基23年後，約30歲，投入聖殿整修奉獻箱，由大祭司及王的司庫一起點收，專款專用，不與經常性費用混用。給祭司的錢也沒有短少。祭司為什麼不想處理此事，沒有動工，似乎祭司擔心工程費會擠壓到他們的生活費。表面上耶何耶大是王的臣子，其實是攝政王，慢慢的約阿斯成了兒皇帝，所以約阿斯想要脫離耶何耶大。約阿斯推不動整修聖殿，但是祭司們，朝中大臣都聽耶何耶大，以致人長大了，頭腦沒有長大，什麼事都替他決定，最後種下這個禍因，一有機會爭脫耶何耶大，以致連耶何耶大的信仰也放棄。耶何耶大可能擔心約阿斯做錯決定，所以都幫他決定。

帶領一個人，要在適當的時候，慢慢交給他，讓他決定，使他成長。

耶何耶大死後，約阿斯轉去拜別的神！

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How?

We need the good environment of spiritual environment,  God's word is our guidance in our daily life.