Jehoiada the Priest

2023-05-07

While Athaliah daughter of Omri ruled over Israel, who served the gods of her family, a priest named Jehoiada valiantly took back the kingdom of Judah for the LORD. Though the queen had slain all the royal seed, there was one young son that was preserved secretly. Jehoiada planned to crown the heir suddenly, where the plan involved the captains of the guard being divided in three parts on the Sabbath day, which would have taken Athaliah off-guard. He crowned Joash king, and the wicked queen was slain.

The heroic priest made many reforms, including destroying the temple of Baal and its priest. He also restored Temple worship: “Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David” (2 Chronicles 23:18). Jehoiada restored order and peace after the death of Athaliah. He also led the renovations of the Temple when the other Levites were slow to respond to the king’s command.

Jehoiada was the good influence in Joash’s life. The king’s father was killed when he was young, so Jehoiada was the father he needed. He lived to be 130 years old. When he died, wicked princes came to King Joash and influenced him to turn to idols. Jehoiada was the real leader of Judah behind the king. The king was never mature enough to be a real godly king. The wrath of God came on the kingdom, and Joash did not heed any words of the prophets, including the words of Jehoiada’s own son, Zechariah.

And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. (2 Chronicles 24:20-21)

We see that Jehoiada was a godly leader, and he instilled good godly values in his own son and in Joash. Despite the failure of the king, this priest of the Lord was a force for good in the land by turning Judah back to the LORD, even if it were for a short while.