11:21 (12:1) Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.
Jehoash is a variant spelling of Joash. They are the same person. Elders ruled the land of Judah until Joash became of age.
12:1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.
King Jehu of Israel began his reign in 841 B.C. and ruled for forty years. He rid Israel of Baalism, but not syncretism. Mothers had tremendous influence on their son’s character, so often the mothers' names are given in Scripture. God holds mothers responsible for bringing up godly children.
12:2 Throughout his lifetime Jehoash did what the Lord approved, just as Jehoiada the priest taught him.
King Jehoash was trained in the Mosaic Law by Jehoida the High Priest, so he enforced it when he grew of age to rule.
12:3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
The temple in Jerusalem was the only place where sacrifices could be burned. Many of the people were worshiping Jehovah on these high places, which was the wrong place of worship. Others were involved in syncretism, which was mixing the worship of Jehovah with pagan gods.
12:4 Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax, the silver received from those who have made vows, and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple.
Jehoash collected taxes in silver and asked the priests to repair the temple. These 3 main offerings were the half a shekel census tax assessed from every male twenty years older, the payments of personal vows, and voluntary offerings.
12:5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.”
The temple had suffered major damages during the reign of Queen Athaliah. The temple articles had been taken for use in the temple of Baal.
12:6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple.
Taxes were collected. After several years, none of the silver was used for repairing of the temple. They were used for other things.
12:7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.”
The priests did not use the offerings for temple repairs, so the people quit giving to the project.
12:8 The priests agreed not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs.
A new plan was put into place. The priests would no longer be allowed to collect silver from the people.
12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple.
The new plan required a new box to be placed at the entrance of the temple to collect offerings. Only the priests who guarded the entrance would be allowed to touch the money. “Joash’s chest” is often used today by many churches and organizations to raise money. Most people do not recognize its background. The chest was secured so that deacons, elders, preachers, and other religious racketeers could not get their hands on the offerings.
12:10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up.
When the chest was full, then the royal secretary and the high priest would count the money and bag it up. A check and balance system was established to protect the money from internal corruption.
12:11 They would then hand over the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, 12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses.
Once the treasure box was full, then carpenters and masons would be hired to repair the temple.
12:13 The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements.
These utensils were taken from the Lord’s temple and used for Baal worship. The offerings concentrated on temple repair, not replacement items of worship.
12:14 It was handed over to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple.
The foreman began the repair of the temple.
12:15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed the funds to the foremen, for they were honest.
Men with integrity were chosen to oversee the work project.
12:16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)
There was a separate offering which supported the priests.
12:17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem.
Bath was the city of the deceased giant Goliath. It was a former Philistine city which was conquered by King David. King Hazael of Syria captured Gath and began an attack on Jerusalem. King Zazaek and Ben-Hadad are both mentioned by name in several archaeological inscriptions, mostly of Assyrian origin, and all of them consistent with the Biblical references to these men.
12:18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.
King Jehoash did not ask for help from Jehovah. Instead, he paid tribute to King Hazael of Syria. Judah was beginning to weaken, just like Israel.
12:19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
"The Annals of the Kings of Judah" was an uninspired secular book which has been lost to this day.
12:20 His servants conspired against him and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla.
King Joash killed the High Priest Zechariah. Therefore, some of King Joash’s servants assassinated their king.
12:21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him. He was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.
According to 2 Chronicles 24:26, the assassins were of Ammonite and Moabite origin. Amaziah was the son of King Joash. He became the next king. The Davidic line survived Queen Athaliah’s purging into at least the next generation.