land, and they brought down the king from the house of Jehovah, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet.* The sonst of Athaliah having broken up the house of God, and bestowed all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah upon Baalim, Joash was minded to repair and restore the same. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out into the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. And the king called for Jehoiada, the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah, and out of Jerusalem, the collection, according to the commandment of Moses, the servant of Jehovah, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of Jehovah. And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to Jehovah the collection that Moses, the servant of God, laid upon Israel in the wilderness.‡ And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought into the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe, and the high priest's officer, came and emptied the chest, and took it and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. And the king *2 Kings, xi. 18-20. 2 Chron. xxiii. 17-21. and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of Jehovah; and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of Jehovah. So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them; and they set the house of God in its state, and strengthened it. And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah; even vessels to minister and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of Jehovah, continually all the days of Jehoiada.* And Joash did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada, the priest, who took for him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.† But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.‡ And Jehoiada, the priest, died at the age of 130 years, and * 2 Chron. xxiv. 4-14. 2 Kings, xii. 4—16. + 2 Chron. xxiv. 2, 3. 2 Kings, xii. 2. 2 Kings, xii. 3. The high places in Judah and Israel, and which had the effect of fostering the predilection of the Jews for idolatry, and of facilitating their return to idolatrous practices from time to time, may be compared to the remnants of popery allowed to remain in the episcopal church of England, at the time of the reformation; and, at a subsequent period, ingrafted and made of imperative obligation by Laud and his admirers. It was the evils which such remnants were likely to produce, and not the things themselves, which induced the conscientious Hooper, and other good men, to resist their imposition; and even Cranmer himself foresaw the probable result. That result has been but too well verified, and something very much like popery having become the fashionable religion, the papists have had but little difficulty in the removal of their wholesome shackles, during the present year (1829); and, probably, a few years more will produce even a more fatal result; which may a gracious providence, in infinite mercy, avert! they buried him in the city of David, among the kings; because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.* After the death of Jehoiada, came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served groves and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem, for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken Jehovah, 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 Jehovah. Thus Joash, the king, remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him, but slew his son.† And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it. For this wicked departure, the judgments of God soon visited Joash with the utmost severity; for the king of Syria came against Judah and Jerusalem with a small company of men, and destroyed all the princes of the people, and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers.§ Nor was this all; for the Syrians having left Joash in great 2 Chron. xxiv. 15, 16. This good priest was born in the reign of Rehoboam. + Most probably the Zechariah, son of Barachiah, referred to by our Lord. See A. Clarke on Matt. xxiii. 34, 35. 2 Chron. xxiv. 17-22. diseases,* two of his servants, Zabad or Jozachar, the son of Shimeath, an Ammonitess; and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith, a Moabitess, conspired against him, for the blood of the sons† of Jehoiada, the priest, and slew him on his bed, in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings; and he was succeeded by his son, A. C. AMAZIA H. As soon as this prince felt secure on his throne, he slew those who had assassinated his father, but not their children, observing in that respect the injunction of Moses.§ 839. 4 Having determined, for some cause which is not declared, upon an expedition against the Edomites, Amaziah collected a large army of 300,000 chosen men, over which he appointed officers, and hired 100,000 Israelites for 100 talents of silver. He was diverted from this purpose, however, by a message from God, commanding him not to let the Israelites go with him, as God was not with them; and threatening him with defeat unless he dismissed them. Unwilling to lose his 100 talents, he anxiously enquired what was to become of them; but the man of God replied, Jehovah is able to give thee Although no commentator has noticed this expression, it can hardly be the right reading-it seems as if it should rather be "in his weakness or impoverished state." See Schindler's Lex. Pentagl. which gives eight variations of the Hebrew root. In languoribus magnis, Vulg. + The Septuagint and the Vulgate have this in the singular; but the expression itself does not necessarily imply that Jehoiada had more than one son. See Asellio and Baithius, apud B. O. L. 633. 2 Chron. xxiv. 25, 26. 2 Kings, xii. 20, 21. 2 Chron. xxv. 3, 4. 2 Kings, xiv. 5, 6. Deut. xxiv. 16.` much more than this; upon which Amaziah, though perhaps reluctantly, separated the Israelites from his own subjects, and sent them home; wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. And which they vented by falling upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote 3,000 of them, and took much spoil.† Amaziah led his army to the valley of salt, and slew 10,000 of the children of Seir, or Edomites, and took the city of Selah, and called the name of it Joktheel. He also brought away 10,000 captives, and precipitating them from the top of a rock, they were dashed to pieces. But, notwithstanding this severity against the persons of the Edomites, instead of destroying the gods of Seir, he brought them home with him, and set them up for his own gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense to them.§ Wherefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel ? forbear: why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel. Thus doomed to destruction, vain-glorious, and subject to evil counsellors, Amaziah was induced to send a challenge to Jehoahaz, the king of Israel, probably by way of resenting the injury inflicted upon the cities of Judah, by the Ephraimites on their return home. The reply of the Israelitish monarch 2 Chron. xxv. 5. 10. +2 Chron. xxv. 13. 2 Chron. xxv. 11, 12. 2 Kings, xiv. 7. |