MINISTER, Rev. Thomas
Scarborough.
2 Chronicles 23. King
Joash.
This
morning we continue
in the book of 2 Chronicles
– and this morning I am going to be looking especially at a few
spiritual pictures
that we find in Chapters 22 and 23.
Last
Sunday we saw how the first evil
king began to reign in Judah. And then another
evil king ruled after
him – he lasted only one year,
so we are not going to look at his
reign this morning.
Let's
just note that when the next
evil king died, in Chapter 22 verse 9: "there was no one in the
house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom."
And
what this means is that there had been such murder and mayhem during
the bad
years that there was just no one left to rule.
And
so we see that the wicked queen mother
steps into the gap -- and she initiates yet another
great and terrible purge. In verse 10: "She proceeded to
destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah" -- so that
she alone would be left.
We
don’t need to understand all the ins and outs -- just that there
was mayhem
-- and only one
member of the royal family survived the bloody purges -- besides the
queen mother. And he survived because
-- it was the promise of God
to keep the royal line of David on the throne -- and his
name was Joash -- a baby prince not yet one year old.
Let's
notice that the Bible tells us specifically
why this one baby prince survived – in Chapter 23 verse 3.
He survived
because God promised
it. It was the promise of God
that a descendant of David would sit on the throne.
And
this is going to be the first spiritual picture
that we see this morning.
God
made a promise
– and the promise was
that a descendant of David would reign.
And
God was true to His promise
-- even though,
as far as everybody was concerned,
that promise was dead.
Only a handful
of people knew that one baby boy
had survived.
So
let's note just this – that God is true to His promises.
And sometimes we may not understand
it, but God's promises may seem to be dead
– or it may seem very unlikely
to us that His promises will ever come true
in our lives.
So
when you think, “God doesn't have a plan for me any more” -- or
when you think, “God is no longer
working for the good
in my life” -- or when you think “I wonder if
God will make a way for me” -- or when you think of any
of God's promises
-- God does
keep
His promises.
Even
when everything seems lost,
and dark,
God is still true to His word.
One
of the royal princesses -- in verse 11 - took the baby prince Joash,
and hid him in a bedroom with his nurse while all the other princes
were put to death. According to the King James translation, this
baby boy was found among
the dead princes -- it all depends how you translate a few words in
that verse.
And
this baby boy was smuggled into the temple,
where he remained hidden away -- in verse 12 -- under the care of the
priest Jehoiada. And for six years, he remains hidden away in the
temple.
So
God remains true to His promises.
Even when all seems dark,
you can count on it that God is true.
Don’t doubt
His faithfulness
and His goodness.
* * * * * * * * *
Now
the priest Jehoiada
-- the chief priest at the temple -- was a righteous man who loved
the Lord, and he longed for the day when the nation would return to
the Lord.
This
priest Jehoiada also trusted in the promise of God that He would
restore the throne of David. In Chapter 23 verse 3 he says: "The
king's son shall reign -- as
the Lord has promised."
And
with this confidence
in the Lord, Jehoiada the priest organises
-- secretly -- to restore the royal line of David -- and to put this
young prince on the throne.
He
gains the support of the army commanders
-- in verse 1. He gains the support of the Levites -- that is the
priestly tribe who were set aside to serve the Lord -- in verse 2.
He gains the support of the heads of the families
of all the towns of Judah.
And
he enters into a sacred covenant
with them -- we shall be looking at that word “covenant” this
morning -- that is another spiritual picture
that we find in this chapter.
And
then in Chapter 24 verse 1, when the young prince Joash is seven
years old, Jehoiada the priest springs into action.
Suddenly
he secures the temple with armed men -- and in verse 11, he brings
out the king's son - that is the young boy Joash -- and he puts the
crown on his head, and he presents him with a copy of the covenant --
the Word of God -- and they proclaim the young boy king.
And
the wicked
queen mother -- in verse 13 - is caught on the palace steps and she
is put to death on the spot.
Let
us look at some of the spiritual
lessons we learn from these chapters.
* * * * * * * * *
Firstly,
let’s notice that a great deal of attention is given to the fact
that the high priest Jehoiada allowed only the priests and Levites to
enter the temple -- in Chapter 23 verse 6 -- that is those who
belonged to the priestly tribe.
In
verse 6, Jehoiada the priest says, “”No
one
is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on
duty; they may enter because
they are consecrated.”
The old King James version says “for they are holy”.
And
of course, anybody else
was forbidden to enter the temple
-- on the threat of death.
Now
it’s very important that these priests and Levites were consecrated
-- that they were holy.
This means that they were specially set apart for God.
They were anointed.
They were called out
from among the people to serve God
both night and day.
* * * * * * * * * *
What does this have to
do with us today?
Well
the connection is a very simple one, and it is quite clear in
Scripture.
This is the next
spiritual picture
I would like us to see.
We,
today, as Christian believers -- have become
this priesthood.
After the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the temple
priesthood in fact came to an end
-- and the Bible says, in 1 Peter 2 verse 9 -- this is speaking to
us, today: "You
are a chosen people -- a royal priesthood."
And it says: "You are being built into a spiritual house -- a
holy priesthood." (1 Peter 2:5).
Like
the priests of old,
we have been called out from among the people -- out from the world
-- to serve God
both night and day.
* * * * * * * * * *
But
let’s take this picture one step further.
In the Old Testament -- and in the passage we are looking at this
morning
-- only the priesthood are
allowed
to serve God in His temple
-- or are allowed even to enter
the temple.
In
Chapter 23 verse 7
we read: “Anyone else
who enters the temple must
be put to death.”
So
let’s take this parallel further for us as Christians.
You and I, as Christians,
can enter into God's spiritual house,
as the New Testament calls us -- we can enter into God’s Kingdom
-- God’s Church
-- through
the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ -- because
we have been consecrated through Him.
God's
Church,
today, is a company of people who have come into special relationship
with the Lord God, and have entered into
His Kingdom.
And
when Jesus made His promise
to the Church,
that the gates of hell would never overcome it (Matthew 16:18) -- He
made that promise to the priesthood
-- to Christian believers
-- to those who know the Lord in a personal way.
God's
promises to the Church -- that He will bless it and protect it, and
not let the gates of hell prevail against it -- these are not
promises that are made to every Church building
that you see.
Why
are so many Churches in decline, and closing their doors? And let us
remember that far more are opening their doors than closing them in
this world -- but when the doors do close, and there is decline --
why is it?
The
answer very often is that those places are no longer a company of
God's priests.
God has no more interest
in them -- because those Churches are filled with people who are
there out of tradition -- or they belong to the Church in name only
-- but they are not truly God's people -- they are not truly God’s
priesthood.
It is ever so important
that a Church should truly be God's people -- because then the Lord
is with that Church. That is one of the lessons of this chapter -- 2
Chronicles chapter 23.
God's
Church is the priesthood -- and only the priesthood may enter. And
the priesthood is those who have been called out of the world through
Jesus Christ the Saviour.
* * * * * * * * * *
Let
us notice very briefly what happens when the temple -- or in our case
the Church -- is restored to the true
priesthood
-- in 2 Chronicles chapters 23 and 24. I’m just going to skim
over some points that show us also in a picture,
in these chapters, what kind
of a Church a Church will be when it is filled with a consecrated
priesthood
-- with people who really know the Lord.
In
the first place, from chapter 23 verse 17 -- we see that evil is
destroyed.
The Church becomes a place where God's righteousness shines -- it is
a place that is full of good deeds.
In
the second place, in chapter 24 verse 4 -- the Church is restored.
It regains its splendour,
and its strength.
It stops being a poor, shabby, struggling Church, and it is
restored.
In
the third place, in verse 10, its work prospers.
People support it financially -- and they support it gladly.
That is the result of having a Church that is made up of the true
people of God.
And
then, the Church returns to its original design
-- in verse 13. It might have had all sorts of practices and goals
that were beside the point -- but when it becomes the true people of
God again, it is restored to what it is really meant to be.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now I
said that I would be looking also at the covenant
this morning -- that word is mentioned four times in chapter 23.
The concept of a
covenant is something that has very much fallen by the wayside in
this day and age.
A
covenant
is a sacred agreement that does not change -- that cannot
change. It doesn't change according to the mood or the impulses of
the person who enters into it -- it doesn't change according to the
needs or the circumstances -- it doesn’t change for anything.
And
this is in fact how
Jehoiada the priest was able to pull off his revolution in the
kingdom of Judah
-- he entered into covenant
with the commanders, and the priests and the Levites, and the heads
of the families of Judah.
In verse 3, they made a covenant
with the king at the temple of God, in the presence of God.
If I
covenant
with you, for instance, to protect you -- then I will not change that
even if I feel differently -- even if circumstances should change --
even if,
in fact, my life is at stake
because of it. Nothing changes a covenant.
* * * * * * * * *
Fifty
years ago, people in our society
still understood what it meant to covenant
with someone. But then things began to change.
Things
changed in the area of marriage
-- and this is why there was at first shock
when divorce became a more regular thing. That was because marriage
was seen as a covenant
-- a solemn contract which does not change.
Things
changed in the area of business
-- your word was no longer your bond,
but you could promise things and break your promises so long as you
could get away
with it.
Things
have also changed quite fundamentally in the area of the state.
The law
used to be seen essentially as a covenant -- something that cannot be
left undone. It has
to be faithfully applied.
It is a covenant between the state and the citizen before God -- but
now even the law has lost its value.
So,
many people don't understand
the concept of covenant
any more.
* * * * * * * * *
Now
the most important covenant there is
is the covenant that God has made with humankind.
Another
word we use is testament.
A testament is a covenant
-- the two are the same thing.
That
is the type of covenant that is mentioned this morning in Chapter 23
verse 11 -- they handed to the young king Joash a copy of the
covenant.
That
is what the Bible is
-- it is a covenant
-- a sacred and unchangeable agreement between God and His people.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now many Christian
believers don't have a firm grip on what it means to enter into
covenant with the Lord -- and this is what I shall close with this
morning.
What
is
the covenant -- what is
the agreement that God has made with His people?
The
covenant - the agreement -- is that when you give
up
your own efforts to please God -- when you confess your sinfulness
and your inability -- and when you humble yourself before God, and
call on Him to save you through the blood of Jesus Christ, then He
will save you, eternally.
It is
a covenant that comes from
God.
God
has made
the covenant through Jesus Christ the Son -- and we can only accept
it -- or reject
it. If you do not accept
it, you have rejected it.
God
has chosen to save us by faith
-- faith in His only Son. It is His sovereign choice to enter into
covenant with us on the basis of faith.
But
why not works? Or why not just be spiritual?
Or why not some other way
of reaching God -- of being saved? Can't I come into relationship
with God through my own good deeds, or my religious observances -- or
some other way?
But
God says: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy." And
the way
that He will
have mercy is decreed in His covenant. It is only through Jesus
Christ who was crucified for us.
* * * * * * * * *
So
God enters into an unchangeable agreement
with us, called a covenant, or testament.
So
often Christian believers treat God as a changeable
God. They think He changes
towards them, depending on the way they feel -- or depending on the
way they behave -- and so on. You must
know Christians who wonder whether God's love is quite as steadfast
towards them today as it was yesterday.
But
the Bible portrays God as a God of covenant
-- which means that He has entered into an unchangeable contract with
us, and that therefore He is perfect in His faithfulness, and
steadfast in His love.
That
is why you come across those words all
over the Bible -- steadfast love -- unfailing mercy -- unchangeable
God.
His
love towards you never changes
-- once you have entered into this covenant relationship.
* * * * * * * * *
Let’s
just look at some of the unchangeable elements
of the covenant.
When
you enter into the new covenant with God through faith in Jesus, He
rescues you -- finally -- from the punishment of hell. And because
it is a covenant, that will never change.
The covenant is sealed.
It won’t be undone.
As a
part of the covenant, God takes away your guilt,
and He takes away your sin
-- and that if final.
As a
part of this covenant, he accepts
you -- just as
He accepts the Son Jesus Christ. Remember it is a covenant -- so He
is not going to change that acceptance tomorrow.
As a
part of this covenant, He gives you every spiritual blessing
in Jesus Christ.
As a
part of the covenant, He makes you one
with Christ.
He places His Spirit
within you. He hands you over as a gift to His Son.
He opens your eyes to spiritual things.
There are just so many
elements to this covenant -- the most wonderful things which are
guaranteed, and will not change -- because they are a covenant.
So
lastly, this morning, remember that our God is a God of covenant
-- the New
Covenant - the New Testament -- He is not a God who somehow changes
towards us from day to day as some people think He does.
* * * * * * * * * *
Well my time is at an
end.
And
as is my custom, I would like to invite you, this morning, to enter
into
this covenant with God if you have not yet done
so.
How
do you enter the covenant? Well I am going to have a little booklet
after the service today at the door -- it is called . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . ..
Please
ask me for a copy as you leave. It is with our compliments.
AMEN.
